𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐒𝐎𝐍- 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬

16- That's What They All Say

As everyone sat in the dining hall eating dinner, anything and everything was spread around about what happened with Mary. "She's possessed, just like her crazy daughter." One Sunnyvaler said. "Her daughter killed seven people." Will said. "Fucking shadysiders always ruin everything!" A third commented.

At the counselor's table, Cindy, Tommy, Alice, Gary, and Joan were sitting there. "You think he'll be okay?" Tommy asked. "Well he was just told he would die tonight. But Alex is with him so hopefully he's doing better than earlier." Cindy said. "Poor guy was shaken up." Gary mentioned.

"Why do you think she did it?" Tori asked. "Maybe..." Cindy looked at Joan in the process of rolling a joint. "Maybe she was on something." Still rolling, Joan commented on Cindy's theory, looking towards her. "Shhh...drugs are peaceful, not violent." "I'm not talking about marijuana!" Joan turned back around to face Gary, a certain look on her face.

"But why would Mary attack him?" Tommy asked. "She might not..." Gary said. "But the witch might!" Alice and Joan laughed, the other three rolling their eyes. "I need to find Ziggy." Cindy said, abruptly standing up and walking out of the mess hall. "Was it what we said?" Joan asked, concerned.

-

"Are you sure you're okay?" Alex asked, pacing the cabin. "Are you worried for me, pretty girl?" Arnie asked, fake pouting as he sat on her bed. "Yeah! Yes, I am! I'm worried for you because you were just fucking told you would die! I don't wanna lose you." Her eyes welled up with tears.

"Come here." He opened his arms up and she sat on his lap. "Look at me." He said, bringing his finger under her chin to look towards him. "I'm not going anywhere. You're not losing me. I'm gonna be okay. I'm not gonna die tonight. It'll take a lot more than a camp nurse to murder me." He said, caressing her cheek. "You promise?" She asked, sniffling. "I promise." He kissed her tears away and put his other hand on the bottom of her back.

"I just wanna forget about all that...and lay here with you. Okay?" She nodded and he leaned back on the bed, her laying down next to him. He took one of his hands and caressed the side of her body. Kissing the top of her head, he muttered, "I love you," before they both fell asleep.

-

Cindy walked into the arts and crafts cabin to see her sister there with Mads. "What are you guys doing?" She interrogated the two. Ziggy rolled her eyes and tilted her head back, looking at the paint cans. "Art project." She said bluntly. "I need to talk to you." Cindy said after. "We're busy." Mads said, picking up another paint can.

Cindy ignored the other girl and spoke to Ziggy. "Earlier you said Mary was upset." "Oh, so now you care?" Ziggy asked with a laugh. "Ziggy, this is serious!" Cindy lectured her sister. "Yeah, well it was serious earlier and you didn't give a shit!" Mads complained. Ziggy picked up a paint can and a brush as Mads copied the same, following Ziggy out the door. Frustrated, Cindy followed the two to wherever they were going.

"Come on! You were one of the last few people to see her before she snapped on Arnie!" They all exited the cabin and walked through the camp towards the sleeping cabins. "Did you at least see her take some drugs maybe?" "Well she's a camp nurse I sure hope she has drugs." Mads commented. Cindy ignored the comments made and directed her attention back to Ziggy. "I just want to know what happened." "What's done is done." "Not for Alex! She's worried that Arnie's gonna die!" "Maybe it's good that he does. Maybe it'll whip her and her brothers into shape." "Ziggy!"

The three walked some more. "Does it not fit how you see everything in the world?" Ziggy asked. Now Mads was the quiet one, listening to the two sisters argue. "Why are you being so hostile?" "I'm not sure Cinds. Maybe it's because besides my own girlfriend, Nurse Mary was one of the few people who were nice to me? And now everything went to shit because Shadysiders are cursed!" "Everything happens for a reason!"

Ziggy stopped outside her cabin and Mads walked in, opening the lid off of a paint can. "Assholes..." she muttered under her breath, seeing the walls on Ziggy's side.

"There's not always a rational reason. You feel it inside you, don't you? In Shadyside, there's something that's just...holding us down. Tightly. Cursing us." "Ziggy that's enough." Cindy rolled her eyes at her younger sister. "Because you hate the truth. So when bad things happen, explaining it away helps you." "Well I'm not gonna blame it on some story! Life sucks, I know. It's been tough since..." A lump caught in Cindy's throat. She could feel her emotions rising up.

"Since what? See you can't even say it! Since dad left, since mom started drinking, since we're going to lose the house. And it won't get better." Ziggy felt a wave of sadness hit her, talking about her dad. Her sadness, however, got replaced with pure anger. She was angry at the world for taking away her dad. She was angry that her sister and her have a fractured relationship. She was angry at life for sucking so much.

"And saving up to buy a polo shirt won't shield the fact that you're a Shadysider. Nothing can explain why Nurse Lane lost it on Arnie. Face it, Cindy. We're all cursed. For Mary, it was today. Who knows when it'll happen to you. And then your fake bullshit life of yours will come crashing down."

Cindy's eyes welled up with tears. "That's a horrible thing to say." She choked out. "It's not horrible if it's true. Ziggy deadpanned. "I...I don't know who you are anymore, but you- you're not my sister." She almost sobbed. "Then who am I?" "A monster."

Ziggy nodded her head. "That's what they all say." Pushing the cabin door open, she revealed that Will and his friends trashed her cabin. Mads was standing near the bed, using paint to cover it up.

-

"You think there's a reason that Mary snapped?" Elle asked Nick as they sat in the science and nature cabin. "'Not that i can think of..." He said. The truth was, he definitely knew why. But he couldn't tell Elle that information. It would crush her and their relationship. "Maybe she just finally snapped." "Nick." She turned sternly towards him. "Sorry! Sorry." He put his hands up in defense.

"But I'm serious. Alex has been shaken up all day. She's scared, Nick." Nick studied Elle's face. She had concern written all over her features. Her eyes looked glossed over, as if she was ready to cry.

"We can go see them later. But let's let them have their own time." He said, looking at a snake. The snake's beady eyes stared right back at him. Snakes represented cunningness and by looking at Nick, the snake almost cowered back in fear. The small pink tongue slipped out of its mouth hole and made a hissing sound. "Looks like it doesn't like you very much." Elle joked. "Yeah..." Nick said, rubbing the back of his neck. He knew why the snake looked at him like that. He just didn't want the honest truth to be revealed.

••••••••••••••••

Hey! I finally updated! I decided to focus more on schoolwork this year and it definitely payed off. I managed to get straight A's in my first quarter! So to celebrate, here's a new chapter! Hope you guys enjoyed it!