Don't blame me

Ram and kirke will pay

The next day, the town gathered at the church for Heathers funeral. The air was heavy with grief, but there was an undercurrent of unease that lingered beneath the surface. Saige stood at the edge of the crowd, her face pale and drawn, her mind still reeling from the events that had unfolded. JD was beside her, his expression unreadable, his presence both a comfort and a source of dread.

As the service ended and people began to file out of the church, Heather McNamara approached Saige, her eyes red-rimmed from crying. Despite the tragedy, she still managed to put on a sympathetic smile, one that made Saige feel like she was being cornered.

"Saige," Heather M. began, her voice soft but insistent, "I know this is a terrible time, but... Heather was supposed to go out with us on a double date with Kirk and Ram. It was all planned before... before everything happened. I thought maybe, you know, you could come instead. In her place."

Saige blinked, momentarily thrown by the request. The last thing she wanted to do was go on some stupid date with Heather McNamara and those two meatheads, Kirk and Ram. The very thought made her stomach churn. She had too much on her mind—too much guilt, too many unanswered questions about the darkness that had crept into her life.

"I... I don't think so, Heather," Saige mumbled, glancing over at JD, who remained silent, his eyes observing the exchange with mild interest. "I've got a lot going on with JD and—"

Heather McNamara cut her off, her tone growing more insistent. "But it's what Heather would have wanted! It was important to her, you know? And with everything that's happened... don't you think you owe it to her? It's like... it's like your duty as her sister, Saige."

Saige felt a knot tighten in her chest. Heather M. had always been the sweet one, the one who meant well, even if she didn't always get it right. But now, her words felt like a trap, like an obligation Saige couldn't escape.

She hesitated, glancing back at JD. His expression was neutral, but there was a spark in his eyes, something that made her feel like he was curious to see what she would do. Saige knew JD wouldn't care if she went on some double date with a couple of high school jocks—if anything, he might find it amusing.

After a long pause, Saige sighed, feeling the weight of Heather McNamara's expectation bearing down on her. "Fine, Heather. I'll go," she said, her voice resigned. "But only because you won't stop bugging me about it."

Heather McNamara's face lit up with relief. "Thank you, Saige. It'll be good, I promise. We'll just have a little fun, and maybe it'll help take your mind off things, you know?"

Saige forced a weak smile, but her heart wasn't in it. The last thing she wanted was to "take her mind off things." How could she? With Heather Duke gone and JD's unsettling influence growing stronger by the day, it felt like her life was spiraling out of control.

As they left the church, JD wrapped an arm around Saige's shoulders, his touch sending a shiver down her spine. "So, a double date, huh?" he said, his tone light but with a hint of something darker beneath it. "Should be interesting."

Saige swallowed hard, nodding without much enthusiasm. "Yeah. I guess so."

JD leaned in closer, his lips brushing against her ear as he whispered, "Remember, Saige, we're in this together. No matter what."

His words were meant to be reassuring, but instead, they filled her with a sense of dread. Saige knew she was in too deep, and as much as she tried to push it away, there was no escaping the reality she had been pulled into. The double date was just another layer of the façade she was forced to maintain, a mask to hide the growing darkness that she and JD shared.