Going Viral (A Virals Story)

Chapter 29- BEN

~BEN P.O.V~
The fact that the bastard was going to jail didn't make me feel any better.
I wanted to scream. Kick, punch, lash out at every tiny little thing in sight.
I wanted to cry. Break down on someone and just sob until I had no tears left.
But mostly, I wanted to throw myself out of the window.
Hi was perched next to me on the bed, Shelton slouching in my computer chair, both watching me anxiously. Waiting.
I knew I owed them an explanation.
"He lied to me." I muttered hoarsely, staring at the wall of my bedroom at my mum's house.
Mt Pleasant had been lucky enough to escape the damage Katelyn caused.
"The Gamemaster." Hi clarified, I nodded miserably. "What did he lie about?"
"Ben we don't blame you." Shelton moved over to join us on the bed, squeezing my knee comfortingly. "Ok, Tory might. But who really gives a shit about her opinion. We're gonna stick by you through everything, dude. We just want to understand."
"He said he could find her. That he knew where she was." I took a deep breath. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I was so stupid, I just... When he told me about her, went straight for my weak point, I was just so *desperate*. But it was all a lie, fucking asshole." They were both quiet for a while, until Shelton leaned forwards and hooked his arms around my shoulders. Hi followed suite, into the most awkward and most comforting group hug I'd ever been part of.
They knew exactly who I was talking about.
"It must've been him, then." Hi spoke quietly, we both looked at him, and he shrugged. "A few weeks ago I got a notification saying Cole's Facebook account was gonna be locked down, and I didn't want that to happen so I tried to log in, but it said it was already logged in on a different server."
"So the Gamemaster somehow hacked into her Facebook, and was using that information to make you believe him." Shelton finished grimly, sighing and adjusting his glasses. I felt sick.
A buzz, Hi pulled his phone from his pocket and groaned.
"Lady Buzzkill." He said grimly, tossing it onto the table. "Screw her, she's absolutely unbearable. We need some guy time."
"I remember we used to say that." Shelton snorted, leaning back against the wall. "Cole used to get so pissed off at us."
"'Excuse me! Do I look like I have a penis to you!!'" Hi mimicked, sending the three of us into a chorus of laughter at the memory. "Holy crap, do you guys remember that time we went to Scarefest? With the clowns?" I snorted laughter, looking away as what he was talking about came flooding back to me.
"That was the only time I've ever seen Cole so close to tears." Shelton giggled. "Which in itself was more terrifying than the scare mazes." I covered my mouth, stifling laughter, and was immensely glad to have such great friends.
Up until this point, I'd blocked out all the memories of Cole, finding them too painful to think about. All I'd focused on was the fact that she was gone, not that she'd ever been here in the first place.
But sometimes, focusing on the good memories was alright, made the pain of her loss more bearable.
So, for the first time since she disappeared, I sat with her closest friends, who had also been hurt by the fact she was gone, and we talked.
And I'd never felt so free.