I couldn't believe it. He was there and he was with her. I saw the hate in him rise but never was it so strong, never so hateful, never so dark. I started to back off, but he already had a grip on me.
I walked down the stairs and greeted Zu and Vida as they sat together around last nights attempt at recreating the campfire we had at East River. They were trying to figure out why it hadn't set on fire but with no such luck. I sat down next to Zu peering over her shoulder to read what she was writing. She had started speaking again but she still preferred keeping mostly silent. Especially around new people. What she was writing down shocked me. I gasped which caught her attention and she slammed the book closed looking bewildered at my own face which mirrored her expression perfectly. Vida looked at us both and realized what had just happened. As if getting a cue Liam and Chubs walked through the front door, just as the awkward silence was becoming unbearable.
"Mornin' Sunshine" He called from where he was standing. Thankfully he hadn't seen our faces or he would have said something. I mirrored Vida's and Zu's "happy" expressions as Chubs walked over to kiss Vida. It was still weird to see them together even after so much time.
"Goooooooood morning" I called back to him smiling now a real smile. He walked over and hugged Zu which made her smile too. But Vida wasn't so easy to break. She was still wearing her "Depressed" face causing Liam and Cubs to scrunch their faces in worry. It was always settling to see us all getting along even when Vida looked like she was about to commit suicide. My best friends used to be Grace, Then it was Sam, But now it's Zu. She is the person who makes me smile even in the worst of times. She was the strongest person I knew. So young but so so strong.
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Zu's POV:
I had never meant for Ruby to see what I was writing. I never wanted anybody to see. But Vida was too smart and she knew me too well. She read everything. I made her promise never to tell anybody what I was writing even if her life depended on it. I would tell everybody but I know I would hurt them if I did. They would probably cast me out, leave me alone on the street like a deserted dog. They didn't know but I was afraid that if they did they wouldn't want me anymore. Vida insisted on telling them but I made her Swear. You see This whole time I was keeping a diary. A diary with so many secrets I was sure it was gonna explode. I never meant for Ruby to see that sentence. But she did anyway. And the look on her face told me everything. She was gonna tell Liam, and Chubs and they are going to leave me. But I never meant for Jude to die. And I certainly didn't mean to kill him myself. But the thing is I didn't kill him. Clancy did. And the fact that Ruby is drowning in her guilt, blaming herself for something he had made me do, was unbearable. And it was all my fault.
