Childish| Criminal Minds

11

This chapter deals with suicidal thoughts/actions. Please read cautiously as it could be triggering.

Everything eventually falls apart. Somewhere deep down, they knew Bobby didn't run away. What they weren't expecting was to see his body being exhumed from the river, two counties over.

Bobby is dead. He's nothing more than a bundle of bones, now. Whatever is living in those waters tore him to shreds.

The footage is all over the news. Not just in their town, but all over Virginia. His family is a mess. They didn't know him as the monster that he was. They knew him as their son who had a basketball scholarship waiting for him at UCLA. They knew him as Bobby Putnam, the eighteen year-old who had his whole life planned out ahead of him.

His family feels trapped, but Maeve Donovan has never felt freer. There's a weird tension in their school the day after Bobby is found, but Maeve is a ray of sunshine in an otherwise dull environment. She's about to go find spencer and excitedly tell him the news, but her good mood is immediately destroyed.

Everything eventually falls apart. Maeve stares in an unbelievable shock as Spencer and JJ are walking down the hall, talking and laughing, all while holding hands.

Has he moved on already? Sure, it's been more than a month and a half, but is this really how their story is going to end? Maeve, alone, and Spencer, finally happy without her?

Elle has spent her entire day hiding in the bathroom. She can't bring herself to go to class. There aren't any tears anymore; she's already cried them all away. "Are you okay?" she hears from outside of the stall. She stands up and unlocks it to see Maeve. "I heard you crying."

"I'll be fine," Elle says. Maeve opens her backpack and pulls out a small package of tissues, handing it to Elle.

Elle thanks her. "What's wrong? Did someone hurt you?"

"Not exactly," Elle manages to say. She's trying her hardest to breathe, but it isn't working.

"Elle, I think you're having a panic attack," Maeve says concernedly. Elle can't help it; she breaks down. It's all becoming too much. She killed someone. How is she supposed to live with that knowledge?

"I- I think I'm gonna be okay," Elle finally says as she lets go of Maeve, who was hugging her. Elle takes a deep breath and forces a smile. "I know what I need to do."

During the rest of the school day nothing special happens. The day is meek and uninteresting until Spencer and JJ leave after the bell to go home.

He notices Elle is standing a few dozen feet away, with her back to him. She's standing in the middle of the sidewalk, watching the cars pass. "Elle?" Spencer calls out. "The side walk is over there."

Elle ignores Spencer. Spencer looks back at JJ with concerned eyes. Something is wrong.

Everything eventually falls apart. Spencer finds himself running. It feels like it's all happening in slow motion as Elle Greenaway steps in front of a car going seventy-five.

Spencer manages pulls her away from the road just in time. She falls back into his arms, defeated. JJ rushes over to them. "What happened? Elle? Are you okay?" she asks

"I did it!" she yells with tears running down her face. "I killed him! It was me!"

A/N: I'm emo

Word count: 579