"Turn left up here," I write down on a note, sticking it to Johnny's steering wheel. He looks at me, his brow furrowed. I nod, I know what he is asking, but I don't want to explain just yet.

I listen to the ticking of the blinker as he turns down a dirt road. I watch the trees fly by as Johnny slows down, trying to keep the rocks from flying up and scratching his car's paint. I lean against my window, staring up at the sky growing dark with clouds. I scribble on a new note, sticking on top all of the previous ones on the steering wheel. I watch him read it and his expression begins to grow concerned. I just give him a soft smile and he keeps driving, his grip on the wheel tightening.

We pull into the destination, driving under a cast iron archway down a single-lane dirt road. The car slows to a stop and I let myself out, not waiting for Johnny as I walk through the clearing. I take a deep breath as I see the round shape mounted underneath a tree begin to develop before me. I reach the polished black stone monument and kneel down in front of it, my eyes beginning to water. "Hey," I say to the tombstone. "I know it's been a while but life has been kind of hectic." I shrug, ignoring the stinging in my lips as I talk. "But I guess it's okay." I look behind me and see Johnny weaving in and out between the variety of monuments and tombstones sprawled across the clearing. "I have a husband now." I say, letting out a small laugh. "Can you believe it? Me…" I look down at the freshly cut grass, pulling at it nervously. "Little loner Reed… married."

"Babe," I hear Johnny's quiet voice behind me and I give him a sideways glance as he crouches down beside me. "Why are we here? I thought we were going to see your friend."

I nod towards the tombstone, pointing at the name. Lillian Jewel Jones. I glance back to Johnny and he looks like he's seen a ghost. "Your friend…" He pauses, inching closer to me. "She's… " He looks down, stopping himself from saying it.

I nod. "Why do you think I never mentioned her?" I say, glancing at her beautiful tombstone that I had put in myself. "She was like my sister."

"What happened?" Johnny asks I feel him place a gentle hand on my shoulder.

I take a deep breath. "She was killed." I say quietly, adjusting one of the vases on each side of the monument. "She had a bad habit of breaking into the houses of the wealthier families. But she was very careful about it, she would always make sure the homeowners weren't armed or they didn't have guard animals etcetera." I let out a breathy laugh. "It was actually pretty ingenious how she went about it. She probably could've been a detective." I clear my throat, feeling it begin to swell up. "Anyway, it was my freshman year in high school, her junior, and she was going on her normal heist and I had decided to join her. She always did it on Friday nights because most families weren't home." I feel the tears begin to flow. "She went to the wrong house." I take a shaky breath. "She was working on opening a window and… the homeowner heard her." I look away from Johnny. "He came out and without hesitation," I throw my hand over my mouth, trying to calm myself. "He shot her." I clench my jaw the tears streaming freely down my face. "She was pronounced dead at the scene. The homeowner wasn't prosecuted because she was trespassing, and her family couldn't afford to sue a billionaire." I close my eyes, feeling myself get angry. "Do you know whose house it was, Johnny?"

The silence that follows my question is the loudest I've ever heard. "…no."

I look back to him, my pupils nothing but black slits and my eyes spilling with tears. "It was your house."

*Flashback*

"Lily are you sure we should be here?" I ask, glancing down at the detailed floor plan of the house Lily made. "It doesn't appear to match what you drew out." I say, glancing up at the huge mansion before us. My friend a few feet in front of me, her blue eyes cutting through the dark night like daggers as she scans the grounds.

"It's right," She glances back at me. "You know I can't be entirely exact with those things."

I shrug, looking over the drawing once more. "I suppose."

"Shh!" She suddenly hisses her black ears perked at the sound of a window opening. She slinks back into the bushes with me, her ears following a couple black figures as they creep to a car that I can't really see. I feel my heart in my throat as bright headlights suddenly blaze in our direction. I drop down with Lily as the car begins to drive past us and down the driveway.

Lily keeps her ears perked, her tails swaying impatiently as she waits for the noise to die down. "Okay," She finally says after what feels like an hour. "Let's go."

I watch her dart from the bushes towards the house. I glance around before following her, the blueprints in my black shoulder bag, secured tightly at my side. I keep my footing light as we cross the gravel drive, moving slowly just in case they have flood lights. I feel my pupils dilate in the dark so I can see more clearly. No lights are on in the house, but I catch a glimpse of movement on the second floor. I quickly scan around for Lily and see her on all fours, inspecting the best way to get in.

I look back up to where I saw movement and everything is suddenly still. I feel myself begin to tense up. I really don't like this. I dart behind a tree in the middle of the circle drive, but keep my eye on Lily as she approaches a lower set window. She stands up, running her claws between the seal of the window and the frame. She glances back at me, giving me a thumbs up before returning her attention back to the window. It's my job to make sure that the coast is clear so I continue to scan the area. I spot a lineup of high-end cars and roll my eyes. Rich monsters are so pretentious. I bet not having to worry about money is nice though.

My ears suddenly pick up the sound of a door opening. My eyes shoot to the front door when all the lights around the house suddenly pop on. I am blinded by the light, collapsing behind the tree, rubbing my eyes as they burn from the light.

I finally gain my focus and have enough time to peer around the tree as the monster pulls the trigger. The shot ringing out through my head.

*End Flashback*

"What?" Johnny says, his face genuinely surprised. "That's not possible."

I relax my gaze. "I didn't think it was either." I sigh, looking away from him. "I recently pulled her case file out. I was just wanting to clear my office of all the clutter and found it shoved in the back of the shelf." I twist my mouth, it hurts but I can't help it. "It had the address of the house." I pause, rubbing the back of my neck. "It was your parents' address."

I watch as Johnny looks ready to collapse. "I heard about that shooting," He says, his voice low. "But I didn't realize… "

"It's not your fault," I say, glaring at the ground. "And I'll try to forgive your father, but it's hard to accept that I married into the family that killed my best friend."

"He wasn't even charged?" Johnny asks, his voice clearly annoyed.

I nod. "She was trespassing on private property," I pause, trying not to scream. "All your dad had to say was that he felt like he was in danger because that apparently justifies murder."

"You were there?" He asks, his eyes locking on mine.

"I was," I say, feeling my heart flutter at those amethyst eyes. His father may have shot my friend, but Johnny had nothing to do it. He wasn't even home that night. "We saw two monsters sneaking out that night." I give him a half smile. "Could that have been you and Ginger?"

"It's completely possible," He says, smiling. "It was a Friday night."

I laugh, leaning against his shoulder, looking back to the tombstone. "Lily, this is my husband." I say, gesturing to Johnny. "He's a bit of an idiot, but he's my idiot. I think you would like him." I say feeling my tears coming back. "He's the best thing that has ever happened to me, Lily. I wish you could be here to actually meet him." I cover my mouth with my hand. "I'm rich now," I pause, swallowing my sob. "I could've taken care of you Lil." I can't stop the sobbing now. "I could've given you the life you deserved." I hold my face in my hands, tears cascading down my face, my breathing strained and horrid.

"Shhhh," Johnny coos in my ear as he gently rubs my arms. "It's okay, it's okay."

"She had never even slept in a bed by herself." I say, looking up at him. "She was sharing a one bedroom apartment with her parents and three siblings." I stare down at the ground. "I could've given her everything she deserved. Everything. She could've had her own bed!" I cry.

"Hey, hey, hey," Johnny says, wrapping his arms around me, gently rocking me back and forth. "There was nothing you could've done." He says, kissing my head. "If I had been home I would've stopped him." I can hear the anger beginning to grow in his voice. "If only I had been home…" I hear a growl rumble in his throat. "I wish you would've told me about this sooner."

I try my best to calm down. "I've tried to block it out of my mind." I say, my voice growing hoarse. "I only want to remember her life…" I trail off, glancing back at her headstone. "Not her death."

Hey guys! Sorry this chapter was kind of short… and depressing. I've just been really busy with my life. I move back to school in three weeks and I've been flooded with hours at work. I promise to get back to the Monsters Inc. story but I've been wanting to expand a little on Reed's life. My actual friend Lily is still alive and well, she actually just turned twenty-two and her family is also super rich so this isn't all that parallel with my life. Anyway, thank you guys for the patience and the sweet reviews! Keep them coming! I love you all so much! Until the next chapter bye-bye!