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Week 12, Day 3:

I never did go to class yesterday and I'm assuming none of my friends – or that bitchcake – did either. As soon as I ran out that door I rushed to find Jakob, ensure him that it was Amy's fault and not mine but he never answered his phone. I slept at the Writing House and according to Mr. Lewis, It's quite normal to spend the night there. Now I'm on my mission to find Jakob and I just hope that Amy hasn't found him first.

I wake up in the middle of the night and run to his dorm. I don't care if he's asleep or having sex with Hunter, I need to talk to him right now. I pound my fist against his door for a solid two minutes before he groggily answers the door.

"What do you w – Clare? What are you doing here at four in the morning?" He rubs his eyes.

I'm bouncing on the heels of my feet. "It's a long story, is Hunter here?"

"Of course that's why you're here," he rolls his eyes. "I thought he was in your room,"

"Good, can I come in?"

"Clare, it's four in the morning." He crosses his arms.

"This is super duper important, I swear." He looks behind him and sighs.

"Fine, you can come in. Just make it fast, I'm really tired because I didn't get home until midnight because stupid parents."

"You're rambling but I'm about to ramble really quickly and I need you to believe me. Hunter doesn't believe me and I think he hates me, don't ask. Anyway so I woke up this morning and I was just like oh this is going to be a normal day, well as normal as a day can get with Mr. Lewis, and then when Amy could finally get my ass out of bed I went into the bathroom and there was blood everywhere. At first I thought maybe it was period blood but then I was like nope that's not right so I asked Amy who was murdered in here and she came in and she was like 'what the hell' and then we heard whimpering from behind the shower curtain and she pulled it back and there was Phoenix drenched in their own blood.

"So then they were saying crazy things like they're a worthless fag and then they said it was Amy's fault and then I told Amy to fix it and Amy kissed them hard and full of lust and not love and I couldn't stop her," I'm a blubbering mess and Jakob puts his arms around me and envelopes me in a big hug. He's suddenly very awake and his eyes are wide.

"And you said Phoe blamed Amy?" He questions and I nod my head. "But why? The only reason I can think of is..."

"Is what?"

"Amy's mad that Phoe can't reciprocate feelings for her so she put them in a position where they can't do anything but cower while Amy..." he trails off again.

"Stop pausing, just finish your sentences!"

"Well, um, the blood may not have just been from their wrists."

"Please elaborate, it's four AM and I haven't gotten a wink of sleep." I groan.

"Ditto, but whatever. I think Amy may have taken advantage of their state and, goodness this is hard to say, but I think she may have raped them. It would explain the blood and the whimpering."

"But, no, that's...you really think so?" he nods. "Then how did they get in that state in the first place?"

"My best guess is over the internet on some anonymous place where Amy could target her. But I think they knew it was her, even I had my suspicions."

I groan and fall back on his bed. "Am I oblivious or what?"

"You're just a tad bit oblivious, love. But that's okay because apparently so is Hunter. I mean, he thought you, the one who screamed when Amy killed a ladybug because you felt bad for it, would do that to Phoenix. He's an asshole and I'm so sorry. We'll get through it. I'm on your side, okay?"

"Thank you so much, honestly, what would I do without you?"

"You'd be sleeping in the Writing House, that's what." I can hear his smile and my mood lifts slightly.

"You know we'd get in trouble right?" I frown.

"Where do you think Hunter is?" And there goes my mood lift.

"I want to know what they're doing,"

"I want to sleep, with you." He wiggles his eyebrows.

"Not the time, babe." I hug him so he knows that I appreciate him. He pulls away slightly and we look at each other for a moment. Before I can think about what I'm doing, I close my eyes and he leans in. Our lips touch and I feel so much love in one small gesture it's surreal. It's different than kissing Hunter, though. With Hunter I feel the passion mixed with love and a dash of lust but with Jakob I just feel the friendly love that fills me up with warmth and happiness.

We pull away yet the feeling stays. "I love you so much, Jakob."

"Love you too, pal. And I think we both just needed that right now."

"You're right, but now what I need is sleep."

"So do I, but I have one little adventure planned for tonight and I hope you're up for it." He jumps off his bed and grabs a small black backpack from under his bed. "Let's go, then." I slide off his bed and follow closely behind him.

We exit his dorm and enter the dark, cold night. The sky is full of stars and the invisible moon. I breathe through my mouth and watch my hot air mix with the cold Michigan air. We walk past main camp and past the drama huts and past the Writing House and I still have no idea where we're going. Eventually he stops and it takes my eyes a while to adjust to the new surroundings.

We're near the forest and tall pine trees surround us. What once looked like paradise now appears to be hell looming closely over us. The trees are closing in on me and I feel the needles prickle against my paling skin. Jakob hugs me tightly from behind.

"I promise, you're okay. Now look over there," he points to my left and I squint to see. There's a playground with moss covering every inch of it. The slide is a faded red and thick green plants are covering the edges. There's a ladder that's slippery with moss and a bridge that looks so fragile that if even a feather dared to land on it, it would shatter a million times. Then I see a pair of swings, vibrantly blue and perfect condition, not a plant surrounding it.

"Why are we here?" I ask Jakob. He drags me over to the swings and sits on one, motioning for me to grab the other.

"It's a toast to the end of childhood," He digs through his black bag and pulls out two bottles. Handing me one, he says, "Usually I use cans but I think this is important."

I examine the bottle. "Jakob, this is beer."

"No shit Sherlock. Bottoms up," he tips the bottle and I do the same. I let the liquid burn down my throat. I haven't let myself drink since Emma's party last year. I shudder at the memory and take another gulp.

"This is hard ass liquor," I down the bottle and throw it in Jake's bag.

"Yeah, which is why we better get back to my dorm before we pass out and get caught. As much as life sucks right now, it would suck a hell of a lot more if we got kicked out." He shrugs the bag onto his shoulder and we walk back in silence. Sleep comes easily but morning will have its price.