Coming Clean

Chapter 1: Aftermath

That's that. They had solved the case of the Demonic Apostle. Well, Esther did most of the work and she was the one who found out it was Keith behind the robes this time, but still, it was a group effort in regards of finding the clues, at the very least. Anyway, they could finally put this behind them, right? Well.. kind of. It's a complex situation.

First of all, the van ride to the next hotel, which was 4 towns over, was very tense. They were kicked out of the hotel because of Keith's stupid stunt. It was originally going to only be him getting kicked out, but that would mean the entire squad would have no method of travel back home. So, there they were, driving in the van to the nearest hotel. All because of Keith.

Secondly, Scrags still hadn't given Esther her stash back yet, so she was still experiencing withdrawal symptoms. That did not help her mood whatsoever. It probably even worsened it. She felt like her brain was dead from that massive deduction, which happened in a matter of seconds in her brain. It just takes her time to process it. Scrags said he would give it back to her at the hotel, but she was unsure whether she fully believed him or not.

Lastly, Gwen was still a bit shaken from everything. It had been a rollercoaster from her. She went from being yelled at, to being kissed, to chasing the demonic apostle, to feeling betrayed by Keith and then to what seemed like happiness in a matter of minutes. Her brain still had to process this entire mess.

Scrags was arguably the only one in the car who was fairly decent- oh wait. Never mind. He was furious at Keith.

Well, no one was necessarily happy, I guess.

The air seemed thick in that van. Keith was being an idiot, as per usual, so he was just jamming to music when everyone else was practically dying. Metaphorically, of course. But they all feel horrible.

Scrags reluctantly turned off the music and took a deep breath in. He looked like he was about to speak. "So.." he starts, "how are we all feeling?" he finishes his question and shifts his head round to the back seat. He didn't fully care about Keith right now, and Keith seemed happy enough anyway. It's either Keith was really good at hiding his emotions, or he really has no shame whatsoever. Either one is fully plausible.

Gwen is the first one to chime up.
"Honestly? Not feeling that good, man." she speaks quietly. She seems shaken. She IS shaken.

Scrags nods but Keith gives a confused look.
"What do you mean? The squad's back together!" he yells happily. He seems very happy, considering the situation he put them all in. God, he was an idiot.

Scrags decided to chime up again
"But it would've been better if we could have gotten together in a different way.." he tries reasoning with him. Keith shrugs and just carries on driving.

As the hotel is in sight, you can hear a slight tapping. It's coming from Scrags' foot. He seems somewhat impatient. Maybe it's just that he feels like he wants to get away from the group. Esther is shaking and her head is hurting so damn bad. She feels like she has to throw up as well, so she looks a lot more pale than usual.

As the van pulls up to the hotel parking lot, everyone starts to unbuckle their seatbelts. Esther takes a bit longer with her shaky hands, but she managed. They all manage to get out of the van and they enter the hotel. They help the staff sort their stuff out, but other than that, they are absolutely silent. No words were said at all.

This time, they were all in one room. A room with two double beds. That would be a situation to figure out. They all entered the room and went to different places. Esther immediately slammed herself onto one of the double beds, feeling absolutely horrible. She felt like she was going to throw up. But she held it in.

Gwen immediately went over to sit at a desk that was in the corner of the room. She just sat there on her phone. Her phone and social media had also become a coping mechanism over the years. It helped her deal with her idiot children and her equally idiotic husband. He only married her for the money anyway. He didn't care one bit whether she was present in the room, and neither did she. It's like escapism for her.

Keith ran straight to the bathroom and had to go for a pee. Of course he didn't go before they had left. He thought he could wait, but he was desperate to go to the toilet the entire time. So, he let it all out then.

Scrags went to the other double bed and just sat on the edge of it. He didn't know what to do or say. This was going to be a very complicated situation to resolve.
Speaking of which, hopefully they can resolve it. He looked over towards the bathroom and thought of saying something to Keith when he came out. He decided against it. He didn't have the energy whatsoever. He then looked over at Gwen and say her on her phone. She probably wouldn't want to talk to him that much anyway. The only other person in the room was Esther. She was the least likely to yell at him out of the two people he would even be able to bother to talk to.

So, he stood up and approached where Esther was laying. He sat down on the edge of the bed next to her and looked over his shoulder at her. She opened her eyes and gazed his way. She gave a weak smile. It was only now that Scrags noticed how pale and sickly Esther looked. A look of concern immediately spread across his face. "Zoinks, Esther! Are you ok?!" he whisper shouted at Esther, knowing saying too loud would make things a big awkward.

She looked at him and smiled awkwardly. She sat up on the edge of the bed next to him.
"Yeah, yeah... just going through withdrawal." her words were slurred and she seemed to be stirring, in a sense.

Scrags lifts his hand slightly, wanting to put his hand on her back to support her, but decides against it and puts his hand back down onto the uncomfortable mattress.

"Look, I would give you your stash back, but-" he starts to speak softly before he is interrupted.
"No no, I get it. It's not the right thing for you to do.." she seems very lightheaded. "You're lucky I feel so crap and I can hardly see, I would confront you otherwise." she winks and lets out a small chuckle before stopping herself.

She sighs gently. She should probably forgive Scrags for stealing her stash. She kind of does. But speaking hurts, so she can't exactly vocalise it. She lifts up her hand and pats his shoulder gently and nods towards him. He gets the message and nods back, having a slightly awkward smile on his face.

Esther shifts backwards again and resumes her laying down position from earlier. She realises she forgot to take of her shoes and starts trying to kick them off with her feet. Scrags takes them off for her and puts them next to the bed so she can slide into them when she gets up again.

Esther starts to drift off slightly and she falls asleep. Scrags lets this happen and is remaining sat at the edge of the bed. Gwen is still on her phone. That's when Keith bursts through the door, seemingly trying to make as much noise as he can to announce his entrance. Esther stirs but ends up going because to sleep and Scrags shushes him. Keith gets the message and nods, trying to get on good terms with the group probably.

Scrags was tired. He would have to attempt to make up with Gwen later. Which probably also meant Gwen would not want to sleep next to him for now. So, he crawled into bed next to Esther and then fell asleep himself. At least he was on good terms with one person.

A/N
I hope y'all enjoyed that! I really enjoyed writing it! I'll try get the next chapter out as soon as possible. Thank you!!!
Word count pre-edit: 1399
Word count post-edit 1: 1407