lie.
/lʌɪ/
noun: lie; plural noun: lies
an intentionally false statement.

****

With each step I take towards the truth, I'm taken 10 steps backwards in unraveling this mystery. And it's all because of Kylie's lies. This brought me to thinking, how many things in my life have I lied about? The number is infinite I'm sure.

How many lives have my lies costed?
Would I be where I am today if I didn't lie?
Why did I lie?
Was the lie worth it?
If I ended up dead. Murdered. Would my lies keep me from getting justice?

"Kelsie?", Mason asks me as he opens the door to see me standing on the other side, leaning against the door frame, "what are you doing here?"

"We need to talk"

"Sure, come on in", he says politely and I walk past him and sit on the couch in the lounge room

"Make yourself at home I guess", he jokes. I don't laugh though, there's nothing funny. Not to me. Not right now.

"Did you kill my sister?", I ask frantically. I figured, why beat around the bush? Why not just be straight forward?

He smiles nervously, "is this a joke?"

"Do I look like someone who has time to joke?"

He clears his throat, "No. no, I did not kill Kylie"

"You lied about what happened the night she died, you were the last person to see her alive and-oh-you threatened to kill her the night she was mysteriously murdered. Even if you didn't murder her, you at least have an idea of who did"

"Where is this coming from"

"That doesn't matter.", I say, "what happened Mason? What happened the night Kylie died?"

Mason's p.o.v
That Friday Night...
Every Friday night is the same for me. Nothing ever really changes. But to be quite honest, I'm fine with that.

I'm fine with the aimless drinking and crying of at the least, two girls each night. I'm fine with everyone dancing like they'd forgotten how to stand still. I'm fine with wasted blondes and brunettes trying to get me to cheat on my girlfriend. I'm fine with how everyone always wants me around with a huge grin painted on my face. I'm fine with being a part of the crowd where we all act the same, drink the same liquor, cheer at the same moment, do the same drugs and feel the same euphoria all at once.

I'm fine with it all because In that moment, there's a sense of unity. There's a feeling of freedom that I just don't feel in any other part of my life, what, being in a family where both my parents are never around.

So every Friday night, I put on my best smile and absolutely melt into the growing puddle of people that make up a Friday Night house party. And I feel...Fine.

"Hey, what time is it?", Kylie asks me nervously while she sits on my lap and I kiss the back of her arm softly

"Almost 11", I respond, "why? Do you suddenly have a curfew?"

"I just feel kind of sick."

That worries me.

"Want me to take you home?", I offer

"Honestly, I couldn't ask for anything more", she whispers and lays her head back onto my shoulder, "Will you stay with me? I don't wanna sleep alone tonight and Kelsie's over at Trip's"

"You know that all I ever want is to lie naked with you beneath a warm duvet and listen to the beating of your sweet heart.", I say to her

I feel a smile spread across her face before she replies, "oh, how I love it when you go all poetry Mason on me"

"I'm gonna go say bye to Sophia. I'll be back in a sec"

I watch her walk towards Sophia who was sitting with the other soccer players with their feet dangling in the pool and suddenly, a vibration on Kylie's phone cuts me out of thought. She always gave me her phone to keep for her whenever we went out together. She says it's because she used to give it to her dad when she was younger and now that he's not always around, she needed the position to be filled.

I turned on the phone and a message from Noah read, "I miss you and I miss us. I cannot stand the feeling of knowing that right now, you are in the process of trying to forget me by being with somebody else who I know for a fact that you do not love. I am ready to risk it all for you. Let us run away together, we can get an ocean view or some crappy apartment. As long as I'm next to you, I do not care. I love you and I need you in my life Kylie. Please call me."

A feeling of betrayal hovers over me and immediately, all I see is red.

"Ready to go babe?", Kylie asks as she approaches me with her arm locked in Sophia's

"You told me this summer would be different. You promised me that this summer you wouldn't even speak to him", I kept my eyes steady, resting on her face like they were home, but just briefly, the sorrow already building.

She stayed rooted to the spot, the breeze moving her hair softly away from the cheekbones. She knew exactly who I was talking about and by the looks of it, so did Sophia.

"Wha...what are you talking about?", she stutters

"I'm talking about how you're a lying piece of trash", I say out of anger, "but this is what you do isn't it? This was a what we do. We love each other and hurt each other before the other one of us gets a chance to"

"Hey, calm down", Sophia tries, placing he leaves palm on my arm. I flick her off and she looks genuinely shocked

"Just take the party inside", I tell Sophia and she does just that

"Do you even love me?!", I yell

"Goodness Mason I really wish I knew", she whimpers, "because then this wouldn't be so damn hard but it is! I'm sorry okay? I messed up and I'm sorry"

"If you say that one more time I swear on my life that I will Kill you Kylie Burklin!", I scream

Her features buckled just slightly before she spoke, the only betrayal of her grief. "Fine Mason! You know what? Fine. I am sick and tired of feeling like a bad person for being confused! I'm allowed to not know what I want Mason! I'm a damn human being!"

"That isn't an excuse to cheat on me!", I defend, "there is no excuse in this world for being disloyal to anybody! You're a disgusting person Kylie!"

"Oh, we're talking about disgusting people? Why don't we talk about what's running in your veins right this bloody second Mason?!", she yells,

I wanted to cry as rage filled my belly. I felt my ears getting hot. I glare at her then spit out, "shut up!"

She sneers at me then laughs only adding fuel to my wrath. I hate to say this but it was taking every ounce of power in me not to get physically violent with her right at this moment.

"You think this is funny?" I snap.

She glares at me with hatred in her cruel dull eyes. Thinking carefully of what to say to upset me. "You're no better than me Mason fucking Kendall! If anything, you're far worse off! I mean have you stopped to think that maybe it's you and your entire pathetic existence that just drives people away?! When's the last time you saw your parents?! When's the last time they said they loved you?! Hell, if your own parents don't love you, what makes you think I possibly could?!"

Our heated quarrel continues. It was definitely a war of words and who can hurt the other one worse. Both of us at each other. The arguing came right through the walls as loud as any TV show. We got all the details we never wanted to know, who, what and where.

"Get out of my house", I yell, stepping closer to her enough to where I was very well right In her face.

I watch her wince before she turns away from me and starts to walk home.

Kelsie's p.o.v
Present Day...
"So, I went down to the shed in my backyard and did some...meth. I needed it", Mason says, finishing the story

"So that's why you changed the story?"

"I could go to jail if they knew I had an illegal drug in my midst. And if they did a drug test, they'd find a boat load in my system. That could mess up my entire sports career and not to mention my families reputation. I couldn't risk it all"

"I wish I knew how she really ended up in there. It kills me to know that she left after I said all of that to her", he pauses, "after we said all that to each other"

"This could possibly help my moms case and get her out of custody", I tell him

"I know. But please Kelsie, I can't let this ruin my life", he pleads

Before I could give a response to Mason, I received a phone call from an unknowing number

"Hello?", I answer

"Hello. It is Noah", I hear him say

"This isn't a good time. I'm in the middle of something important"

"Trust me, I think you are going to want to hear what I just found out"

☔︎︎☔︎︎☔︎︎☔︎︎