Looks That Kill [on hold]

3. Radio Silence

AIDEN MITCHELL hadn't gone to school for a week. But neither had the rest of his friends.

Stonewall Academy had called their parents telling them that they should have their teenagers stay at home and grieve the loss of their friend, Scarlett Hill. A week had gone by. The moment night fell on Saturday, he felt a pit in his stomach. He felt sick, this was the night she had died; it had been exactly a week.

The school had called their parents telling them to please keep their kids out of school on the following Monday as well but they were welcome to return starting on Tuesday. Now it was Tuesday morning and Aiden couldn't dread coming to school more than today.

Aiden walked into Stonewall Academy in his men's uniform after parking his BMW in Stonewall's parking lot.

Eyes and heads followed him as he walked through the school's front doors.

He knew everyone was still talking about Scarlett, her death fresh in everyone's minds. He also knew that all eyes would be on him and his 'friends' for a while, them being Scarlett's best friends and all.

He walked down the hallway toward his navy blue locker, whispers and stares following him. As far as he knew, none of his friends had seen each other since that dark Saturday night, other than Julien going to Rebekah's place as Aiden had found out from Sadie.

Aiden didn't find it that strange for everyone to be staring at him but the dark circles under his eyes, his black hair messy, and his navy tie loose certainly attracted more onlookers.

He opened his locker as he saw someone in his peripheral approach him, Ashley Hamilton. Her brown curls were pulled into a bun, her navy plaid skirt was unironed, and her eyes were bright red and puffy, obviously from crying.

"Hey." She said meekly, giving him a closed-lip smile, which still managed to look sad.

"Come here," He told her as he pulled her into a hug, feeling his best friend's chest collapse against his.

"Not here, Ash. Let's not give them more to talk about. Come on, let's walk to the auditorium, the assembly starts in five minutes."

Ashely nodded, following him to Stonewall's auditorium, where most of the student body was already seated, waiting for the urgent announcement.

"Do you mind sitting with Sadie today? God, Ash, I know you hate her... but we're the 'outsiders,' remember?" Aiden said to her as they stood by the doors, looking for seats.

She gave a defeated sigh and followed Aiden where a beautiful, blue-eyed blonde sat, two vacant seats next to her.

"Hey, Aiden." Sadie Covington said as they sat down next to her before she narrowed her eyes at the dark-skinned girl, "Ashley."

"Have any of you talked to Hunter or Julien? Rebekah? What about Georgia, she's your girlfriend Aiden, she must have called you. I haven't seen anyone or heard from anyone since... you know." Sadie rambled before Ashley and Aiden both shook their heads no.

He did know.

"I haven't seen any of you since that night. I haven't talked to any of you other than Georgia, who's texted me about two words the past week," Aiden muttered.

"Speaking of our other friends..." Ashley said tilting her head to the second entrance of the auditorium.

There stood Georgia Andrews and Rebekah Winston, everyone staring at them as they walked down the aisle, sitting at the front of the auditorium. They waved to Julien who sat with his football friends, but Hunter Caldwell was nowhere in sight.

Their entrance was a rare sight. Those two girls always had Scarlett with them, the three traveling as a pack. Hunter and Julien were usually in tow while Ashley, Sadie, and Aiden walked several steps behind.

It was the first time Aiden had seen his girlfriend in a week, and she looked a bit more put together than Ashley but not Sadie perfect. Georgia's brown hair was pulled into a high ponytail, her eyes puffy. Meanwhile, Rebekah's blonde hair flowed behind her but her blue eyes looked the same as Ashley's puffy ones.

Oh, how the tables had turned.

He still felt destroyed over Scarlett's death. The only smile that had left his lips was when his parents told them about the school's call and he found it funny that the school thought that he could get over the death of one of his friends in a week.

The lights dimmed, the assembly had started.

Detective Pratt stood behind the podium, everyone stunned by the head of Stonewall's police department's presence.

"Good morning Stonewall Academy. I regret to say that my visit here is not on a happy note. As you all know, your fellow classmate, seventeen-year-old Scarlett Hill, died a week ago, Saturday, October 16th," Detective Pratt began, the auditorium dead silent.

"Her case has been sealed for the past week but we now can notify everyone on the police department's progress. I'm very sorry to say that Scarlett Hill's death is being ruled a homicide. I am also letting you all know that there will be many detectives coming in and out of school gathering evidence, so do not be alarmed. If you have any information or evidence that could help us figure out more about her tragic passing, please come forward."

Before he left the stage, he added one more comment "I would also like to see Georgia Andrews, Hunter Caldwell, Sadie Covington, Ashley Hamilton, Aiden Mitchell, Julien Reed, and Rebekah Winston in the principle's office after this assembly. Thank you all for your time."

All eyes were suddenly on the six of them.

The six friends finally met each other's eyes, several expressions being portrayed but only one in common, 'They know.'

⤬⤬

thank you for reading! you have now met 7/7 of the suspects in her murder, the new ones being aiden, ashley, sadie, and georgia. although you didn't meet ashley, sadie, or georgia that well in this chapter, their point of views are would be in the following chapters as well as julien's. please vote & comment.