Fawkes

Caught in the Act

I walked out of the restaurant just as sirens sounded in the distance, likely heading towards us. There was a fountain outside, and that's where I spotted my friends, Justin comforting a crying Sandy while Mindy and Sam talked lowly.

I walked over to them, and Sam stood up, coming over and looking behind me.

"Is he . . ?"

"Dead? Yes." I ran a hand through my hair as I spoke, my body still in a lot of pain.

"What, you killed him?" Mindy asked in shock, and I shook my head.

"No, he poisoned himself. Look, we have to get out of here before the police show up. I don't want to be dragged into an interrogation." I gestured over to a nearby alley, and they shared looks before Justin spoke.

"I don't think Sandy can move," he said, referring to the blonde that sat next to him, breathing heavily and looking nauseous. She was shaking, staring at the same spot on the concrete and making me feel even more guilty than I already did. The red head didn't help, "I'll stay here with her."

"She's fine," Mindy said, "let's just—"

"She's not, actually," Justin responded angrily, "and quite frankly, neither am I. Hershey, whatever shit you've got going on in your life, you shouldn't have dragged us into it."

"She didn't mean to, Justin," Mindy argued, looking mad, "it's not her fault some guy attacked her."

"How do you know that?" Justin turned to her, "Why would she get attacked like that if she didn't do something horrible?"

"How can you say that?" Mindy glared, "She's our friend."

"Friends don't put other friends in danger." Justin looked down at Sandy, and I felt my heart ache, taking over the pain in my body as my conscience weighed me down.

"She had no control over—"

"Did you?" Justin cut off his girlfriend and spoke to me directly.

"What?" I frowned.

"Did you have control over this? Did you know that you could've been shot at when you went out today?" He spoke in a firm voice, his eyes challenging me, "Did you know that anyone that was seen with you would be put in danger?"

I stared at him while everyone else stared at me. Even Sandy lifted her gaze to mine, and it took everything in me not to lie like I wish I could.

"Yes," I whispered, "I did. I shouldn't have hung out with you guys, you're right."

"Hershey—"

"No." I cut Sam off, "He's right. I put you guys at risk, that's not what friends do. You — you could've been killed."

"You wouldn't have let that happen," Mindy said, obviously trying to comfort me. I just shook my head.

"I have little control over what happens," I said, "Mindy, we were hiding behind a wooden table. A bullet could've easily hit any one of you, and that would've been on me. I'm sorry, but Justin is right. I can't be seen with you."

I stepped away, shaking my head and fighting back tears of anger and sadness.

"So that's it?" Sam asked, and I stopped walking, "This friendship is over?"

I almost looked back, but it's a good thing I didn't, because I knew I wouldn't have been able to handle it. These were my friends, the first ones I had made who didn't know anything about me. These were the people that trusted me and made me feel like a normal teenager. Maybe if I had told them about my past like I told Dick, then things would've been different.