fallin' out of love (stemxstud)

16

Anaela

"Nice spot to meet at, huh?" I asked Valentine as soon as she sat down in front of me.

Tall windows covered in posters, a quiet atmosphere, a lesser known spot around town.

"This is cozy," she smiled, settling into her seat.

"Feels like a date," my eyes flickered up to hers.

She cleared her throat, "Um...yeah."

I sighed mentally, surprised AS hadn't stirred around at all today. It was crazy, but I was getting used to my "other half". I hated it when she was quiet since it seemed like she always had so much to say.

"I found out more info. To make shit concise: Pouty is our Unknown. She's Dom's killer."

"Well," Tino blinked.

"I know its a lot, and it took some digging, but I know she has some sort of accomplice. Some of the injuries on Dom's body post mortem indicate some heavier weapons or object were used on her. This wasn't all Pouty's doing. It just sucks to imagine my sweet friend turning into such..."

"A monster?" Valentine's eyebrow rose, her pink lips emitting a chuckle. "You have such poor judgment, Anaela."

I gulped, my thighs unable to stay still underneath the small table. Had it been any lower, the salt and pepper bottles would be shaking and clattering.

"I think however Pouty felt about Dom is evident in the way she killed her. Pouty literally...tortured her," I whispered.

"Mayah and Sissy have to be in on it," Valentine added.

"I know. You've been quite...vocal about your opinion on that," I rose an eyebrow. "Remember, we're not letting personal vendetta's cloud our judgment. We need to look at all these pieces from a neutral perspective."

"You were the one so bent on Pouty not being the killer all this time," Valentine stated, staring at me.

I blinked, pulling back out my papers.

"Um...well. Um...so, has Sissy been alive and well at school?"

"Yes," Valentine sighed. "Unfortunately. She's quite an ass if you ask me."

"Oh," I laughed a little. "I didn't know," I said sarcastically.

"You haven't changed much have you?" Valentine asked me, her tone telling me that this was a bad thing rather than good. "I kind of like how you were back there with the kid. It was kind of badass of you. I never got to see that side of you before."

Hmph.

"Oh, thanks," I blushed.

Stealing my credit, are we Anaela?

The tone AS used was playful, but it did seem to hold some sort of contempt.

Sorry.

It's fine.

"I guess we won't know the full picture unless we confront Pouty," Valentine said after a moment.