Contemporary Life // FILLIE

A Whole Lot Worse

Millie's POV:

"We were hoping you would all come down to the station later this evening for a simple questioning." Ms. Shalhoub explains flashing us another disgusting, lipstick smile. "As much as we would love to Ms. Shalhoub, most of us have jobs. Call it a coincidence, but we all have to work tonight and with all the homework this school assigns us.." Finn trails off, shrugging as if to say 'what can ya do?'. The woman gives him a forced, toothless smile in return. "Very well, Mr. Wolfhard. Then I suggest you talk with your parents tonight and we can get back to this subject tomorrow with Principal Havens, I'm sure he'd be happy to discuss this with you all individually." She states, saying it as if it'd change our minds. We don't even know what each other know, how do you expect us to talk to the police about what we know? "Will you be needing us for anything else, or can we go now?" Noah speaks up after a few moments of us watching her stack papers. "Wouldn't want to keep you dears all day, now would we? ...Go ahead." Ms. Shalhoub mutters, waving us off as we then speed out of the office and out the front doors. "Holy fucking shit balls." Gaten says aloud, causing all of our attention to draw towards him. "What?" Finn asks curiously. The hat wearing teen faces us with a look of pure fear on his face, "They know."

-

I walk with my hands shoved in my jean jacket and Sadie doing the same beside me. "I don't like this, Mills." She mumbles while staring at the frosted grass we walk on; the ground cold enough to make a crunch under my tattered converse. I glance up from the ground, "None of us do, Sades, but that still doesn't mean we won't do it." I explain calmly. Sitting around the fresh, cackling fire sits the rest of the boys, all of them patiently waiting in silence for our arrival in the rickety, old fold-out chairs. Coming closer, they all eventually acknowledge us but still without a word or greeting. In fact, not one voice makes a sound until Sadie and I get settled in our seats with her to my left and Finn to my right. All seats but one is occupied: the one in between Gaten and Sadie.. the perfect spot for Caleb. "I know you guys feel it just as much as I do. Right now something feels wrong, out of place, like something's missing. It's almost like that feeling you have when you go upstairs to get something but forget what it was when you get there. You know you wanted and needed it, but you can't quite put your finger on what it is." The light, curly haired boy explains dimly. "But I think we can all say that ew know what's missing, and that's Caleb." He adds before looking to Finn as if they had planned for him to speak next.

"That's why we're getting Caleb back. I don't know how we'll make him change back to how he was, I don't even know if it's possible to. But if anything else we make sure he doesn't end up in jail." Finn instructs, making sure to make eye contact with all of us; also making sure the time he spends gazing into mine is extremely brief. It's no time to be lovey dovey. "Wait, what? Why would he end up in jail?" Sadie retorts with furrowed eyebrows. He glances to Gaten, to which he receives a nod as if to say 'I'll take it from here'. "So, there's something I haven't told any of you except Finn.. only because I wasn't sure you guys could handle it. Now, I can tell you guys are more than ready. And even if you aren't, you deserve to know." He pauses, taking a deep breath in and letting it shakily come out.

"Yesterday after we all left the hospital, I headed to the crime scene. No police were there because they were planning to check it out today once the dust settled. I went in.. and I- I.." Gaten stutters with fear in his crystal blue eyes as if he's seeing it all over again. Blinking a few times, he whips his head around to make sure no one is lurking around us before continuing. "Don, the cashier, was on the ground in a pool of his own blood..his own blood. And he-he... he had a stab wound in his side, but not just one. No, no he had maybe three or four wounds; all in the same area in the side of his torso." He describes. I notice Finn biting his nails beside me as he nervously looks at us for our reactions. Sadie lightly gasps, "You don't think?" He nods. "The blade would've been a perfect fit. So knowing he'd get arrested, I cleaned up the blood and hid the body." The hat wearing boy confesses. All of us then let our jaws drop. "Are you fucking kidding me? Where?!" Noah questions, just as stressed as before. "I- uh..." Gaten coughs, "the van." He coughs again in attempt to hide what he said. "The van?! You mean the van that's right there?!" Finn exclaims as he stands up and gestures to what we call the 'chill van' that never leaves this place. The teen sinks down in his chair, pulling his hat down with him. The dark curly haired boy takes his grey beanie off with a groan of annoyance, putting back on as he makes his way to the closed van (that usually isn't closed). With his hands on the door handles, he glances over his shoulder at Gaten with a 'this better not be bad' look shown on his pretty, freckled face. 

Finn tugs on the doors with one big jerk of his arms, swinging them open in one go. "Holy shit.." He states in awe. We all stare at the sight with wide eyes and thumping hearts, at least mine is. Inside the van lays a full black trash bag on the small, brown couch. "Gaten you're fucking mental." He adds after taking in the sight and facing the group again. "I think that's a little gentle, more like a fucking psychopath with a death wish!" Noah exclaims while throwing his hands up in the air. Ready to defend himself, Gaten stands up from his seat and puts his hands out as if to say 'alright, i get it' whilst walking to the van. "Easy fix, all we gotta do is throw Don into the lake." He suggests with a clap of his hands. "NO!" The four of us shout in unison, causing him to sigh in defeat. "Fine, what do you guys wanna do then?" He asks impatiently. "We wouldn't have to do anything, if it wasn't for you bringing the fucking body here!" Finn shouts as he throws his hands up in the air, seeming pissed off enough that he might strangle him. "What did you want me to do?! Let the police find him?!" "Yes!" Finn replies quickly. "Oh yeah, and then what? Let Caleb get sent to jail and stay there for the rest of his life?" The blue eyed boy scoffs,"I don't think so." Finn rolls his eyes, obviously tired with him. 

I swear you two better not start fighting or so help me g- His patient but annoyed face quickly changes as he starts for Gaten who is walking towards our parked cars. Within seconds Finn is right behind him and throwing his body onto his back, tackling Gaten before he even had a chance to dodge him. "You're a fucking bitch, Matarazzo!" Finn scowls as he fights against Gaten who is struggling to take over. "FINN STOP!" Sadie yells as Noah and I follow her out of our seats and to the boys. "I'm going to kill you just like Caleb killed Don if you keep at this, Heartthrob." I hear the usually heart-warming boy grit from beneath Finn. This isn't them. Mustering up all the bravery I've got, I grab the back of Finn's jacket and yank him off Gaten so he stands on his feet. But before he can push past me I press both hands on his heaving chest, "What the hell are you thinking?" He clenches his jaw, not moving an inch. I stare at him, waiting for a response as he only stares down to the grass below us until he steps back from my touch. "I wasn't." He admits flatly while walking off the rest of the way to his car. 

Gaten staggers off the ground to his feet with Finn's beanie in hand and blood running down his mildly swelled nose. "You're a fucking asshole Heartthrob!" He shouts at Finn as he opens his camero's door. He stops to look at our bleeding friend before lowering himself inside. "All I'm doing is trying to help while your keeping fucking secrets! You're a fucking cowardly asshole Finn!" Gaten yells, throwing the grey beanie at the direction of Finn's car just as he backs out. "A fucking coward!" He shouts out one last time before the black camero drives out of view. Gaten turns around to us with his finger below his left nostril that is running with blood, removing his finger to see the damage right after. "Son of a bitch." He mutters angrily as he then snatches his dirty hat from the grass. Sadie looks over to me with desperation painted on her flawless face, "This just got a whole lot worse.. didn't it?"