A/n: Playing with characters emotions is the exact reason why I'm studying to be a storyteller.
Minor trigger warning for mentions of death and violence.
Chapter Three
Greyson was sitting at the bottom of the stairs nervously adjusting his tie. Today was Owen's memorial service and all he kept thinking was he was so glad his last words to the boy were, "I love you, dude. It's awesome being your best friend." Aubrey came down and sat right next him placing an arm tightly around his shoulders, he placed his head on her shoulders, they sat in silence for a moment before Greyson said, "They asked me to do the eulogy."
Aubrey kissed the top of his head, "Are you ready?" She asked.
"Would you be?" Greyson asked.
"I guess not," Aubrey responded.
There was a silence between them before, "How is someone amazing as Owen dead, but people like Tom are still alive?" He let out a weak laugh. "Why?"
"I wish I knew how to answer the hun," Aubrey said. "Just know your mom and I are going to be here through everything."
He nodded, "I love you Bree." The boy said curling into her more.
It was the first time he verbally said it to her and Aubrey tried to hide her tears, "I love you too, baby." She said. "Your mom is sad that she had to work today and not be there with you when you need her, I hope that I can be a great step in."
"I mean, you're practically my stepmom already, right?" He said with a small smile.
Aubrey let her head fall as Chloe came down behind them, "You guys ready?" The redhead asked in a quiet voice.
Aubrey stood up and took Chloe into her arms as Greyson stood up and gave them some space. There was a knock on the door and Greyson opened it to see Stacie, Jessica, and Ashley standing there. They were all going to the the memorial service together. The boy hugged them all and then stepped outside with Jessica, "Hi," he said.
"Hi yourself," Jessica said. The two hadn't really talked about their relationship, in fact, Greyson had been ignoring her texts over the last few days. The girl rubbed up and down his arms, "I know things have been hard for you-"
"I shouldn't have ignored your texts," He said. "My mom and Aubrey have been demanding family days lately and to be honest, I've been too depressed to really talk to anyone. I really like you, Jess."
"I really like you too, Grey." Jessica said.
Greyson smiled and then leaned in and kissed her for the first time. The girl lifted her hand to place it on his face, the boy placing his hands on her waist. They pulled back and rested on each other's forehead. They kissed again as the door opened, "Aww," they head Stacie say. "You two are the cutest."
Greyson looked over his shoulder to see Stacie standing there holding Chloe's hand, Greyson rolled his eyes and pulled his keys out of his pocket, "Everyone ready?" He asked grabbing Jessica's hand.
Greyson walked up to the podium when he was called and cleared his throat and adjusting his tie again, "Owen Jefferson Walker was born in Sacramento, California. He was the oldest child and only son of Joseph and Lisa Walker. The grandson of Paul and Jane Walker and Logan and Rachel Taylor, all of Sacramento, CA. The older brother of Laura, Felicity, and Zoey Walker. He led an active life on his pursuit to become a major league baseball player, his hope to become a Los Angeles Dodger, he was a good student, son, brother, and friend. Everyone who had a chance to know him knew that he was one of the kindest people you'll ever meet in your life, always with a smile on his face, and a helping hand of service. A memorial service will be held in his honor at Mount Hope Christian Church on October 4th at 2:00pm." Greyson took a deep breath, "This is what I read on my iPad while drinking my first cup of coffee yesterday morning. I won't go into how he died because I don't want to give the perpetrator any more light than the media is already giving him, I was asked to share some stories about me and Owen. We met because we played baseball on the same little league team and were even co-captains of John Adams Prep's varsity baseball team together, I had just moved from NYC to LA when I met him and didn't have very many friends." He adjusted his tie, a nervous habit, "We got along really well. We'd have adventures along the Santa Monica Pier. And while I thought of all the amazing stories that I could share with you, I can't help, but think about the man that Owen Walker was becoming."
He took a shaky deep breath and looked to where Aubrey and Chloe were sitting. The headmaster gave him a smile and thumbs up and the redhead, who was curled into Stacie while holding Aubrey's hand, smiled up at him mouthing you got this, the Mitchell boy cleared his throat again, "Major League Baseball scouts were already looking at him with hopes to draft him upon him graduating, the Dodgers being one of those prospects. He wasn't wanting to waste anytime. He was a man of honor and integrity. A friend to all who knew him. He loved his girlfriend, Natalie Potter with all of his heart, I remembered the morning of his death, we were sitting in homeroom and he jokingly asked me if he should either ask Natalie to homecoming or to marry him first." Greyson looked over at Natalie who was surprised, "Yeah, he wanted to marry you Nat, he loved you more than you'll ever know, more than he'd ever come to understand."
Greyson's eyes were filled with tears as he took another deep breath, "More than being a professional baseball player, he wanted to be a husband and a father." He paused and looked over at Owen's family, "He loved his family wholeheartedly. The oldest child and only boy, he was protective of his sisters and his mom. His dad is the reason why he loves baseball, being a college baseball coach at the University of California Los Angeles, he grew up going to ball games with his dad. Jackie Robinson Stadium was his second home and sometimes mine too."
He looked over at his youngest sister Zoey who was just 10 years old before looking at Felicity, age 12, and Laura, age 15, "Your brother was the brother I never got to have and I only hope that while I may never replace him, I can step in and be your big brother." The three girls nodded, gratefully. Greyson then looked back over at Aubrey, "He was a good student, mainly because I kicked his ass and told him to do his homework and studying for his exams." Everyone chuckled, Greyson's voice steadied, and got somber, "He was overall the happiest person I knew, it was almost crazy how happy his personality is- I mean, was." Greyson swallowed, "He struggled with severe anxiety that he always pushed to the side. I remember the first time I saw him not smiling, we were 14 and he had just gotten back from a trip from Sacramento and he was sitting on the curb with his head in his hands, I had come riding on my bike, excited to see him again, and when I got to him-" Greyson took a deep breath, "When I got to him he tried to put a happy face on, but I saw through his façade and got off my bike and wrapped an arm around him and asked him what was wrong, I'm anxious is all he got out. I didn't ask him what about because I suffer from anxiety and I always hate it when people asked what I was anxious about, so I just sat with him. I got to see a side of him that no one else did and then he asked, do you think we'll still be friends when we graduate in four years? I had totally forgot that the next day we were starting our freshman year, he was anxious that we would drift apart and I remember nodding and saying, Between you and Chloe I don't think I'll make it through high school alive. He looked up at me grateful that I didn't judge him. I got to see the side of Owen Walker that very few did and it was something I never took for granted."
Greyson then looked up at the ceiling, "Owen brother, if you can hear me, know that I love you and that I'll never forget you." He said before looking straight, "Thank you."
He went to sit down between Stacie and Jessica, but this time in the fetal position thinking about his late friend.
Beca was holding Aubrey with Greyson's head in her lap, Chloe's was in Aubrey's. The two teenagers were half-asleep as the evening news played in the background. The headmaster's face was buried in the music producer's neck. Both of the adults were playing with the hair of the teenager in their lap.
"Now in our coverage of the investigation behind the tragic shooting at John Adams Preparatory Academy here in the heart of Los Angeles," the news anchor said on tv. "Police have found Thomas Baker's motive in Thursday's shooting, at a press conference today with LAPD's Chief of Police, Mark Highland."
"Today we have found the motive behind Mr. Baker's deadly pursuit that left three people dead and nine people injured at John Adams Preparatory Academy on Thursday. It seems to be that Baker suffers from severe mental health issues and was trying to get revenge on an ex-girlfriend, who at the request of her family will not be named, declined his offer to take her to their upcoming homecoming dance."
"We also have a statement that was released from the academy's headmaster, Aubrey Posen, in regards to the shooting, it reads, in quote, On behalf of the entire faculty, staff, and administration of John Adams Preparatory Academy, we grieve the loss of three members of our John Adams Prep family. Tyler McPherson, Owen Walker, and Sophia Brown were all active members of this student body. McPherson, a chemistry teacher, who inspired students to fall in love with science. Walker, co-captain of our varsity baseball team, who had dreams of becoming a Los Angeles Dodger. And Brown, our student body president, who had dreams to be active in our country's political climate. We as a community are grieving, but we do hope to recover as one. We will rise from the ashes and move forward. The school was one week away from their scheduled fall break before coming back for their homecoming week. Headmaster Posen has said that things will still go on as planned, but with higher security and grief counselor's throughout the entire k-12 campus. We'll be right back."
"When the hell did you release a press statement?" Chloe asked from Aubrey's lap.
"This morning," Aubrey said. "Before we left for Owen's memorial service."
"Are you going to Mr. McPherson and Sophia's?" Greyson softly asked from Beca's lap.
"Yes," Aubrey said, voice breaking. Making Beca's arm that was around her go tighter. "Tomorrow and Tuesday."
A silence fell over them as the commercials went on, they all heard the front door open and close and three people emerged. Emily, Benji, and Jesse all wanted to be there for the three current John Adams Prep family members who were suffering.
"Hey guys," Beca said. "What's up?"
"We're all family here," Emily said. "So, we," she gestured between the three of them, "want to be here with our family."
Benji nodded, "Yeah, Jesse and I are going to cook dinner, so that you don't have to," he gestured between the older couple.
Jesse looked at the screen to see the evening news, "Annnd, we're going to change the channel to the Packers and Lions game," the younger music producer said, "because the news is filled with the investigation and we all don't need that stuff in our lives right now."
"I can live with that," Greyson mumbled.
"Thank you," Beca said to the three older kids. "Bree and I appreciate it."
"Of course, Mom." Emily said kissing the woman's forehead.
"It's the least we can do," Benji added.
"Yeah, I mean, you practically adopted the two of us after his parents passed and mine disowned me for being gay," Jesse said. "We want to be here for you as you all are struggling."
Chloe abruptly got up and left the room, leaving everyone confused. Everyone was looking around at each other and as Greyson and Aubrey started to get up to talk to her, Emily stopped them, "I'll go after her," the musician said. "I want to check in with her anyway. I'll be checking in with you later," she added, pointing at Greyson. He nodded and put his head back in Beca's lap, the music producer played with the teenage boy's hair, soothing his racing mind.
Emily didn't know where Chloe went off to until she made it up the stairs and heard soft singing, the door was open, but Chloe was standing at the window looking out at the sunset over the skyline of LA, clearly crying, "I took my love, I took it down. Climbed a mountain and I turned around. And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills 'til the landslide brought it down. Oh, mirror in the sky." Emily was surprised to hear the redhead singing, it's something she'd never heard before, she was surprised that her mom's girlfriend's sister could sing, "What is love? Can the child within my heart rise above? Can I sail through the changin' ocean tides? Can I handle the seasons of my life? Well, I've been afraid of changin' 'cause I've built my life around you. But time makes you bolder, even children get older and I'm getting older, too," Emily leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed and just listened, it was one of her favorite songs, her mom would sing it to her when she really missed her dad. "Well, I've been afraid of changin' 'cause I've built my life around you, but time makes you bolder, even children get older. And I'm getting older, too oh, I'm getting older, too." Emily decided to join her, "I took my love, I took it down," Chloe jumped, but the two kept singing anyway, "I climbed a mountain and I turned around. And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills, well the landslide will bring it down. And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills, well the landslide will bring it down. Oh, the landslide will bring it down."
It was silent for a moment, "I didn't know that you could sing," Emily said softly breaking the silence.
Chloe shrugged, "I'm not good enough to win a Grammy or anything, but yeah, I can sing." She said sitting on her bed crossing her legs.
Emily took the initiative to come in the room and close the door behind her, sitting in the office chair at the next next to the bed, "I know you're not okay and that's perfectly okay considering the last several days, but you don't have to go through it alone." The musician said.
"He came to campus-" Chloe took a deep breath, "he came to campus with a gun, killed three people, injuring nine more because of me. I feel responsible for what happened on Thursday." The redhead said, feeling guilty.
"But, it's not your fault," Emily said. "You didn't tell him to come to campus with a gun. You didn't tell him to kill or injure those people. He did that because he isn't okay because he is- is hurting. It's not your fault Chloe and it will never be."
"Greyson lost one of his best friends because of me. Nine people are injured and in the hospital because of me" Chloe said. "John Adams Prep lost its student body president and favorite chemistry teacher because of me. If I would've just said yes to his offer to take me to homecoming, Greyson would still have one of his best friends, nine people would be enjoying their fall break, John Adams Prep would still have their student body president and favorite chemistry teacher. This is all my fault."
Chloe started crying, for the first time in a few days, she let out every emotion the was bottled up inside of her, and Emily immediately jumped into action, she got on the bed and pulled Chloe close as the redhead cried. The musician didn't know what else to do as the teenage girl's head went to her chest. All she could even think of doing was just being here in this moment and comforting her mom's girlfriend's sister in the best way she knew how.
Emily knocked on the doorframe of Greyson's door later that night as her brother was reading a comic book. The boy looked up and smiled softly at his sister, "Come on in, Em." He said, putting the comic book on the nightstand and lifting his arm up so he could put it around his sister.
Emily came to her brother's bed and curled into him, "How are you doing, baby brother?" She asked. "Like honestly."
It was silent for a while, "I'm not okay," he said quietly. "I want to wake up from this nightmare."
Emily pressed a kiss to his forehead, "I know, bubba." She said. "I don't want to imagine what you, Chloe, and Aubrey are going through right now. So does this make you solo captain of the baseball team now?"
Greyson shrugged, "I don't know to be honest," he said. "Coach Larson wants to talk to me about it once we go back to school."
"You still are going to play and be captain, right?" Emily asked knowing that he continued playing baseball through high school as an extracurricular activity to help him get into MIT.
"Yeah," he said softly.
"What can I do to help?" Emily asked, helplessly.
"I don't know," Greyson said simply. "You just being here is nice."
"Of course, bubba." She said. "Benji, Jesse, and I are going to be here until you all go back to school."
"So, you and Benji getting married, huh?" Greyson said, remembering the night of the shooting when Beca and Emily were trying to talk to the three traumatized people in bed.
Emily nodded, "About that," she said. "I was wondering if you could be my best man?"
"Really?" He asked.
Emily nodded, "You're my best friend," she said. "You've been there for me in more ways than I can count. You're my baby brother and I want you standing behind me when I marry the love of my life."
Greyson smiled, a big genuine smile, for the first time since the morning of the shooting, "Of course." He said. "I wouldn't want to do anything else."
Emily kissed her baby brother's cheek, unbeknownst to the siblings, Beca was standing outside of Greyson's door with tears and a big smile. Her two kids were handed a rough hand in life, but they still came out on top. She knew that she didn't have to worry about them and she loved that they loved each other so much.
The music producer then walked away towards her and Aubrey's room and stopped when she peaked into Chloe's room and saw the redhead and her girlfriend cuddling in the girl's bed, both fast asleep. She walked in and throw the blanket from the side of Chloe's bed over the both of them and kissed both of their foreheads and stared for awhile.
She wanted to spend her life with the headmaster, she couldn't imagine life with anyone else, even her late husband at this point. She went from a grieving, widowed mother of two to someone who was madly in love with their headmaster. Her eyes drifted to Chloe, the girl had captured her heart in ways she couldn't begin to explain, and when the redhead shifted in the blonde's arms and Aubrey subconsciously wrapped a tighter arm around her sister, Beca took a step back and turned off the light. Letting her love spend the night with her sister.
End note: Winter break when I should be working on one last script for my film program = you guys get more updates. haha
