Prepsworth Academy

Chapter 39 - "Not you"

Lukas

Everything was perfectly in place. The plan, my plan was going to work. And, in a simple night, everything would be solved, and Rose and I would be perfect, wild and free. I was almost nervous, unable to focus the entire day. Something kept catching my mind, stopping me from remaining calm. Words, and, as they focused in my mind, sent a shudder through me.

"There are still debts to pay." Rose's words echoed through my head relentlessly and I was unable to et rid of them. Something about them seemed slightly ominous, like a threat. I had debts and I knew Rose did too, but, as far as I knew, they weren't worth what our plan was. Therefore, she must've done something, or been severely wronged to be so brutal about them. What kind of debts had she acquired. Exactly how many? And how far would she go to repay them? Even contemplating, it worried me, worried me truly, an exception in a largely worry-free existence. Still, I knew that no matter what happened or what was unearthed, I would protect Rose at any cost. And that simple thought, which I had so mistakenly believed would lead me, was exactly what brought me down.

Elle

I was stranded, I hadn't known it, but I was. I don't know why it took what happened for me to realise it, that one simple fact, or why it took all of that just for me to find myself again. And with that, we get onto the topic of all of that. What happened was surprisingly simple, on paper it was shocking, horrifying almost, but simple nevertheless. It could summarised in a simple headline, splashed across the page, or maybe in a brief paragraph. But why it happened, that's the most complicated.

Lily

When I auditioned for the cheer team, I had no idea what I was doing. And, when I say no idea, I mean not the slightest inkling of what I was doing. I thought I'd temporarily lost my mind. But then Millie started dancing with me and it had all fallen into place, had become something I understood . Rose closed the auditions after I was finished trying out, cutting out a few very upset would-be cheerleaers, before announcing that the list of who got in would be posted up after school I guessed that she and her posse had some conferring to do, not all of it about cheerleading. Honestly, I had very little interest in being a cheerleader, especially not with Rose being the cheer captain. But, I wanted to hold Rose accountable, for everything that she had done. I was normally the type to forgive and forget and that was what I'd done before. But suddenly, I'd remembered everything, and hatred had rushed through me. I wanted to make her pay and she'd gone far too long without consequences.

Amy

I stared at Jake, who was nothing but a dark silhouette, framed by the lake. I walked towards him, reisisting the urge to shove my hands in my pockets. As I turned to face Jake, spinning slightly on my heel, he didn't look at me, he's eyes focused on the shimmering lake. The last time we'd talked, it had been sunset, the sky had heightened every colour, making us vibrant and almost unearthly. Today, the sunset was soft, hazy mix of yellow and pink falling over us, washing out our features until we were softer versions of ourselves. The sun had almost set, and I could only see a sliver of it peeking out from the end of the lake.

"Why did you ask me here?" My words were low, cold and guarded. Jake's unforgiving eyes met mine.

"I want to start over. I want to request that you forget what I told you last night." I wanted to start over to, but I couldn't and I couldn't forget what Jake had told me. Jake brushed a dark brown piece of hair out of his eyes. He almost looked nervous.

"Why?" I asked, keeping my voice carefully emotionless. Jake turned and stared at the lake clogged with lily pads and framed by willow trees. It was too easy to forget how beautiful the extensive Prepsworth grounds were. Jake gave no reply, just silently watched the sun sink behind the lake, leaving the world in a fiery orange, before darkness settled over the campus, inky blackness bleeding into the sky.