TURNS OUT sneaking onto the bus wasn't the problem. She got on, but had to ignore the confused stares from other fellow cheerleaders and of course, one of the boys that slept with almost every cheerleader. It was the tight shorts under the skirt, and then how incredibly short the skirt was. Kate told her she was being dramatic, but Serena still hated it anyway.
Serena didn't care much about her body. In fact, before that day, she hadn't even realized how much pizza fattened up her thighs, or how being clumsy ended up in bruises on top of bruises, along with dark patches on the knee to remember that one fall. Or two. Or three. Maybe even four.
She was thankful when Simon gave her his red jacket to wrap around her waist, only after the 7th time she complained about it. The bus ride was much more comfortable after the cold seat stopped sticking to her exposed back-legs. She sat next to Rhea, and bothered her enough so when they got to the vigil, Rhea immediately broke off from her.
Serena didn't take it personally, Rhea wasn't the most social person in the world. Serena left her alone when she needed too, so she could have her own space. Though, she made sure to stay within walking distance to keep an eye on her. Rhea didn't bother Deena the entire ride, but Serena saw how she would stare at the back of her head longingly. The small smiles at every rebuttal Deena sent towards someone.
Serena tried to distract Rhea by talking her head off. And it seemed to work. Because even though Rhea rolled her eyes every five minutes into a new topic, she never tore her attention away from Serena.
"This isn't how I wanted to be here tonight. I wanted to be here as a fan. Our Sunnyvale Devils and your Shadyside Witches throwing down some good old American football. Instead I find myself here as a husband, a father, as a neighbor. And yes, mayor of Sunnyvale." The mayor pauses, inhaled stiffly. "And on behalf of all of the people in my town, I say all of Sunnyvale mourns with you."
Serena took a look around. Judging from the unimpressed expressions, the talking and overall teens not even looking towards their beloved mayor, Serena could see how truly sad Sunnyvale was. She didn't even know why they had to be together. Sunnyvale was in no way at all effected by the murders, in fact, everyone in Sunnyvale made fun of Shadyside. They didn't care about them.
"Mourning? That guy is literally groping that girl over there." Serena scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. She was glad for the blue cardigan the cheerleaders wore, and thankful for the jacket around her waist. The night breeze didn't do her any favors.
"Yeah, really looks like they give a damn." Kate nodded, her gaze fleeting over the crowd of Sunnyvales most cherished. "The only Sunnyvalers who came were the ones who had to. The football team and the cheerleaders."
"Surprise, surprise." Serena muttered, glancing around, trying to look for Rhea.
"Our hearts are broken with grief." The mayor drowned on. He didn't seem to care about the chatter from the Sunnyvale side or notice the glares sent towards Sunnyvalers from the Shadyside crowd.
The police sheriff got on stage. "My family's been in Sunnyvale for generations, and now my brother is mayor and I your sheriff. We've prospered here. And yet, I've seen you, our neighbors in Shadyside, suffer tragedy after tragedy. It's easy in times like this to drown in questions of why... why this happened. But I know too well there are no answers that will provide relief. There's no peace found in the past."
Serena found herself almost moved by these speeches. If she thought they were true, she'd actually be fooled by them.
"We must not fall into darkness. We must look into the light."
