Beverly Hills: Season 3

Season 3, Episode 17: Don't You Forget About Me

  Brooklyn stands with both arms at her sides at the end of the hallway where Cambridge's locker is. The students of Seaview are hugging, sobbing, crying on each other's shoulders. They're all dealing with the death of another Brightwell, even though most of these people didn't even know Cambridge on a personal level. Most of them only know him as the hot rich guy who got the girl with the cane pregnant their freshmen year. Brooklyn looks down at her hands, her mind playing tricks on her when she sees they're covered with blood- Cambridge's blood. Brooklyn looks away from her hands as she takes a step further down the hall. Today is gloomy. Not a lot of people know if they should even crack a smile or a laugh. Brooklyn doesn't want them to. This isn't a time of happiness.
   Cambridge literally died in Brooklyn's arms. His heart stopped beating as her tears landed in his hair. She'll never know what he needed to tell her. She'll n ever know his final thoughts or those words that could've escaped his lips if she had given him the chance. She was so determined to save him though. She was ready for someone to come out and help her, call 9-1-1, SOMETHING. But nothing happened. It was like living in slow motion. Brooklyn continued to watch Cambridge's dark red blood pour out of his body and no one came around to help. No one was there except the two of them.
   "It would mean a lot if you came." Elenor is telling a group of sophomores as she hands out a flyer. Her eyes are red from crying and her hair is in a low ponytail. Her arm is in a sling from being shot in the shoulder but she seems to be doing fine for loosing all that blood. Brooklyn rolls her eyes when she sees her. She's not mad at the fact Elenor was dating Cambridge when he died because Brooklyn knows there could've been a chance for the two of them in the future. She's just mad at the fact that Elenor posted on social media about how much Cambridge meant to her and how she was just starting to see him change. That's the thing. Cambridge shouldn't have changed. He didn't die as the Cambridge he was, he died as the religious dude that joined youth group. "Brooklyn." Brooklyn slows down, looking down at the flyer Elenor is holding out to her.
   "What's this?" Brooklyn takes the flyer from her. There's a picture of a candle on the front with details written in cursive writing at the bottom.
   "I'm holding a candle light vigil for Cambridge on the beach." Elenor explains, her voice sounding clogged. "You should come."
   Brooklyn's eyes flicker from the flyer and then back to Elenor. Why the hell is this happening? Cambridge wouldn't have wanted this. A funeral would've been enough for him and that's it. "Why?"
   "To honor Cambridge." Elenor wipes a tear from the corner of her eye. "It's just a small gathering."
   "Not if the whole school is coming." Brooklyn hands back the flyer. "No thanks."
   Elenor blinks twice. "I know that you and Cambridge weren't on the best of terms before he passed but... I know that you guys were close-"
   "We were on great terms." Brooklyn cuts in. She doesn't want Elenor thinking she was the only girl in Cambridge's life because clearly, he felt SOMETHING for Brooklyn... right? "He died in my arms, remember? We were closer than ever."
   "I'm sure he'd want you to go." Elenor holds the flyer out for her again.
   Brooklyn looks down at it. Standing with a bunch of people who claim they knew Cambridge isn't what she needs. Irrelevant people to his life would say a few words that they think are good for those types of events while holding a candle. "No. He wouldn't."

   Kai leaves school that day with Rhyannon by his side, the two of them walking in silence towards the parking lot. The silence doesn't bother Kai. Even the teachers didn't say much. Most of offered a shoulder to cry on and gave the class a free day. Kai is still processing the shooting at Palm Springs but as much as he tries, he can't help thinking about hiding under that lounge and staring at that gun in Emerson's hand. If only Kai would've attacked him them maybe Cambridge would still be alive.
   "I feel like I should ask you if you're okay or whatever." Rhyannon breaks the silence.
   "I'm... fine." Kai tries his best to lie. Nothing about this day is fine. His best friend is six feet under. He didn't even get to graduate high school. He never got married or had more kids. He didn't get to grow up- and Emerson took all those things away from him. Kai glances at Rhyannon, who doesn't look convinced. "Okay, maybe I'm not."
   "Yeah, me either." Rhyannon agrees as they continue across the lot in silence again. Rhyannon starts laughing out of nowhere, covering up his mouth as he does.
   Kai looks at him, glad to hear some sort of noise so he won't start crying again. "What's so funny?"
   "Our best friend is dead." Rhyannon tries to stop laughing but it only comes out louder. Kai grins, Rhyannon's laugh has always been contagious- probably because he rarely does it. "He was shot."
   Kai snorts, feeling bad if he laughs. What if Cambridge is up above watching them laugh? Wouldn't that hurt him? Kai covers his mouth to hide his laugh but it echoes through the parking lot, almost as loud as Rhyannon's. "I saw the gun he was shot with."
   Rhyannon laughs harder. "You crossed the country with your boyfriend."
   Kai holds his stomach, feeling the stares of students climbing into their cars digging into the both of them. Kai has no idea why he's laughing but it feels good. He hasn't laughed for days and now here he is, on the verge of tears from laughing so hard. "You can't get your dick up during sex."
~~~(Photograph by Tyler Ward and Anna Clendening)~~~
   Rhyannon throws his head back in laughter and the two of them stay like this for another minute or two. When did their lives get so pathetic? When did everything start getting so serious and dramatic? When did things get so screwed up? "Cambridge... he's dead."
   Kai nods his head as they slow down from laughing. He stares at the black top they're standing on, Cambridge's face in his head. He'll never see Cambridge's face again. He'll never have a conversation with him or share a laugh like he did with Rhyannon just now. And this is all Emerson's fault.
   Kai drives home, listening to some depressing song the whole way. He knows that listening to sad music when being sad is just adding on to the depression but Kai isn't in the mood to jam out to anything else. Sad is what he's feeling so sad is what he'll listen to. Kai pulls into his round driveway, the gravel making the usual roaring noise beneath his tires as he parks towards the side. He stays seated for just a few quiet seconds, his ears full of the loud silence. He doesn't move, counting in his head to gather his thoughts. Kai crawls out of his car, shutting the door and heading for the porch. Kai stops in his tracks when he sees Aaron sitting on the last step, rising to his feet when the two of them lock eyes. "Aaron..."
   "I heard about the shooting." Aaron walks over to him. "I took the first flight out here." He wraps his arms around Kai, not bothering to bring up the guy that Kai had seen on their Skype call last week. "Are you okay?"
   Kai nods his head as he hugs him back. He didn't show any emotion in front of Rhyannon or his family over what him and everyone else on spring break went through but right now, all he wants to do is cry. He doesn't care who it is but feeling someone wrap his arms around him isn't bad either. "Actually, I'm not." His voice is muffled into Aaron's shoulder and a tear rolls from his cheek. "I'm not okay."