Beyond the Reasons || JUSTIN FOLEY

Ten

PRESENT TIME
OUTSIDE OF MONET'S
THIRD PERSON'S POV

Clay Jensen and Ani Achola sat outside of Monet's in Clay's car waiting for Justin. He was closing tonight, and Clay figured that he would be Justin's ride home and then they could talk to him. But that wasn't the case. "What do we even say? I mean, do we just ask him what happened?" Clay asked.

Here's what the pair was thinking. They were thinking that Imogen was hooking up with Bryce because of the note Ani found and a conversation she once had with Jessica and Imogen. Then Ani believed that Justin found out about Imogen and Bryce and killed him because Clay knows Justin confronted Bryce over the summer, he just didn't know about what.

And these two didn't know how completely wrong they were.

"Maybe we give him an out, say it was self-defense, or. . they were fighting and Bryce hit his head." Ani said.

"Wait, look." Clay said, as he saw another car pulling up, but then he recognized the car. It was the second car that his parents got for him, Imogen and Justin to share. "Wait, that's. ." Clay trailed off as Justin walked outside of Monet's after closing. He locked the door, as Imogen stood up out of the car and gestured for him to hurry up.

"Come on, J." She said. Justin did a quick little jog to the passenger side of the car and then the two of them were off, and Clay looked at Ani.

"What do we do? Do we follow them?" He asked.

"I don't know. I think we have to follow them so that we have the option of having followed them. Because if we don't, we won't." Ani said.

"I totally understood that, which is frightening, but yes." Clay said, turning his engine back on, and backing out of the parking space he was in.

Then they followed behind the pair.

―

MOTEL
IMOGEN'S POV

"Everyone's looking at me and Jess, and asking question. It's freaking us out." I said, and Justin stood by the window and sighed. If I'm being honest, Justin and I have been secretly hooking up ever since the moment I told Jess that when I was masturbating, I started to think of someone who was 'really bad for me.' She knew that I meant Justin, even though neither of us named him, but after all of that.

I just decided that I wanted him. So I went back for it.

"Mimi, do you think this was a stupid idea to get together tonight? I mean, everything is just so fucking crazy right now, and Clay is going to find out even. .-" Justin started to say, but I cut him off.

". .-I need you to keep your shit together, okay? I can't have you falling apart on me, J." I said, and Justin nodded his head before we both heard a knock on the door which put us both at alert. Who the hell could be here right now? No one even knows that Justin and I come here occasionally. "Shit. ." I whispered. Justin stood up from the ground in front of me and held his hand out before walking to the window. He moved the blinds and I watched as his eyebrows furrowed.

"What the fuck?" He asked, walking over to the door as I stood up from the bed and walked over to the door with him, and when he opened it and I saw who was on the other side. I was immediately annoyed.

"Hello." Ani's voice came through and of course my idiot brother was standing right next to her.

"What the fuck are you two doing here? Come inside and close the door." I snapped. Ani and Clay quickly walked inside, and Justin closed the door behind them and I took a deep breath.