The Web I Spin for You ~ Richpez & Rosenwalker

Chapter 48

Angst chapter I'm sorry (not). TW for domestic violence, mentioning of suicidal thoughts and sexual assault.

"I'm not lying!" Brian laughed, playfully pushing Devin. "He went in for a third time; he actually said 'third time's the charm' to me."

"Alright alright, you and your golden sex life." She sassed.

Brian was sitting at his lab station next to Devin, Mary Kate and Esther across from him, the four teenagers doing far more gossiping than working on their chemistry experiment. "What are we even supposed to be doing right now?" Brian asked his friends.

"Nope, you should've been paying attention," Mary Kate teased, before passing Brian her notes.

"Hey come on, however tired you are from Spies rehearsal, remember that I'm one of the writers," Brian teased back. "I haven't slept in weeks—not my fault rehearsals have to be so long."

"Why are they so long?" Devin asked, being the only one at the table who wasn't in the show.

"Lauren's suspension," Esther answered.

"Nick was filling in for her," Brian explained. "Now that her suspension is over, we're playing major catch up time."

"Well, I'm sure you're happy to be extending your evenings with Walker," Devin teased Brian, winking at him.

The group continued chatting, not fully getting their work done but finding it difficult to care. There was a strange sense of relaxation in the air, as if something grand was about to happen that would interrupt classes and put learning on pause.

The bell finally rang, signaling the beginning of lunch. "Hey, any chance you guys could walk with me to the cafeteria?" Devin asked. "I left my lunch at home so I have to buy it and I want friends."

"Yes please!" Mary Kate said happily. "A reason to go to lunch rehearsal late."

"That's not a real excuse," Brian stated, nevertheless tagging along with his friends. The hallways were busy and full of energy. As they approached the exit to the building, the energy only seemed to intensify, leaving Brian wondering if something was going on outside. His stomach lurched as he thought of Zoey seemingly being the center of every dramatic outburst that happened in this school.

"What are you two giggling about behind my back?" Brian asked Mary Kate and Esther, who merely laughed in response. As they grew closer, he noticed that Tessa, Lauren, Meredith, and Jaime were all crowding the exit to the building. He raised his arm up to wave at them, Tessa and Meredith running out of the building when he did. "Fucking weird," he mumbled to himself as Lauren and Jaime approached him. "What'd I do?"

"Wow, he has no idea what's about to happen, does he?" Jaime stated, laughing.

"What are you talking about?" Brian asked, before noticing that Devin had pulled out her phone and started recording. "Oh my god." He stated, the realization striking him. "Fuck, he didn't. He said he wouldn't—well, he kind of did, and—fuck he was lying to me." The five girls all erupted into laughter, Lauren and Jaime looping arms with Brian and beginning to slowly drag him towards the exit. "Oh god. No. Fuck no. He didn't. Oh my god. Zoey's literally going to have me murdered."

"Hey, don't let Zoey ruin this for you prematurely," Lauren teased. "Yes it'll probably happen—but don't anticipate it. Enjoy this moment."

"I am absolutely not going to enjoy this moment," Brian stated as they exited the building, a large crowd formed not too far away. He could hear Meredith yelling that he was coming, and his stomach lurched even more than it already had been. "God, fuck you Walker," he mumbled under his breath.