^^got this picture from the atypical youtube channel and look at their arms HDSGUSSU they're in love shut up

It was 3am when I heard the news that Tyler Ferguson had been brutally murdered and found in the river. But this time, it didn't faze me at all. Obviously when I watched the news with my family I pretended to look as shocked as all of them. Elsa had officially banned me from going out unless it was for school or training and made sure that Doug drove me everywhere. The town was now on high alert and they officially deemed the case as a serial killer attempt. The guilt I felt, knowing that I knew who the killer was, was killing me on the inside. But I couldn't tell anyone, especially not now.

    The world was more quiet at 3am. I usually am not awake at this hour because my sleep means everything to me and I crash the moment I get home, whether I have homework or not. But this time I found myself unable to go to my bed as thoughts from that night at Mr Stewart's office clouded my head.

    I looked at the essay title on my screen that was staring right back at me as I wracked my brains trying to think of a way to start. Eventually, I realised that there was no way I was going to get anything done soon so I called my support system.

    "Hey, you up?" I texted before heading back down to get a snack. I opened the fridge to see the leftover pizza from dinner so I took it out to microwave it. Then I got a reply from her.

    Izzie<3: Yes I am. Everything okay?

    "I can't sleep..."

    Izzie<3: Same... and I miss you

    "Come over."

    Izzie<3: I'll be there in 10

    "No, I'll come pick you up."

    I smiled at my phone before putting it down and taking the pizza out of the microwave. I felt like my life took a complete 360 turn and I didn't know how to turn it back. And J could be lurking around anywhere ready to strike. And the scary part is that we don't even know who he is. It's going to be hard for Mr Stewart to take him down so easily. I gobbled down the pizza before quietly trying to exit the house but before I could, I heard footsteps running down.

     I turn around and froze when I saw Sam. He looked at me in confusion for a while before I slowly walked towards him. "Sam look I'm just trying to go pick Izzie up and sneak her into the house. Could you cover for me and not tell Elsa?" I pleaded. "But... Elsa said that we weren't allowed to leave the house. And it's the rules," He said and I sighed. "I know that. Just... just this one time. Breaking rules is a part of life," I told him. "If she comes over can we watch that penguin documentary?" He asked and I giggled before nodding. He ran back upstairs to his room and I quietly opened the door before slipping out.

    When I reached Izzie's place, she was already waiting at the front door and her face lit up when she saw my car. When she got in, she pulled my face closer to hers and laid a passionate kiss on my lips which I gladly returned.

    "We're so dead if anyone finds out about this," Izzie said and I laughed. "Sam caught me sneaking off just now. Promised him you would watch a documentary with him if he didn't tell Elsa," I told her and she giggled. "I don't feel like going home," I whispered.

    I felt her finger slowly intertwine with mine before she held my hand comfortably. "Slurpee night? Or slurpee morning since it is in fact... 4am," She said, showing me the time on her phone. "Slurpee morning it is," I said, starting the car and heading towards the 711.

    The ride there felt calm. The street lights were the only thing that was lighting the path as everyone else had locked themselves in their house, afraid to go outside. There was no need to drive too fast because it felt like the world had stopped for us. And we weren't planning on heading home any time soon to sleep. I remembered we had many free periods the next day at school and we could make use of that time to catch up on sleep at the library.

    When we reached the 711, Izzie and I both got out to go into the shop. The cashier seemed to jump when he saw us and his eyes were widened with fear. We looked at him confused and he chuckled. "Sorry, I've just been really on edge with this whole serial killer thing. And it is not fun working the night shift," He explained and Izzie and I side-eyed each other for a while. He noticed this and his face dropped. "Wait... you guys aren't..." He stumbled and we immediately cut him off.

    "No! God no, we just... we're scared too..." I mumbled. We looked at each other awkwardly for a while before Izzie cleared her throat and we went to the slurpee machine. We wanted to say everything that was in our heads now but we didn't feel safe speaking about the situation anywhere outside our homes. So we kept quiet as we dispensed our drinks.

    Izzie grabbed two packets of Twizzlers and I got a chocolate bar before we headed to the cashier to pay. "Hey are you guys gonna stay outside the shop? It's kinda eerie being here all alone," He told us, giving me the change. I felt extremely bad right now. The truth was that no one had anything to worry about, and the "serial killer" in question just had one more target and it was definitely not any ordinary citizen in town.

    "Yeah... we'll be outside for about an hour or so..." Izzie said softly and he nodded, feeling relieved. We took our things and headed back inside the car.

    "This seriously sucks," I told her and she pursed her lips. "My dad hasn't really talked to me since that day at his office. I made him dinner though," She told me and I smiled. "We talked for a bit about... non-murdery things before he left to... Tyler," Izzie said. "It's so disturbing... but how could I hate him for it... he's literally risking everything for me..."

    "Did he miss me at work today?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood and she laughed. "He loves you. And so do I," She said, bending forward to kiss me. "You taste like cotton candy," I whispered and she giggled.

    I looked out of the window to see the cashier standing nervously and looking around. "Poor dude," I said, turning to Izzie and she sighed. "Once my dad is done with everything hopefully we can go back to our normal lives," She said. "You know the first time I went to see your dad at his office... he said what's life without a bit of abnormality. Maybe now I understand that a little better," I said, sipping on my drink.

    "But that doesn't mean we're gonna be that abnormal couple who has deep rooted secrets about knowing the identity of a murderer. We still gotta live our lives... and move forward... move forward together," I told her and she smiled at me. "Come on let's do something fun," I told her and she laughed. "Is this not fun?" She asked. "I have a blanket in the back," I said and she smirked at me. "Not for that you weirdo! Follow me."

    We got out of the car and opened the trunk to take out the blanket. I always kept a blanket here because when things were way worse between my parents I would sometimes sleep in the car. But I wasn't going to tell Izzie yet because I didn't want to talk about anything sad.

    I swiftly climbed up onto the car with the blanket and our drinks and Izzie laughed. "Newton what are you doing!" She shouted and I reached my hand out for her to grab. I easily lifted her up and soon we were both on top of the car. I laid the blanket down and we laid on top of it.

    The sky wasn't that dark as morning was already coming but we could still see the stars. I admired them for a while and appreciated the soft breeze that surrounded us.

    It was a while until Izzie finally spoke. "Casey..." She mumbled and I looked at her. "What if we don't make it out alive?" She asked. I stared into her eyes that I could now see were starting to well up in tears. "What do you mean by that Iz?"

    "The world isn't as fair as it seems..."

    "I can't answer your question Izzie. Yeah we may not make it out alive. But right now... lying down next to you... at 5am in the middle of nowhere..." I whispered, still looking into her eyes.

    Her face had softened and right now I couldn't hear or feel anything else. I just saw her and all I heard was her soft breathing as her eyes moved between my lips and my eyes.

    "I know that even if we don't make it out alive... we'll find each other in another lifetime..."

    She moved closer to me, wrapping her arm around my waist and she placed her head on my chest.

    We both looked up at the stars and didn't say a word to each other. 10 minutes later, I heard soft snores coming from the other girl and I looked down to see her sleeping. I studied her face intensely and admired the innocence of it. I will never be able to fully grasp why anyone would want to hurt her.

    But like what she said... the world is unfair.

    I looked up at the stars again and saw it twinkle.

    I looked back down at her.

    "In another universe..." I whispered, kissing her head, and I kept my lips on her head, inhaling the addictive scent of her conditioner.

    I pulled her closer to me when I suddenly heard the rustling of the bushes in front of the car. I ignored it at first, assuming it was the wind. But then it happened again, even though I didn't feel any breeze. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion and I squinted my eyes to see if there was anything behind the bushes. I looked into the shop and saw the cashier sleeping at his seat.

    I sighed and looked back at the bushes and at this point I was sitting up. I'm not one to usually get scared but obviously with the current situation and "J" on the loose out to get Izzie, every single thing was suspicious to me.

    Suddenly, my phone rang and I jumped, holding onto my chest and breathing heavily before taking my phone. Izzie was starting to stir awake and she sat up as well, adjusting her eyes to the light. "Fuck, it's Elsa," I said and her eyes widened.

    I hesitantly answered the call and put it on speaker. "Casey Gardner! Where are you!" She screamed and I closed my eyes. "Sorry... I... I'm with Izzie," I mumbled and I heard her sigh in the end. "Does the idea of a serial killer on the loose not scare you even a little?" She asked and I groaned. "I just couldn't sleep and Izzie was awake and... okay I'm sorry..."

    There was nothing I could say to defend myself. I understood her fear and I would definitely not want my daughter lurking around at this hour when there's a killer in town.

    "Come home right now," She said before ending the call. Izzie and I slowly looked at each other before we burst out laughing. "Alright, alright we better head home and get ready for school," Izzie said and I nodded. "Also my mum's making my dad drive me everywhere. Do you want a lift later?" I asked her and she seemed nervous.

    "I've never met your dad," She said as I helped her down the car and we got inside. "There's a first for everything. Unless your dad's already bringing you?"

    "Nope... I don't think I can be in the same car as him anyways. I will see you in about an hour," She said and I smiled and started the car. I dropped Izzie off before returning home. When I opened the front door I saw Elsa standing at the kitchen with her arms crossed and Sam sitting on the couch and drawing. When he saw me, his face lit up. "So is Izzie coming over to watch the documentary?" He asked. "Shoot I forgot about that. Sorry Sam," I apologised and he went back to his drawing.

    "I am so disappointed in you Casey. I'm worried sick about you children," Elsa said, walking towards me. "I know, I'm sorry," I whispered and she sighed before going back into the kitchen to prepare breakfast. I ran up to my room and shoved all my books into my bag when I got a text from Izzie.

    Izzie<3: Did you get your ass whooped

    "More than whooped. God knows if she'll even let me travel for regionals"

    Izzie<3: Hey listen I'm sorry for getting so deep just now

    "Don't worry about it Iz. You should open up to me no matter what"

    Izzie<3: I love you

    "I love you too. Now go get ready my dad is coming in 15 and then we'll head over to your place."

    I walked down the stairs in my uniform and my bag slung over one shoulder. Elsa didn't prepare anything too hearty for breakfast as she usually did. There was just a box of cereal, a carton of milk and two bowls and spoons on the table. I knew she was too angry and stressed to make anything more and I totally get her point. Sam and I ate in silence when the doorbell rang.

    I stood up to get it when Elsa rushed to the door, beating me to it. "I got it! You kids stay right there," Elsa said and I sighed. "It's just Dad," I mumbled. Elsa looked through the peephole before opening the door and Dad entered. He and Elsa smiled at each other which was huge progress to me. "You kids ready?" He asked, looking at the dining table. Sam and I got our bags but before heading out, I looked in the mirror and suddenly felt there was something not quite right with my hair. Usually, my hair seems to fall pretty naturally. I didn't really know how to describe the usual look but Izzie adored it so that was enough for me. Maybe it got messy from lying down on top of a car for an hour.

    I tried tying it up and looked at myself closely before shaking my head and letting it down again. I started to use my hands to smoothen out my curls and I turned around to see Dad and Elsa looking at me weirdly. "What?" I asked. "You never care about your hair. Is it because of Izzie?" Dad asked and I groaned. "Yeah... that answers the question..." Dad mumbled and Elsa laughed. "Alright come on we're gonna be late," I said, finally settling on letting it down.

    After we dropped Sam off at Newton, I turned to my dad from the passenger seat. "Dad, PLEASE don't embarrass me. Or don't ask any stupid questions," I begged and he rolled his eyes. "We all know the embarrassing parent is Elsa," He said and I giggled. We pulled over at Izzie's and she was already waiting at the porch. When she entered the car, her face lit up. "Hi Mr Gardner," She said shyly and he turned around to smile at her. "Hi Ozzie," He said and I stared at him before he cleared his throat.

    "Sorry! I meant Izzie!" He corrected himself and sighed. "It's ok," Izzie giggled.

    The rest of the ride was pretty quiet and awkward. Once in a while, I reached behind the seat subtly for Izzie to hold my fingers and my heart melted at the touch. Dad looked over and caught us doing it once which just made it even more awkward. We were going to reach school in 2 minutes when Dad just had to ask a question. "So Izzie, what's the best thing about dating Casey?" He asked and I closed my eyes.

    "Oh? Ummm... everything?" Izzie said and my Dad nodded. I looked behind to see Izzie freaking out. "Well at least you guys can't get pregnant!" He exclaimed and ended with a laugh and I groaned. "Alright Dad, you can pull over here," I said and he nodded before stopping. "Have a great day girls!" He said.

    "Thank you for the ride Mr Gardner," Izzie thanked softly and he smiled at her. When we both got out, I waved bye to my Dad before he drove off. "He's great," Izzie giggled and I took her hand. "Now I can do this properly," I said, rubbing my thumb across her hand. She blushed and we both walked into the school.

    We walked past Nate and he shot me a look of disappointment and anger. "What's his problem?" Izzie asked and I shrugged. "He doesn't want me to get involved I guess," I said. We spent the rest of the time talking about the upcoming regionals as we walked to the lockers. When we turned the corner, we saw Ryan leaning against the lockers, twirling his pen between his hands. I rolled my eyes immediately, thinking back to him messaging and flirting with Izzie. He smirked and walked towards us. He glanced me a look of annoyance before turning back to Izzie with a smile. "Hey, you didn't text me back," He whispered and my grip on her hand tightened. "Well yeah... I told you I have a girlfriend..." She said and he scoffed. "So a guy and a girl can't be friends?" He asked and Izzie sighed. "Ryan I'm just not interested in-"

    "You were VERY interested that night at the party though," He cut me off. "Hey dude just back off. We have to get to class," I said trying to push past him but he didn't budge. "THIS is your girlfriend?" He asked Izzie looking amused. "Yes she is," Izzie said, pulling me in and kissing me passionately, shocking me a little. When she pulled away we saw Ryan's face turn red with anger. "You are such a tease Izzie Stewart," He whispered, moving closer to her face.

    Then, he grabbed her bag and lifted it up. This guy was tall and neither of us could reach him. He took Izzie's laptop out and flung it to the floor. A large crack was heard and a gasp from Izzie as she fell onto her knees. By now, a huge crowd had gathered.

    My body took over my mind and moral compass. I grabbed Ryan by the collar and smashed him into the locker, earning some cheers and some gasps of shock from the crowd. I heard the soft sobs coming from Izzie at the corner and that was enough for me to punch him straight in the nose.

    "FUCK!" He screamed, holding onto his nose as blood dripped from it. I grabbed his collar again, pinning him onto the wall so hard that he couldn't move. His face was washed with fear and his lips started to quiver. I could see the flashes coming from people's phones from the corner of my eye but at that point I couldn't care. All the extra training in Clayton had given me enough muscle to beat this guy up more than I ever did to Nate.

    "Been there done that," I heard Nate say from the crowd which earned a few laughs from everyone else.

    "Apologise to my girlfriend. NOW."

    He wiggled around a little but I kept my hands on his collar. "Newton please. Let's not do this okay," I heard her sweet voice say from next to me and my anger started to subside. "S... sorry Izzie," He mumbled, turning to her and I finally let go of him. I walked away from him with my eyes still on him as his back slid down the lockers and onto the floor. "You're buying her a new laptop you dickhead," I said, pointing at him.

    Everyone around me started to clap and cheer as Ryan's gang tried lifting him up. "Woooo Casey! That's our girl!" I heard Quinn say from the side and I saw the track team there looking excited. I wrapped my arm around Izzie as I caught my breath. I seemed to become breathless from how much I was raging. I looked at her laptop and saw that it was completely cracked and broken. "You got everything saved on your iCloud?" I asked and she nodded slowly before I kissed her head. "It took me so long to save up for it. For a year I was staying back in school to do all my work on the school computers," She mumbled. "I'm making sure he's getting you a new one. If he doesn't I am," I told her, bringing her closer to me.

    "What is happening here?!" We heard a booming, familiar voice and we looked up to see Crowley pushing through the crowd. "All of you get back to class!" She yelled and everyone started to scatter. The track team shot us a good luck thumbs-up before they headed off. "My office. Now," She said, looking at us and we slowly walked towards her.

    "No no. Just you Casey. Izzie, back to class," Crowley said and Izzie slowly nodded before letting go off my hand and walking away. "Go see a nurse about that broken nose," Crowley told Ryan who was still lying down in pain.

    When I entered Crowley's office I could tell she was pissed from the way she threw her papers on the table. "Casey... you can't afford to get yourself in trouble like this. Especially when UCLA has its eyes on you. And breaking a kid's nose? You're gonna have to pay for his medical bills."

    "Tell him to pay for Izzie's laptop then," I shot back. "Is a laptop really more valuable than a nose?" She asked me. "Yeah it is. Especially since his rich parents can afford to fix his nose and Izzie spent a year scraping for money just to get a laptop!" I yelled and she sighed. "Look... I know you love that girl and honestly? If I were you I would have punched the guy too... but it's time to drop the drama. UCLA should be the only thing you're focussing on now. I bet it would hurt Izzie more if you didn't get into UCLA with her compared to her broken laptop."

    I closed my eyes and bent my head, reflecting on all the anger and fear that had built up inside me the last week. "Can I get out of here now?" I asked and she nodded. I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder. I was in no mood to go to classes and learn the same boring stuff and take the same boring surprise quizzes. So when I saw Izzie right about to go into her History class, I reached out and grabbed her, to her surprise.

    "We're getting out of here. I'm sick of everything," I said and she had a sheepish smile on her face. "Another adventure huh?" She said, wrapping her arms around my neck and kissing me. "Not really an adventure. Let's just head back to my place... take a nap together..." I mumbled against her lips.

    "By nap... do you mean...?"

    "We could do other things..."

    She giggled before we both ran through the corridor and with much effort and nearly getting caught, we left the school. I didn't bring my car because Dad had dropped us but my house wasn't that far a walk. Once we reached, I peeked into the house and sighed in relief when I saw that it was empty. "We didn't even go for any lessons and I'm still so tired," She told me, yawning. "Maybe its because we didn't get any sleep last night. And spent it all on top of a car," I whispered in her ear before she dragged me to my bedroom.

    She laid down on the bed and brought me with her as I laid down on top of her. I cuddled deeper into her as she wrapped her arms around me and I sighed contently. "Wanna watch some Netflix before we sleep?" She asked me and I nodded before she sat up and turned on the TV in my room.

    When she turned it on, the news channel came out and a blaring "BREAKING NEWS" was seen at the bottom of the screen. "Casey look," She said and I sat up.

    "Cody Bennet, a 17 year old boy, was found dead in a 711 just about an hour ago. He was a cashier working the night shift and autopsy reports say he was murdered at around 5am."

    It felt like the nerves in my heart had lost their function as I slowly turned to Izzie who was staring at the screen. "I... I... Isn't he the cashier we spoke to just now?" I asked and she slowly nodded. "But... why would your dad... he's 17..." I couldn't form my sentences. Quite frankly, it felt like I wouldn't be able to say anything anymore.

    "We left him... Casey we LEFT HIM!" Izzie screamed, as she broke down. "Izzie..." I whispered and she pushed me away. "NO! He was scared! AND WE JUST LEFT!" She cried and I tried all my best to stay strong for her but I just couldn't.

    I gathered the energy to take my phone and dial Mr Stewart's number.

    "Hello?"

    "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?"

    "What are you talking about?"

    "He's 17! Why did you kill him?"

    "WHO ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"

    "CODY! THE FUCKING CASHIER."

    "Oh my God... I just saw the news..."

    "What do you mean you just saw the news?"

    "I didn't fucking kill him are you kidding me? It must be fucking J!"

    "But why would he do that... who is he even after?"

    "Casey did you and Izzie go anywhere at 5am?"

    I looked over at Izzie who was still gasping for air between her tears.

    "We... we went to 711..."

    "Did you see anyone else there?"

    I thought about the bushes. The bushes that were moving.

    "I... I saw the bushes moving but it could be just be an animal or-"

    "WHERE ARE YOU NOW?"

    "We... we kinda skipped class to come back to my place..."

    "Be down in 5 minutes. We have to go."

    "Wait what-"

    He hung up. "Fucking hell..." I said under my breath, throwing my phone on the bed. "Izzie please it wasn't our fault," I told her and she cried even louder. "He got killed the moment we left! And he wanted us to stay! I can't fucking forgive us for that Casey..."

    I didn't know what to say. "Your dad will be here soon," I mumbled and she cried on my shoulder.

    "We'll get out of this mess okay. I promise. But right now we have to go to your dad because he's the only one that can help us right now okay?" I said, wiping her tears as she nodded.

    He was only 17. My age. And he didn't deserve this.

    But the world is unfair.