What a beautiful mess this night has turned out to be. It's all well and good that the school is closed thanks to what's-her-name's death. Mariko would have bought the girl flowers for her grave as a "thank you" for saving her a few days of truancy - if she felt like wasting money, that is - or if the murder hadn't been pinned on the members of her boyfriend's gang, reigniting the somewhat-simmered-down hostility between the ABB and E88 yet again. Honestly, it became a serious pain in the ass weeks ago, but now that some dumbass actually went beyond posturing and shanked a bitch in a fucking bathroom stall? She has to look behind her back 24/7, again, and much as she enjoys messing with the skinheads after school, she's come to appreciate the sort of tentative truce the gangs used to have abut fighting in Winslow, now that it's not there.

The teen absent-mindedly rubs her still sore temple on a turn of her fourth step.

And now there's another white girl missing, so of course it's their job. Well, in all fairness, it most likely is, not that anyone's gonna admit to it. Not after being told, in not quite so tame language, that the brain-dead cocksucker who would go and do something stupid like that again, would have their guts pulled out through their asshole. Yeah, no. No she's not going to be the one, and she dearly hopes none of her friends are stupid enough for that, either. Seriously, Lung could just up and go fuck the suckers up already.

Preferably tonight too, while she's here, safely away from the shit that would fly. Police department's holding cell would not be a bad place to be under such circumstances. Sure, she's hungry and will almost certainly have to find herself a new boyfriend, but so what? Hooking up with someone stupid enough to attack the cops coming to his house (while a bit drunk, yeah but that's part of the damn point isn't it?) is a poor life choice. Still, she could do worse. She's fairly sure Mako's never cheated on her, at least. He also got her in with the ABB at school, not the best life choice either, but at least the Nazis don't give her shit any more. Honest life can suck and choke on it, if it means bending over whenever some bald dickhead wants to brighten his day through making hers worse. The funny thing is she hasn't done anything this time (well, anything she's sitting here for, anyway), and she's still spending her night in a cell.

Yeah, they did fuck with that missing girl at school from time to time these last few weeks, but the bitch had to be made an example of, after spilling her shit on Ryo. If they just let her be, how would that reflect upon him? Upon all of them? But none of them had done anything beside roughing her up a bit, certainly nothing like murder or kidnapping!

And she's still here regardless. No justice in the world, none at all. It would sting less if they brought her in on something indeed connected to her ABB related activities, but no. It's getting caught up in some missing person case she's got nothing to do with.

She forces herself to stop pacing, and sits down on one of the hard benches, her fingers immediately starting to drum against her knee.

Maybe it won't be so bad. She's a minor, with a first offense that, in point of fact, she didn't even commit. It wasn't her that put up a fight! Long as they don't decide on making her a scapegoat, she should be fine.

Her head shoots upwards at the sound of approaching footsteps, and she doesn't fight the coming yawn. Ugh, what time is it? Has to be after midnight, and she's not been interrogated yet. This the time? She's been dozing on and off since she got here, but the hard bench is hardly a good place to rest. Are they hoping to tire her out before-

Ah.

It appears she has a new – well – first, cell mate. Mariko watches as the lanky girl is led into the small room, where she sits down on the bench some three feet beside her, too distracted to even notice her presence. Wait, she knows that girl from school - what's her fucking name... Her- Heb... H-something – that creepy freshman's hanger-on that's been hanging out around the ABB spots lately. Small world. What is she doing here, of all people? She remembers the kid being a recipient of... four times or so the amount of shit they dished out on that missing girl. Hell, the kid was even there at the time when that bitch splashed Ryo, taking shit, as usual. She'd stumbled upon it a few times. Man, but the girls doing the bullying are fucked up. She understands wanting to have someone beneath her, but to actually be at the top, one has to put down more people than just one, pathetic loner. For all their posturing, those girls don't know shit about actually being up there - as easily proven by Mariko and her friends. Now that she thinks about it, she's sort of surprised the girl hasn't brought a gun to the school yet.

Wait – no way.

"Don't tell me you're here cause of that missing bitch too?" The younger teen startles, looking around as if seeing the cell for the first time. A flash of recognition shows in her eyes as they land upon the room's other occupant.

"I'm- sorry, what?" Hmm. Maybe there's a reason she's not well liked.

"Did the pigs pull you outta house cause of that missing bitch too?" There, that has to be more coherent.

"Uh-" She scratches her arms. "You mean Madison?" That her name?

"I guess?" She shrugs, the fuck would she care what her name is, or more likely, was? "I wouldn't know. That one from the lunch hall, yeah?" The girl nods. "Then yeah, Madison." They fall silent for a moment, as Mariko waits for words that aren't not coming. Like pulling out teeth- "So what 'd you do?"

"Nothing." Heh. No, for real, she doesn't seem the type to, but would she herself say anything different, were she involved in murder? Of course not. Pity it's a bit harder to deny having anything to do with her boyfriend. Fucking Mako, they probably could've gone without being arrested - but nooo.

...lightweights.

"Aha, and that's why you're here, hmm?" The girl has enough spunk to look annoyed. She grins. "Come on- what bullshit they came on you with? I'm told I might have something to do with that Madison girl's disappearance. Fuck if I know how." The why of it is pretty clear, after all. Nazis avoid killing their own, she gets that. ABB does the same, after all - but hell, they even don't care about screwing gaijins, if one's into it. Somehow, she can't imagine the skinheads letting one of their own do the same. Though it is kind of icky in her own opinion.

"Yeah I- I don't know what's going on either."

Mariko rolls her eyes.

"Not what I'm asking. Work with me here, we've got a full night of doing jack shit ahead of us." And now she's intimidated her back to staring at her feet. Ugh. "Up. I said look up. There. Why are you here?"

"I shouldn't be talking with you."

"Heh. Well - true. But we already are. So?" She raises her hands up in question.

"...people think I sicced you guys after Madison."

"Khpft." What. "Pft." Her shoulders shake for a moment before she lets herself laugh in earnest. "You for real?" She's shot a frustrated glance before the girl goes back to staring at the floor. "Holy shit, that's gotta be like- the stupidest shit I heard this week. You, sic a- sic anyone?" Man oh man, who the fuck even thought this up. If there's a high point to this night, that's gotta be it. Hell, if she doesn't get in too much shit, then all this might just be worth it for the laugh she's getting out of this.

That loser, with ABB? That's- well. It wouldn't be unthinkable, were the girl not a four eyed beanpole with a tragically lacking fashion sense, who also happens to be at the bottom of every social ladder she can think of. Mariko can confidently say she doesn't know a guy who would go for that combination. Some are into that sort of body, and even personality, but with all of that at once... yeah, no. No, she doesn't know anyone. She doesn't hang out with creeps like that.

"Wh-who the fuck said it?" She manages once her giggles subside. Somebody needs to have their ass kicked, and she needs to tell the others that the girl beside her can no longer be tolerated in the others' general vicinity too. Friend of that freshman or no, not if it seems to be enough to spur this sort of bull.

"I don't know!" Ooh, now she actually sounds kinda angry. "Is that cause I'm hanging out with Ayano?" That the creep's name? "Cause she's Japanese? That's enough for someone to think she's ABB?" Well, there is a beautiful sort of simplicity to shelving the world that way, but...

"You mean, you never noticed?"

"Noticed what?" Good fucking God. She is that oblivious.

"That you're like, among the only three white girls to ever hang where you do?"

"I... though it was just about that thing you do? You know, with the don't approach – sort of aura thing?" Heh. Well, there is that. People just assume they don't tolerate others, which is only somewhat true.

"Nah." Not that she needs to know that. "That creep friend of yours-

"She's not a creep!"

"-asked, and nobody gave a shit as long as you weren't bothering us. By the way, this-" she gestures between herself and the girl. "-prolly means you no longer get to sit near us. Fucking really. You sure you don't know who's spreading that stuff? They need a talking to." Preferably delivered by the guys, for associating the school's woobie with them.

"Witness protection." They both snort, one of them amused, the other bitter. "Some witnesses, I didn't do anything. Bunch of liars, the lot of them." Mariko grins. Must be oh-so-harsh on the white kid, huh?

"Shit happens." They lapse into silence again for a few minutes, Mariko tapping her foot against the floor and the younger girl brooding in her spot, occasionally staring at - or rather, through - her older companion. Holy shit, how can that loser stay unmoving like that for minutes on end? She can barely hold herself from pacing again."So, you gonna say why they brought you, or not?" Again with the empty stare. Ugh. "I'm here cause of my dumbass boyfriend. Put up a fight when the pigs came to his house. He's fucking lucky he didn't get shot."

"You attacked cops?"

"Pft-no! My boyfriend did." It takes a second before it clicks in the four-eyes mind, and for comprehension to show on her face.

"Oh." She works her mouth for a moment before speaking up. "They found my diary." What. "Uh, I write about all the bullying there and-"

"Wait, seriously? That it?"

"I uh, I might have fantasized a bit, in my- other stuff." Mariko scratches her head. Fantasized? What? "They, they just wanted to take me in for questioning at first, and were looking for phones and stuff, messages I think. Um- Dad said I wouldn't go, it was late, you know, but... they found the rest and uh – yeah." Yeah?

"I don't get it, what 'd you mean fantasized? Like, what, teenage shit?" A pained grimace crosses the girl's features.

"Drawings, stories... look, does it matter?"

"Dunno. I'm bored. And I hear talking about shit is cathartic. So?"

(-)

When an officer finally comes to take Mariko for questioning, the teen instantly shoots up from her spot on the bench, one placed as far away from where the other girl is sitting as the small space of the holding cell allowed her.