"Breaking news!"
It's been about a week since Chloe had been trying to find out more about Max. Nonstop questions flooded everybody's mind when she came around, looking for answers. Nobody actually knew anything new, though.
"Blackwell student and teacher supposedly committed multiple murders and kidnappings."
That got Chloe's attention. Max disappears, but then suddenly murders appear on TV? Can't be good news.
"Victoria! C-come here, I think—" Chloe yelled, stopping midway. The victims names that were kidnapped and murdered appeared on screen, in red lettering next to pictures of the girl.
Victoria rushed in to watch. She had been spending a lot of time with Chloe, so she was currently at her house.
"Abbie Hernandez—" with her brown hair and brown eyes, she became known to her friends as a 'party queen', and always liked to socialize."
"Tracy Santello—" a caring girl who had hazel eyes, and had the smarts for chemistry, her blond hair and freckles are recognizable through crowds."
"Sammy Gibbler— a petite green-eyed girl with brown braids. She enjoyed swimming on Blackwell's team, the Otters."
"Valerie Borowski— a girl who was known for art, and had red hair with brown eyes."
"Maxine Caulfield— a girl with brown hair to her shoulders, blue eyes, and freckles, with a passion for photography, as described."
Maxine Caulfield. Blue eyes. Photography.
Max Caulfield. Freckles. A brown bob.
Max. Chloe's Max. The Max that went missing five months ago.
The Max that turned out to be buried near the lighthouse, where Chloe always stood to have a cigarette.
Chloe felt like puking. Her gut swam in circles and lurched up and down. Like she had just drank seawater and now her body had finally gotten sick of it.
"Oh… Chloe…" Victoria was at a loss for words. What was she supposed to say? Sorry your friend turned out to be dead? Sorry that she was killed by someone in her school? A teacher and classmate, nonetheless.
She quickly ran to her, wrapping her arms around her in a large hug. Chloe doesn't object, and instead sobs loudly, her whales echoing throughout the Price-Madsen household.
"The people said to be responsible are Nathan Prescott and Mark Jefferson, now former student and former teacher. They are supposed to be put in jail for a life sentence, if found guilty."
Both their faces were shocked.
_._._._
At Blackwell as Nathan is being walked to the police car with his hands cuffed behind his back, Chloe scrambles out of Victoria's arms to reach him, kick him, punch, scrape, anything to get back at him. Victoria and Rachel watch in horror as Chloe's anger reaches its peak.
"YOU BASTARD! FUCKING CUNT, I'LL TEAR YOUR GODDAMN HEAD OFF IF I HAVE TO!" As she's about six meters away from him, police step in to stop her. She cries: "SHE WAS THE ONLY FUCKING THING I CARED ABOUT!" She only stops trying to attack when Victoria reaches and pulls her back.
"Chloe. Please. Let's go back inside, to my dorm… you'll be okay."
She knows it's a white lie, but agrees anyway.
"Your best fucking friend, huh?" Chloe whispers quiet enough so Victoria can't hear her. She finishes the rest in her head, 'your best friend killed mine.' She knows Victoria didn't do anything, but can't help but feel that way.
_,_,_,_
"Mr. Prescott and Mr. Jefferson, former members of Blackwell Academy have kidnapped several girls, and then took their lives. They were drugged with GHB, a common 'date rape' drug that induces a sleep, and the girls were all given an overdose."
The TV is louder than ever to Chloe, despite being on the same volume it was before. She wants it to stop. She wants it to be a long nightmare. She pleads in her head.
Max's happy face on the missing person poster haunts her. She don't know if she'll ever be able to get past knowing that she'll never see it live, in front of her again.
The funeral is waiting.
_._._._
I know, the names aren't in game. But,,,,, I wanted to make up my own characters for this, to show that many more lives that could've been taken by Jefferson, that we just can't see. And I forgot to clarify, that the line of " X's " for a phone number is just because I didn't want to make one up that turned out to be real, and I obvi didn't want a real one. Just go with the flow.
-ufo