Kieran sat in his cell looking up at the ceiling. He had been in prison for a month and it already felt like eternity. A life sentence was starting to feel daunting and up until this point it hadn't registered in his mind that he might actually be stuck in here forever. If he was lucky evidence would come forward proving his innocence. Until then all he could do was wait.

Feeling that kind of betrayal from both a family member and your girlfriend cut deep. He knew Eli was troubled, so him falling over the edge like that wasn't a complete shock, but Emma... He thought she loved him and trusted him no matter what. Kieran had Emma's back since the day they met and he thought the feeling was mutual. But he was sadly mistaken.

"Brooke," Emma said as she approached her blonde friend from down the hall. "I know this is a weird question, but would you happen to know if your dad had business with Eli's mom?"

"I don't know, Em. Why?" Emma got a vibe from Brooke that she wasn't in the mood to talk today.

The two were standing at Brooke's locker in between first and second period. Emma also noticed that Stavo wasn't hanging around. Lately she wouldn't have been caught anywhere without him.

"I, um... I was talking with Eli this morning. He said his mom left town and moved back to Atlanta. Apparently she came into some money but he doesn't know how she got it. And your dad did have some shady business with Jake that never got finished. Or at least, not by him."

"Sorry, Em, but I don't know anything. I wish I could help."

"It's fine," Emma said. "By the way... where's Stavo? You two are usually joined at the hip."

Brooke slouched back against her locker door and sighed. "We're not speaking right now. Or at least, I'm not speaking with him."

"You guys are fighting?"

"Yeah, it's just about prom," Brooke said. "I brought it up last night because I need to buy a dress before the good ones are all gone, but Stavo doesn't even want to go to prom."

"Are you serious? He knows how much prom means to you." Emma shook her head in disbelief.

"Yeah, well, I guess that's not important to him. I just don't want to go alone, and I definitely don't want to go with some random guy. Stavo is my boyfriend and I want to go with him."

"I'm sure he'll come around, Brooke. Maybe try talking to him again and explain why it's so important to you. You could even pull a sympathy card if you need to. I mean, you did almost die a few weeks ago."

"Emma... you are evil. I like it," Brooke said, smirking at her.

The bell rang for class to start and the two friends parted ways. Emma's next class was with Stavo and she figured that she could help Brooke out by saying something to him. She sat down in the seat next to him and as soon as Stavo acknowledged her, she went in for the kill.

"So, I heard you and Brooke had a bit of a disagreement."

"Yeah, she's super adamant on going to prom, but I don't think we should. I know how much she wants to go, but with everything that's happened, it just doesn't feel right."

"Prom is the time to celebrate, Stavo. We're all survivors. You deserve a special night with her. She's been through so much this year, and she wants to go to prom with you more than anything. Don't let another thing get taken away from her."

"You know what? You're right. Brooke's special to me and she's had so many bad things happen to her. She deserves a nice prom. Thanks, Emma," Stavo said, a slight grin appearing on his face. "And since we're giving advice, I think there's something off about Eli. I know you two are together and Kieran's the one responsible for all these murders, but I'd keep an eye on him. He gives off bad vibes."

"Eli's a good guy. He's just had a bad upbringing. His mom wasn't exactly mom of the year, and with Kieran messing with him this past year, I don't blame him if he's a little off. He might do or say some strange things, but he has good intentions. Give him a chance."

"I'm not saying he's a bad guy. I'm just saying... keep an eye on him."

"Thanks," Emma said in a sort of sarcastic tone. "I'll keep that in mind."

When class was over Emma texted Eli to tell him that she was going home for the rest of the day. If Stavo thinks that Eli is acting strange then that means he's told or is telling other people the same thing. Everything was finally starting to feel okay again and now Eli is being picked on.

Eli walked home to meet up with Emma. Emma barely ever skipped class, and after she made a big deal about skipping this morning, something must have been wrong.