✓ DYING MOURNINGS, original

eleven : leo & piper

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𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍 : 𝐋𝐄𝐎 & 𝐏𝐈𝐏𝐄𝐑

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tw. mention of suicide

Friday took me by surprise.

She had crept up sooner than I expected and I wasn't complaining. The week had felt like a year, something terrible followed by something worse and so on and so forth, a repeating cycle. I ate breakfast alone in Crow's kitchen. It seemed the demon liked his beauty rest because he didn't emerge from his bedroom even as I dropped a pan from it's idyllic hanging spot above the stove.

I crept from his cabin, thinking of just pathetically riding my bike to school again when I saw her. Red, a little dirty (as always), and sitting in one piece. My baby, my beautiful, my truck. If Crow had been outside when I discovered my beloved, whole and ready for me, I would've kissed him. He had taken the time to take her to get fixed and all I could do was pull my old keys from inside my bag and go racing out to her.

My truck still smelled like me. Musty, faintly like cigarettes, and my perfume.

The drive to school was significantly better now that I had my car back, and it made life easier now that I didn't have to go off and find rides from people. I had no one to rely on but myself, just as I liked it.

Walking into school thirty minutes later, I didn't make it to my locker before Blondie was racing towards me in the hallway. She grabbed me by the arm and dragged me backwards into the girls bathroom. She checked underneath the stalls and once she deemed it clear, she stuck her head out the door and motioned to someone and I watched in surprise as Winker snuck in before Blondie locked the door.

"What's going on–?"

She spun around, grinning. "We need to have a recon session, especially since yesterday."

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Listen, I know that was crazy and if you want out, you can have it, honestly. I kind of just threw all of that one you both and I get it if--"

"Blaire, shut up for a second," Blondie said, her grin growing. "We're not here to tell you you're crazy or that we want nothing to do with you."

"Huh?" My brows furrowed together and Blondie gave me a mischievous grin.

"You can be mad but..." She pulled her phone out from her back pocket as Winker gave me an eager smile. "I got cute lover boy's numbers yesterday."

"You did what–?"

"Just ignore the fact that she did that and he allowed it because we did some sleuthing last night," Winker said and I leaned against the sink, wondering when and how she got Crow's number. I felt my cheeks flush as I realized she didn't even say his name but had referred to him as 'lover boy' to which I didn't correct.

"He sent me the names you two found," Blondie murmured, her eyes narrowing as she scrolled through her phone. "Ah, there it is," she breathed before holding her phone out for me to take. As I looked at what she had discovered she quickly explained, "I found Dahlia Salucci's address, figured you and Crow could scout it out before the party tonight?"

"Holy shit." I had barely even thought about the names on the list since getting to the cabin last night. I looked up slowly as I handed the phone back. "How did you find her?"