Disclaimer: I do not own Death Sentence or any of the characters. (Other than the ones I created of course.)

Okay, so I finished this installment and decided to go ahead and post it. I don't think it's my favorite chapter by any means but hopefully you guys will still enjoy it! The next few chapters should be better I promise!

"I walk with others in me, yearning to get out
Claw at my skin and gnash their teeth and shout
One of them wants only to be someone you'd admire
One would as soon just throw you on the fire

After all is said and after all is done
God only knows which of them I'll become"

Fleet Foxes – Someone You'd Admire

/ / / / /

The next morning I awoke to find myself laying comfortably tucked in my own bed. Sitting up, I let my eyes scan the room to find no sign of Billy anywhere. He must have carried me in here after I had fallen asleep. Hopefully I didn't do anything to embarrass myself in my state of unconsciousness, I thought to myself. From there, I spent the rest of my Sunday finishing challenging math homework and hanging out with Spencer who had the day off. The whole day, I had the previous night's events cemented into my brain. I wondered what Beck must think of me now and if there would be any chance at all of salvaging our friendship. My mind kept running back to thoughts of Billy as well, remembering the cruel manner in which he'd talked to Beck and the gentle way he'd held me afterwards. I was fully aware of the two extremely different sides of the eldest Darley boy but I wasn't sure if I would ever really get used to his violent changes in mood.

Monday came sooner than I would have liked and before I knew it I found myself walking into my third period Chemistry class. Staring down at the floor, I didn't have to look up to know that Beck had in fact decided to attend school today. I could feel his gaze upon me but I kept my eyes trained on the tiles below. After having the previous day to think about the situation I was still unprepared for the confrontation I knew awaited me. Sitting down on my stool I felt a tenseness fill the air and a cold chill run down my spine as the cool metal of the seat made contact with my bare skin. After sitting there for few uncomfortable moments and fumbling with my notebook I had taken from my bag, I finally decided to face my staring lab partner.

"Hey." I decided that a simple, neutral greeting would be the best way to test the waters.

"Hey Vie." His words were kind and lacked any bitterness and the way he spoke my name made a hint of hope swell in my chest. He doesn't hate me. Despite my glorious revelation, I was still very unsure about how to continue the conversation. I suppose that beginning with a genuine apology would be the best strategy for such a touchy situation.

"Beck…I'm so sorry. I would like a chance to explain though…if you don't mind." I spoke softly as to avoid other's prying ears and I felt pleased when I saw his face remain neutral.

"I'd like that. I feel like I might have over reacted a bit the other night." I could see his attempt at a smile but it never reached his eyes. However, the fact that even attempted to grin for my benefit didn't slip past my observations and helped to calm my shaky nerves.

"No. Believe me, you are more than entitled to be angry at me. He was…out of line and I acted like an idiot." I was shaking my head back and forth frantically in an attempt to further demonstrate my words but quickly stopped ad Beck placed a large hand over my arm, emitting a light chuckle in the process.

"It's okay. I would like to talk about all of this though. Maybe we can meet after school on the front steps …somewhere where we can talk about it." He was right, despite our hushed tones I could see two blonde bimbos twirling their hair and averting their eyes in an attempt to seem less obvious. No, I'm not vain to the point where I think everyone cares about what I have to say but Beck had always been a rather popular young man and the fact that I had been on his arm during the week prior had created a stir amongst the desperate female population. I could have easily listed off the names of twenty girls who were patiently awaiting my fall from grace and I had no intention of satisfying their curiosities.

"Sounds good, I'll meet you at my locker after fourth period all right?" He nodded in agreement and we both continued on with our lab assignments as if things were back to the way they had been before Saturday night with Billy, before my birthday when we kissed and started something that never should have began. Before long the bell sounded loudly signaling the end of class. Cramming my things into my bag I politely waved goodbye to Beck and headed to my locker to grab the book we were reading in English. Chemistry hadn't been nearly as awkward as I had assumed it would be and I thanked my lucky stars for that fact.

As soon as I turned the corner I could see her standing there in all of her 5 foot 10 inched glory. Her blonde hair sticking out haphazardly, her arms crossed and her boot clad foot tapping impatiently. I hadn't seen Ava all day but it was per usual for her to skip classes, therefore I wasn't surprised to see her empty seat at the lunch table earlier that day. I was, however, slightly taken aback to see her standing in front of my locker.

"Hey. I thought you skipped today." I greeted as I pushed my way in front of my locker before working on the combination. She quickly spun around on her heel, a look of determination on her face at the sight of me.

"That's beside the point. Beck told me what happened Saturday…after I left. Girl, you got some explaining to do." She seemed intensely curious and I cursed on the inside. Of course something like this couldn't be kept a secret from everyone. Grabbing my tattered copy of 'The Scarlet Letter' I turned to face my intrusive friend.

"Yeah? Since when are you and Beck such good friends?" I questioned, not even bothering to halt for the conversation. Instead I turned to the left and made my way down the hall. I knew, however, that my retreat was futile in the end. English was the one class that we shared.

"Since he called me on Saturday night saying how worried he was about you…and I have to be honest, so am I." Resisting the urge to groan, I plopped down into the cold plastic seat and tossed my book bag under my desk. I took the time to take out my notebook before I decided to respond to her statement.

"You don't have to be worried alright. I talked with Beck last period and he seems fine now."

"I don't care if you two are back to being peachy with one another again, what I care about is the fact that Billy Darley thinks you and he are something more than casual acquaintances." Her eyebrows were raised and her expression lacked any form of comedy. For the first time ever, Ava was completely serious.

"Don't be a hypocrite Ava." She looked severely offended at my words and I turned my head to avoid her witnessing the roll of my eyes.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean Vie?"

"I'm saying, you and Joe looked awfully cozy the other night and believe me your obviously fake excuses to bolt didn't slip past me." Our teacher entered the room then and I immediately turned back forward. I no longer wanted to talk about the subject. Obviously Ava disapproved of my choices and I wasn't in the mood to hear her opinions on the matter. Flipping my notebook open to jot down the notes Mr. Green sprawled across the dingy white board, I felt Ava thumped the side of my arm harshly. God, couldn't she take the hint? After taking two more hits from my outspoken friend, I turned to see an obviously irritated look upon her face.

"Don't you dare try to act like Billy and Joe are the same." Deep down I felt my insides cringe at her words. I knew that she was right but I had come too far to admit that now.

"You don't know Billy." We were whispering back and forth to one another but I could already see a few heads turning our way. I was beginning to lose faith in my position on the matter even as I spoke the words. I sounded desperate even to myself.

"Maybe you've forgotten, but I've lived here my whole life. You've somehow overlooked the fact that you're a fucking minnow in these shark infested waters girl. Believe me, I probably know the big bad Billy Darley better than you do." This wasn't a fight that I had even a chance at winning. I had no concrete proof to uphold my argument and she was undoubtedly correct. I really didn't know much about Billy. For all I knew, he could very well be acting like some noble man in front of me in order to reach some type of means, something I had been suspecting all along.

"Look, I'm not trying to be a bitch okay. I'm just concerned. You're a sweet girl and I wouldn't put it past that asshole to take advantage of that. I've seen it happen before and believe me that shit didn't end well." I felt as if my stomach was being twisted inside out and a rock had been jammed in my throat. When had everything become so fucking confusing? Since when did I make decisions on a whim like I did the other night? If I didn't start being more careful, I knew full and well that this town was more than capable of chewing me up and spitting me out. In fact, if I wasn't mistaken it had already taken its first bite and it stung like a bitch. Fearing that my voice would crack, I decided against responding and instead, simply nodded in response, adding in a small but forced smile for good measure. I didn't want any specifics about how Ava knew all of this or what she really knew of Billy's past. I didn't need yet another hefty burden of thoughts weighing down my already stressed out brain.

From then on, I no longer paid attention to the notes that were being slapped across the board or the monotone voice of my lifeless drone of an educator. Instead I let my thoughts wander across the plains of my mind, thinking long and hard about the past few months. Everything my parents had ever taught me, all of my good morals had fled from my mind without a blink of an eye. Was I really that unconsciously desperate to forget about my loss? Instead I had to distract myself with Ava's parties, Becks affections and my never ending fight to gain Billy's attention.

Of course, my thoughts always led me back to the gang lord that I knew I'd never be able to fully figure out. What had even drawn me to him initially? Why would a girl like me ever be interested in a man like him? The more my thoughts advanced, the more I thought about my parents and how they would have reacted to me even thinking about becoming involved with a man like Billy. Needless to say I would have been grounded until the end of eternity and my judgment would have been severely questioned. I was starting to understand Ava's point of view more and more and I felt almost ashamed of my actions over the past few months. I had nearly lost myself in this whole mess. I had let Billy call me his girl and more than that I had thoroughly enjoyed the idea of withholding said title. Fuck! What had happened to me?

I was literally in the midst of some sort of epiphany when the bell to end the day sounded, causing me to jump in my seat. Turning to Ava I noticed a look of concern cross her face and then I felt the moisture beneath my eyes. Had I been crying in the middle of class? Wiping my eyes, I peered around the room to see everyone gathering their bags. Hopefully no one had witnessed my awkward display of emotions. I was never much of a crier and I certainly didn't want these people seeing any type of weakness. Snatching my things from my desk, I shot out of my chair and made my way out of the classroom and into the bustling hallway, ignoring Ava calling after me.

I was making a bee line for my locker, intending to shove my books inside and hightail my ass out of there when I noticed Beck's broad back leaning against the wall of metal cabinets. I had completely forgotten about our agreement to talk after school. I thought briefly about slipping out before he saw me but thought it ill advised to bail on him yet again. I had already battered that friendship enough and I knew that even the nicest of men could only take so much. Wiping frantically at my eyes, I prayed for the strength to mask my unhappy emotions and slowed to a normal pace.

Beck noticed my presence from a few feet away but he didn't seem to notice my glassy and swollen eyes. Apparently my poker face was better than I thought or Beck was less perceptive than I had imagined. Upon seeing my approaching figure, he waved lightly and put on a fresh smile before moving to allow me entrance to my locker.

After all of my books and notebooks were packed into my locker, we made our way toward the front doors but instead of exiting into the freezing weather, Beck led my down the small side hall next to the doors and found an empty and somewhat secluded bench.

As soon as we sat down I began coaching myself internally about how to appear completely normal when in truth my mind was everywhere else but there, in that moment. I must have been trying a bit too hard though because Beck seemed to notice me staring, rather obviously, into space.

"You alright Vie?" Squeezing my shoulder lightly he looked into my eyes and I wondered if I was as transparent as I assumed I was.

"I'm fine. I just have…a lot on my mind." That was honest enough. That emotional collapse I seemed to be suffering through definitely involved swimming thoughts.

"You can talk to me you know. I'm here for you." Sincerity dripped from his words and I could feel a brick or two crumble from the wall I had just built. How could he be so nice to me, especially after the other night? I was suddenly flooded with the idea that maybe I had been placing all of my obsessive thoughts in the wrong place. Why was I so concerned about Billy's feelings for me when I had this incredible man sitting before me and practically begging for me to let him in?

"I just…I'm not really a huge fan of this person that I've turned into."Admitting how I felt was easier that I assumed it would be and I released a relief filled sigh.

"You're not a bad person Vie."

"I know that…but I'm not the woman my parents raised me to be either. I'm not someone I'd admire." My voiced cracked at the mention of my parents and I felt another portion of the wall deteriorate onto the floor below. Another tear slipped past my eyelashes and tickled the smooth skin upon my cheek. Bringing up a gentle finger, Beck wiped away the escaped tear and scooted closer to me on the bench.

"Talk to me." Taking in a large gulp of air I decided, in that moment, to trust Beck Alexander with everything I was about to voice. I needed someone to talk to and if I still had any kind of good judgment left I would say that he was most certainly the best choice for a confidant.

"I like you Beck. You're sweet and thoughtful and fiercely loyal, all of the things that I used to be; All of the things that my parents raised me to be. God, they would have loved you, ya know?" I laughed lightly at the thought of what it would be like for Beck to meet my loving parental unit. Wiping yet another tear from my face he urged me to continue and I obliged.

"It's just that ever since I've moved here, I feel like I've lost sight of all that. As if I've completely changed in order to forget about the fact that I no longer have a family...aside from Spencer of course. It's as if I've used the gang to fill this void. I've basically dubbed them my surrogate family for the time being and unfortunately, until now, I never realized how messed up that really was." Shaking my head back and forth I looked to the ceiling, begging for some type of help in figuring everything out. I had never experienced any type of tragedy in my life before my parent's deaths. Therefore I never knew how I would react to such a happening within my sheltered life. I knew one thing for sure though; I never could have imagined that I would turn into a self destructive person in the wake of such misfortune. Deciding to move on to a more relevant topic, I settle on trying to explain myself to Beck.

"I didn't cheat on you. I might have messed up royally but Billy and I…we didn't. Nothing happened. You're still the first and only guy I've ever kissed-,"I intended to continue but was cut off by Beck who seemed somewhat confused by my declaration.

"Wait…I was your first kiss?"

"Yes. I guess I forgot to mention that." It was true. In my quest to seem attractive in Beck's eyes I had withheld the fact that I was completely inexperienced in the game of dating. When I realized that he had no intention of voicing any more questions I continued on with my confessional.

"I won't lie though…Billy and I…I guess we're connected in more ways than just my brother. Maybe we're friends…or something? I don't really know what we are. I'm starting to think that I was stupid for crossing that blurred line to begin with." The last part came out as more of an undertone and I was surprised when I felt Beck's hand weave around my back and grasp my shoulder.

"I get that you're confused. The last few months must have been really overwhelming…but Violet it's stupid to get involved with a guy like him. He's dangerous."

"I know that, okay. Everyone keeps telling me that but I just…I don't see it."

"You don't see it?" He seemed shocked to hear me say such a thing. It was as if I had just claimed to be an alien from another planet which, as far as I was concerned, I might as well be in this city.

"I mean, yeah, he has a temper but I haven't seen this monster that everyone keeps warning me about."

"So, what are you planning to do? Are you going to keep up this game with him? Are you going to wait until his monster shows its true face?" I knew that he was only concerned for my wellbeing, but the way he worded the statement made me feel completely naïve and ridiculous for even considering it.

"I don't know. Right now I feel like I should just go with the flow and see what happens but things are going to change. I have to at least give him the chance to prove that he's better than what everyone else is saying. I don't want to keep making these ridiculous decisions that only end up hurting people though. Wonderful people like you." I smiled shyly in his direction and he returned the gesture.

The smile lasted for one fleeting moment and then, as quickly as it had arrived, it fell from his face. He paused for a moment and I felt his arm drop from around my shoulders. Bringing his arms to rest upon his lap, he fiddled with his hands, making him appear nervous which in turn made me feel the same.

"Where does that leave us?" Immediately after muttering the words his face turned to me, his blue eyes expectant and I didn't have even an instant to hide the distressed look upon my face. It was a fair question and one that I had to answer carefully.

"Maybe…maybe we can just take a step back? We can try to be friends and then see where things lead. I just…I don't want to make any commitment when I'm in this state of mind. I'm so lost Beck and it would be colossally unfair to you for me to string you along." My first act as the new and improved Violet Tate would be to be more honest and stop telling what I judge to be beneficial lies. He seemed to mull my statement over for a moment before turning back to me, the beginning of a grin forming on his face.

"That sounds smart Vie…and fair. " Smiling at his supportive words I brought him into a firm hug, the strength of my slight arms obviously taking the hulk of a man by surprise.

"Thank you for understanding." Still holding him in an embrace, I whispered the words in his ear and felt a calm envelop me. Yes, I needed a friend like Beck in my life.

"Can you promise me one thing though?" I questioned after releasing him from my grip.

"Anything."

"Just...please don't let me get in too deep again. I can see now that I have this way of slipping into this blurry box where my judgment goes to crap. Just….promise that you'll bring me back if that happens again."

"I promise. I'm here for you Vie, no matter what alright?" Shaking my head in understanding I suddenly realized that the halls were nearly empty and we'd been talking for nearly twenty minutes. All of a sudden I jumped from my spot on the bench and grabbed my things.

"I have to go. My ride is probably waiting." Turning to see Beck stand I stopped in my tracks. He really was a good man. In an odd way he reminded me of my father, probably the reason behind my easy trust in him. "

"Thank you for the talk Beck. I'm lucky to have you in my life." I voiced the thoughts at the same moment that I thought them, not even bothering to filter out anything that I deemed to be too cheesy.

"Of course." After he grabbed his things from the tile floors we made our way outside. A frosty gust of air hit my skin as we exited the school and I looked to the curb to see the familiar car waiting by the road. Of course I couldn't get lucky and catch a ride with Joe or someone harmless. No, instead I had to be met with the icy eyes of Billy Darley, his mouth situated in a straight line with a cigarette hanging from his mouth.

I hadn't noticed the frozen state in which I was in until I felt Beck squeeze my hand that hung freely by my side.

"Don't fret Vie. I'm here alright. You have my number." I smiled up at him and squeezed his hand back in response. Even without me saying anything, he could see how distressed I was.

"I know Beck. Thank you." My voice was soft and the roaring wind nearly stole the words from my mouth.

"I'm serious. He may carry a piece but I'm 6' 5", 220 pounds and I knock guys out for sport. I can handle Billy Darley." From the smile on his face I could tell that he was trying to lighten up the staid mood in which I had fallen into and thankfully his idea worked. A smile rose on my face and I squeezed his hand one last time before making my way down the steps.

"I'll see you tomorrow!" I yelled over my shoulder with a wave. Just as I reached the bottom step I glanced through the windshield of Billy's Mustang to see the stony look on his face and the obvious fire in his eyes. Why could no car ride with Billy ever be an easy one?

/ / / / /

I know, I know! That chapter was pretty much an emotional rollercoaster! However, I thought that it was necassary for the overall plot. After recieving a very insightful review from Leeseelee (who is awesome), I realized that there were a few plot holes that needed to be fixed! Pretty much, Violet's parents died only three moths prior and she seems fine. I just figured I would maybe add some insight into what is going on in her head about the whole thing. Like I said before, this is my first fanfiction so I will have plot holes every now and then, these things happen and I love it when you guys inform of them! Seriously though, it really does help me in the log run! Please continue to read and review!