☄. *. ⋆ LOST LIVING, J.W

TWENTY-THREE

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Broken balcony.

THE TENSION BETWEEN THE curly headed boy and the blonde haired girl was growing by each second.

"So you went straight to murder?" Lexy cocked her head to the side in disbelief.

"You dressed up as my dead dad in front of everyone." Jake fired back, harshly glaring at the overly defensive teen.

She scoffed lowly, "I know, but still, there's gotta be something really wrong with you to want to kill someone"

"But I didn't want to kill somebody, all right? I wanted to kill you." Jake confessed, stepping closer to her, his voice rough and fearing.

Lexy's brows slightly pulled together as she stepped back, desperate to keep distance between the two, "Jake."

"Because you're a bad person. You treat everyone around you like they're nothing and you just expect them to take it." His chest heaved, pointing a finger at her as he breathed rapidly.

Ruby observed in the back with wide eyes, feeling a wave of concern wash over her as she flicked her vision between the two.

"Stop it!"

"I wanted you to die but not because there's something wrong with me. It's because you fucking deserved it!" He screamed.

She stepped back, trying to get away from him as she dug her back into the balcony behind her, unaware of how unstable it was.

A scream of panic left her lips as the wood snapped, falling to the ground as she tipped over the side, just in time, Jake grabbed her hand.

Lexy dangled from the second floor, putting her entire trust in someone who wanted her dead.

The familiar chuckle caused goosebumps on Ruby's skin, now knowing the true dark side of her family's history, she glanced down seeing the red headed doll below the blonde.

"Chucky?" Jake narrowed his eyes, getting a clearer view of him.

Lexy screamed in fear, wiggling her legs around desperately.

"It's the easier thing in the world, Jake. Just let go. This ain't a coincidence, Jake. This is a crossroads. This is life giving you a second chance to be the man you wanna be. Not the scared little pussy she tried to make you." Chucky cooed, plastering an innocent voice on as he attempted to convince the boy.

"Jake!" Ruby spoke up, shaking her head slowly.

"Just let go." Chucky advised, "The world's gonna be better off without her. Just one less little vicious Karen on training wheels."

Lexy looked at him with teary eyes, clutching onto Jakes hand for dear life, "Please. Please."

"Let go. Then you could go break the news to Junior,
and everybody will get to see him cry." Chucky laughed sinisterly, "You can do it, Jake. Just let go."

"Jake! Jake, please!" Lexy shouted, now begging for her life.

Something in the boy snapped into realization, he grabbed her hand tighter, "No I'm not like you, Chucky. I'm not killer."

"You're pathetic, Jake!" Chucky grunted, "I'll do it myself, then."

He came at her, swinging his knife, aiming at her legs as Ruby and Jake helped her back into the flooring.

"Police." Someone called out, making the doll drop to the floor, "This is detective Peyton. Anyone here?"

"We're up here." Ruby yelled out, brushing her fallen strands from her face as she attempted to recover from the last few minutes.

The man shined his light over the teens, "You're not allowed in here."

"I live here." Lexy argued.

"Not now, you don't. It's gonna take weeks to clean this mess up." His light dropped to the red head, "Is this your sisters doll? Your dad asked me to bring it back for her. Ugly fucking doll, if you ask me."

The panicked teens began to scream for him as he picked up the burnt plastic, "No! Don't! No!"

"Let's go, you three." He shrugged off their begs as he ordered them out of the damaged home, then following behind him still yelling loudly.

"Look, please, I promise you. You do not want to do this." Ruby explained briefly, watching his face remain flat as he shut the car door in her face.

The three of them were stuffed into the backseat of a police car, Chucky sitting in the passenger seat as the officer sat in the drivers seat.

The drive to the hospital was nerve racking, eyes staying on the doll for any of his quick movements, the knife tucked into his front pocket, hidden from the human eye.

Officer Peyton stepped out of his vehicle, clutching the doll in his hand, the group banged on the doors desperately.

"Just wait here."

"No! No! Hey! Let us out!"

Ruby sunk into the seat as he disappeared into the hospital, she groaned loudly as she rubbed her eyes gently.

After minutes of waiting, Devon's mom furrowed her brows at the car, walking over to it with curiosity, she found the teens with annoyed looks plastered on their faces.

She was quick to unlock it, watching as the three scurried out of the car.

Lexy and Ruby headed towards the door with Jake trailing behind them before he was stopped by the woman.

"Not so fast. I need a word, in private." She darted her eyes between the boy and his friends.

He nodded before glancing at them over his shoulder, "Go get him."

The two girls shook their heads in agreement before rushing inside of the self sliding doors, their eyes wide as they searched for any sign of the officer or the doll.

Ruby stepped up to the front desk, "Excuse me. Hi. Has anyone been in here in the last two minutes?"

"I don't know, maybe brought a doll for my sister?" Lexy added with raised brows.

"No, I haven't seen anyone." The stranger smiled gently.

Ruby smiled back before stepping away with the blonde, "I'll go this way and you go that way."

"Okay." Lexy brushed past her as she headed down a long hall, her eyes dancing all over the place in paranoia.

Ruby rushed around a corner, a gasp leaving her mouth as her body collided into another.

Lexy and Ruby not killing each other for once...
Character development???