Drop Dead Gorgeous 〰 Jake Fitzgerald

25

Working with both Jake and Gustavo was something I had never in a million years guessed would happen. Both of them were pretty into this whole 'Let's catch the killer' plan, but there was still some tension between them. Though it was disappearing by the second.

"So we're here," Stavo pointed at the school on the old map he'd found, "and they found the mayor somewhere around... here."

"Which means the killer's somewhere around here," I stated.

"Exactly. The most accessible route to take us there would be this one, around Lakewood, which would take us longer but it would keep us away from the cops."

"What about this?" Jake pointed at a little tube-like design that was on the map.

"The tunnels," Stavo responded. "They stretch out across all Lakewood, even the school has some by the cafeteria. My dad used to talk about them, those were his first leads towards the killer when this all started. But now, it doesn't really matter-"

"Would it get us there faster?" I asked.

He hesitated for a second before answering, "Yes."

"Then let's go," Jake demanded, already making his way towards the direction of the tunnels. I stayed close behind with Gustavo who folded the map and stuffed it in his back pocket.

"You know," Gustavo started as we made a turn, "if all else fails and we end up dying, I'd want you to know that you're pretty intimidating."

"Yeah right," I scoffed playfully, "though not as much as you."

He chuckled silently as we made another turn towards the cafeteria. "Even though I hate to admit it, Jake's always been the one with that reputation."

I frowned. "Jake?"

"This is your typical movie scenario, your typical characters and your typical plot line. I know my place in this movie, and usually those characters die."

"Don't say that," I began, but he continued.

"It's true. Brooke is the rich girl, Eli the weirdo, Audrey the lesbian, Noah the brains, Jake is the jock, Emma's the final girl. And I'm the outcast." He stopped before adding, "A very sexy outcast."

I smiled, processing everything as we entered the cafeteria. "What about me?"

"What about you?"

"Who am I?"

He stared at me for a second before answering, "Haven't quite figured it out yet."

I would have stayed quiet after that, but then I realized something. "You forgot Kieran too. What part does he play?"

Another small moment of silence followed before he answered, "Haven't figured him out either."

"Where would the tunnels be?" Jake interrupted, and it wasn't until now that I realized we had completely excluded him from the previous conversation. Maybe for the better.

"Should be behind that table," Gustavo said, moving the table and immediately starting to tear down the wooden floorboards that came off like nothing.

The loud screeching sound of the table's movement sliced through the stillness of the night, and for a second I imagined seeing someone else in the room. But then it was gone.

The loud sound of wood falling was heard, and when I looked down at Stavo I was staring at hole in the ground, with the rest of the wooden floor toppled under it. "Ah, there it is. Let's go," Stavo stated, jumping into the newly made crime that would surely be quite the story for the authorities to hear.