The Ballad of Heather Chandler (HEATHERS THE MUSICAL)

Chapter 8

       As a kid, JD was never one to go around the neighborhood with friends looking for buried treasure in the yard. He didn't have friends. Even if he did, he certainly wasn't intrigued by pirates, saving damsels, or  skeletons and money under the ground; No. He rather liked blowing things up. Like eggs and fireworks. His parents never told him to stop, nothing limited him. Now as an adult, JD would like buried treasure more than anything. 

"Remember," JD dusts himself off. "Stay close, and-" 

"Don't go far, I know! I'm not a kid Jas- I mean, JD." Heather proceeds down the ladder to the basement. JD follows. 

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Heather whined. "More dust." She remarked. 

"Let's go."

Obviously, the basement isn't clean at all. It's barely a basement. There's yellow fluff and pink marshmallow-looking things sticking out of the sides of the "walls". 

JD grabs the metal dotted string and pulls it down. Lights fill up every corner, revealing dead mice and spiders EVERYWHERE. 

This is probably Heather's worst nightmare. JD's too. Spiders just have so many legs...  Both of them make their way to the East wall where they find stacks books.

"What are we gonna do with these?" Heather yells. "Are they worth a fortune? We need cash." 

"Heather," JD inhales. "I'm trying to say this in the nicest way possible, shut up."

He squats down, reading the titles of the books, flipping through them, and putting them down. Heather looks over him, reading the titles as he lays them down. Only, one catches her eye. 

"I used to read this one with my sister," She kneels down onto her pants and picks it up, dusting off the cover as well. 

"James and the Giant Peach" Novel by Roald Dahl. 

She smiles and opens the cover. 

Published: 1961

1st edition

"First Edition..." Heather whispers. "First edition," She repeats louder, showing it to JD. 

"We can't sell it. Where would we in the first place? It's useless. Just keep it here." He sighs, shoving the book in her hands down. Any hope and joy left fades from Heather's face. 

"What are we looking for, anyway?" Heather mumbled

JD slams a hard cover of "Oh the Places you'll go," 

"The last thing my Grand-dad told me, was that he hid a money bag for me in the books in the basement, and to not go looking for it until my Dad was gone." He finishes his sentence with his head in the air. His breath quivering, and his hands as well. 

Heather never knew what a healthy relationship looked like. Her mother was a trophy wife that went insane without instruction. Her Father treated his daughters like toys, abandoning them when they were no longer new, and angry when they were broken. She only knew how to love her sister. Even in a place surrounded by people of her age, no one truly loved or even liked her. See, when most girls are popular at school, they become a fake kiss *ss, to please "tHe PeOpLe" but this girl, she found another way. She doesn't hide her b*tchiness. She embraces it, shows it off with a crown and glory. Where is that crown now that the physical one is police evidence? 

"I'll clean, if you find anything, let me know," JD grunted while standing up, hitting his head on a pipe in the process. 

"Okay," Heather mumbles.

Scooting forward, she feels a bump in the concrete. Or rather, a loose floorboard. In the concrete? No, it's more like a loose slab of concrete. "Finally!" She exclaims in her head. Her pale hands lift up the concrete slab, no longer bloodstained. At the bottom of a rectangular shaped hole was an envelope, with a 5 inch german shepherd stuffed animal. In a state of happiness, Heather takes both of the items up stairs via the ladder. 

"JD! I found something!" She ran so fast that she almost slipped and fell. 

JD put the bowl he was washing in the dishwasher, making his way over and flapping his soap-full hands in the air. Standing at her side, he wipes his hands on his jeans. 

Heather smiles, looking at him with a moon-struck glare. Not my cup of tea. 

She's so excited that she hops a little bit. Something that would be considered weird back in Westerberg. 

JD throws the toy onto the couch and rips open the top of the envelope. While unfolding the letter, he walks around to the kitchen where a pile of dishes are waiting for him. 

Heather waits on the couch, awaiting an explanation to this "bullshitt-ery" 

"So," She stands up. "What's it say," 

"It's personal," He grunts while stuffing it n his jean pocket. "In there it was just five k, so it's only enough to help us get on our feet. 

"What about the rent," Heather replies. 

"It's prepaid, whatever that means." 

"We're set!" Heather exclaims.  Without hesitation or warning, JD wraps his arms around her in a hug. 

Heather gasps in surprise.Though it takes a while, she slowly wraps her arms around him as well. Neither of them know what to do. 

They stand there for way longer than the should have.