Guilty by Association [Jacob Barber x reader]

Five.

Five.

Andy knocked before letting himself in. "Dinner's ready," he said, flashing a look of pity directed at Esther.

They got up and seated themselves at the dining room table. The TV blared in the background. Esther turned to look at the screen. Ben's face was plastered on it.

-Rifkin, local teen, the victim in a brutal murder-

She went to change the channel.

-of Ben Rifkin, who was found dead this Monday morning in Cold Spring Park with three-

She changed it again.

-seventeen-year-old Ben Rifkin was found in-

Again.

-stabbed three times in the Aachest. It's clear that the perpetrator-

And again.

-the perpetrator is still unidentified-

And again.

-still not released information to the public about any possible suspects. If you know anything about the incident that may be of use, please dial-

Jacob finally took the remote from her hand and switched it off.

Esther held a stern face and stared at the blank television. "He hated that fuckin' picture, you know," Esther sat down at the table, finally, staring off into space. Jacob and his parents stared at her, all feeling heartbroken for her. "Said he showed too much teeth. He's probably-" her voice broke as tears paved down her face. "Probably up in- up in heaven, all embarrassed. Wishing he'd smiled differently. Wishing... that things happened differently."

Jacob reached for her hand, which was on the table. She pulled away from him. "What if he's lonely? What if he isn't happy up there and-"

Jacob stood up and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, helping her up. "Come on, you could use some sleep."

***

Jacob and Esther had spent all morning practicing for their interrogations. They needed to have their story straight... but not too straight. If they said the exact same story in the exact same order down to the finest detail, it would sound premeditated, and that wouldn't be good for anyone.

***

It had been a couple of days since they'd settled on a story, enough for everyone to be over the initial shock and for Esther to have a little time to heal. It would be the last day of interrogations, so Andy had insisted they attend school. She needed the distraction anyways. She had simply had enough of laying in bed, pitying herself. She couldn't stand being brought every meal in bed and being treated as if she had some terminal illness and had a week to live. She was sick of the pity, from everyone, and was simply tired of all of the stress that was unintentionally being put on her. Being sad and sulking was taking a negative toll on her, and she needed to do something normal to get out of her slum.

Jacob had tried to go along with her wishes and not coddle her, but it was difficult, considering the circumstances. He wanted nothing more than for her to be alright again. Even if it meant putting up with Ben's tiresome existence and letting him flirt with his girlfriend in a dim room as they watched a movie. He actually sometimes thought Ben was okay. It was only when Ben caught those glimpses at her in class when he thought nobody was looking, or the subtle flirtation when he thought Jacob was just out of earshot... Or those jealous glares Jacob would get simply for being Esther's boyfriend. It was as if Ben wondered what it was like to be him. Jacob wondered why Ben hadn't just thought to kill him instead. Why her? He thought. Why her and not me? At least that way, if he got away with it, he'd at least have a shot with her. That was when he remembered. The fight. Jacob and Esther had gotten in a fight and split paths. Jacob would have been on that path instead of Esther except...

***

It was the day before the apocalypse. The day before doomsday, the reckoning, the end of the world. All this now, but then, it was just a normal Saturday. Esther had had a burning fever of one-hundred-one for the past week but had woken up completely rid of it. Jacob had stayed on the couch so he wouldn't get sick, so Esther got out of bed and crept over to him.

"Jake," Esther said cheerfully, shaking the boy awake, never an easy feat.

Jacob woke with a jolt. The sight of Esther was enough to send him scooting away from her. He wasn't trying to be rude, but he didn't want to be bedridden for half of a week like his poor Esther.

"I'm not sick!" Esther quietly cheered, trying not to wake his parents.

Jacob immediately felt less tense. "Woohoo, that means I can kiss you again!" He shouted, his voice hushed.

Esther laughed, a cheesy smile spread across her face at the cute sentence. "Well, what are you waiting for, lover boy?"

Jacob laughed with her before he reached for her, cupping her cheek, stroking her jawline, and pulling her towards him. He hadn't felt her touch in days and didn't know how much he'd missed it until he felt it again. He craved her touch as if it were a need. As if it were as important to him as food and water. It was. He found his way to Esther's waist and managed to pull her onto the couch, pulling them apart only for a moment so he could look at her.

Her face had regained its color, no longer a sickly pale green. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair was no longer matted from sweating. Her eyes were slits and her mouth was parted and she was pulling Jacob in for another kiss. He closed his eyes.

***

Jacob opened his eyes after recalling the pleasant memory. He watched as Esther paced the room to get ready, smiling a little as he felt his cheeks warm up. Realizing the sudden grimness it came with, he frowned and went back to thinking, despite how badly he wanted to keep reminiscing over the pleasant day that had been. It was supposed to be him.

If Esther had still been sick, she'd have stayed home that day, again. Esther hadn't had time to tell Ben that she was better the next day because she was occupied giving Jacob all of her attention. After all, he had spent the last three days on the couch and had barely seen her. The next day, Esther would have been home and Jacob would have walked the usual way... Through Cold Spring Park.

Jacob felt a chill run down his spine. He was unsure if he would have been able to fight Ben off. He must have been hesitant once he realized it was Esther who had been walking the path, rather than Jacob. He must have faltered, or maybe Esther had that much willpower, to fight him off with only the initial stab wound and some scrapes on her elbows and knees from the scuffle.

Jacob thought, even, that maybe Ben didn't even notice it was Esther he had stabbed at first. She was wearing the same school sweatshirt that Jacob often wore. He hated to admit it, but in a hoodie, slouched over, maybe he even looked about as small as her. Maybe Ben was shocked by her but realized he had to finish the job, which, in turn, all ended up leading to his own miserable death in Cold Spring Park

Jacob once again shivered as he thought of the name. Cold Spring Park. Over the past few days, just the name had gained so much bad publicity that it became taboo. It was as if it were forbidden to say it. The name held some heavy darkness, the nightmarish horrors of Ben's fate, and the innocent park now commingled and it was associated with all of these awful things. It had this sinister feel to it. Cold Spring Park. It was like a bad word. It felt like it was mocking him. Cold Spring Park.

Thanks for reading.

This is me, signing off.