Lone Ranger | Jake Fitzgerald

7| By The Rules

The room had vague chatter between people dressed in complete black attire. Sarah had went to the snack table to get Audrey some snacks. They had an array of foods from pigs in a blanket to marshmallow muffins, all foods Rachel loved to eat. Sarah took a small white paper-plate and put two pieces of toasted bread and two pigs in a blanket. She turned to Audrey, about to walk to her best friend when she was no longer standing the the corner Sarah left her in.

Sarah sighed and put the plate down onto the long table with the rest of the snacks. She licked her chapped lips and turned towards the staircase that led to Rachel's room. She flattened out her black dress and clicked her heels towards the stairs to Rachel's bedroom. She looked into different rooms, unsure of which one was Rachel's. Audrey had earlier said she wanted to see Rachel's room one last time, and so she found the chance when Sarah has left her for a mere three minutes.  

Sarah finally found Rachel's room at the end of the hallway. She saw a shadow of someone standing on the bed and so she ran. Her heels clicked heavily against the wooden floor until she reached Rachel's room where Audrey was sliding her head through a belt tied to the ceiling fan. "Audrey!" She grabbed her friend from the waist and pushed her down so she landed on top of her best friend, and so her best friend was away from the belt she attempted to hang herself with.

"Sarah, get off of me. Hey!" Audrey groaned, trying to push the petite brunette off her body. Sarah stared at her best friend as she laid atop of her.

"What the hell, Audrey? Were you really about to commit suicide?" Sarah whined, her eyes brimming with tears and her mouth trembling at the thought. "How could you even contemplate doing it? Audrey, if I lost you... I don't know what I'd do."

"Sarah, beam off." Audrey groaned. Sarah lessened her weight on Audrey and sat on the edge of the bed now. "I wasn't going to do it... I was just testing to see if it was possible, okay?"

"Still, Audrey... Never, ever, ever do anything like that again, alright? Not even as some joke or whatever." Audrey gulped at her best friend as she nodded. Sarah brought Audrey into her arms, hugging her tightly against her chest. Sarah had a few tears drifting down her cheeks.

"I miss her..." Audrey muttered to herself, her body quaking slightly in Sarah's arms.

"I know, D. I know." Sarah whispered.

"Hey..." Emma quietly said as she entered Rachel's room.

"Emma, what are you doing here? This is Rachel's wake." Audrey growled, wiping her tears from her eyes and sitting up next to Sarah again.

Sarah looked down. "I invited her."

"You what?"

"I felt really guilty about everything and Sarah told me about today and I thought I would come to pay my respects to Rachel's family...but then I found out something that I think you really need to know." Emma looked between the two girls. Sarah rose from her seat, as did Audrey. The two girls now stood adjacent to one another staring at the blonde girl ahead of them.

"Rachel didn't kill herself."

"What?" Audrey and Sarah both said in unison.

"My mom found something in the autopsy. The sheriff's opening a murder investigation." Emma explained looking between Sarah and Audrey. Sarah's mouth parted slightly, shock ringing her body... and confusion.

"I knew it. I knew Rachel wouldn't just kill herself." Audrey added.

"You did?" Sarah questioned.

"I mean, I had a feeling it wasn't possible... which was why I tested it out."

"You what?" Emma commented.