Pattern

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

// Prudence //

"Just, fuck off, Prudence!"

"I told you, Prudy, I told you. He's Avery, there's a reason everyone hates him." Madison wasn't really helping to reassure me, but she was trying. 

"I dunno, Madi. I really thought he had changed. He's not bad.. but oh my god, he was such a douche. I feel like every boy around me is a douchebag."

"That's because they are. Except Dylan, obviously."

I raised an eyebrow. "Obviously, huh?"

She grinned at me. "No. He's my best friend, next to you, and you know. He's just the best. But no,I'm not in love with him."

"I think I'm getting jealous," I admitted, grinning. "I'm competing with Dyl for your friendship now, that's great."

"You smiled!" She said, pointing at my mouth. "I think I win at friendship, to be honest. I made you smile in the depths of your despair."

"Depths of my despair? I'm just a little disappointed in my former friend." 

"Ooooh, burnnn."

"Madi, I'm not even insulting him."

"None of us ever liked him anyway."

I sighed. I didn't understand Avery, because he never confided in anyone, never explained anything. But I felt like there was some new motive to his outburst. But he'd left me once before. It was just my wishful thinking that he'd never do it again.

--

Natasha was a good student, just like all the others. According to her friends, she got As and Bs, excelling especially in English. She was a freshman, meaning every year group had been targeted so far, except for the juniors. I wasn't sure if I should be relieved or terrified, because it was totally possible we were next. I'd have to warn every blue eyed brunette around not to go out alone, but we were teenagers. I doubted anyone would actually listen to me.

I felt bad going home and sitting around, doing homework, like I was just waiting for her body to pop up. But I had no leads, I had no idea who it could be. In fact, the only suspect had been Avery, and he had no connection to Lucy or Natasha. I think my dad knew himself Avery wasn't a serial killer. But this was more than serial killing - it was like the killer was leaving messages, little clues, and it was only aggravating me more because I couldn't piece them together.

"Blue eyes, brown hair..  M,E, clothes are changed to slightly more fancy things.. All good in school?" Was there another link, something I was missing? I checked their birthdays. Natasha had just turned fifteen, Lucy had been fifteen back in July, and Hanna had turned seventeen in April. No connection, whatsoever. I was a little scared, but also grateful that Facebook could tell me so much. Their profile pages were filled with RIP messages, disregarding Natasha's, which had a few "where are you girl? x" Natasha hadn't replied, obviously, since she was most likely tied up somewhere fighting for her life, unable to reach her phone and check her notifications. 

There was stuff on my newsfeed about her, posters made by her friends wondering if anyone had seen and heard from her. No one had. There were comments hoping she'd be found and stuff, which was nice and all, but really didn't help. Then again, I wasn't helping either.

A message from Esther popped up.

"hey"

I wasn't sure if I wanted to have a proper conversation right now, which was what Esther usually asked for when she wrote those three letters. But I replied nonetheless.

"Hi"

"I heard you fought with Avery," She typed, incredibly quickly.

I sighed. Had everyone heard? Either it had spread super fast, or Madi had told her. 

"Yeah, I guess we did, I'm fine though"

":c"

Goddamn those faces. "I am fine, I repeat, fine," I typed back determinedly. 

"Sometimes," Esther wrote. "People say things they don't mean at the wrong moments."

I knew that. But Avery had plenty of time to think of what he was saying. Admittedly, he had told me to leave on several occasions. But that only confirmed it - he wanted nothing to do with me.

"Why now?" I typed. "Why, after we finally became friends like before, does he hate me again?"

Esther was slow to reply. "I don't think he hates you."

I didn't want to tell her how not reassuring that was, so I wrote my goodbye and went to sleep.

--

It was Thursday, and I was just waiting for someone to announce that Natasha's body had been found. I hadn't warned every girl in my year that matched the killers' type because I was damn scared of them thinking I was a bigger freak than ever. Madi's senior buddies hadn't talked to her since the party, and though my popularity wasn't a huge issue, hers was important. I understood why, I just thought it must be so tiring caring about what everyone else thought.

And when I was walking to my locker, Gareth stopped, looming over me like a monster. I hated when boys who had been smaller, or of the same size of you a few years back, had turned into giants without you realising. As if it wasn't imitating enough, he grinned at me, and all I could think of was him pulling my hair and my scalp burning, and not being able to do a thing. 

My fist clenched. He spoke.

"I thought I'd say I'm sorry."

Well, I was surprised. I blinked. "Wait, what?"

"I heard you fought with Avery." Oh, well, then, the whole school had heard. "And I thought, maybe, you'd just been roped into being his friend out of sympathy or something, cause let's face it, he's pathetic." He grinned again. "But anyway, I used you and I guess that was a little selfish, but there was no long term damage, so we're okay, right?" He looked at me expectantly.

I took a minute. And then I realised, even if it was between him and the guy who'd betrayed me twice, I'd still believe Avery. "Someone must have told you my dad's a cop," I half-laughed. "You scared, Gareth? Scared I'd tell him what you did, scared you'd get a warning for assault that'd ruin your chances at a football scholarship?" I was making this up out of thin air, just from estimation. I knew he loved football. I presumed he wasn't good at much else.

His expression changed, reminding me of a rabid dog. "Fuck you," He said, looking like he was about to slam his fist into my face, which would actually be quite amusing, considering it'd be third time this month someone had given me an injury. However, it'd be a bad situation, because my dad hadn't discovered what had happened when Howard had broken my nose, or known anything about the party, but he'd get suspicious that I was being bullied or something. But he didn't, Gareth just walked off, leaving me feeling like a boss.

Despite what people say, it was satisfying to have someone popular hate you - at least they made an effort to make themselves feeling something towards you. And hatred was often more interesting than love.

----

This chapter sucks, sorry, I don't have my laptop atm so I'm kinda restricted :c

More drama in the next one though! wooh! keep reading my lovelies~