Suicide Tree || ✓

11. "Are you screwing someone, or are you boxing?"

a/n: a short but sweet chapter so i thought i'd upload the more drama-filled chapter as well (two chapters in one day!!??) :)

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"Can you please tell me what's going on?" Lily pouted turning to me. We were watching some show on tv that I wasn't even focused on, and at the moment, there was a commercial break. For the first time, the killer and the corpses weren't on the forefront of my mind, but Jasper's proposal. I looked at Lily, taking in her curious and worried expression. She was beautiful, why couldn't Jasper just like her?

You know it's a good idea. What other excuse could you possibly have to suddenly start "hanging out" with Jasper in the middle of the night?

"Lily..." I began uncomfortably, my decision made. I didn't know how she would handle this news. "You know how Jasper and I have been hanging out so often?" Lily nodded with the slightest bit of apprehension adorning her cherub face. "Well, I don't know how to say this but...he asked me out," I said the last part quickly, carefully watching her face. It was completely blank, not the slightest bit of an emotion. "And...I said yes."

"Oh," she whispered, not even realising that the commercial break was over.

"I'm so sorry, I know I should've talked with you instead of avoiding you but I didn't know what to do. I've liked him ever since I came here, and it was part of the reason why Sam and I broke up! And then you liked him as well and I was so stuck and torn..." I trailed off as I took a deep breath, hoping the lies I told, very convincingly might I add, would work. "I'm really sorry Lily," I whispered, truly remorseful for what I had done. But much to my surprise, and relief, Lily simply gave me a small smile with just a hint of sadness.

"It's okay Scar, I understand. I don't think I ever loved him anyway, he was just unattainable and so hot," she giggled, all hints of sadness gone. I smiled both with disbelief and relief.

This is the girl who was so infatuated with Jasper that she sent him secret valentine's letters every year for the past four years, and she is telling me that 'it's okay'?

I excused myself to the bathroom while Lily resumed watching tv. I locked the door and leaned against it, sighing with relief. I plucked out my phone and immediately called Jasper.

"What do you want?" he sounded a bit breathless and I wondered whether he was fighting.

"Fine, I accept. Starting tomorrow, we are officially," I swallowed the lump in my throat, "together."

"Well great, what changed your mind?" Jasper drawled before I heard some smacking noises.

"I couldn't think of a better excuse as to why we suddenly decided to take a drive together in the middle of the night," I admitted. I could practically see Jasper smirking.

"Are you sure it wasn't my –" he began saying but I immediately cut him off.

"Don't even go there, honey – wait, are you screwing someone or are you boxing?" this time Jasper let out a short, genuine breathless laugh that immediately brought a small smile to my face. The smacking noises were beginning to sound very wrong and very suspicious.

"Darling, if I was screwing someone, you'd hear from miles away," I bit my lip to stop the amused smile begging to grace my lips.

"As if, a little birdie told me that someone had issues regarding a certain area of their anatomy," I smirked slightly but it quickly dropped as I came to my senses.

I cannot afford to be distracted like this.

"You have to tell Adri," I said, attempting to ignore his breathy chuckle.

"Nope. No way am I going to tell her!" he exclaimed. I laughed at the fact that he was afraid of his little sister, despite him being an allegedly prodigious streetfighter.

"I told Lily, so you have to tell Adri," I stated, leaving no room for an argument.

"How did she take it?" Jasper asked, sounding genuinely curious.

"Surprisingly well actually," I replied, musing over how Lily hardly seemed upset. I heard Jasper grunt and then more smacking sounds. "It really sounds like you're screwing someone."

"I told yo –"

"Scarlett? What's taking so long?" Lily's voice cut off Jasper's response. I jumped away from the door with surprise, my heart beating a tattoo in my chest, and almost dropped my phone.

"I'll be right there!" I shouted. "Gotta go," I whispered to Jasper.

"Alright, show starts tomorrow," he chuckled before hanging up.

Why does it feel like it has already begun?

I chastised myself in my thoughts, I couldn't afford to be distracted by such trivial things like schoolgirl crushes when there was a murderer on the loose. And I couldn't simply ignore the article.

What does the Suicide Horror have to do with Jasper and Adrianna's family?

"Scar, can I borrow your phone? I need to text Leigh-Anne about our group project and my phone's dead," I heard Lily yelling. I nodded my head as I sat myself next to her again.

"So what are we watching now?" I asked falling onto my back on the bed, wanting to take my mind off the drama that would surely follow tomorrow.

"I don't know you choose – oh. You got a text from Adrianna. Wait make that two. Never mind, it's three – uh, she seems mad," Lily said unsurely, her light voice confused. I groaned, not willing to face the onslaught of questions. Jasper must've told her already. "Okay she's calling now..." Lily trailed off. I waved my hand

"Ignore her. I do not have the energy to deal with her wrath just yet," Lily let out a little mischievous giggle, obviously happy that I for once was ignoring Adri. I wanted to ask her why she hated Adri so much and tried to think of a way to steer the conversation that way..

"So how did that paint job go, is your car done yet?" I started casually. Lily perked up, putting my phone down.

"Well cyan just wasn't working for me anymore you know?" I nodded with amusement, pretending to understand. Her knowledge with the names of colour was very vast. "I told the guy something with merlot or sangria but he is so uneducated – didn't even know what they were!" she threw her hands up in the air with disbelief and I laughed. "So then I said amaranth and he didn't know that either so in the end it just became black."

With her rambling I'll never be able to steer the conversation anywhere.

"Lily, why do you hate Adrianna so much?" I asked bluntly. Lily's eyes widened for a second with surprise before resuming their airhead-like, clueless gleam.

"She plays boys like toys, leading them on, screwing them and then kicking them to the curb," Lily crinkled her nose and her blue eyes had a fierce gleam to them. "I refuse to stand by such a thing, and I don't know how you can," her subtle accusation made me raise my eyebrows. I had a feeling that if I were to retaliate, I'd either cause her to break down in tears or cause a rift between us so I opted to remain silent, simply nodding my head as a response. Instead I picked a movie and lay back down on the bed. Lily snuggled up next to me and rested her head on my shoulder. I sighed glancing at my flashing phone.