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six

                          REED WAS LAUGHING AT ONE OF GEN'S JOKES, HER BROWN EYES TWINKLING AS SHE GRINNED BACK AT HIM. It was the next day and the sun was filtering through one of her windows. He, Eliza, and Alexis had all crashed at Gen's place after the party and had fallen asleep in her basement amidst soda cans, bags of chips, pillows, and the tv sounding static over their heads. After the announcement of the second murder, they had spent a good hour and half talking about who the main suspects could be if they had to pick, and now Reed's brain felt as if it were turned to mush.

And not helping that was the fact that this was the longest he had spent talking to his crush Genevieve since freshman year biology when they were assigned as lab partners. He didn't know why everyone chose to hate her so much- once you got to know her, she was a huge softie at heart and had the greatest laugh he had ever heard. He wished more people got to know that side of her, but because of her bitchy outside demeanor and her less than suitable reputation around the school, not many did.

"Christ, you all are annoying," Alexis groaned, mushing her pillow into her face. "Gen, please say you have poptarts."

"I want a poptart," Eliza said, raising up on her arm. "Shit, I really want a poptart."

"Okay, okay," Gen said exasperatedly, getting to her feet and walking over to the basement kitchen, opening one of the doors to the pantry. She studied the shelves before her eyes lit up and she called to them, "I found them! Strawberry, lads."

"I'll help you," Reed offered as Eliza and Alexis cheered for strawberry together. It was noted in his head that they had fallen asleep with their arms around each other and he smiled to himself. He knew Eliza liked Alexis from the way she was always acting around her- the exact same way he acted with Genevieve.

He made his way around the counter towards Gen, setting his lean arms on the counter top as he watched her plug in the toaster. She looked over at him, raising an eyebrow. "Did you come over to stare at me or help?"

He grinned, a blush spreading across his face. "Maybe both. The view's great."

She chucked a poptart at him and he ducked, laughing. "I'm kidding, Genny."

"Genny?" She said incredulously. "Fuck, I haven't been called that since I was like, five."

He smirked, throwing the poptart back at her. "Looks like it's back."

She rolled her eyes, unwrapping the poptart as a wisp of brown hair fell across her face. "Get some plates, Bodner."

"Yes ma'am," He said dutifully, turning to open one of the cabinets and grabbing four plates from the shelve. He set them down and for good measure opened the fridge and got out juice and cups, holding out a plate as the first toaster strudels popped out of the toaster.

She turned towards him, lifting the hot pastries out and setting them on the plates. "Try hard."

He tilted his head at her. "But it got you to smile."

Gen grinned despite herself and together they waited out each set of poptarts and distributed them to Eliza and Alexis, settling back on the floor and couch as they ate breakfast and drank juice in peaceful companionship.

Just as they were flicking through their movie options, Alexis heard her phone ding. She dug it out of her pocket, the screen lighting up her face as she read her new text message.

Kayden: Hey, it's Aiden O'Conner. Kay spent the night but she's asleep. Can u and a couple of other people meet me and my friends at the coffee shop on Main Street? This murder shit is getting out of hand