Clean - BOT ²

attempted murder

❀ ʚɞ Adeline ʚɞ ❀

"Breaking up is funny, I forget you aren't mine"

May 30, 2005

It was my brothers birthday tomorrow which meant we were all getting ready for the camping trip Grace and Claire had planned.

Grace was riffling through my closet, tossing clothing onto the floor and into her suitcase—yeah, the girl was bringing a suitcase to a two day camping trip. I should've been packing too, but my eyes were locked on the text lighting up my screen.

The jury had reached a verdict. My eyes scanned the rest of the text, my heart beating erratically as the worlds sank in. Ten years in prison without opportunity of parole. I blinked, trying to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.

"Ads?" Grace nudged me, "you're so not helping. How many bathing suits do you think I need?"

I stood, hands clutching my phone, frozen in place. Tears welled in my eyes from the sheer exhaustion of this entire situation. I'd won. Relief washed over me, my shoulders slumping for the first time in months.

It felt like I had been drowning and someone finally resuscitated me. The waves had stopped pulling me under, dragging me from shore. I was finally on dry land, I could finally breathe again.

"Addy," Grace tried again, coming  to stand next to me. "Are you okay?"

"He got ten years, Grace," I breathed, the lump in my throat intensifying.

She wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me against her, "how do you feel, babe?"

"Exhausted."

———————————————————

After a celebration with my family, I was shoved into Johnny's car and on my way to a campsite in West Cork. Grace and Shannon were in the back with me while Declan sat shotgun and Johnny drove.

I wouldn't say that I was unimpressed, I was more... uncomfortable? Spending the night in close quarters with Gerard and Claire was not an interest of mine.

Not to mention Lizzie Young was going and that was bound to bring chaos to the group. I had never been a huge fan of Lizzie. Mind you, I didn't spend a lot of time with her, but when I did it wasn't any fun. She had a vendetta against, Gerard, a huge one that came with verbal abuse.

They had history—or their siblings did. Lizzie blamed the death of her sister on Gerard's step brother, and for some reason she took that anger out on him.

Stepping out of the car the first thing I could hear was Hughie's incessant complaining. "West Cork, Claire? Seriously?"

"Excuse me, Hughie," Grace glared at him. "I helped plan this trip, and I'm not nearly as nice as Claire so I'd shut your trap."

"I mean of all the places," he grumbled.

"Johnny?" Grace whipped around, "where's that roll of duct tape? I think Hughie needs a homemade muzzle."

"He's not wrong," Lizzie chimed in. "We could've gone anywhere."

Grace inhaled a deep sigh, "don't even start. I've only got one roll of duct tape."