Drowning

Chapter eleven

Sunday night, Tina scrolled through Kristen's nudes. The whole event was horrifying, but She couldn't get over Kristen's perfect natural thinness. THAT was what she wanted.
Tina walked into her bathroom, stood I front of the mirror, and took her shirt off. She turned to the side. It was only if she sucked in that her ribs were visible. Bill fought for Kristen, because she was skinny, Tina thought. She wanted somebody to fight for her like that.
So she had to be skinny, and it wasn't to come easy.
She ignored her pounding headache and exhaustion and walked down to the gym in her apartment.
"T!" Jimmy called down the hallway! "I was just coming to get you, Lorne's birthday is this week, we're going to Amy's apartment, were gonna make cookies."
Amy and Tina lived in the same apartment. Tina's jaw clenched, then nodded; as long as she didn't eat anything, she'd be fine.
"Sure." She smiled, lacing her fingers through his, walking down to Amy's.
"How are you baby girl?" He asked.
"Besides this Kristen thing, I'm great." She lied with a picture perfect smile. Jimmy was too blinded by love to realize the smile was fake.
"We're here!" He called walking into Amy's studio.
"Hey guys!" She smiled brightly, coming out of the kitchen. "C'mon I got the dough ready, let's make them into shapes."
"Alright cool!" Tina beamed walking into the kitchen. She got a heart cookie cutter and started cutting. She looked over at Amy and saw her creating a penis.
"AMY!" She cried, laughing. Jimmy walked over and laughed, taking a bite out of the top of it.
"Jim." Amy slapped his arm. "I thought you liked girls.
"Yeah, sorry T, I'm into boys now." Jimmy joked. Tina couldn't help herself, she wasn't living because she was so scared of eating and getting fat, she needed to be alive for once.
"Good for you, I found a rebound guy!" She laughed, securing her mouth around the bottom of the penis cookie and bit it. Amy and Jimmy lost it.
"Wait isn't that supposed to be Lorne's penis?" Jimmy asked with a laugh.
"True!" Amy shrieked.
For the rest of the night, all they had to do was meet eyes and they would dissolve into laughter. When the cookies; warm and gooey, came out of the oven, Tina sunk her teeth happily into them. It was a beautiful night, she felt free.

That week at the read through a member of the NYPD walked in. The whole table froze as the officer looked down at his sheet of paper.
"William Hader." His voice was tough. Bill shot up, Kristen grabbed his arm.
"That's me..." He stammered.
"Come with me." The officer ordered, cuffing his hands. Bill knew what this was all about, but he couldn't help the ferocious thumping inside his chest.
"Bill." Kristen gasped. He looked at her one last time before disappearing from everyone off with the police officer.
"Sir, you have been accused of trespassing, and extreme unreasonable violence." He spoke graciously putting Bill in the front seat of the police car. His throat went dry.
"Domestic violence." Was all he could manage. "My best friend."
"Pardon?" The officer pulled up to the station.
"Hayes Hangrove. He abused his wife, my best friend, almost killed her." Bill coughed, feeling unsafe and afraid.
"Who is this woman?"
"Kristen Wiig."
The cop led Bill into a cell and locked him up.
"I will go retrieve her, you will have to stay here." He declared menacingly.
"Like I have a choice." Bill mumbled, but he was already gone.

Kristen ran up to Bills cell and tried to press her face through the bars.
"What'd you tell him?" She hissed. Bill got up.
"Kristen you better tell that cop the truth-"
"Kristen. You'll need to come with me." The officer touched her shoulder lightly, trying to move her.
"Bill has to come." She said, not budging.
"No." The officer demanded. "I need to speak to you alone."
She gave in and went to his office where he asked her a series of heartbreaking questions about Hayes' beatings, which because of Bill; she truthfully answered. The officer (named officer Clayton according to his desk) took notes the whole time.
"Will you show me proof?" Officer Clayton.
"Well, check my hospital records, he gave me two broken ribs. And..." She tore off her shirt, revealing the scars,bruises and the back of her rib brace. Once the officer got a look, she slipped it back on, feeling unsafe without Bill. She shivered, maybe she was cold, but she was definitely afraid.
He called Bill into the room.
"Have you ever witnessed the domestic violence?" He asked.
"No." Bill said. "But Hayes has made no con admitting to it. He confessed to me...confessed he wanted Kristen to die."
Officer Clayton raised his eyebrows.
"The judge already sentenced you for a months time, so you will have to do that. Only one month. But we will give a sentence for Hayes Hangrove once we reach him. Any last words?" He looked at Bill, then Kristen.
"Can we be alone?" She asked. He nodded and left. "Bill-"
"Kristen don't say anything." He put his finger on her lips, his expression cold and dark.
"I'll come visit you, every week. At least!" She tried.
"No. Don't." He shook his head."Don't tell anyone, don't let anyone know."
"Bill I would never." She looked him, trying to make her expression as cold as his.
"I love you," he whispered one last time before walking out of the office.
Kristen stood there, her mouth open, she could still see Bill through the window, getting led into his cell. She couldn't hear and everything seemed to be in slow motion. Then, her brain kicked and she ran out, running and running and running until she got to his (their)apartment; yanking open the door and running into his room. She pulled out his desk drawers, frantically searching for something to do with her, some sort of proof that she was worth it for him to be doing this.
And she found it.
It was a scrapbook in his bottom drawer labeled KRISTEN & I
The front picture was one over the summer, the two of them in front of the Statue of Liberty with ice cream. Tears sprung to Kristen's eyes as she turned to the first page. A picture of her in her office laughing out loud with the caption 'a thing of beauty' underneath, a series of notes that wrote each other during read through a were scattered underneath, a candid shot of them walking the New York streets that Andy took, a picture of them holding hands on a car ride to an after party, a Polaroid of them snuggling on the couch in bills office, one of them on New Years, holding champagne and smiling their cheeks off, one of her on his shoulders bending her back so she could kiss his cheek, one of them lying in the grass smiling at each other, and so much more.
She remembered it all.
But at the end , she found a letter, right away she noticed Bills chicken scratch. She read the whole thing, her face soaked with tears by the end.
Dear Kristen, well shit. If you're reading this I either grew some balls, I'm dead, or just screwed. True. Think about it. I made this scrapbook because I fear losing you so much, I want to make sure I'll never forget or miss anything. I want you to know I love everything about you, the big things are obvious, but the little things...maybe not so much. So here they are.I love when you're nervous you play with that extra strand of hair, or when you're working really hard on a sketch and curl your lip to concentrate, I love when you're dancing to your favorite song, free and beautiful. I love when you give me back my sweatshirt you took from me and I can still smell your scent on it. I love when you cry when the dog dies. I love when you randomly start bellowing things out of nowhere. I love that breath in between your laughs when you're laughing really hard. I love when I can hear your beautiful singing voice from your dressing room. I love that look in your eye when you're passionate about something. I love when you're focused really hard on something and your eyes get wide, I swear I can see the whole entire ocean inside them. I love the way your fingers criss cross perfectly with mine. I love the way you fall asleep in random places. I love your random sketch ideas. I love the faces you make in the mirror when you think nobody's looking. I love when you take off all your makeup and throw on a hoodie. I love your warm heart, I love your beautiful brain. I love the person you have made me to be. Because without you, I wouldn't be the same. I will never be the same. God Kristen, I love you. I love you with all my heart and soul. I hope one day you'll understand this.
Forever yours,
Bill

Kristen cried her eyes out for the rest of the day.