Okay, so I realized that some of yall may not listen to the song of the chapter as you're reading which is fine, but I highly suggest you listen to the songs as you read the chapters. The vibe of the songs goes hand in hand with the chapters. I listened to all of these songs specifically as I wrote each chapter. If you don't want to listen to the songs that's fine too :)
The song for this chapter is Grace Potter and The Nocturnals - Stars
I woke in a cloudy haze. Was the heat on? Sweat dampened my skin, my clothes stuck to my body. When I registered the arms around me my mind played back and I realized they were Stavo's. His warm breath heated up my skin and a few other places. That's when I remembered why he was here in the first place.
Jake was dead.
Jake was dead. Here I was in another guy's arms, a guy who I liked. Guilt grew in me. How could he be dead? How could I ever be okay with this? He was gone and I couldn't get him back.
I tried to untangle from Stavo because I felt I had to, but his hold was strong. Desperately, I pushed and kicked him away. I didn't mean to hurt him, but I had to get away.
He peered at me through sleepy eyes. "Ow." He yawned.
I got off the bed, needing some distance between us. "Sorry."
He sat up, his eyes roamed around my room. "This was pretty much what I imagined. Only there's a lot less pink and stuffed animals."
I sunk into my desk chair with no energy.
"Don't leave me hanging. I know you have a snappy one-liner to throw back at me."
My eyes met his in the mirror. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I don't have it in me today."
He scooted to the edge of the bed. "What can I do to make it okay?" His eyes searched mine.
"You can't. Jake's dead. And that's not changing." My chin trembled, but before I could let out the pain I shot up. I grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. "I'm going to take a shower. You don't have to stay if you don't want to." I didn't wait for him to answer before I rushed to the bathroom.
I sat under the hot water with my knees pressed to my chest until Stavo knocked on the door.
"Brooke, are you alright in there?" Worry evident in his voice.
Was I? No. Did I have to be? Yes.
I turned the water off and stood.
"I'll be out in a second," I told him.
I slid on my clothes only to realize I picked out the same shirt I wore at the hospital. The one Jake got me on our first date. It wasn't on purpose, but the fact that I could reach for something so innocently and have it be tied to Jake only made me sadder.
It took me a few minutes to blowdry my hair. I didn't feel like it, but I didn't want it dripping down my back the whole day either. By the time I felt okay enough to come out of the bathroom my room was empty. I pulled my hair into a ponytail, then took the pain medicine for my leg. As the days went on I needed it less and less, but I didn't want to feel any more pain than I already did.
He left.
I gave a sad grin. Could I really be mad at him? I told him to leave. Everyone left me. Maybe it was me. All I was going to be do was stay in bed, anyway. He had better things to do. I kind of wanted to go through old pictures of Jake and I. I wanted to see him as he was, not in the picture Acosta painted for me last night.
Where was my laptop?
My eyes searched for it. I thought I left it on my dresser.
I made my way downstairs. My stomach growled at the smell of food. Was my dad still here? He'd probably have a busy day of press meetings and appointments. I knew my mom couldn't cook. Speaking of her, where was she? Did my dad put her in the guest house?
Imagine my surprise when I found Stavo cooking away in my kitchen. There was bacon, eggs, pancakes, and biscuits. Along with a fresh pot of coffee brewing.
He turned around at my entrance. "Hey, hope you don't mind." He had flour on his shirt where my pink 'Hottest Barbie In The Kitchen' apron didn't cover his broad chest.
"I thought you left." I cleared my throat.
He turned back to the cooking pancakes and flipped them. "Never."
I took a few steps towards the island but didn't sit down. "Well, you did. On Monday."
His back stiffened. "That was different."
"Why?"
"Because, Brooke." His voice rose a little, but he calmed down when he noticed what I was doing. "I was angry at you on Monday. I basically told you that I'd wait for you and not even a day later I hear that you think I'm clingy. I hear that you hate the worst part of me, the part that will always blame myself for my mom dying no matter what anyone says. You were the first person that I let myself get close to here." He used a spatula to place the rest of the pancakes on the plate. "I think it goes without saying how I feel about you." He placed his hands on the island, his brown eyes stared at me. "Part of me still doesn't want to trust you, part of me wants to push you away the hardest." He echoed the words that ran through my heart. "But when I heard the news I had to push away that anger and doubt to see if you were okay."
"And now that you know? Are you going back to hating me?" I poured myself a cup of coffee.
"I could never hate you, Brooke. And no. I know that you don't need me here, but I don't want to leave."
I didn't want to need him here, but I did.
My eyes went to his. "I don't want you to leave either."
He cracked a lazy grin. "Cool."
I brought my mug to my mouth to hide the forming of a grin. "Cool." I fixed myself a plate because I was actually starving. His eggs looked fantastic! And the pancakes smelled of apple cinnamon. He wasn't lying about knowing how to cook. I all but moaned as I ate his food.
My face reddened under his gaze. "Sorry."
He grinned. "I don't mind at all."
Of course, he didn't.
"Save room for dessert. I'm making something special." He said halfway through after I was thinking about a second plate.
My brow arched. "I don't know if you're being serious or dirty."
He shrugged. "You'll have to wait and find out." He already finished his food and moved to start cleaning up.
I hopped off the stool and helped him.
"No, I got it."
My eyes rolled. "A-It's my house and B-don't tell me what to do."
"Yes, ma'am."
As we washed dishes I couldn't help but feel something for him at seeing him all domesticated. Seeing a man cook and clean was way sexier when it wasn't my dad.
"What?" He asked as he washed and I dried.
"Nothing," I muttered.
His hip touched mine as he moved closer. "It's something."
"My apron just looks good on you is all," I said because I still didn't want to fall back into a flirtation with him. Not yet.
His hands flattened against his stomach and he had the nerve to look shy. "You don't think it's too much?"
My eyes trailed along his body. I cleared my throat. "It clashes with your outfit."
"So maybe I should just take my clothes off?"
I stilled. "Uh...that would solve the clashing problem." I nodded. My face flushed. "Wait," I looked up at him. "That's not dessert, is it?"
His brow rose as he laughed. "Do you want it to be?"
I grinned. "Maybe another time." I tried to tuck that image away for later, but it stuck around in my head. An actual laugh bubbled from me.
His eyes softened. "What's so funny?"
"Just picturing you in nothing but an apron."
He deadpanned. "Why is that funny?"
"First off, my apron is pink. Did you even read it before you put it on? It barely fits you by the way." I laughed.
A smile broke on out on his face as he gazed at me.
Nerves danced around in my stomach. "What?"
"It's just nice to hear you laugh is all."
That's when I realized that being around Stavo could completely make me forget how shitty my life had become. He made me laugh and smile. He was a good friend. One of the best I ever had after nearly a week. We'd only known each other six days and I already felt like he was the permanent fixture in my life. That scared me.
He seemed to sense my withdrawal and asked, "What do you want to do today?"
I thought back to the stuff in my truck, completely forgotten under the surprise of Jake's death. "I bought some things. Can you help me get it out of my car?"
I grabbed my keys off the key rack.
"When did you have time to go clothes shopping?"
A smirk played on my face because he'd have to carry that heavy ass punching bag box.
"You make time for the important things." I played along.
He honestly looked a bit disappointed at my faux barbie shopping trip. I didn't understand why he had higher hopes for me than I did.
When I opened the trunk he stood still in shock. I had to laugh at him.
His brow arched as he turned to me. "You didn't get this at Victoria's Secret, did you?"
"Nope."
He let a small huff. "Damn, I was kinda hoping to see you try on some underwear. Guess that's another day."
What I wanted to say was 'Give me a while and that can be arranged', but what I actually said, "Just get the box, Casanova."
I grabbed the lighter bags and let him break a sweat trying to get the box up to my garage, which gave me some satisfaction.
"Usually, I don't have to work this hard to get into a girl's pants." He commented as I held the door open for him.
I gave him a narrowed look.
"I'm kidding."
My eyes locked on his broad arms as they strained to move the box. "There are some more weights in the trunk when you're done with that."
The box fell. His head snapped around the box, a sheen of sweat on his skin. "What?"
I pouted. "Please?"
His eyes rolled. "The things I do for you, Maddox." He lifted the box back up.
Once we got everything in the garage I grinned cheekily at him.
He sagged. "You want me to put it together, don't you?"
I nodded.
"Alright," He tore into the box. "But I better see a boob or something for this."
I chuckled. "I'll let you hold the bag while I punch it, but that's it." I sat beside him.
We layed out the pieces.
"I didn't know you were into MMA. That's hot." He said as he glanced at me.
"I'm not. Drew turned me onto it."
His brow arched. "Who's Drew?"
I took the plastic off of the long pieces. "Just a guy I met the other day. He was nice. Ish."
"Where'd you meet him?" His make stiffened as he turned over a bag in his hand.
"Um, at a diner out of town. Tuesday night around 11 if you want that info too." My eyes rolled.
He dropped the bag. "Jesus, Brooke. What were you doing out that l-" He paused when he realized that it was the same day as our "break up". "Oh."
My shoulders shrugged. "It's okay. It wasn't just about you." My eyes met his. "Everything kind of piled in on me and I needed a break. I need to figure my life out. Drew was just there to push me in a helpful direction."
His forehead creased. "Did he help you pick out all of this?"
I nodded.
"You went off with that guy? Someone you don't even know, just like that?"
"It's not like I gave him a blowjob in his car. He helped me out, Stavo. That's it." I assured.
He scoffed. "That's not all he wanted, though. You should be more wary of strangers. Even your friends."
The bar I held clanked to the ground as I dropped it. "What is your problem? There was nothing romantic about him helping me shop. He said I reminded him of his dead sister, it doesn't get any less romantic than that. And it's not like I can just forget about you..."
His jaw clenched and unclenched as he stared at me.
Why did I say that? That didn't help the whole friends thing.
"Sorry. I just-It should've been me helping you out on Tuesday." His eyes went to the floor.
I shrugged. "It's not always going to be you, Stavo." That thought kind of saddened me, but we'd eventually graduate and go our separate ways if we lived that long. That's how it always happened.
We spent about an hour trying to put together the punching bag stand in silence. I had a fun time watching him try and holster the punching bag loop into the hook. I wiggled my eyebrows when he used the bottom of his shirt to wipe his sweaty forehead.
"Fuck me," I muttered, a little too loudly. I stilled under his gaze.
"What was that?" He grinned.
My head shook as I avoided his eyes. "I didn't say anything."
He turned around, he tugged on the bag to make sure it was stable when I noticed the red spot on the back of his gray t-shirt. My eyes strained as it grew bigger.
I stood to my feet and lifted his shirt up.
"Woah, I don't think I'm ready. I need to shave first." He joked.
When I saw that his back wound had opened up concern filled me and I started punching him. "What is wrong with you, you asswipe?"
He tried to deflect my tiny hits. "Can you not? What are you even talking about?"
I patted his shoulder and he winced. "That's what I'm talking about. I completely forgot about that. Why didn't you tell me you were in pain? I wouldn't have asked you to help me assemble this, let alone drag it from the car."
He shrugged. "I've had stitches open up before, I know how to fix it. Besides, pain makes you stronger."
I punched him in the pec. "Did that make you stronger?" I looked up at him.
He smirked as he gazed down at me. "You just like beating me up. You know what they say about the little girl that shoves the kid around on the playground. She likes him."
"I have a feeling I wouldn't like you as a little girl." I made a face. "I was under the impression all Latinos were housekeepers." I felt so embarrassed to have admitted that.
When he laughed I didn't feel so bad. "I'm Colombian to be specific."
"Can you dance?" I grinned. "Cuz if you can that's sexy."
"There's a lot you don't know about me, Brooke."
"Clearly." My mind drifted to the thing that nagged me all last night and this morning.
"What's on your mind?"
My head shook. "It's nothing."
His hand rested on my shoulder. "It's not nothing or you wouldn't have that look on your face." He gave me an expectant look.
I scratched above my eye. "Fine. I want to see his body."
The look he gave me signaled what I already knew. That it was a bad idea.
And somehow, he said, "Okay, let's go."
Confusion crossed over my face. "Seriously? You don't think it's a bad idea?"
"Doesn't matter what I think is best for you. Only you know that." He pulled me along to my car.
I halted. "Wait, your back. Shouldn't we like put something on it? Ointment maybe?"
He pushed me forward. "Nope. I'm fine."
The whole way to the morgue my stomach flipped and flopped. I wasn't sure how I even had a stomach left. There was a bad taste in my mouth. Why did I bring this up? I should've just kept my mouth shut.
"Are you hungry?" I looked over at him.
He shook his head.
"Are you thirsty?" I started the car. "Maybe like a quick trip to Starbucks. Or a movie."
His hand fell on mine on the steering wheel. "Quit stalling."
I scoffed. "I'm not stalling."
"You're so stalling. Now get your ass out of the car and go look at the body. Don't give me that look. You drove us out for closure. Go get it."
He was right. When was he not right?
A huff left me. "This was a bad idea. I can't see him like that." My head shook.
His hand squeezed mine, then slid his fingers between mine. "You bought that punching bag to work out your problems, right?"
I nodded.
"This freak whoever it is killed your boyfriend and he tried to kill us. You can use those feelings, how you're feeling right now and put them in your fists. Use that for later. Also seeing Jake like that would be good closure for you. Or maybe I'm wrong. Just ask yourself if you don't do this will you regret it the rest of your life?"
With that in the front of my mind I jumped out of the Range Rover and started for the Morgue, but when I realized Stavo wasn't behind me I backtracked. "Hey, are your legs suddenly broken?"
"No, but I don't want to see a dead body. No offense to Jake."
I whined. "Seriously, Stavo? You're going to let me do this alone?"
He gave me an encouraging look. "You can do this without me."
I wasn't so sure about that, but I did want to believe in myself more. Doing things like this alone could only make me stronger. Or dead. But I guess he was right. If seeing Jake broke me down even more then I'm not sure I needed someone there for that. I had to get out of the habit of depending on someone to prop me up.
I pushed forward.
The walk towards the Morgue wracked my nerves completely. Maggie was extremely sweet and understanding. She said she'd slip out to ask Acosta if they had any theories worth sharing. When I asked her how long he had been dead she said about a week. Before she left she pulled out Jake's body.
For the first few minutes, I couldn't find the courage to turn around to look at him. The moment that I did it was real. The moment I saw him cold and lifeless was the moment he was really dead. If I walked out of this room right now I could dilute myself into believing he was still here with me. Unhealthy as it was, I would prefer that over the alternative.
Just ask yourself if you don't do this will you regret it the rest of your life? Stavo's words echoed in my mind.
In a year or five would I look back on this moment and hate my cowardice? Would the horror of seeing Jake's body really give me closure?
I blew out a shaky breath. "Just turn around," I whispered to myself. "Just do it."
A moment later I flashed to find his body covered in a beige sheet. I crept towards him and snatched the sheet back. I stilled at the sight of him laying on the cold slab of a bed. "Oh my...Jake." My hand went to my clenched stomach.
He was gray. His chest was sewed shut.
I pulled the sheet down further and gasped at his cut off leg. My eyes went to his, gray and distant. That smell, it was a very distinct aroma. Dead flesh.
He was dead.
"Jake..."
Everything that I ate earlier made it's way up my stomach and onto the floor. It kept coming. I bent over from exhaustion.
Shit.
I couldn't just leave it there. Every time I moved to clean it I gagged. This was so gross.
What I should've done when I cleaned it all up was take off, but for some reason, I planted myself above him. For a long while I looked at him, my mind tried to understand why this happened. The only conclusion I could come up with was that this was my fault. We had a fight and that filled me with guilt. I don't know, maybe if I hadn't blown things out of proportion then he'd still be here.
My hand went to his. It didn't grab mine back, of course. He wasn't ever going to hold my hand again. Sadness ripped through my chest.
Tears filled my eyes. I let out an incredulous laugh. "Why did you have to go and die on me? We were going to go to Prom together." I gave a tight smile. "It was supposed to be you and I til the end, boo." The tears dripped down my face, I wiped them away. "What am I going to do without you? You were my rock for so long and now you're just gone..." My hand tightened around his stiff, lifeless one. "I don't know if you can like hear me in the afterlife or whatever, but know this. I'll always love you, Jake. And you'll always be my first love. Always." I struggled to keep my emotions at bay because I wanted to be strong, but I didn't know how strong I could be at the sight of my ex-boyfriend's dead body.
The act grossed me out, but I wrapped my arms around him nonetheless. Not doing that would be the biggest regret of my whole life. The fact that he just layed there helped the remaining part of my brain understand that he was gone and not coming back.
I heard noises in the hallway and moved away. I quickly pulled the sheet over him and shut the door.
Maggie entered with my dad.
He stilled once he saw me. "Honey, what are you doing here? I told Stavo to keep you company at home."
Did he? Did he give him money too?
"Well, he didn't much give me a choice." He threw in.
Last night I hadn't even cared to bring it up, but Stavo walked in through the front door. Did my dad let him spend the night, too? The other day he wigged out on us falling asleep on the couch. Why would he be okay with him spending the night in my bed? The simple answer; my dad wanted me to open up, to feel something, to let someone in. Somehow he knew the right person for that was Stavo.
I rushed to my dad and hugged him. "I love you, daddy."
He hugged me back tightly. "I know, sweetheart. I love you, too." He kissed the top of my head.
I pulled away and hugged Maggie. "I threw up on your floor," I whispered in her ear.
She chuckled. "Love you, too."
When I walked to the Range Rover I found Stavo waiting in the driver's seat.
"Thanks for making me go in there." I hopped in on the other side. "Did you take my car for a spin or something?"
His brown eyes looked at me. "No, I didn't think you'd feel like driving after that." He grabbed my hand, his hand was very much alive. His hand was warm and soft. Caring. "You okay?"
I nodded. "Yeah I kind of just want to go to sleep."
His hand pulled away as he started the car. "Okay."
But when I got home sleep wouldn't come easily. I laid on the couch with a gruff while Stavo did his homework in one of the nearby chairs.
He cleared his throat as I thrashed around and tried to get comfortable. "What's wrong?"
I groaned. "I can't fall asleep." I looked over at him. "Can you sing? I could go for a Spanish lullaby."
He handed me a book. "Read this."
I took to humor him, but I wasn't a reader. I flipped the book over in my hands. "Um, no thanks. This is about the Cold War. Do you have anything a little more sexy? Like vampires or something?"
His brow arched as he deadpanned. "No."
I sat up. "You're in a grumpy mood. What's wrong with you? Tired of my presence already?"
He mulled it over before he dropped the highlighter in whatever textbook he studied. "Alright, something happened with Cage. I think there's something going on that my friends aren't telling me. I don't know what it is, but Cage is being tight-lipped about it." He huffed. "I don't want to fight with them. They're the only people I have in my life."
"You have me," I said on instinct.
Our eyes locked and I blushed.
He cracked a grin. "Yes, but I've known them since middle school and longer. It's a bit different."
I nodded in understanding. That feeling I knew well, only half of my lifelong friends were murdered. His were still alive.
"Maybe you should call them? Or at least Cage. Do you have any pictures of them?"
He perked up. "Yeah." He unlocked his phone and went his photos with a dimpled smile on his face as he sat beside me. "This was taken the day I left." He showed me a group of tanned Phoenix teens.
Every single one of them was beautiful. How were they not popular? You don't just ignore people like that. My eyes found Stavo, he honestly never looked happier or more comfortable than the photos he swiped through.
"Ooh, go back."
He swiped back to a photo of him with a tall and tanned blonde and a buff dark haired hottie. The girl was stretched out in both guys' arms as everyone laughed. He grinned. "Cage and Nikki. They've been with me since day one. They lived on either side of me."
I wish my friends lived that close. I imagined the debauchery we'd get into.
My eyes met his. "Come on, show me an ex-girlfriend. Something juicy."
His head shook. "No, absolutely not. That's asking for trouble."
I nudged him. "I'm drama free, I swear."
He didn't look like he believed me but scrolled further down.
Why did he still have pics of his ex-girlfriend's on his phone? Should I be worried? I mean, I'd always have Jake on my phone, but that was different. Jake would always be a part of me, so I wasn't sure if I was being a hypocrite or overly concerned.
He showed me a picture of him and another blonde girl. She was simply gorgeous, a Blake Lively type even. He wrapped his arms around her as she smiled at the camera, but his gaze was on her. I wish I could say I'd seen that look before, but that was different. He was in love with her.
"Wow," I muttered to myself more than him. "Another one." I got excited.
He locked his phone with a sigh. "That's it."
I looked at him in doubt. "Seriously?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Angie was my first and only." His eyes got a faraway look to them.
Really?!
"What happened? Couldn't handle long distance?"
His strong jaw clenched like it did when he tried to control his emotions. "Kind of. She died..."
I froze in place.
Shit. Here I was being my usually insensitive self.
"Uhhh..." I dragged on because I didn't know what to say.
His fingers tapped his leg. "It's okay. It was a serious hit and run. She was out in a secluded part of the desert, the police didn't find her body until two days after. That was nearly two years ago."
"I'm sorry."
He waved it off.
"How old are you?"
I just assume he was sixteen like me.
"Eighteen."
My forehead creased. "For real? Aren't you supposed to be a senior then? You said you were in all AP classes."
He swallowed the lump in his throat. "Remember when I said I got into some trouble back home?"
I nodded.
"I was pretty great at school a few years ago, so much so that I barely had a social life outside of my friends. Then Angie died and that's when I started getting into trouble." He looked straight ahead. Even though his face was straight I could tell he struggled to keep it. "That's when I started doing drugs, skipping school. Doing reckless stuff because I didn't care anymore. I lost a few friends. Cage and Nikki were the only two that could stand to be around me, everyone else dropped me. I was an asshole. A drunken asshole." His head shook. "You wouldn't have liked me, Brooke." He gave a wry half grin.
My heart broke for him, I grabbed his hand in support. "You don't know that. If my record says anything I kind of have a thing for assholes."
His sad brown eyes met mine slowly. "No, I know you wouldn't have like me. I didn't like me. My dad sent me to a Therapist, but I'd blow it off most of the time. I did a lot of stupid shit, a lot of things that I could've gone to jail for had my dad not been a praised police officer."
"How'd you get out of it?"
His eyes searched my face carefully. "I told myself that I wasn't that person, that I was disappointing Angie. I told myself that I was disappointing my mom." His eyes shined brightly, but he blinked away the beginning of tears. He interlaced our fingers. "And if it hadn't been for Cage and Nikki I don't know where'd I be right now. I patched things up with the rest of my friends a few months before I left, but we're still on rocky ground. And now I don't know if I did something that I don't know about or if they still haven't forgiven me." He absentmindedly rubbed the back of my hand.
A thought occurred to me. "You didn't go see her, did you? Is that why you were so adamant about me seeing Jake earlier?"
He nodded. "I regret it every day. No matter the image I wanted to keep of her in my mind, I wish I did it before they put her in the ground."
I hadn't noticed it before, but this was one of the few times he shared anything about himself with me. Besides his mom guilt and his dad issues, I barely knew anything important about him while he'd been there for me time and time again in the past week. The overload of details brought on a feeling of compassion and appreciation. I wouldn't share any of this with anybody this time because a repeat of last time wouldn't help me at all. The fact that he had forgiven me at all was astounding. The fact that he trusted me again enough to share this made my heart heavy in my chest.
I stared at his soft eyes. I knew this wasn't anything romantic and that Jake just died, but I couldn't help seeing him with heartfelt eyes.
He noticed my staring and his eyes went down to my mouth with a furrowed brow. A moment later he moved his mouth closer to mine. My hand slid up his face as I leaned forward, my heart hammered in my chest. Longing took over my body. Our breaths mingled and it didn't seem like a better time to share this moment together. And it didn't seem like a worse time either. Indecision hung in the air until he pulled away my touch.
He cleared his throat.
My face flushed in embarrassment. It was rare that I had ever been turned down, but this was more than that. This was both of knowing this wasn't our time, but he was the stronger one to initiate it the distance we desperately needed. I was the weak one. Again.
"We shouldn't..." He started.
All I could do was a nod. "I know."
He rose to his feet. "Maybe I should go."
"That's probably a good idea."
He collected his things.
This was beyond awkward. I didn't really want him to leave, but we needed to press pause on whatever it is we had going on.
On his way to the door, he turned back to me. "Thanks for listening."
"Thanks for being there for me. I really needed you and I know I didn't deserve it, but you came anyway. That means a lot."
He nodded. "The moment I heard about Jake none of that mattered." He gestured to the door. "Reach out if you need me, okay?"
"I will."
He looked at me with unsure eyes before he left.
After another failed attempt at rest and reassuring my friends that I was okay I went to go check on my mom, but when I searched the guest house she was nowhere to be found.
I called my dad on my way inside the house.
He answered on the first ring. "Everything okay, sweetheart?"
"No, where's mom?"
"She got really sick in the middle of the night, so I took her to a private doctor. He's equipped to handle patients like your mother. She'll only be there for a few days."
"Were you planning on tell me this?" I marched up to my room.
He sighed. "Of course, I was, sweetie. I wanted you to get a little more used to the situation at hand first before I overloaded you with this. I assume Stavo's still there?"
I sat on my bed. "No, he left actually."
"Did you two have a fight?"
My head shook even though he couldn't see that. "Not exactly." I didn't feel comfortable discussing this with my dad, but if anyone could keep a secret it was Mayor Maddox. "Can we talk about it when you get home?"
"I'd love to." He sounded surprised.
"Okay, see you when you get home."
We hung up after the 'Love you's'.
I checked my phone and realized that my Twitter notifications were blown to crap. What now?
My hand tightened around my phone when I saw #RIPJake was trending and I was being tagged in it. Should I be horrified or honored people cared enough that he was trending? He'd like, "Come on, babe. What did you expect? The Jake trends in life and death." He'd give his off-kilter grin to try and creep me out.
Immediately, I suited up, then made my way down to the garage. Even though it was broad daylight I made sure all the lights were on.
I took everything that had gone wrong in my life lately and brought it to the front of my mind. My friend's dying. Jake blackmailing my dad. My mom in rehab. My identity crisis. Jake dying. A new killer on the loose. The fight with Hayley. My feeling weak. The fact that Drew, a total stranger, knew I was weak. I took all of that and put into my gloved fists.
Once I got used to the weight of the bag I put more anger behind my punches. I knew next to nothing about boxing besides the fact that I was doing it wrong. That didn't matter now, all I needed to do was work out my issues in a productive way. By the end of the hour, my calf throbbed and my upper body screamed of misuse. I could only imagine what I'd feel like in the morning. Dang.
I gasped for air as I collapsed on the garage floor. A huge part of me felt satisfied, but the other part knew this fixed nothing. Everything that was wrong was still wrong. But somehow I didn't feel as bad about it as before.
My hand reached for the bottled water I brought with me, but it was too far away so I rolled the short distance. Only I rolled too far and my stomach crashed into one of the weights.
"Bite me." I cursed, then groaned. I gulped at the water willingly.
In need of catching my breath, I laid there for a while. My eyes looked to the ceiling, wondering how long I'd feel this pain. In situations like these, you always felt like you were drowning and you'd never resurface. But when you would look forward to the moment your head popped above the water and you realize everything's alright once again. I didn't know if I'd ever have that moment again.
Later on that evening, I message everyone to meet me at the pool at school. It was the last place I'd seen Jake alive, the last place we'd been happy together. What a laugh. We weren't happy. We were deluded into thinking we were ready for a relationship when we weren't. Maybe if I hadn't lowered my defenses to him he'd still be alive?
The pool had long since been empty, so it was just me while I waited for everyone to arrive.
"Hey," Everyone greeted as they sat around me with kind grins.
I offered a weak smile. "Thanks for meeting me."
Emma and Audrey hugged me.
"Not a problem." Kieran voiced.
"How you holding up?" Noah asked.
"As well as to be expected." I blew out a nervous breath. "I went to go see Jake...the body earlier."
Everyone stilled.
Audrey's hand rested on my knee. "Was that a good idea?"
I nodded. "If I didn't I'd regret it forever, I know I would."
"Well, I'm glad you did." Noah squeezed my shoulder with a soft smile.
I was still confused if he had told them about Eddie or not, but if he was keeping it from them what was the reason? He obviously wasn't the killer. The real killer chased after us through the woods.
"Sorry, I'm late guys." Eli jogged to us.
Amusement filled the air as he neared. Except for Kieran's end.
"It's okay," I assured. "You're on probation, though."
He blushed.
Emma laughed.
Audrey and I shared a knowing look. She wiggled her eyebrows and I laughed.
"What are you doing here? I thought you were with Aunt Tina?" Kieran asked.
Eli shrugged. "She left. Besides, I was invited." He said defensively.
Kieran looked at Noah.
Noah held his hands up in surrender. "Not me, I assure you."
"I invited him," Emma spoke up proudly.
Kieran scoffed.
And the love triangle commences.
"So I don't want to be the one to ask," Noah said. "But are we still having Kieran's bday party tomorrow?"
Everyone looked at each other, then we all looked at Kieran in expectation.
He looked at me with worried eyes. "Would it be too soon for you after everything that's happened?"
I shrugged. "Honestly, I could use a drink. And it's your birthday, you can die if you want to."
Everyone laughed except for Emma.
"What did I miss today?" I asked.
"Well, everyone's trying to be respectful." Emma started. "There's a bit of a panic in the air."
"Everyone's a suspect," Noah added with a hazed look in his eyes.
We sat there in union for a while often in silence. Maybe this was our vigil for Jake.
When a thought crossed my mind, I asked, "Have you guys seen your escorts today?"
No one said yes.
"They were all at the station earlier. I think everyone's need for this case. They don't want another serial killer on their hands." Kieran supplied.
"What were you doing at the station?" Emma asked concerned.
He gave her a look. "I go there to pay respect to my dad."
Ouch. I wouldn't want to be Emma right now. Actually, I'd love to Emma right now. Anyone besides myself would do.
Kieran stood to his feet. "I'll see you guys later."
Emma clenched her jaw in frustration.
"Are you two okay?" Audrey asked.
Emma shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it's me." She looked at her lap.
Eli laid a hand on her shoulder. "Don't be silly."
Her hand rested on his, she gave him an appreciative grin. "Thanks."
He stood. "Actually, I'm going to talk to him."
Worry crossed her face. "What? Don't."
"Relax, Em. Not about you." He waved at us. "See you guys." He ran after Kieran.
I knew better to bring up their drama in front of Noah. However, he was great at keeping secrets apparently.
"Come on," Audrey pulled Emma along. "Let's go get ice cream." She pointed at Noah and I. "You guys in?"
My head shook. "No, thanks."
"Not tonight," Noah said.
They waved goodbye.
When I was sure they were gone I turned back to Noah. "Why didn't you tell them?" My hand hit chest.
He flinched. "Because I chickened out, okay. I was going to do it Monday, but then you left and had a fight with Stavo. I just didn't think it was the best time to deliver that news. And then Jake died," He paused and looked at me with sympathetic eyes. "Sorry. I didn't know what to do. Plus, I was kind of hoping it was all in my head."
"No, it wasn't. So we have to tell them. They have to be careful."
He nodded in agreement. "Sure, but does telling them that really change anything? They already know there's a killer in town."
My eyes narrowed. "So you want to lie to them?"
He shrugged. "I don't know, maybe. Look, what I did I'm not proud of anymore. I went overboard and it almost cost us our lives. What good would telling them do at this point?"
"I hate to say it, but you're right. I just don't like lying to them."
He hugged me. "Me, either." He huffed. "I told Stavo as much earlier."
I pulled away. "Did he agree with you?"
"Not really, but he said to go with whatever Brooke wants."
A grin came to my face.
His eyes softened. "I like Stavo as much as the next guy, but don't you think you guys are moving a bit fast?"
I nodded. "So fast." I let out a relieved breath at being able to talk to someone about it. "I don't know what to do. Most of the time we are fine, he's a good friend and listener. Then we have these intense moments and I feel so guilty..."
"Because of Jake?"
I nodded again. "What should I do?"
"Give yourself time to heal over Jake, then figure out if your guilt outweighs how you feel about Stavo." He said like it was easy as pie. "And maybe figure it out fast because I invited him to come here. He's on his way." He pulled away before I could hit him.
"Why would you do that, Foster?"
He gave me a look. "Because he has no friends here and he cares about you for some reason."
I sighed. "Noah," I groaned.
"What?"
"Every time I see him I just want to fuck him and you're not helping," I complained.
He burst out in laughter. "Overshare and that's your problem, not mine."
My brow arched at him.
"Oh, shut up." He left.
I pulled my knees to my chest as I waited for Stavo. This sexual tension really needed to peace out, at least until I had time to mourn Jake. Or maybe I'd take a break from dating. What I had with Seth wasn't very satisfying ironically, but I practically jumped into things with Jake after Audrey killed Piper. A break could be good for me. It would give me time to breathe-
I was shoved into the pool so fast I didn't see it coming. Water filled my mouth and nose. As I popped above the surface I was pushed back under with gloved hands on my head. I could make out the mask through the water. I screamed and protested only to have water fill my lungs. I was effectively drowning myself. Panic throbbed in my chest, then a peacefulness approached. If I stopped fighting it would be over. I could even see Jake.
The hands pulled away and I stayed where I was until hands pulled me out.
"Brooke!" A familiar voice called in panic. "Look at me!"
If I stayed where I was then I'd be okay.
Something hard hit my chest followed by air being pumped through my lungs.
"Come on," The voice pleaded. "Don't die on me now."
After a few more blows to my chest, the water made it's way up my throat and I sat up with a gasp. A cough took over my body.
"Thank God."
I looked over to see Stavo covered from head to toe in water. He looked at me with relieved eyes.
"What happened?" He checked me all over.
My eyes focused on a few bead of water as they trailed down his skin. I probably looked like a wet rat.
"The killer pushed me in and held me down."
He stood quickly and helped me up. "Come on, let's get out of here." He pulled me along.
I barely mustered up the energy to walk. The sweet peace I had in the moments I approached death played over in my mind.
"Crap." He cursed as he pushed the exit door. "It's locked." He walked us towards the school.
When the first few doors were not only locked, but chained shut he looked at me with a knowing look. The killer had locked us in.
He pulled out his phone but cursed when it was drenched. "I forgot it was in my pocket when I jumped in after you." He pulled us forward.
There was a noise like metal against lockers from nearby.
"We have to run. Can you run?" He asked in a panic.
I nodded. I didn't want to, but I didn't have a choice.
His hand grabbed mine as we raced through the hall.
My lungs hurt to breathe this much after inhaling all that water. I kept going even though my calf throbbed in pain as my will to keep going crumbled and I crumbled to the floor along with it.
He stopped abruptly and looked down at me. "You okay?"
My head shook.
"Can you keep going?"
I looked up at him with ashamed eyes. "No, I can't."
He seemed to know what I meant and stilled. "Yes, you can."
My eyes stung. "No," I cried. "I can't. Not anymore."
"Brooke, don't do this. Don't let him win." Desperation filled every word of his.
"He's already won! Jake is gone and he's not coming back." I gave an incredulous laugh. "All the doors are locked. Our phones are ruined. It's over." I reasoned.
His head shook. "It's not over until we're dead. And I don't plan on letting that happen."
I looked at him with broken eyes. "How are you going to stop it?"
"We're going to fight."
My head shook. "I can't fight anymore." I cried. My head hung in shame and exhaustion.
"Look at me, Brooke." He begged.
When I didn't he grabbed my shoulders.
"Look at me," His eyes burned into mine. "You have to fight. I can't do this alone. You have to fight."
I shook my head. "I'm sorry."
I didn't want to feel this pain anymore. The answer was so simple, just let it happen. I could be in peace if I just let it happen. I could be with Jake.
"No, I don't accept that. You have to dig deep and remember why you want to live. Jake wouldn't have wanted you to give up." His eyes insisted. "He would've wanted you to fight, so fight."
My tears dried up as his words resonated in me. At the mention of Jake my mind cleared. I knew he wouldn't have wanted this for me.
"Please," He begged. "If not for any of that then do it for me because I'm not leaving here without you."
My eyes searched his to call his bluff, but there was none. He told the truth. He wouldn't leave my side even if it got him killed. An idiot. But I couldn't have his life wasted because of my selfishness, so I dug deep and pulled everything worth fighting for to the service. The biggest reason was right in front of me.
I rose on shaky legs all by myself. I had to do this, I had to make the choice to live. He couldn't make it for me. My body ached and my mind was hanging on by a thread, but I had to keep going. For Jake. For Stavo. For my friends. For my dad. For myself.
Stavo looked at me with a question in his eyes.
I nodded.
We searched high and low for an exit, but every door we came across was locked. How did the killer have the time to do all of this? And how did they not go unseen?
"Look," Stavo pointed. "A light. It's Ms. Lang's office. Maybe she's in there."
"Or maybe the killer is luring us there?"
He looked down at me. "We have to check it out. If she dies because we didn't warn her then I couldn't live with that."
We headed for her classroom, but it was empty.
"Where is she?" I asked. "Her stuff is still here."
The metal against metal sound filled the halls.
Stavo pulled me along.
We rounded a corner only to scream at the sight of Ms. Lang.
She screamed back. "What are you two doing here? The school is closed."
My suspicion peaked. "What are you doing here?"
"Grading papers." She breathed out. "You guys scared the crap out of me. Why are you guys dripping wet?"
My eyes fell on her hands and I stilled. I tugged on Stavo's hand hard. He looked down at me, then followed my gaze to the black gloves she wore.
We took a step back.
"What's wrong?" She asked and took a step toward us.
I gulped. "The doors are locked and there's no way out. Someone tried to drown me." I accused.
Her eyes widened. "I'll call the police." She reached for her phone.
We took the opportunity to back away.
"Where are you going?" She brought her phone to her ear. "Wait, do you think it's me?" She gave a laugh. "I could never-" She stilled. Blood pooled out of her mouth.
A knife appeared in front of her neck, then sliced her throat from ear to ear.
Thick red blood fell from her throat as she dropped to the floor revealing the killer behind her.
Fear spiked in me.
Stavo dragged me along as we raced down the halls as fast as humanly possible. He ran up the stairs.
I thought this was slasher movie don't guideline, but we didn't really have anywhere else to go. I looked back to find the killer definitely on our heels. He slashed his knife out, but I jumped out of the way with a scream.
Stavo shoved me forcefully up the rest of the steps while he tried to fight off the killer.
Not this again.
The knife swiped across his chest, but he caught the killer's hand and power kicked his ass down the stairs.
"Go!" He rushed to meet me.
We ran through the halls, giggling door handles until he found one.
"I got one." He ushered me over. He looked around the halls before he closed the door.
We crouched underneath the teacher's desk, our breaths mingled.
"I can't believe he killed Ms. Lang," I whispered.
A few minutes went by.
The handle creaked open.
My breath came heavier until Stavo's hand covered my mouth. I turned to look at him with frightened eyes.
His eyes said everything would be okay, but we both knew he couldn't promise that.
The killer walked around the classroom, moved a few desks. "I know you're in here, Brooke. Your new boy toy won't protect you forever."
He couldn't kill Stavo, I wouldn't let him.
The door closed uncharacteristically.
I tried to say something, but Stavo shook his head. Wait, he mouthed.
That's what we did for who knew how long.
"Hello?" A familiar voice called. "Anyone here? I'm locked in."
I stilled.
Stavo gulped.
"That's Noah," I whispered as quietly as I could. "He's going to kill Noah."
"No, he's not." He lifted himself from under the desk.
My hand grabbed his. "What are you doing?"
"Going to help. Stay here."
"What?" I whispered angrily. "You're going to leave me here?"
He crouched down so we were eye level. "Noah's one of the only friend's I have here. I can't just let him die because I'm afraid to help."
Damn. He was right.
"But what if you die? I can handle anyone else dying right now." I panicked.
His hand squeezed mine. "Then I won't die." He leaned forward to press a kiss to my cheek.
My face broke out in tingles the moment his mouth touched it. I couldn't resist moving my face towards his so my mouth tugged at his in need. My hands grabbed his face to get a deeper embrace. By his flailing, I could tell he hadn't expected it to happen. My tongue sought his when what I really wanted to do was pull him on top of me, but there were more pressing matters at hand, so I forced myself to pull away.
His eyes remained closed for a few moments before he looked at me in shock.
"If you're going to die then I wanted a kiss. I had to know." I echoed his words back at him from the night of the barn. I didn't want to admit it, but I'd been a little worried he'd still have feelings for his dead ex, Angie. That kiss assured me that he wasn't still hung up on her. We both kind of knew once I got my shit together this thing between us would definitely happen.
There was something foreign in his eyes that I thought looked familiar, but I couldn't pinpoint it. He stood without another word and headed for the halls in search of Noah.
My hands ran down my face in stress. What was I supposed to do while I sat here like a sitting duck?
I pulled my phone out even though I knew it was too wet to be useful. Yet somehow it worked, but my hands were too wet for it to be of any help.
There was a banging on the door. "Let me in!" Noah demanded.
Was he okay?
I crawled from my spot. "Is Stavo with you?"
"No, open the door! The killer's out here!" He pounded on the door.
I yanked open the door to find the killer with his phone to his mouth.
"No, he's got me. Save yourself." He said and it sounded exactly like Noah.
What?
He dropped the phone to his side. "Surprise, Brooke."
I hurriedly shut the door, but his black boot stopped in the doorway. "What have you done with Stavo?" I pushed the door as hard as I could.
The knife slashed through the opening in the door and stabbed at me.
My eyes widened, but I couldn't move or he'd definitely get in. I screamed as it sliced at my arm.
The desk was too far away to move in front of the door. I was screwed.
"Hey! Over here!" Stavo yelled.
The attack on me stopped suddenly, the door slammed shut under my weight
"No!" I protested. "Don't hurt him!"
"Brooke, don't open the door! Run!" He instructed.
I really wanted to yank the door open, but I'd been fooled by the killer once already. How did I know Stavo wasn't already dead and he was using the app? How would my going into the hall not get me killed?
So I pushed the desk in front of the door as fast as I could, then retreated with my back against the wall. The windows caught my attention. The windows! I could get someone's attention if there was anyone around.
Hope filled my chest as I banged on the class at the few bystanders, but no one thought to look up at a closed school to see if a girl needed rescuing from a deranged killer.
Think. What can you do?
A curse left me at the sound of bodies hitting lockers. That desk would only hold him off for so long. Stavo was risking his life for nothing and I needed to come up with a solution like now.
My eyes ran over the classroom and landed on a chair. That's a weapon, I guess. I rushed to grab one, I put all my force behind throwing it into the window until the glass shattered.
"Help!" I yelled from the now open window. "Someone please help us! There's someone trying to kill me!" I checked behind me then turned back to the window. "Someone call 911, please!"
Now I understood why I needed a police escort and if Officer Loomis had been here I didn't think this would've happened. I knew what was happening, I shouldn't have stayed at the pool by myself. What a stupid ass mistake. Now Stavo was paying with his life for it.
I threw the chair out of the window, then I peered through the glass and looked for people. A few people had stopped. They pointed up at me.
"Call the cops! Please, help me!" I bellowed. "Someone's trying to kill me!"
A banging came from the other side of the door. The killer rammed into the door until he realized he couldn't get through. I thought I was safe until a few moments later when the other door handle started to giggle.
Fuck me.
I forgot about that door, but it was locked so he couldn't get in.
The sound of a key giggling came from nearby. Okay, that made sense. If he locked us in the school surely he had access to a set of keys.
Well, I couldn't stay in here, so the only other option was to go out of the window. I peeked out of the window. But it was so high. Well, not really, but high enough that I didn't think I could make it.
The door unlocked, my heart stalled in my chest. Once the killer stepped foot inside the classroom I climbed through the broken glass. My hands gripped the glass filled window pane until I grabbed a hold of the thick vine plant going up and down the wall of the school, something I had always despised for the eyesore it was, but now that it possibly saved my life I couldn't love it more.
Just as I jumped onto the vine the killer stabbed at the spot my hands were.
"Why are you doing this?" I demanded.
He leaned out of the window and swiped at me, but I moved towards the other window out of his reach.
My eyes went to the ground as I dangled. I wasn't strong enough to hold myself up. When I looked back up the killer was gone. He wouldn't just leave, would he?
The window closest to me opened up suddenly and there the killer was to surprise me. I let out another scream and scurried to the other side only to have him appear at the first window again. I dropped down a few inches in a panic.
"Someone help!"
This sick bastard was getting off on scaring me no doubt. And he succeeded.
"The police are on the way!" Someone yelled back. "Hold on, we have to find something for you to land on!"
God. How long would that take? I'd be dead if the killer got bold and decided the push himself out of the window and slice me up.
"You hear that?" I shot back at him. "They're coming for you." My hands were slipping from the blood trickling down my hands and the vine couldn't hold my weight forever.
"Not before you fall to your death." His creepy Branson voice was back.
I would've spat in his face if I didn't think the spit wouldn't just fall back in my face or land on his mask.
"Screw you."
His head tilted, then he reached out and the knife cut at the vine.
My head shook. "No, please don't."
A few of the vines had already given way and I fell a little bit more. Adrenaline filled my body. I had to get away from the vines. The window below wasn't that far away, but I doubted I could make it there and still keep my life. The last of the vines were almost cut and I had no other choice.
With as much courage as I could muster, I dropped my hands and angled my body at the window sill only to have my hands slid right off of it. My heart stilled in my throat as I fell to what had to be my bloody death. A scream ripped its way out of me.
I expected to not feel anything when I hit the pavement, but all of the breath was knocked out of me on impact. Arms pulled me towards something. Dread clouded my mind only to find Stavo looking at me. He held me in his arms, his eyes scanned my body. He caught me.
"Are you hurt?" He demanded. His forehead was bleeding and there were a few tears in his clothes. His brown eyes had a heavy glint to them. He looked as exhausted as I felt.
A relieved breath left me. I wrapped my arms around his neck. His warmth had never felt so inviting. His skin had never smelt so good. His arms around me had never felt so safe.
"Thank God, you're alive," I said into his neck.
Police sirens cried from the distance.
He set me down. "You, too. I heard you screaming and all I could do was pray for you to hold on a bit longer. No pun intended."
I gave a grateful grin. "Thank you for catching me."
His eyes gazed into mine. "Always."
"Oh my God, are you alright?" The people from before ran up to us, ruining our moment.
I nodded.
"Thank you for calling the police," Stavo said.
"I'm sorry we couldn't have helped sooner." Another person said.
The cops totally drove onto the sidewalk.
Sheriff Acosta rushed to us. "Clear the way!" He yelled to the bystanders.
"Dad," Stavo started. "I'm sorry-"
His dad wrapped his arms around him tightly. "Don't ever do that to me again."
Stavo hugged him back, but the shock on his face didn't escape me. "Okay." He patted his dad's back, then really hugged him back.
There was the silver lining of this whole fucked up situation; Stavo realized his dad actually cared about him. I could handle a few cuts and bruises if it meant I could help Stavo out with his drama.
"Brooke!" My dad called as he ran towards me.
"I'm fine, daddy," I assured. "My hands are scraped a little."
He crushed me to him anyway and planted kisses all over me.
I blushed all over. "Daddy," I pulled away.
Stavo laughed.
My dad checked me over. "What happened?" He looked at Acosta. "We should've kept a detail on them."
"It's not anyone's fault," Stavo assured.
The police descended upon the school.
"There's a body in there," I told Acosta. "Ms. Lang."
He sagged then looked at my dad. "Okay. Quinn, can you take them to the hospital? Again."
Stavo and I snorted a laugh.
"Let's go, kids." My dad lead the way to his car.
Stavo and his dad communicated in Spanish. I wish I knew what they were saying.
As we sat in the back seat of my dad's black Bentley I couldn't help but relax for a second. I've had hellish days before, but so much had happened within the course of today that my head was spinning.
"I'm glad you both are okay." My dad said.
"Thank Stavo. I couldn't have made it without him." I looked out of the window.
"Oh, that's so not true. She was hanging out of a window when I got there. She was a total badass, sir. And you totally would've survived that fall by the way." He elbowed me.
I looked at him in disbelief. "No, I wouldn't have." I met my dad's eyes in the mirror. "He totally ran out in the hall to save Noah only it wasn't Noah. The killer has this freaky voice app and it made him sound exactly like Noah."
"Yeah, that didn't really go as planned." He made a face.
I cracked a grin.
He smiled back. "I'm glad you're okay."
"You, too."
He leaned closer to whisper into my ear. "Don't think I forgot about that kiss." He leaned back to his side of the car.
Yeah, about that...
I gave a nervous half grin.
He laughed but pulled me closer even though I knew my dad could totally see us from the mirror. The balls on this kid.
"Another night survived." He muttered to me.
I relaxed against his warm body. "For now." I rested my head against his shoulder.
A/N: Sorry for the overdue wait, but I made it up to you by having an extremely long chapter. I've been writing fanfiction for about three years now and I have never written a chapter that came close to being this long.
I hope you guys know by now that the show's ratings are very low and that the show WILL BE CANCELLED IF WE DON'T GET THE VIEWERSHIP UP! I have a petition going around on I don't think the link will show up here but I'll put it anyways. It's titled: Renew MTV's Scream for Season 3...pretty please with a cherry on top! The link:
p/mtv-scream-renew-mtv-s-scream-for-season-3-pretty-please-with-a-cherry-on-top-lt-3. Also you can message me if you want the link. I'm live tweeting the show tonight at 10pm so you can chat with me there DeniquaNFrye (Stavo'sBrooke). Or on Instagram Coach_Deniqua or on Tumblr Brostavorunsmylifenowareyouhappy and my snapchat is Coach_Deniqua if you want to snapchat me but let me know how I know you so I'm not creeped out by random people sending me snaps haha. Thanks for reading yall!