How to survive Middle School (Sanders Sides Middle School AU)

Chapter 6: Investigation

TW: Mentions of suicide

My heart is pounding as I sneak off to the ditching spot. Since I looked (and am) on the brink of a panic attack, I don't think anyone will blame me for not showing up for class. My next class is math, and it's just a review day, which are days the teacher doesn't take attendance because they don't care.

As I hoped, I find J-Dee and Remus there.

"Hey guys," I say.

"Sup,"

"Hoi,"

"So what's up?" J-Dee asks as I sit down.

"This is gonna sound crazy but I think that redhead girl, Grace, kidnapped Roman," I say.

The two of them share a look.

"Why?" Remus asks.

"She's been saying some really suspicious things and-"

"No, why do you care?" Remus clarifies.

"Uh, because he's missing," I say.

"Yeah. Woo, the biggest jerk in school is gone!" Remus says.

"Yeah, but I'm still worried about him," I say.

"Virgil, have you actually gone soft for that sorry excuse of a Disney prince?" J-Dee says.

"No no, not like that. You see, the other two seem pretty lost without him and it's like watching a lost puppy look for its owner," I say.

Almost that entire sentence was BS, but they seem to buy it. Have I actually gone soft for the Lights? What have they ever done for me?

"Ah. So what do you want us to do about her?" J-Dee asks.

"I dunno. Piss her off in some way I guess," I say.

"Well she's already pissed with your existence, does that count?" Remus asks.

"Literally everyone I've met has been pissed with my existence at some point," I say.

"Fair enough. Lucky for you, I love pissing people off, for any reason whatsoever," Remus says.

"Ok. Thanks, guys," I say, "And now that he's gone we can actually hang out more," I say.

"Yeah," J-Dee agrees.

I don't know why I don't feel very enthused about this.

---

Patton has broken my record for most mental breakdowns in a week. I think I need to take matters into my own hands because seeing Patton cry is one of the hardest things for me to do. And I have- nevermind.

I visit the area where it happened constantly over the past few days, looking for any clues, even retracing all of our steps. 

I sit down on the bench. That's when I notice a few scratch marks on it, that look like they were from a person. I stand up but quickly sit back down as my head is rushed with memories.

~Flashback~

"Set your bags down and put your hands on your head!" They shout.

I obey, Roman doesn't.

"Roman," I hiss, "He has a friken gun! Are you insane?!"

"Oh, you think you're a tough guy, don't ya? Robbing some 13-year-olds. Very masculine of you," He says.

"Roman? Oh, you'll be worth a lot more than the crap in your bags," He says.

He walks towards us, and-

~End of Flashback~

Well, at least he's probably still alive. I stand up once I feel like I can, shoving back my anxiety to track Roman. I see the smallest amount of dirt dug up on the side of the path, as though someone was trying to stop themselves from being dragged off. Roman.

I follow the trail, which heads south until I get to a small river. It stops there. I feel my phone buzz in my pocket. I pull it out and see it's from Mom. I need to be home in five minutes. I guess I'll have to leave this for tomorrow.

---

I spend my time split between the Lights and my friends. J-Dee and Remus constantly try to subtly remind me why I should hate the Lights, but every time I see Patton look like he's about to cry I try to comfort him. We also managed to trick everyone into thinking Grace isn't a natural redhead, so that will be fun to watch unfold.

Eventually, one day Patton asks me,

"Did- did you try to stop him?"

"What?" I ask, confused.

"Did you try to stop him from doing it? Or did you not make it in time?" 

I am very confused now. Logan sees this and we walk outside the hallway.

"You seem confused. Explain," He says.

"What is Patton talking about?" I ask.

"I thought you knew," Logan says, "After you ran off the police officers announced that Roman kil- committed suicide,"

Well, I guess there was no good way to put it, but his bluntness stings.

"What? No, he didn't," I say.

"I understand you may be in denial-"

"No, I mean I was there. He was kidnapped, not killed," I say.

"I highly doubt that. Why would the police lie?"

He makes a good point.

"So please snap out of your denial and accept it, because we need to be there for Patton so he doesn't go the same way. He's fragile and this could break him. Figuratively," 

We go back and see Patton missing. After what Logan just said my heart drops. I look around the area and find a note. I pick it up.

Roman is gone, and I don't know how I could move on. So I'm not. Don't mourn me, I never wanted to be here. I may be wrong, but this is my choice and my path. No one can change my state of mind, not even me. This is my only way to freedom. I'm joining Roman. -Patton Newland

I'm about to lose it when Logan says,

"Maybe you're right. This isn't Patton's handwriting, let alone his vocabulary or grammar,"

"Well, that raises the question," I say, "WHERE IS PATTON?"

We both rush around the school to make sure he isn't hidden somewhere before we come to the same conclusion. Patton has been kidnapped. Worse, no one will look for him, because they'll all think he's dead. We already found two copies of the note. One on his locker and one in the bathroom, next to a bottle of pills. Like Heather MacNamara. 

My world is slowly becoming the nightmare from before, but when I'm with J-Dee and Remus, those worries seem to subside. 

"Virgil, don't be such a downer. We're in middle school, we should enjoy it while it lasts. Highschool's gonna be a lot more stressful," Remus says.

"I guess," I say.

"But you aren't holding up ok, right?" J-Dee asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I say.

I had lied to them and told them the same lie the police had. That Patton and Roman were dead. I still don't know why they lied, but I have a feeling it's not a good reason. But Logan has joined me in the investigation. It's actually a little scary how much he knows about murder mysteries. But I don't question it.

Sorry for disappearing for a bit, I've been a mixture of busy with life and stuck with this fic. But I got it on track. The angst track. And oh boy there's gonna be some crazy action. Well, I hope you enjoyed reading. Thoughts, theories, and feedback in the comments are welcome and have a glorious day/night you magnificent peep!