The sound of Riley's scream permeated the silence which had consumed the area; which caused everyone to come running as fast as they could possibly manage. There, dangling from one of the multiple poles which were submerged in the water, just at the end of the pier, was Evelyn. Her face contorted in pain as her body hung limp. Blood stained her white-print shirt and had run down her legs. Like Riley, Matt sunk down to his knees as sobs overtook his usually calm composure. Guilt coursed through his body as did regret, not at ending things with her, but more so the fact of not chasing after her, and letting her walk off on her own.
Brian knelt down next to him, trying his best to comfort Matt, his hand rubbed soothing circles into his back as he whispered a whole pile of shit into his ear, stuff that Matt would say to himself whenever he was upset about something.
"This is your fault, Brian!" Riley screeched, pointing an accusatory finger towards Brian, her eyes wild, tormented with the image of her best friend, and knowing that had Brian had of not tried his luck with Matt, this wouldn't have happened. "You couldn't just wait to get your dick wet again, huh?"
Brian kept his arms firm around Matt's figure, bringing the distraught man closer to him, "What the fuck do you mean by that, Riley? Matt was the one who kissed me. Yeah, I still love him, but I did nothing to sabotage his relationship. Get your head out of your ass and out of other people's business." He spat back, offense clouded his expression as he turned his attention down to Matt who had calmed down enough, but was still silently crying.
"No, not when she's fucking DEAD! She's not coming back, asshole!"
"Riley, c'mon hun, we'll get you inside... Hot chocolate?" Jimmy murmured his heart heavy at the loss of one of his close friends. Gripping Johnny's hand tight, Jimmy's free arm snaked around Riley's waist as he led her towards the house.
Zacky was the only one who stayed behind with both Brian and Matt, partially to make sure that they were both okay and to see if that there was anything that could be done to help the pair. “Guys, I’m sorry for telling them, I shouldn’t have,” Zacky sighed, running a hand through his shaggy mop of black hair. “And, Brian, it’s not your fault.”
“Yeah, you really should have kept your mouth shut. Matt obviously trusts you, what compelled him to tell you is beyond me,” Brian barked, shooting down anything that Zacky could or would have said in reply. "The least you can do is help me get him up into our room," he spoke softly, hating that his anger made him a resentful, cocky asshole.
Brian had never been the one to let anger build up, but it wasn't until his mom left his dad that he realised just how shitty everyone was. Then, everything began to snowball, small things soon got on his nerves easily and to compensate for his new-found attitude, he just slowly started to shut everyone out; he built impregnable walls around himself, and they worked. For a good several years. There was still only one person who had managed to break into that prison and firmly remain there. Matthew fucking Sanders.
Zacky nodded silently and slung one of Matt's arms around his shoulders, helping Brian lift Matt up onto his feet. Once he was upright, they slowly began to walk towards the house, his green eyes flickering over to Brian every now and then, making sure that he was okay. He tried to think of something to say, something that would comfort Brian, but he failed to come up with anything. His mouth opened and closed like a goldfish, trying to voice the words that Brian needed to hear.
"Don't..." Brian breathed, "there's nothing that can be said, the sooner you realise that you can't help everyone, the better. Not everyone can be fixed, Zack. Plus... if I could, you wouldn't be able to." Brian murmured, his eyes glanced downwards towards Matt at the last part. "Thank you for even wanting to try though." He smiled the smallest of smiles before closing and locking the door to his and Matt's room behind him.
Zacky let out the breath that he had been holding all the way inside, and instead decided to turn his attention to Riley and the others downstairs. Zack's footsteps were slow, cautious, careful; not wanting to disturb anyone if they're sleeping off the trauma that everyone had seen.
Riley was curled up on the couch, blanket wrapped firm around her and the large bowl of spaghetti that Jimmy would have made for her. Her expression was blank, completely and utterly devoid of any emotions; even if she were feeling something, she wouldn't show it.
Zacky walked over and sat down next to her, his arm slipping around her waist. He smiled slightly when Riley moved closer to him and leant her head on his chest, still eating her comfort food.
After a moment of comfortable silence, Riley swallowed thickly and glanced up at Zack. She quickly cast her eyes downwards, watching her fork twirl in the masses of pasta still left in her bowl, "you don't think that it was her... do you?" Riley mumbled, cursing herself silently at her stupidity at even considering that as a possibility.
"I do. It's possible," Zacky sighed, her hand rubbing at her arm. "If it is her, then I have no fucking clue what she wants."
