rosaleen channing ↠ applyfic [ongoing]

↠six

i literally have no patience and i know you all feel the same so

and okay i'm really sorry but this chapter ends in a cliffhanger too, and i won't be able to update a third time today so you'll have to wait until tomorrow at the earliest oops

-𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓽𝔂

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"No, no, no, wait, you guys--!" Lance snatched up his phone, hanging up the call that he had received from Rosaleen. "Guys...! Please! I didn't--! I would never--!"

Sam wanted to cry. She had to do something! She couldn't let everyone think Lance had done it! She knew he was innocent. She just... knew. There was no way! 

Everyone had leaped away from Lance, desperate to be away from him. Everyone stared at him with wide eyes, waiting for him to say anything more.

"I-- I couldn't!" he sputtered, at a loss for words. "You don't understand! I lost my phone--! I only found it after... Rosaleen..."

He trailed off, realizing that was going no where.

But Sam was there.

"I remember-- Y-You told me you thought your phone got stolen!"

Evan seemed the most torn. His sister was defending Lance! So he should too, right? But he wasn't his sister. But he remembered his sister stressing after finding out Lance's phone was missing--

"I-I think someone's trying to frame you, Lance," Sam said finally. She had made her stance.

It was everyone else's turn, but everyone was quiet.

Evan hesitated, scanning over the faces of everyone. Lucia and Aisha had stern glares on their faces, almost the exact same expression. Wyatte and Arthur seemed very neutral, hesitant as well. But Sam's eyes were glinting with determination. She truly believed that Lance was innocent.

"I think so, too," Evan said, immediately seeing the relieved look that appeared on Sam's and Lance's faces. They weren't alone.

Evan speaking up brought Arthur on board, "It just doesn't make sense. Why would he ever? He has such a bright future ahead of him... Why would he sacrifice it all by... killing someone?"

Wyatte wouldn't lock eyes with anyone. "I don't want to believe that one of us is guilty... I can't ever see Lance-- He would never do something like that--"

Aisha's jaw set. "I don't think we have any proof of that."

"We don't have any proof that Lance did it, either!"

"We don't?" Lucia said. "The text message is from his phone number!"

"He didn't even have his phone when Rosaleen was in the forest...!" Sam defended.

"That's what he told you," Aisha said suspiciously. "A likely story, if you ask me."

"Lance is a terrible actor! I know when he's lying!"

Lance's thoughts were racing a mile a minute. He couldn't speak, couldn't move. He didn't--!! He... Rosaleen... His phone had been lost...! 

"Lance?" Sam's voice, low and gentle, entered his ears. "Lance...? Say something. You're innocent. Please, tell her... You're being framed...!"

Aisha stepped up to Lance, nudging Sam out of the way. "If you didn't do it, then who did? Who do you think did it? Me? Lucia? Arthur? Evan? Wyatte? Or maybe..."

"Sam?"

She finally hissed.

Evan could not process what he had heard. He was only here because his sister--but he would've been a more likely suspect if they knew-- He shook his head. He couldn't believe-- There was no way-- None of them ever could've-- Murder...?

Trying almost desperately to distract himself, Evan realized he still had the purse in his hands. He quickly opened it and started digging around. There was a lot of things inside, but not much that was interesting to a 14-year-old boy. It was mostly makeup--lots and lots of makeup... and uh...

...girl things that made his ears turn red and made him wish he had never looked in the purse in the first place.

He was just about ready to close the purse and forget what he saw, when he spotted something that just might be interesting. Digging past the compact mirrors, he pulled out a small notebook, overflowing with half-torn out pages. On the front cover, in golden cursive letters, read "Rosaleen".

A notebook normally wouldn't be so interesting, but a notebook with a lock on it certainly was.

"Evan, what's that?" a voice suddenly said, and yet again everyone's focus shifted. They were going to have a lot to talk about later at this rate. Because at some point, they definitely had to clear everything up. It had to be resolved. Just because it wasn't right now--

...there was way too much going on, Evan reflected.

"It's... Rosaleen's bag," he said softly. "There's not much in there that's useful, but... I found her diary. I think."

"How do we open it? Is there a key in the purse somewhere?"

Evan searched, digging through every nook and cranny, opening pockets. There was nothing. He shook his head.

"Give it here," Aisha said, holding her hand out. Evan blinked at her, before slowly handing the diary over.

Aisha's hand went up to her hair, and she pulled out two bobby pins. She took a seat on the floor, ignoring how it creaked and swayed, and straightened one of the bobby pins out. She set to work, causing everyone to stare.

"Are you seriously going to pick t--?"

The golden lock clicked, and Aisha opened the diary.

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