The Hell We've Been Through

8

Waverly

Lucian had always been crazy. Honestly, I once thought that in the future, he would be the one in a psychiatric hospital, not me. But life happened, and I was the one labelled 'crazy' now.

I had changed into something black, and Lucian had snuck me out the window.

"Are you sure this is safe?" I asked, holding onto him tightly as he sped down the highway on a motorcycle.

"No." He replied, and I held onto him tighter. I really didn't want to die here like this.

Although I was literally dying of fear, I couldn't help the small feeling of thrill within me. I was outside again, for once, since I arrived at the psychiatric hospital. It made me feel... free. So much so that for a moment, I almost forgot all my suffering and pain.

"We're here." Lucian's tone was more serious and solemn. Even if he seemed like an insensitive, psychotic prick at first glance, he was actually really considerate to people. Or maybe... just to me.

I slowly got off Lucian's motorcycle and removed the helmet. I glanced at the graveyard – a feeling of death lingered around it. The feeling of death... which I knew all too well.

I entered the graveyard, walking slowly past each grave and checking the gravestones. Eventually, when I came to the opposite edge of the graveyard, I found it.

'Bailey Evers'. I stopped, standing in front of her grave. Suicide, is what her death had been labelled as, according to the nurse. Suicide. But Bailey wouldn't. She wouldn't commit suicide. She was happy; I knew for sure. She may not have gotten great grades in school, but she was well on her path to happiness. She recently got a promotion in her part-time job. She was beginning to start her own business – what she had always wanted. She was happy with her boyfriend. She was building her own life. Something I could never do.

And now they claimed she had committed suicide?

I knew that nothing was for sure. The case was assumed to be a suicide because Bailey's grandmother had died recently and she wasn't getting good grades in school. Besides, Bailey's body was found in her apartment holding a knife in her throat. The knife had no other fingerprints except her own, and thus, it was labelled a 'suicide'. But I knew Bailey better than that. Someone had done this to her... someone like Daniel.

But no. No evidence, so I couldn't do anything. I couldn't prove anything at all. Even though Daniel was a rapist, was he really a murderer?

Why am I trying to defend him? I wondered. I sighed. Maybe... maybe I still think of him as my best friend. I'm so stupid.

"Brother." I turned around to face Lucian, who was lingering behind me. "Can I... can I be alone, for a moment?"

"Sure. Whatever you need," Lucian replied, a half-grin on his face, and he walked away.

I was left alone in front of Bailey's grave. It suddenly felt a lot colder, and my heartache that I had tried to ignore felt more painful.

"Bailey..." I murmured. Talking to her grave would make me look crazy, but yet again, I was already labelled 'crazy'. Besides, no one was around. "Bailey. You didn't commit suicide. You didn't, right? You couldn't have... you were so happy. You were so close to being happy. Truly happy. You wouldn't commit suicide now. You wouldn't... I should have told you. I should have trusted you. I shouldn't have hesitated to confide in you, especially when you pleaded me like that. You were such a good friend to me... I'm sorry that I couldn't trust you. I'm sorry that I didn't. But some things are just... just better not said."

"Like what?"

I whipped around, startled and half-afraid that it would be Daniel. But it wasn't. It was Nathan. His eyes were sunken and grieving, and his figure was slumped over as though he had given up on everything. I... must have looked like that too.