So I decided to give myself a challenge,

Just a few months ago, Euphoria premiered and wrapped up its second season and most of us fans feel mixed. Though something we all have in common wasn't as par to its first. To me, this was mostly because of this season's wriitng. There were many great ideas introduced going into this second season, however personally: I would have executed them a different way. When a popular tv show has a bad season, their dedicated fans would go out of their way to rewrite the entire seaseon. I've been waiting months for someone to take up the pedestal only, I got tired of waiting. Guess it's up to me to fix this mess of a season. That said, this took months for me to plan out so I hope you guys enjoy this first chapter. I'm incredibly busy within my academic life so this story's completion depends on how much you guys want it. This story will be released on multible fanfiction platforms so if you want this to continue, spread the life whichever way you can.

With that said, my first decision in re-writing Euphoria was to not rewrite the first episode. The season two premiere was perfect and I'm not going to touch on what isn't broken. However Elliot will not be present within this entire story so forget Elliot was in the premiere............................. Did that? Good. Now onto episode two:

It seemed like a century ago when the students of East Highland chanted to the stroke of midnight. They were just about ready to put their past behind them, Except, the past has a funny way of catching up to you. That's what happened to Nate Jacobs. After an entire quarter of torturing his peers and loved ones, he faced the consequences of his actions by being tortured himself- literally. He was beaten to a pulp by the school's drug dealer. He knew he deserved it. But it didn't hurt as badly as everyone else made it look. How could it hurt when the sluttiest girl in the school was sitting at your crotch bewitting your every command?

The next thing Nate knew, he was being dragged out of the New Years party by Maddy, McKay, and Cassie, who all failed to communicate how to put his six foot five frame in the backseat of an SUV. If Nate could move any muscle, he'd use it to shut all of them up. Though it was decided Maddy and Cassie would sit in the back while McKay drove to the hospital. The setup, from what Nate could hear in and out of consciousness, was Cassie's idea. He could predict she made it this way to be as close to him as possible. And why wouldn't she? Her blue, daunting, eyes were the last thing Nate saw before he blacked out for the night.

Nate hated losing consciousness. While awake, he was the puppet master: thriving on the ability to control others around him. Though when asleep, those ties came loose. He's brought into a state of mind he had no control over sublimating him into nightmares.

There's one particular nightmare Nate's been having the past few weeks. It began just like this: alone and isolated in his truck as he drove towards nowhereland. The vehicle was surrounded by a dark, piercing blue light. And with the inability to combat this interference, He had no choice but to keep his composure and see where the light took him.

"Every week, Nate would have this nightmare. It always began the same way, driving in the middle of the night to what seemed like hell."

Eventually, a yellow light would beam through the overglass. Though with how many times he's had this dream, the sudden light became tolerable with time. Did the light always have to be yellow? And why did it always lead him to the same place? That place being the Motel right next to the diner. But the motel was less in reality and more of an Andy Warhol recreation. If he had a choice Nate would stay outside the strange fixated motel, freeze to death if heaven allowed him. Though his consciousness had no control of his actions and therefore, he stepped inside.

"And every time he would open the Motel Door. Only to realize inside wasn't a motel at all. It was a family photo album, and one that should never be opened."

Normally in photo albums, you'd turn each page to find family memories no one actually remembers. Nate never knew if his family owned family albums. What good times were there to remember? Were there enough to fill an album? If there were any, He sure as hell never saw them. Probably the best since they weren't found for a reason. The closest thing he'll have to an album is this long hallway: with dozens of doors opening the wounds of childhood trauma.

" Within each room laid the victims of young men and woman assaulted, raped, and fucked senseless by his father."

Nate wished he had the willpower to never look behind each door. But every week he came up with a familiar pattern in order to sustain control: Drive with the radio on, wipe your shoes off at the front door, open each individual door on your left side when approaching them. Nate never locked eyes with the father figure behind each door. Which was hard, since these memories repeated in a loop. Each door remained the same. Except with different people, positions, and languages used. How in hell was he allowed to be raised by this man? It circulated his thoughts, actions, and even his identidy. But like his father taught him, he never showed it.

" But the second to last room was always his least favorite. It reminded him of what was at stake."

The second to last room was nothing but an endless void. It hasn't always been this way. At least, not since Maddy took that disk. A few hours after the Winter Formal, Nate returned to his bedroom and made a security check believing everything remained untouched. Then again, Maddy had a gift of pissing him off. And she flaunted that gift with passion. Nate was too infuriated to think straight and trashed his room for the remainder of that night. It wasn't mature though he knew he had some..... issues. Though what would you do after you find out your image was at stake?

The Final door, at the very end of the hallway, was the only door Nate walked into. Not only becuase it was the only room untouched by Cal's presence, at least not just yet, but standing beside the bed was his on again, off again ex , Maddy Perez: wearing her hair up dressed in a scale like purple dress too expensive for her. His ex slowly and seductively took the piece of clothing off until she was bare.

This is where the dream got weird. Most guys in the locker room would brag over wet dreams or some slut they fingered. This wasn't one of those dreams. If it were, he'd be able to see Maddy's bare body longing to be pegged. Instead he saw himself, staring at Maddy's naked body but never saw the body itself, like some out of body experience. Because of this, Nate would start to become dizzy and relocate himself to the side mirror leaning face-forward in agony.

"Nate would rethink his life to the moment he got here. What if he can go back to the beginning? Would life turn out differently? Where would things go? Who would he be?"

Just as he became lost in existential thought, Mandy was replaced by a different woman who'd catch him off guard: pressing his shoulders into the mirror behind him rocking his world. Jules beamed brightly at him and began to bite the side of his neck, reminding him how well they fit together. Sometimes Nate wondered if outside influences were seeked into this part of the dream. Maybe that's why her lovebites feel so fucking good. It also never terrorized him how he was praticly being sexually harassed right now since he'd let it continue whole heartedly.

That would be the case if their session didn't abruptly stop. The next thing he knew, Jules mascara dripped down her eyes as she cried relentlessly while being pinned down to the motel mattress. Her clothes were harshly torn apart by two pairs of white wrinkly hands, who showed no mercy but a soft smile glimpsing at his naked victim. Not even this brief moment of pleasure could escape Cal Jacobs's claws. His father stood towering above the mattress ready to take Jules as his own-. Except now, Nate Jacobs was the one to take her place. Nate knew better than anyone that Cal liked to begin slow and gentle. But over time, his rough interiors would show demolishing the innocent's inner layers viciously. And sometimes, when it became too hot, Cal would position himself to cover the back of his prisoner. Nate could feel his bite mark violated by the presence of Cal lips. And all the muscles, Nate's worked on for years vaporized the moment his love bite burnt by his fathers saliva.

To everyone's relief, this is always where the incest would end. Because this is the part where Nate would wake up. Normally, he'd be in cold sweat and suffer an increased heart rate. Whatever amount of hours remained to rest, he felt too terrified to return to that unconscious world. Except this time, Nate took note of his new surroundings. He was in a hospital room with needles through his arms and a throbbing forehead. In the moment: Nate couldn't think about the doctors and nurses he should thank for saving his life, nor how comfy the hospital bed was, how the place was giving him solitude in, or the fact he wasn't dead to begin with. All that was on Nate's mind was the cold blooded irony of how Cal Jacobs white, wrinkly hand rested upon his knee as she fell asleep beside him. Nate could only smile, giving into some soft, maniacal laughter.

TITLE CARD: EUPHORIA

" It was the first day of school after the New Year. And I finally had everything I ever wished for."

A slow. glowing light fades us into the scenery. To many, this is a cool cinematography effect used to connect the season premiere with this episode. Though to Rue, it was a physical being of her laminated smile walking through the halls of East Highland that morning.

Rue couldn't help walking into that school in a terrific mood. She successfully won back the girl of her dreams! And It wasn't hard to spot Jules either, standing in the middle of the hallway surrounded by peers who'll never understand their spiritual bond of excitement. It wasn't until now Rue took notice how Jules changed over break with a shorter hair cut matching Kurt Cobain and a new street style she'd probably bought from the city when she first abandoned her........ Though Rue didn't want to think about that. She just wanted to think about how for the moment, she was really, really happy to see Jules.

Without hesitation, they moved forward to wrap themselves in one another's arms: "You know you're like a dream?" Rue flirted towards Jules, something she never really tried before. Jules was immediately taken back by this new side of Rue. Just where did her girlfriend learn how to be so bold? Her heart was filled with so much love for being able to win over the women she loved so dearly: "I didn't know you were such a romantic Rue?" Jules flirted in return. The two of them couldn't help but smile like idiots as they both felt their eternal bliss could be forevermore.

"Now you might have thought it was out of character for me to flirt with Jules so publicly. Which you'd be right. I couldn't have done it if I didn't snort fentanyl before coming to school this morning. Believe me, it's better this way. I could think of a million other timelines where I would have fucked this up sober."

The lighting becomes drastically intense as we escape reality and enter the anxious mind of Rue as she imagines the horrible instances this conversation could have gone south. They'd meet in a hallway, similar to the present, where Jules would casually be the first to speak:

"Hey Rue what's up. How was your break?"

How could she be that nonchalant? Jules probably had probably spent the break on some fun, life changing, big city adventures. How was Rue supposed to follow that up? Oh hey Jules, I spent my Christmas vacation isolating the world in my adolescent bedroom getting high as hell! It's embarrassing, but also really depressing. There's no way Jules could ever know

"Yeah?"

"Yeah"

................

"In some endings, Jules would be nice about it"

" Well....... Can I catch you la-?"

" NO! actually...... I mean, I'm supposed to be with Gia later. She's having trouble in school or something." Then the conversation would mute. Which was always worse compared to awkward pauses in time. If you weren't sure where the conversation was headed before, now it's certain: it was going straight to hell.

" But other times, maybe she wouldn't be so nice about it."

" I don't understand why you can't be a loving girlfriend towards me." Angrily, Jules yelled at Rue in the middle of an empty hallway. A crowd began to gather up on all sides because of course one did. Anyone and everyone would give anything to feel entertained in someone else's drama rather than their own. The crowd gathered up on them chanted the "RULES" name viciously and violently. The lighting conditions also became dramatically different- but still equally terrifying: "Like, not only do you not give me affection but you don't talk to me anymore. How can we even be in a relationship if you won't talk to me like a normal person?"

"But I don't like getting too far into those. Being high just makes things easier."

We return to the real world where they're love was cut off by that damm school bell. Rue made sure to walk Jules to her first period class where Jules eagerly kissed her girlfriend on the cheek.

"I Love You!" Jules shouted as Rue departed down the hallway. But her girl never responded. Unknowing to Jules, she was far too gone both physically and mentally. All that affection made her feel drowsy so instead of heading to the first period, Rue locked herself in one of the women's restrooms, snorting Fentanyl until she returned to feeling invincible.

If you thought Rue was at her lowest, think again. There are points in your life where you can seek and validate to much lower standards. Although Rue didn't know it yet, this was proven the moment she departed from her stall when her eyes came into contact with Cassie, adjusting herself in the mirror.

"Since the Winter Formal, Cassie had gone through a Low Grade Depression."

Cassie spent most of her Winter Break the same as Rue: isolating herself from the rest of the world. Though unlike Rue, Cassie was constantly judged about it thanks to the presence of her mother, Suze, and her younger sister, Lexi. She recalled one moment while laying on the couch when her mother took one sniff and asked: "When was the last time you showered." As well as the many times her sister judged her for not cleaning her side of the room. Though neither of these comments hit harder than what Maddy told her that one afternoon they hung out: "Wait, when have you ever been single?" Her words haunted Cassie's head more than she liked to admit. Mainly because she couldn't remember. It was the entire thesis for her outing with Maddy that afternoon:

"I was reading an article on abstinence, and how not having sex is like it's own spiritual journey."

"Bitch, I don't believe a word you're saying."

"Why?"

"Because you love to be loved."

"How do I fix that?"

" I don't know, when you wanna say yes, you just say no."

If only Maddy felt the temptation to make the opposing decision:

" Would you like a ride to this party?"

" You wanna go to the bathroom?"

" Are you able to do this without telling anybody?"

"But she was drunk. Not super drunk. But she never would've said yes if Maddy and Nate were still together. 'Cause that would be unforgivable. Maddy was her best friend. And if Maddy was completely honest with herself, she wanted to be in that hospital bed with Nate."

Cassie remembered leaving the hospital early in the morning in a state of shock while Maddy, both physically and emotionally exhausted, snuggled into Cassie's shoulder for support. The emotion was too much for the blonde bombshell not to return home and wait for the sunrise in tears. When morning came, Lexi called her out for not washing Nate's blood off her leg. Truthfully, Cassie didn't know the stains were there. She went to wash it off though in the moment where the washcloth was to come in contact with her leg, she hesitated. Does it sound concerning if she preferred to keep the gore there? Like every other boy she has physical contact with, Cassie couldn't help but feel smitten. Should she throw the washcloth away? Or keep it as a collatable. She couldn't get New Years off her mind. How could her best friend say such horrible things about a person so willing to give and return?

Meanwhile, Maddy also spent the early morning lying in bed feeling depressed. After the New Years party only having one, unforgivable thought on her mind. Though who's to say thoughts were easily controlled?

"Maddy couldn't get any sleep either. Watching Nate in trouble made her reminisce about the times when he wasn't shit. When he was resourceful, strong, loving, mainly why she felt so smitten in the first place."

It was the odd sensation of seeing him get what he deserved, that made her have an itch of guilt. When Nate tried, he really could be a wonderful boyfriend. Taking care of him in that hospital bed made her remember the love she felt for him when they first got together. Back in the beginning, when their reliance on each other was a team effort. It didn't help when her phone buzzed that morning to see a text form a now conscious Nate: "Thank you for taking care of me. I love you always and forever" Did it feel wrong to be cherished in that moment? Nonetheless spark was rekindled within her. Enough to get out of that bed and move on with her date. She just had to call Cassie that morning and tell her about it:

" Nate sent me the most beautiful text message this morning?"

" What did he say?........... That's so sweet."

"Yeah, I know he's a horrible person, but I'm kind of torn."

"When are you getting off the phone? I want to talk to you."

Okay- maybe calling her best friend about the ex situation while at her new babysitting job wasn't the best idea: "Hey Cass, I'm gonna go hang out with my best friend Theo and I'll call you later....... Okay bye."

" At the time, Maddy wasn't looking for a job. But over break, her mother forced her to help out at the Salon. And fate just happened to fall in her hands."

On one of the nine to five working days, Maddy was on her break, reading a magazine in one of the salon chairs, when a flaunting gorgeous woman crossed her eye. She had a tall, skinny figure with chocolate eyes and voluminous brown hair. Apparently, she was a new customer to the Salon. Which Maddy understood considering she was far too wealthy to be setting foot in their little establishment. Apparently, the woman was there for a foot manicure after her manicurist canceled on her. Maddy couldn't help but stare, to which the mysterious woman returned. The woman's name was Samantha. And although Maddy didn't know it at the time, her family was one of the wealthiest in East Highland. Samantha liked the vibe Maddy gave off and needed a babysitter for her son. The timing couldn't have been any more perfect. She was hired immediately to take care of her son, Theo, after school every other day.

"She liked the kid she babysat for."

Maddy would spend time with Theo doing things she hasn't done since she was his age like playing video games. To be honest, it felt refreshing to let loose like a kid again for him. Though her favorite part of the job was Theo's bedtime, more so for what it entailed. Because afterward, Maddy had an hour with practically a mansion to herself. What was a teenage girl to do?

"But what she loved most was...."

Maddy would spend most of this time down an empty hallway, to the right, where Samantha had to dedicate an entire room for her luxurious closet. Maddy would try on many of the clothes in Samantha's closet pretending a life for herself where she can feel this powerful. Maddy's always been confident with herself. Though if there was anything she was slightly insecure about, it was her family. Most of the women she saw in movies and TV like her, came from houses like Samantha. Why did she have to be one of the unlucky ones? Why was she forced to give up her passion that could have made her incredibly wealthy by parents not only of lower class but don't even love each other?. Within this closet, she can forget all that and imagine herself being a socialite and have her confidence be treated with respect rather than abuse.

Unfortunately, these fantasies can only be played out for so long as the alarm of her phone begins to buzz. The more she babysat, the more she recognized patterns on when Samantha and her husband would leave/return. That said, Maddy should know better than to leave all the clothes out in the open. Thankfully, she always manages to put the clothes where she found them, put back on her everyday clothes, and pretend she was doing something useful. The first thing Maddy always noticed when Samantha walked through that door was what she was wearing. Tonight, Samantha wore a long sleeved purple dress which Maddy wasn't sure of the texture, but it looked expensive. The attire went up her collar, but flowing as far down to her shins. It was one of the prettiest attires Maddy ever saw on someone. The color purple just fit Samantha so well. Maddy wondered if she could look that good in that shade of purple as well.

" How was your night?" was the first thing Maddy asked when a tipsy Samantha approached her; "Whew, it was fun. It's nice to be drunk." From there Samantha let Maddy continue completing the chore as she went to her closet. Though it wasn't long before Samantha called Maddy for personal means. Immediately, Maddy felt herself tense and she put one foot over the other begging this wasn't the end of her short lived babysitting career. What could she have forgotten to put away? Did one piece of Jewelry remain on the floor? Did she color code one of the dresses incorrectly? Instead it was nothing of the sort. Samantha only asked for the unzipping of her gorgeous dress. As Maddy unzipped, she played with the collar to identify the texture to be somewhat scaly. Once completed, Samantha turned to her: "Thank you for being so sweet." she said softly. Like how she was never appreciated for her confidence, Maddy was never appreciated for her sweet moments either. Why couldn't this be her life? To have Samantha as a mother and live with all the kindness and love she deserved. She'd never have to return to her terrible family life and can live her remaining days in peace and luxury. Though that isn't reality, no matter how desperate she wished it would be.

"I feel like I would look so sexy pregnant, '' Maddy bragged the next day at school while admiring her skinny figure in the bathroom mirror. Only to be greeted with an unenthusiastic response: "Maddy please do not get pregnant." Kat discouraged me. This is what Maddy was talking about, her lack of encouragement. And like always, she had to prove her point: " I wouldn't wear any of those nasty maternity clothes. I would just be me, plus pregnant." Sitting by the sinks, sucking n the fumes of her vape stick, marked the return BB, who gotten herself into a bit of trouble at the beginning of the school year intentionally sliding into the dm's of one of the East Highland's security guards, which resulted in her fall quarter suspension: "Remember when I got pregnant?" BB added to the conversation. No one wanted to remember that dark moment in all of their lives: "Yes, and it would be nothing like that."

'' Well speaking of baby daddies, I've seen the photo that Ethan posted of the two of you. It's cute as fuck" BB mentioned to move pst the conversation, "Yeah Kat, stop flaunting your healthy, non abusive- wonderful relationship. It's actually triggering." Maddy snapped back. Truthfully, Kat understood why her friends were coming at her. It wasn't fair for her to have a healthy relationship while all her friends were known to be trapped in toxic ones: "Yeah, he's um... he's really sweet" Kat replied non-enthusiastically. Though no matter what they said she was just satisfied everything was going well on her end. Kat was lucky to find herself with a guy who was respectful, kind, and loving towards her........... Right?

" And He Was Really Sweet"

Kat's fantasies told a different story. Of course, Ethan would be there kissing, only kissing her, on their bed in that sweet, schoolboy like nature before he'd make some excuse to go to the bathroom again. Or maybe it was the kitchen for a snack, or even her backyard. It was always an excuse for him to never become too vicious with her. Which should feel like a dream. What guys did she know would go out of their way for the woman's respect? And then a SNAP would be heard! It would always be coming in the direction where her boyfriend went which caused her to become worried. And she had every reason to worry, because next thing she knew, his body would hit her bedroom floor and his corpse oozed blood. At first, Katherine would feel horrified. Why would anyone do such a thing? But more importantly, who? Well her fantasies had some ideas. How about a Loinclothed Jason Mamoa, whose long, hard sword bathed in Ethan's blood? Don't get her wrong, Ethan was a nice guy sure and Kat should feel bad about his death. Though she couldn't help but become flustered the moment the stacked, horny beef began walking towards her: "Killing makes me hard" he said in a foreign language that would make any woman lose her guard: "He was a weakling. He doesn't deserve a woman like you." Eventually, he'd take his sturdy, iron sword and run it through Kat's shirt, releasing the buttons as he went on: ""What are you doing?" Kat would say frightened yet also intrigued. He replied a request, no, a demand Kat couldn't refuse: "Preparing to conquer you". And Kat agreed. With Jason's super strength, her clothing was shredded off her and her flesh was swung to all fours where Jason Mamoa rocked her hard and senseless. All while Ethan's dead corpse laid on the ground.

But that'll never happen in real life. Kat couldn't hire someone to kill Ethan and get away with it, Nor did she know Jason Mamoa. Plus, she'd be a real shitty person for not loving a guy like Ethan. After all these years, Kat finally had a guy to call hers. And Ethan wasn't like the other girls her friends dated. He was kind, considerate, and respectful towards her. Then again, it was also the problem. As the other girls went off to their class, Kat hid her tears by shoving her face within her locker.

"I have a hard time believing you don't know who did this to you?" Cal declared later that evening as he, and his injured son, walked through the Jacobs Household. Nate was only released this afternoon but it felt longer because since returning home, he received various texts from various types of individuals who only thought about themselves and their desires. Mainly from Cassie as he received texts such as "Nate I'm totally freaking out". Though the last thing he wanted was his father to know his lifestyle: "Dad just leave it alone" Nate repeated over and over again. Though his father refused to give up: "I have a hard time believing you don't know who did this to you." It was never about that! Of course Nate didn't want his father to know about the shit he's done! Not only does it affect him, it affects his father's fate. Therefore the less he gets involved with Fezco, the better: "Dad leave it alone" Nate yelled at his dad louder. Yet Cal never truly heard his son: "Well I'm not going to." Unbelievable, Nate thought to himself. It was like talking to a brick wall. Nate knew whatever he said wasn't going to convince his father to drop the case. And Nate didn't have enough patience in him to think of a clever way out of it.

Therefore he walked out, and drove away in his truck. This left Cal confused: "I just have a hard time believing it was unrivaled." Cal mentioned to Marsha, who walked up to overhear the commotion: "He's our son." Was the only response she could give.

In a matter of one conversation, Nate now had a new number one priority. He needed to get that disk back. And get it back without his father interfering, especially since he was coming close to figuring out his involvement. Though Nate wasn't going to solve this problem just by yelling at everyone. He needed to clear his head for a while in order for the next logical step. In the meantime, now would be the perfect opportunity to deal with that one incident from New Years.

On the other side of town, Rue and Jules rode their bikes home from school, something that's becoming harder to do thanks to the decrease in temperature. They continued to ride together until they're fate forced them to decide between two paths. One way was to Rue's house and the other, to Jules. Normally this wasn't a problem. They always decided on the same path, ever since they first became friends: "You want to come to my house? My dad's making ravioli for dinner." Jules suggested. For some reason Rue didn't see this suggestion coming. Yet she should have, Jules always invites her over to dinner. So she does what every teenager does when they want to get out of something: lie, "Sorry Jules, I promised my mom I'd help Gia with school tonight."

"Which wasn't a complete lie. Gia did need help with school. Though mom wouldn't trust me to help her with shit like that. So instead, she hired someone a little older."

"You must be Christopher" Rue's mother, Leslie, greeted the college football player at the front door. He was well dressed. Not in the formal sense but more of in cleanliness wearing a stainless long sleeved gray shirt and black sweatpants. He also had a black backpack stuffed with various textbooks: "Actually I just go by McKay." Mckay corrected. Leslie responded, "Oh, my apologies" and from there, she left the door open for McKay to claim his own, and begin setting up the kitchen table

"Now it wasn't McKay's ideal decision to get a tutoring job for his Winter Break. Though with how distracted he was during his first semester he needed to keep his grades up."

"Gia should be home in a few minutes" Leslie mentioned before walking out of the room. With nothing else to do, McKay took out his cell phone to analyze the time: 3:56. The two of them were supposed to start at four. Looks like his student's going to be late. Not that McKay minded, he couldn't care less about the job as long as it meant keeping his scholarship. So in the meantime, Mckay found himself scrolling through Instagram and ended up at a place which should be frobidden: Cassie's account. He knew he shouldn't be scrolling through her feeds though sometimes late at night. When he was left with nothing but his own tremendous thoughts, Mckay couldn't help but worry about her.

Though back to Rue, with Jules departed she rides alone. It is funny however. Before the New Years, it felt that a small part of her heart was taken every time Jules left her. Now that feelings are replaced with nonchalance. Though out of that thought, Rue rides alone crossing through almost every suburban neighborhood. One of the households Rue passed was the Howard Household to find Cassie sitting on her front porch. At first Rue didn't really think much of it and was about to pass on. Though that mindset changed suddenly once Nate's truck showed up. Rue watched a dull Cassie turn beaming with joy as she raced into the automobile and quickly connected lips with Nate inside.

" What the Fuck"

Out of all the things she expected on her bike ride, this was a dead bottom. Though it'd be best not to get involved. That was her, Nate's, and Maddy's business or whatever open relationship they have or have not. For now, she'll keep her mouth shut. Rue paddled on and didn't look back. While Rue felt she made a brief appearance in the Twilight Zone, Cassie found her way to heaven. To feel his rough skin against hers felt so right. Like somehow, this was where she was meant to be. Eventually, the both of them stopped making out as Nate began to drive forward. Where were they going? Who cares! They could have been going to commit suicide off a seven story building for all she cared! No, perhaps that was too much. If anything she'd convince Nate not to do it because she cared for him, definitely more than she should. For sure he was a forbidden fruit which was maybe why he was so delicious to touch, to feel, even to be around. Though why was he so silent? Not like Cassie cared. She could be silent if that's what he wanted. It would just be nice to start up a conversation, you know? And if he wasn't going to make the first move, she would say: " What are you thinking about?" Cassie asked. His response was almost immediate, "Where almost there." Good, she couldn't get enough of the silence. Cassie took a moment to look out at her surroundings. None of her other boyfriends had ever taken her somewhere like this: "I've never been out here before." Which was true, she had never been to a live construction site.  It could be almost like their secret little hideout, like how Noah and Allie had that house in The Notebook. As the acceleration of the truck became slower, the only noise they heard were the soft sounds playing along the radio and the wind, withholding the car from reaching its destination. Cassie now understood why Nate enjoyed silences like these. It was peaceful, freeing even. Something Cassie knew she hasn't felt in a while. And with the truck finally coming to a complete halt, Nate began talking:

"Look Cass, um..... I really like you."

That's a good start

"How I wish that things could be different. I think what happened between us was a mistake, and we never should have done what we did."

What? Wait, Nate isn't regretting it right? If he really though it was a mistake, he shouldn't done it. But it's not like she didn't do the same.

""Yeah, but"

" It was my fault. I shouldn't have uh-"

"It was my fault too. I ju... I just didn't think that I'd get so, um.."

" It doesn't matter. It is what it is. We can't see each other. And we can never, ever speak about this. I'm so sorry."

Cassie refused to hear another word before bolting out of there! She burst open Nate's truck door and ran off into the clusters construction site. That's never something Cassie would have thought to ever do. Though now she's doing it, almost kind of like she's in a play. How these constant twists and turns are like trying to get around a stage set. Though Cassie only heard Nate approaching closer. Though why would Nate be chasing after her if he meant anything he said. He could have easily just left her to be heartbroken over another guy who stole her heart. This is different. He's coming back, he cares about her! After being sought after, and dumped by so many men who she's learned only admired her for her looks, here comes Nate, still chasing after her. Cassie knew what they both wanted now. And therefore stopped, leans against a wall, and waits for her tall prince to come rescue her from her miserable life and cherish her, love her like the way any girl deserves to be loved. And when Nate did eventually catch up, the two of them shared a steamy kiss wood on wood. This was the euphoria Cassie's been looking for her entire life. And every time she found it the feeling seemed to escape her just as quickly. Not this time, this is happening, this is true.

"How are you ever going to look Maddy in the eyes ever again?" Nate questioned. Crap, how could she have forgotten about Maddy through all of this. That was probably the reason he at first pushed her way. Cassie knew better than anyone never to mess with a girl like Maddy Perez. Throughout their lives she's seen her best friend press girls' faces through fences, swing their heads till they collided with dryers, And slammed locker doors into her enemy's faces. The last thing Cassie wanted was to be on her target list. But for the first time, Cassie understood why Maddy always kept running back into Nate's strong, tight, muscular arms. And Maddy would understand better than anyone why she can't help but to fall in Nate's arms. Maddy might be the confident one, though Casssie was passionate. And you wouldn't believe how much passion can drive a person to do even the most heinous of acts. Her only response to Nate was kissing him again. And Maddy's skinny ass would have to get used to the feeling of falling second place because Cassie Howard was in love with Nate Jacobs. And she could feel his love mounting in return.

With ditching Jules, Rue's intentions that evening were to meet up with Fezco. Her supply ran out and although she knew Fezco had zero intentions of lending her anything, He never said she couldn't steal. And what a way to start by banging on Fezco's apartment door really loudly: "Yo Fezco open up!" Rue repeated again and again enthusiastically until the man of the house opened up: "Eyo Rue what brings you around here?" Fexco questioned the high-schooler. She invited herself in and began to respond, "Oh I was just around town and figured why not stop by...." Though her thoughts were interrupted thanks to a special guest appearance by the heroine herself! For some reason, eating a sandwich at Fezco's kitchen table.

"I found out soon after that Fezco had a new houseguest. And Ashtray was so pissed off about it he couldn't speak to Fez. Neither of them understood the whole story, but apparently Faye had pushed the motel manager off the balcony"

As awful and fucked up the situation was, it was also humorous. Wouldn't you also laugh if dozens of police cars, barking dogs, and a literal helicopter came together all to hijack some girl who pushed someone off of a two story building? As they approached, Custer locked him and his girlfriend in a motel room while arguing in the process: " Faye, the fucking cops are looking for you what the fuck!?!" Customer yelled. Though unfortunately, Faye was too out of it to recall what she did: "I didn't do anything!!!!" Long story short, Custer called up Fezco, and he pushed Faye through the vents to be picked up by Fezco. From here, she'd lay low until the cops were off her trail.

Back in the present, Faye remained at the small kitchen table eating her sandwich. Fezco joined her while Rue excused herself to the restroom, only to savage his cabinets for any source of high.

"The time was late. And Mckay had gotten a lot done for himself. He looked up some scholarships, wrote a few essays for said scholarships, dove deeper into NFL rates, stalked Cassie's Instagram, and even looked into another tutoring job, because Gia wasn't showing up. So he let himself out.

McKay knew from Cassie a bit about the Bennet Household on how Rue struggled to stay clean. Though he never considered how her misbehavior could affect the rest of her family. From what time he spent there for the past few hours, Leslie seemed to be on her breaking point and who the hell knows where GIa could have gone. Perhaps he shouldn't be mad. Frustrated? Absolutely. But he refused to be too harsh on the student for her situation. That is, until he opened the door to his own household. All this time, he was waiting for Gia at her house only to be in his??? There the high schooler was relaxing on the sofa' s vibing with his two brothers. What made this worse? He smelled the stench of joints filling the room. He didn't expect anything less out of his brothers. But was baffled how Gia was okay being wrapped into this. Mckay quickly snapped Gia away from his brothers and took her to a dark hallway all while his brothers yelled. " Ey-o fuck her for both of us wont you?" Sometimes, his brothers just appalled him. And seriously, no one should be fucking anybody at the age of 14. Once he knew his brothers were out of eyeshot he made sure to take care of business, "What the fuck are you doing here? McKay began sternly, " I've been waiting at your table for four hours only for you to get high?" He got a nasty response from the little sister he wasn't expecting: " Well I didn't really ask for a tutor did I?" It was clear that this girl wasn't thinking straight. He'll have to kill his brothers for that later. But he sure wasn't going to have this pint sized twat on his couch for the night. And she wasn't functional enough to walk home herself either: "C'mon, I'm taking you home." McKay declared as he tugged Gia's arm to the door. Though Gia had a surprisingly good amount of upper body strength and was quick to snap her arm away before his grip could become too tight. Soon, the drugs in her system began taking nasty side effects which included screeching in McKay's face: "Get the hell off me!" Their small bicker turned into a war where neither were in control of what they said to the other. Al Ray and Tay heard from the hallway, were lions, sprawling at one another till one rose in victory.

Only an hour later did Mckay manage to bring GIa home. She sat in the front seat while Mcaky drove, and parallel parked right in front of her house. Every once in a while he'd take a quick glance at the girl, who had scratch marks all over her arms and face. He didn't mean to do that. Then again, she did it to herself. If Gia would have let him take her home to begin with, he wouldn't have done that to her skin: "you better take a good shower tomorrow" McKay instructed, "You don't want your mother to see all those bruises." No commitment from Gia. Damm, he couldn't help in that moment be glad about the abortion. He would have been a terrible father: "So... next Monday?" Mckay added in? God, was it still only monday? With how the day went an entire semester could have just flown by

"Whatever" Gia responded before kicking open his car door and returning to her household without looking back. At this point, McKay wondered if there was still a chance he could join his father for an office internship instead. Though Mckay knew he was going to have to stick through the tutoring until the Spring, no matter how rough it'll be.

The next morning, Cassie awoke blessed. Not a single bag was by her eyelids as she slept beautify! No, she slept wonderfully! Fantastically! Because someone special had entered her life. Someone tall, handsome, brave, and kind. She couldn't help herself but feel smitten. And the fact they had to make it secret was even more exciting. Their love was forbidden, and everyone knows that the more forbidden the more they were meant to be. And this is not one of those love stories with a tragic ending either. The two of them won't die or one of them won't kill the other. Their love, from this point on, will remain eternal. This mood remained positive until her father in law, I mean, Cal Jacobs, somehow found his way into her dining room. The rest of her family sat properly among the seats waiting for her arrival. "Why don't you have a seat Cassie." her mother spat out: " Mr. Jacobs believes you know who assaulted his son." Course she knew, It;s kind of sad his father didn't. Though how could he know to go to her? Could Nate have talked about her to his family the previous night? Cassie felt a sense of pride at the worst time ever. And yet, she didn't feel guilty about it. It goes without saying that Cassie was late to school that morning. Though she wasn't the only one:

"The next morning I took even more fentanyl than the previous to make it through the day. Oh don't look at me like that! You would have done the same thing just to see her smile like that. Plus, I feel fucking unstoppable."

And Rue did feel unstoppable. The fentanyl gave her a spur of energy. So much so, that she started thinking: How do I stay on this trail and make Jules even more impressed? Though what's something else that could catch Jules off guard? The only place Rue could think of to start was her wardrobe. Jules always wanted her to be more revealing. It's too bad her closet was filled to the brim with t-shirts and hoodies. Rue cursed at herself: Why didn't she own anything cute, pinky, sexy? Guess she had to be creative then. No way was Rue wasn't going to steal any of her sister's Justice junk nor would she wear her mother's out of date fashion. No, she had to be creative, And thankfully, Inspiration can be found in the oddest of palces. Outside, Rue overheard the sound of her mother taking out the trash. Jules wanted to do fashion right? Well, how many girls have been able to make a statement out of a trash bag????

Apparently the process wasn't hard at all. After an hour of drawing, cutting, and some sewing, Rue walked into school the baddest bitch in the halls wearing one strap garbage crop top that made fashion queen, Maddy Perez fall to her knees. She accessorized her fashion statement

with loose black sweatpants, back sneakers, and sunglasses which relaxed on the top of her forehead. Every student couldn't get enough of gawking at her revealing form. But the positive attention meant nothing to her. Not when Jules stood waiting in the hall for her one more. The blonde's smile couldn't have beamed brighter and Rue was too self destructive to look away. The way she shined was almost too good to be true. And Rue planned to live that reality for as long as possible.

Jules, however, saw a different point of view. She really didn't know what state of mind Rue was in when she got out of bed this morning. All she knew was that she got to school early just to hold Rue in her arms longer. Though that idea became less appealing when Rue was followed behind a school hall of laughter. Eventually, the entire hallway was plagued by giggles before it caught up to JuWHAT THE FUCK IS SHE WEARING?!?!?!? Rue, with shades on, stumbling across the halls in a full sized trash bag calling out her name. As much as Jules wanted to escape second hand embarrassment, all she could do was stand there frozen as two thoughts came to mind. The first was that if it was too late to change her name to Avery? The second, Rue was most definitely on drugs again. No person not on drugs would ever come to school in a full sized trash bag. Though at least everything made sense now. The drugs were why Rue didn't want to come over for dinner last night. And now she understood why Rue was so outgoing the morning before. It was so obvious! Jules stormed away from the scene before Rue could reach up to her. Fuck first period! Jules ran into the first bathroom she could find and cried her heart out. She both mentally and physically cursed herself. Love as it causes you to do stupid things, think stupid thoughts. And right now, she was the stupidest girl in the world! For example: while running to the restroom, Jules didn't even notice that her body bumped into Nate Jacobs. He obviously followed her only to overhear an embodiment of whales on the other side of the wall. The small interaction was turbulent. Mainly because the basic run in reminded him about that morning.

"You want to tell me why some punk drug dealer beat you up?" Cal said to Nate for like, the 200th time this week: "Jesus Christ just let it go." Nate's mentioned in frustration. His father replied, "No I'm not going to let it go because in case you forgot, you're my son, and it's my job as a parent to make sure you're safe." If anything, his father finding out about Fezco proved just how determined he was to find out what happened. He must have broken barriers against insanity to be able to pull this one off. And not because it was for actual care for his son, more like care for his own paranoia. And that's why Nate can't have this situation go further. He had time to think about everything: his father, the disk, every person in his life and everyone wanting to get out of it. No matter what he said his father wasn't going to give up. He'll continue using the right words, and action upon his own yellow brick road till he finds that disc and uncovers the truth. Though what if Nate took him down a different route?

"Are you sure this is just about me?" Nate started out of nowhere. Finally, his son was responding. Though not in the way he expected: "Well I'm not the one with stiches in my head."

"No, I mean when you couldn't get the information from me you went out and gathered information from my peers without my permission. That's sort of inappropriate, don't you think?" Nate watched the color slowly drain from Cal's face. He never thought about it that way. Ironic, don't you think?

"Nate, I really didn't think about it like that, I was only trying to help."

" So your way of helping was to invade the privacy of my friends?"

"Nate, I'm sor-"

" I don't want your apology, I want an explanation. Because you wouldn't go to extreme measures unless there was a chance this affected you. But how would it affect you"

For once, Cal had nothing to say in return. He stood motionless, almost as if he lost the ability to speak. For Nate, it was now time to wrap this little present up in a bow: " If you're going to avoid the question, you could at least tell me who you interrogated."

"What was I supposed to do?"

"Not say anything"

"You heard him! He was going to call the police!"

"No, he wasn't. He was bluffing, and you fell for it 'cause you're a fսcking idiot!"

"Why do you even care?!"

"Because you just ruined someone's life! "

"Fezco almost killed Nate! That was his decision."

As Cassie left the room to avoid her own interrogation, the only thing Lexi could do was lay back and let the ground, pondering over forbidden thoughts and wonders.

"Lexi had thought about that night a lot. How could Fezco be so kind to her, and so violent towards Nate? She couldn't remember the last time someone asked her so many questions about herself. He actually cared about what she had to say. And then, 10 minutes later... almost beat Nate Jacobs to death. And even if Nate deserved it, it was a horrible thing to do. It made her think about her entire life. How she's always been so passive. How she never had the courage to say anything. And even the time when she did get the courage to say something?"

A flashback occurs to the previous summer when Lexi was spending the day with Rue. Or more so, Rue taking a shit load of drugs and avoiding Lexi's existence like normal. How Lexi would give anything for things to return to normal, before Rue started taking hard drugs, before Lexi got in her own head, and before each of them lost their fathers. Rue snorted whatever drug she could get into her system while Lexi remained a witness.

" Rue, you really need to get help." Lexi called to her friend desperate to get some kind of honest response out of her. She should have known better than to have high hopes: " What, are you gonna tell my mom or something?" Rue snarky responded. It wasn't the words that hurt but more of the tone given out. This made Lexi hesitate: "Yeah, if you don't stop." Though Rue could care less to whatever she said: "Okay" she responded while snorting more drugs into her system. Maybe it was the drugs, though how could the person she considered her best friend since preschool, be this deliberately cold to her? No longer feeling like she had the upper hand, Lexi backed down. Which is something she'd regret later when her mother awoke her that night to let her know that Rue overdosed after she left. To think she could have prevented it.

That conversation with Fezco where she really took a good hard look at her life and began to take pity on herself. She was the younger, less privileged sister of the Howard household where she lived in the shadow of her older sister, her mother's ridicule, her fathers abandonment, and her best friend, only friend, hasn't had a single good thought about her in years. All her life she attempted to push these negative feelings aside. Though there's no point in ignoring it when all the shit you go through is that obvious. Therefore, Lexi decided to stop feeling sorry for herself,

"She hated herself for being so weak and passive. So, a couple of days after Cal came over, she decided to say something."

Lexi excited the school hall that afternoon blasting, Haunted, through her headphones while making her way home. She spent that afternoon going through her wardrobe until finding something that made her stick out, but was also casual at the same time. She didn't want to try too hard right? Enough questioning yourself Lexi, that's what got you to become so passive in the first place. That night, Lexi rode on her bike to Fez's covenant store both dreading the appearance and excited about it. Lexi wasn't going to back out this time. Not even Cal Jacobs, who if Lexi wasn't so lost in her thoughts, she would have noticed the intimidating figure peering through the front seat of his car window. That, and a clicking of a pistol from inside.

"I love you"

" I love you."

" I love you more."

" I love you more than more"

This was the very deep and integral conversation Kat and Ethan had that evening as each of them got ready for their date at the bowling alley. However, one was clearly more excited about the night's events than the other. However they weren't quite sure why. While on the phone, Kat sat on her kitchen floor writing out a list.

" Ethan made plans with Kat to go bowling that night. Kat was depressed because she couldn't figure out why she didn't love Ethan. So she decided to make a list of pros and cons. But she couldn't think of anything, which made her realize Ethan might not be the problem."

Kat took a finger gunshot to the head realizing her own shitiness. Ethan was the perfect guy: for any girl who can overlook muscles at least. She was lucky for him, or any guy, to fall for her. Why would he fall for her? She was never sure. In fact, most of the day she's complaining to her self consciousness how much of a hot fat mess she is. But that doesn't take away how Ethan, her family, and friends seemingly adored her. Though how can they hold her to such a degree when she can't see that in herself?

"Kat hated herself. But the problem with hating yourself is you can't really talk about it. Because at some point recently, the whole world joined a self-help cult and won't shut the fսck up about it. It's not gonna solve all your life problems, but it is gonna solve..."

"Kat"

"AUGH!"

There's no way in hell a size four something model could be sitting right on her bedpost: "You're one of the bravest, most beautiful human beings I have ever seen." She complimented the teenage girl. Though Katherine knew better than to believe that shit: " That's not true." she proclaimed with a mouthful of goldfish. Though the beautiful model was persistent: "Yes, it is. I wish I had your confidence." Easy for her to say: "But I don't, like... feel healthy."

"Yes, you are."

"No, like... seriously. I'm not."

"Kat, you just have to love yourself."

"But that's what I'm trying to tell you I fսcking hate myself!"

"Every day you get out of bed... It's an act of courage."

"That's easy for you to say. You don't have like fսcking mental problems."

"Yes, I do. Why do you think I look like this?"

"Are you kidding? I wish my mental problems made me look like you."

"Trust me, you don't".

"Trust me, I do! You're like the most beautiful person I've ever fucking seen"

"Maybe by a white, cis-male, heteronormative standard" Another model seemed to pop up out of the blue. This time though, beside her dresser.

"Oh, my God. Are you fսck¡ng joking?!"

"That's not you fսck¡ng talking! It's the patriarchy!"

"It is me talking!"

"You are not listening!"

"No! Society puts things into your mind!"

"Kat, you need to smash all beauty standards."

" But I can't even get out of bed!"

" You have to love yourself."

" You need to find your inner fսckin' warrior!"Said another model who came out from her bedpost.

"Become a bad bitch. Just like you did last year" once more, another model, who came from her bathroom.

"But that wasn't even real."

"It looked real"

" That was the point!"

"I found it inspiring" Another appeared

"Shut the fսck up!"

More and more models with more unrealistic proportions began to appear out of nowhere to surround the depressed teen. Kat needed space, she quickly bounced off her bed and tried to escape to her bathroom. Yet the models kept multiplying behind her, chanting for her to love herself whilst showing off their every perfect trait: Gorgeous hair, tits, skin, shape. Kat wanted to scream. But instead, she stood by the mirror and let the tears overflow as the self positivity destroyed her.

But even as the chanting became louder and louder, nothing could be louder than the buzz of a notification, coming from one of her cash pigs. Kat covered her ears. They wouldn't be positive if they knew what she's done. She has a terrible image, and can't love the boy in her loving relationship, and although the cam girl shit was fun for the first few months, she never considered the repercussions of getting into such an industry ong term. Now they wont stop calling her, texting her, asking, pleading to gain some of that pleasure. Thankfully most of her "pigs" were respectful towards aher mental needs just as much as their physical ones. All except one: The man with the dark screen. Kat calls him that because his account never had a name to it. Kat's tried numerous ways to block the number yet through either new, hacked, or different accounts, the man with the dark screen always anticipated more, becoming more desperate with his daily messages

Except this message wasn't from him, that was Kat's imagination. She was actually alone and the text was from Maddy, just checking up from the day's events. With all the stress from herself, to Ethan, to the mysterious user, it's good to know that Kat can always rely on her freinds even if she never understood it. And suddenly, Kat figured out a way to make date night more interesting.

Each of the friends responded to the event differently. Cassie was already preoccupied with private manners, Jules felt that the bowling night was a good way to get Rue out of her mind. BB was delighted to be excluded for most of the fall quarter. Maddy did have plans that night to babysit Theo. Though it wasn't until later. She can spare some time to have a bit of fun, especially since Jules was meant to show up. She never had much time to talk with Jules but now would be the perfect opportunity. Therefore before leaving, Maddy made sure to pack her special present within her purse.

The sun had finally set upon another day allowing the kids to roam wild on the streets. One of the wildest being Rue. I mean, who goes to an NA meeting while being completely stoned? Rue biked her way toward the back of the meeting place where she found a more intriguing entrance: a stair lift built on the side of the wall? Hell yeah! Rue always wanted to try out one of these. She abandoned her bike to make her way up the stairs with putting as little effort as possible. Unfortunately, what she didn't realize was that this meant it'll be a lot slower going on. This normally wouldn't be a problem if she didn't have any mean way of escape.

"Look what the cat dragged in." Ali greeted at the top of the staircase. This marked the only bad part about stairlifts: you can't escape from your fate, only push forward: "Yeah yeah" Rue responded unimpressed. She really didn't want to see Ali here. At least, she didn't want him to see her in this state. Ali was the only person who knew about her relapse. Not because she told him, though he had a special way of knowing things from his own experiences: "I see you're still on your suicide mission". He jokes depressingly. Sometimes, Rue hated how Ali would be able to see right through her. Though if he never had the guts to call her out on her bullshit, they wouldn't have the mentor like relationship they have now. And so as she finished her way up the escalator, Ali spoke in prayers: " Let go. Let God. Where are we going?"

There was also Bowling night: something Ethan's been looking forward to for some time. Kat kept telling him this was one of the many places she'd often hang out with friends. For someone who didn't leave his household that much, Ethan felt lucky to be a part of it. Katherine showed up a half an hour after he did with her hair plaited on one side while looking gorgeous in her green top with black jeans and boots to match. She also wore heavy dark makeup: a change she adjusted to a few weeks after the two of them met. Although Ethan didn't understand the change, he accepted it as long as it made her feel conferrable.

What didn't make Ethan comfortable is for Kat to be greeted by all her friends the moment they walked through the door. He didn't know she was planning to bring friends. And if she warned him beforehand, maybe he would have thought to bring a few people of his own clique along too. The night wasn't a completely happy one for Ethan. But it should have been: the music was booming, the game was a breeze, and he got to see his wonderful girlfriend with a smile on her face. Only, she wasn't smiling with him. Kat knew the decision she made was shitty and she probably should have talked it over with Ethan first. But it was better than being awkward around each other all night. Kat felt happiest with her friends from the confidant Maddy Perez, the humorous BB, and to the sweet Jules. For her, the night was going wonderful. Maddy was in the lead with Jules at a close second, Kat was third, and BB came dead last. Though the leaderboard meant shit. It was these memories that mattered.

BZZZZZZZZZ

Instantly she knew who it was. Did Kat need to look at the message now? He's just going to ask for more nude pics again. It was the same process everyday. And she was never let alone until the man with the dark screen gets what they want. And she'll do whatever they want once she makes it home for the night. For now- is it wrong to be living the teenage dream? Kat took her phone out of her pocket to respond exactly that.

" Why's your cute ass striking bowling pins when you could be striking me?"

Holy shit. Kat wished she didn't have to assume anything and this was all just irony. Though the person sent photographic evidence. The man with the dark screen somehow managed to spot her out! Even worse, they were in the same room. Maybe it was a coincidence. Or he could have known her identify far sooner. Did he only recently begin stalking her? Or could this have been a longevity thing? Kat looked up from her phone quickly to spot a figure rushing it's way out of the Bowling Alley. The race was on.

Kat never looked back as she raced as fast as her high heeled boots would push her through those front doors, into the breeze of California night. For an area on the west coast, their California nights were chilly enough to borrow someone's coat. But Kat could care shit about how cold she was trembling. All that mattered was to find the culprit of her nightmares, her consistent panic attacks, and the one thing preventing her from an ordinary teenage life. Though by the time her eyes landed on something suspicious, it was too late. The car was too far down the driveway for Kat to identify the body inside. Though it was close enough for her to take a picture of the license plate! Once taken, Kat kept reading the photo over and over again: 6224906. She suspected him to have one of those funny yet dirty license plates that were custom made. Not like she thought of him a lot, that be fucked up. Though it's even more fucked up for the man with the dark screen to stalk her everywhere she goes. Well the jokes on him because now she's got a clue on where to find him. And this clue will lead to another. Soon all her evidence will lead to a single destination.

" Is everything okay?" Her wonderful ,so wonderful, boyfriend stepped out the California breeze too little too late. Though it's not like she wants him, or anyone, to know what she does on the side. This mission has to be kept to herself no matter how much danger could be in. She'd rather not put her friends in more peril than what's already in their lives: "I think I want to go '' Kat whispered as Ethan as he hugged one arm around her.

With Kat's decision, everyone slowly began to head their separate ways. All except for Maddy, who still needed to be picked up by Samantha's limo driver. She waited on the sidewalk with Jules, who was also waiting for a ride home. Having nothing else to do, the girls began a conversation: "So you're supposedly working for some wealthy family now?" Jules stated. In the moment, Maddy mentioned her new babysitting job to Jules responding. " Yeah, I guess so." The two girls watched Kat and Ethan, further up the driveway, as the two "love birds" drove off in their car. If there's one thing they can both relate to, it is their need to find love. And perhaps, themselves finding love with the wrong person: ''You know what's kind of depressing?" Maddy started, " That I'll never find that kind of love." Interesting. How could the most popular girl in East Highland ever doubt herself: "What do you mean?" Jules asked. Maddy explained: "There's just no darkness. It's just sweet. I don't know if that would ever be enough for me." To Jules this was difficult to understand conceptually. Love shouldn't be made out of darkness, it should be made out of love! Relationships where your partner wouldn't make kindness feel like labor. They'd have no problem giving you affection from hand holding, kissing. And not just a peck but those full on biting on the lip and saliva shared. And eventually, it's become a turning moment where the two of you're invited to give away your innocence to one another.

"Rue's relapsed." Jules blurted out in the heat of the moment. It took Maddy by surprise. Rue relapsing? Unbelievable! Okay, she was exaggerating. Maybe it wasn't completely unbelievable. Her and Jules really do have the worst things in common. Maddy tried to keep her calm composure about her friend's condition though her shocked expression was obvious thanks to her eyelids.

"When did she tell you?"

"She didn't. Rue was just acting weird"

"Like as in a not like herself type of weird?"

" The type of weird where she'd be acting high. Please don't ask how I know that."

"I won't. I'm sorry about Rue."

" Thanks. I'm sorry about you and Nate."

.........................

Maddy couldn't give a response right away. She wanted to say how Jules shouldn't be sorry because he was a dick to begin with. But Maddy couldn't get her mind off him. At his worst he can be the biggest dick to everyone around him. Though at his best, he can be the greatest thing to ever happen to her. Together, they played on a seesaw She should know better than to ride on the attraction but she was just having too much fun to get off.

" I think I'm gonna get back together with him." Maddy confided with Jules, "It's a mistake right? DUH, Jules thought to herself. Though she understood why Maddy was so hesitant to leave Nate in the first place. Or better off, Tyler. To her, this whole town would be better off if they kidnapped Nate, blindfolded him, took him to a skyscraper in New York, then pushed him off the building. It'll be a science experiment: would bigfoot's large size be able to survive a large drop? Was Jules hesitant to tell Maddy this? Hell no: "Don't do it" Jules warned. Though Maddy's response was the problem with girls like her: "I don't think I can help it" The two girls sat in silence, friendly betting on one another who would be picked up first. The winner was Maddy, who was about to get into the back seat when Jules called her attention forward. Maddy turned her head for the blonde for her to decipher words that'll remain with her for the rest of the night: " I wish you can see yourself the way that the rest of the world sees you."

With that, the car drove off and Jules was left alone. Though that just always seems to be the way isn't it? No mother to consolidate her, and barely a girlfriend functioning both physically and mentally. Sure, the old Rue was an introverted disaster who not only put too much pressure on her, but also lacked the understanding for how her selfish actions affected other people. Rue still is that, except less tolerable. Even if Jules was able to get all the love she wanted it wouldn't be worth it if the consequence was death. Maybe it's best if she kept her distance from Rue for a bit. Maybe she'll take the hint to get better. Hopefully Leslie's doing the best she can.

Jules was about to wander around the parking lot when her foot seemed to crack something. Peering down, it seems she cracked the glass of a random disk, lying on the cemented floor. Thankfully, the disc wasn't damaged too badly. The case is still protecting its secrets though now withholds a small crack upon its protection. But what would a random disk be doing in the middle of the street? When standing up, Jules made sure to pick up the disk and made sure to hold it in a way that would scalp her skin. Maybe it wasn't a random disk, Maddy might have dropped it when she got into the limo. She didn't know why Maddy would have some random disk in her purse. Though Jules decided not to question it. Returning it at school would be the best course of action. And so Jules left the area, with disk in hand, hoping to return it next time she sees her. 

On the opposite side of town, Lexi finally made her way to Fezco's convenient store. Thanks to the small space it wasn't hard to find the drug dealer grabbing water for himself from one of the fridges. Lexi smiled as she approached him and at the same time, cursed herself for doing so. She really shouldn't be acting so obvious in front of him. In fact, she's probably giving Fezco too much credit. What were the chances of him remembering her forgettable presence?

"Lexi Howard! How are you doin?" Omg, she stood corrected! Fezco actually remembered her And he's happy to see her? Pinch her, this is a dream. Finally, a person where she can finally feel welcome and respected by. What a dream come true, a gift from god even! On a side note: God, if Fezco's right and you do exist. Please don't fuck me over. But if god existed, he was looking after someone more important because right near Fezco was a blonde woman, sitting crisscross applesauce upon the popsicle stand. " Hi! I'm Faye." 'she introduced herself. Definitely not the type of person she'd interact with, ever. But Fez and her looked so perfect together. This Faye girl probably came here hours having the most enriching conversations without her. Lexi tried her best to be polite: "I'm Lexi, um..... Are you guys..." Fezco was quick to correct, " Yeah, no, she's just staying with me for a bit, but she's cool. What brings you out here anyway?" In that moment, well actually it was when she locked eyes with Faye, all confidence evaporated out of her. That moment on the couch with her and Fez was magical, just the two of them. And here she is again reaching out to that feeling of adrenaline..... Only this time with Faye as well. It just wasn't the same. Hopefully Fezco will understand: "Oh, I just came to get a, a drink" She lied. Instantly, she saw Fezco's face sadden. How dare she break his heart? He responded: "Okay, well, we got plenty of those. Um...... you know that's the malt liquor." GOD DAMMIT LEXI stop being so obvious around him! Look at him! Look at Faye! Look at her smiling about something! She probably knows about your already obvious intentions here. Either that, or she's counting the number of tiles there are on the ceiling. How many tiles are there on the ceiling........ NO LEXI STOP THAT no matter what you do, PLAY COOL!!!!

" Good Evening"

FUCK!!!!!!!!!

Of course Cal Jacobs was going to come hunt Fezco down and of course she'd had to be there to witness it. Lexi wanted to curl herself into a ball and blend in the background. She normally does it phenomenally. But why, the one time she decides to stick out, is she placed in the worst possible scenario? Cal suspected nothing of her when visiting her household. She's going to be on Cal's radar for sure now! And you don't want to be on the radar of the most powerful man in town. Though she couldn't imagine how much of a threat Fez is to him right now? He must be scared shitless!

"What's up man."

Why the fuck isn't he scared shitless? Why the fuck is he so calm??? Does he seriously not know how much power Cal Jacobs has over everyone? Please tell me Fezco knows who Cal Jacobs even is. Speaking of the man of the hour, He walked up slowly to one of the low-borrowed aisles and just stood there, standing there. But Lexi knew this was intentional: "This your store?" Cal asked. Clearly Fezco didn't know what was best for his safety and just treated the off putting man like a customer: " It's a family business". Cal immediately asked, "Do your parents own it?" while clutching onto the mysterious item in his pocket. At this point Fezco was getting annoyed. Why couldn't the man just mind his own business: " You usually ask this many questions?" Cal responded: "Just you".

Cal took his time to get a hold of his surroundings. At this point, most people were suspecting something off about this man. He was here to pick off more than a spare of gum. They each felt that the tenseness of the room became greater and prepared for what was about to happen: Ashtray got his guns ready, Lexi bent her knees to duck, Faye remained all eye contact on the special guest, though that didn't keep her head too far from the ceiling. Welcome to East Highland sweetheart. If you think the heroin puts you in a lot of trouble, how high you can be is nothing compared to how low you're about to feel.

"She tell you who I am?" Cal pointed to Lexi's direction. Frick, the girls was definitely on Cal Jacobs hit list. Lexi's thought of the many results of this situation. There could be a reality where Cal would leave the three of them alone. Though like that was going to happen, these are the Jacobs were talking about. After this, he'll probably confront Fezco to the police and get him arrested. Or maybe the police are already waiting outside, and Cal Jacobs was they're lead. How will Lexi be affected by this? She'll definitely find ways to visit Fezco at the station everyday. Or maybe, maybe she might get arrested herself for being a witness to the crime. She can go to jail, she has a good head on her shoulders. Though the only thing Lexi could do was wait for someone to make the next move: "Nah, man" Fezco responded to the question from earlier. " Are you a Cop?" Faye questioned. If anything he was more powerful than East Highlands entire police force: "No" Cal responded.

At that moment, Ashtray jumped into the scene just as quickly as Lexi ducked out of it. She heard sounds of bullets blowing back and forth unsure who was affected by what. She heralds the sound of Faye's screams over the events taking place in front of her. Then there's Lexi, once more, being a coward. Lexi cried as the sounds of gunshots only continued, not seemingly to be touched by any of them. And to think this was all her fault. If she refused to be silenced by Cal, none of the following would have happened. No one would possibly be dead and the four of them could have been fine. Why does she always let others trample over her? The experience was scary, quick but scary. When the noise of gunshots finally stopped, Lexi decided not to lift her head immediately. What if she didn't like what she was going to see? What if everyone was dead and she was the only survivor? What if she was the only one actually dead and the images she's imagining are nothing but a fragment of her imagination? No, that is not it. After all, she certainly feels alive. And now's not the time for hiding. Fezco, and whoever else was shot, needs your help. And you must be there for them. Lexi raised her head to find that thankfully, Ashtray and Faye were unharmed though more so trashed from the events, Fezco on the other hand was in critical condition. The loaf layed on the ground with his clothing smeared in his own blood. Lexi found herself beside Fez whispering calm words for support while at the same time calling the ambulance for him, hoping, praying even! They'd be able to save her friend's life.

And just like that, the night begins to wrap up, such as Rue, who finished her NA session for the evening and prepared to ride home when Ali intruded: "How 'bout you let me give you a ride home?" He recommended it. It's not like she's a stranger to this gratitude by him. While on Christmas break, he drove her to grab pancakes together, the only time she left her house during break. The offer was nice except for the fact she got a large bike she's responsible for: "Um, I'm okay. I got my, uh, my bike." Though Ali was persistent: " Yeah, yeah I'm not sure you should be behind the handlebars right now?" Okay he has a point. Would be pathetic to have yourself OD on a bike outside of some random street. Plus, she was too tired to argue

And that's how Rue ended up in Ali's car that evening talking about some person named Thelonious Monk while his music played through the stereo:

" Yo, have you ever listened to Thelonious Monk?"

"No, what?"

"Greatest Jazz Pianist who ever lived. Supposedly, he has huge hands. He would play like this, and then he would roll his hands over, hit the keys-"

And from there Rue decided to stop paying attention. She decided to take the risk and allowed herself to submit herself into her own self conscious. She thought about her other peers and what they could be doing right now. Jules laid in her room, with disk in hand, crying over the day's events with her window being the only light source. Nate made sure to wait outside until Cassie closed her door. But the night wasn't over for him yet. He took out the boutique of flowers hidden behind the back seat and drove off. Lexi stayed late at Fezco' s house helping Faye and Ashtray help heal his wounds. And Kat shed a single tear as she danced in her cam girl outfit for the man with nothing but a dark screen.

Rue was taken out of her trance when she heard the car door slam shut. Though that couldn't have come from her what the fuck is Ali doing?: "what are you doing?" Rue questioned from the open car window. Ali responded, "I'm gonna introduce myself to your mother." Yeah, no way in a million years would Rue ever let him do that: "What do you mean?" Rue called out quickly getting herself out of the car. Ali was happy to explain himself: "Rue, if my daughter was getting' rides home from NA by a 54- year old crackhead, and didn't come to the door to look me in the eye and shake my hand,.... I'd think somethin' was afoot." Fuck, he had a really good point. Though wouldn't her mother be suspicious if she was hanging out with a crackhead to begin with: "O-okay, but you can't, like, go in there and start... talkin' and stuff, you know?" Ali understood completely. In fact, he felt a little offended that Rue didn't understand his good intentions: "You scared Imma tell your mama you're still doing' drugs, huh? Oh, the anxiety you must have.

From there Ali invited himself in, which resulted in a surprisingly coherent conversation between him and her mother:

" I got two daughters myself, so I know it can't be easy. I've got a lot of respect for you."

" Well I'm just doin' what I can. Do you want somethin' to drink or eat? Do you want to sit down?"

" Nah, nah, nah. I was just coming' to introduce myself. I'm sponsorin' the little troublemaker."

"But she's doing well, right?"

Tension filled the room from all parties searching for different responses. Though all Rue hoped for, was to be able to rely that Ali wouldn't rat her out in front of her mother. Though he was seriously taking his time with answering the question. C'mon man, the more you wait the more my mom's going to suspect something's up. Thankfully for Rue, it wasn't Ali who saved the day but instead, her little sister, who she didn't even see on the table studying with McKay: "Hey, we're trying to study here ." Ali laughed in response at the younger sister's frantic comment and responded: "I should get going then. But she's got a long way to go. So did I at her age." and with that the two of them greeted one another as Ali, and even McKay, left the household for the evening. Gia also packed up her stuff and moved herself to her room not too long later. This left Rue and her mother to sit at the tables in the kitchen area and take note of the silence. Leslie couldn't help but smile at her daughter. Rue couldn't help but feel elated that her mother was smiling: " He's handsome" Ugh, really mom? Out of all the things you could have said. Whatever, it's not like it meant anything. Rue wanted to just sit on this chair and enjoy the moment, the thrill, to live another day.

Fezco also found the chance to live another day. In fact, he was moving better than ever. He wore a dark gray shirt completely cleaned off with retro 90's pants. His face was super cleaned out and was about to head to bed until he heard a sound within the hallway. Thinking about his family, Fezco immediately grabbed a gun to protect anyone in need. Thankfully, it wasn't necessary, as Faye only fell from a couple of shelves. Whatever she was doing, Fezco was getting used to having her around. Sure, he didn't mind her presence at first though her misadventures made her perspective interesting. How did she wind up in these situations? Fez will never know. Though he was happily able to take on the role as caretaker: "C'mon kid, let's put you to bed." Fezco explained before picking up Faye, and taking her back to the couch where she slept for the time being. Faye was mostly out of it as who knows how many drugs were currently in her system. Though the girl did have something on her mind which she just needed to get out: "Is it true that you killed Mouse?" Faye was a nice girl, really. Though just because you're nice doesn't mean you're trustworthy. Fezco ignored the question and restarted to go to bed. After she fell fast asleep, Fezco made his way to the window where he watched for any suspicious activity, before closing for the night.

Only two people remained. One of which finally reached his destination. He walked up to a fanny suburban household with a bouquet in hand, ringing the doorbell without hesitation. Now what was Nate doing in the middle of the night standing on some woman's doorway? Well for certain, he was conscious. And the best part about being conscious is having the rest of your life in control. Though as of late, some stings have become loose or in a better term, tangled. And with these flowers, Maddy Perez will open the door over the moon for the sight of them. How much he cared for her was questionable. Because Nate more so cared about what she's done to his life, what she could do, and what would happen if his father got his hands on the girl in question. HIs father could search for the disk all he wants though as long as Nate guards his target, he'll never reach where it lies. Nate will untangle the knots, and find his way to return to complete control, no matter what it takes.

END OF EPISODE