CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

There is never a clear moment in anyone's life when they are sure something has ended. Memories surely fade, but they don't disappear, so how is it that things end? There are always strings attached to every event, to every person, every relationship  — memories. Memories that haunt, memories that envelop the person in a warm hug, reminding them of the happiness they experienced when it all started.

Humans are like books. Some are convoluted messes that people can never understand, others are open  — written in simple terms. Some are lovable like romance books, and some are feared like horror or classics. Like a book, each human comes with a set number of chapters - with a set number of pages. Beginning, middle, and end.

No matter how many chapters, there is always a beginning, middle, and end.

Venus's beginning at Centennial Secondary School was also the beginning of her end. Two parallel events led her six feet under.

Perhaps if her story had a name it would be "The Undoing of Venus Wilson". A story about a girl who played with fire thinking she wouldn't get consumed by the flames.

"Little Venus dug herself a grave, caught in a web of lies with only enemies to bury her name..."

My enemies will remember my name. Please don't forget my name.

The Reckoning of Kate Rodriguez. A story about a woman who was wronged, a woman who sought revenge only to be consumed by her ownself.

"I'll win..."

I couldn't win. I don't think I will ever win.

The Fall of Tyler Meyers. A story about a man who wasn't a man at all, but a boy, too afraid to love the woman he did, too afraid to stand up against the wrong. Too afraid to live the way he wanted to.

"I love Venus!"

I don't love her. I don't think I ever did.

    So many stories exist in this world. Each person walking with a story of fate written on their palms. Many go untold, while others imprint themselves on others, leaving lasting scars filled with bittersweet memories.

Humans. Homo sapiens. Odd creatures, they are the art and the artists themselves.

They are muses. They are life.

They are books with happiness and sadness, and everything in between.

They are everything yet nothing at the same time. Like any book, they are forgotten as the years go by, replaced by new stories, replaced over and over until no one remembers their names.

The undoing of Venus Wilson, The reckoning of Kate Rodriguez, The fall of Tyler Meyers  — if not stories that are meant to be forgotten, they are lessons.

+ + +

    "-And as this chapter ends in your lives, I hope you have reflected on the lessons you have learned during your time at Centennial Secondary School," Principal Foster's voice boomed through the speakers.

    White chairs lined the field, parents and family members sitting, cheering, whistling from the bleachers on either side of the venue. As Trevor looked down at his lap, a dark blue gown covering his thighs, he let out a sigh of relief.

This chapter was over.

    "...Before we begin the ceremony I would like to take this time to honor a student we lost unexpectedly at the beginning of the school year. Venus Wilson was part of the senior class that was meant to graduate this summer, however after an accident..." Foster's throat tightened at the word 'accident' and Trevor straightened his back. He turned ever so slightly to catch Raj's gaze, peering at him like a hawk watches its prey. Trevor shot back to his original position and focused all his attention on Principal Foster. He tried to gulp down the memories he'd suppressed  — surprisingly, forgetting was easy when you didn't think about it and let life take over  — but at that moment there wasn't a word like forgetting in Trevor's dictionary.

    Instead of the speech, he focused on the phone that weighed down in his pocket. He thought to himself for a moment if they would notice if he pulled it out of his pocket and sent another text to Lily. It was their only form of communication. Even today, she didn't make an effort to congratulate him. Ever since that phone call he hadn't seen her. It felt awkward knowing his last words to her were I love you. The thought of those three words caused his heart to beat faster than he'd preferred. The sun felt like it was burning a hole in his back, as he squinted his eyes trying to block out the rays.

    "-Thank you," an unfamiliar voice graced his ears, prompting him to look back at the line of board members who sat like props on the stage. "Hello everyone," she started, and the way her blonde hair shone in the summer sun, the way her eyes crinkled when she talked it was evident who she was.

    "I can't believe she came," Dominic said, two seats away from him.

    Why did both of their surnames have to start with B? Why couldn't his last name start with I? He sighed, bringing his left hand up to his forehead, ready to wipe his sweat away.

    "My dad told me she dipped the moment Venus's funeral news died down  — something about her business not doing well. After she left,"

    The case went cold.

Trevor knew that, what he didn't know was why. It was a small town, they didn't have the money or resources to afford an investigation, especially not when the rich who resided in the town refused to pay taxes. Every burden was on the lower middle class, and their taxes weren't enough to even adequately stock hospitals with the necessary items, let alone open a case Malia Wilson forced them to keep open.

    It was an accident in the eyes of Bruinville in the end. A tragic, tragic accident.

    That person was right. In the end, it was her enemies that buried her name, and slowly she was being forgotten, only to be resurrected by those enemies that witnessed her death that night.

Little Venus, he thought to himself, echoing the last words Venus heard, I've escaped your web, let me bury your name.

    Before he allowed himself to drown in the memories of that night, Foster's voice pulled him out of the abyss. "Thank you," he ushered Malia Wilson off the stage, her arms bearing a bouquet of white flowers in place of her child.

He wondered how she felt attending graduation her only child didn't live to attend. There it was, that stupid feeling, the same one that weakened his resolve - guilt.

How could he feel this way when he was sure that Venus never felt his for him?  She threw him in a pit of fire and let him burn. He couldn't allow himself to feel guilt, not after what he'd done.

Trevor rose from his seat and followed the line of students towards the stage. He shuffled behind Dominic and his teammates, venom seeping into his veins as he walked in such proximity with the person who'd attacked Lily, who'd violated Kate.

In the end, evil never gets punished. Venus Wilson was an exception. But in real life, there was no such thing as punishment.

Crime is not something bad for the rich, it just measures how much they can get away with. There is no such thing as karma or justice. These are concepts fed to the wronged so they do not cause an uprising.

Dominic Bilyk could get away with every and anything he wanted. Humans were toys to him, disposable little playthings. He got bored with Kate so he played with Lily. Trevor couldn't bring himself to think about the others he must've harmed. Kate couldn't have been an isolated incident. Even now, he remembered how girls didn't like being alone with him. She wasn't the first and she definitely wasn't the last.

"Bilyk, Dominic," Trevor scoffed as he watched Dominic stride across the stage, shaking the trustees' hands, then his own father's, a proud smile on both their faces. He watched as he posed with his diploma in hand as if he truly earned it himself.

God, just die, he meant that.

If the poor are wronged they do not pray for justice, they don't let karma take the wheel. They pray and pray because prayers are all they have. Die, die, die. No one would ever admit it though, but Trevor knew if Dominic's curtain of innocence was ripped off, even those who lived in gated communities would utter his thoughts.

"Dominic will be attending Alexandria Sports Academy on a full-ride scholarship!" His five seconds of fame were over as he departed from the stage and to his spot located on the field.

Two others were announced before Trevor's name was called. "Brown, Trevor," his mother's cheers echoed in his ears as he tried to fight back the smile on his face. He begrudgingly shook the hand of the trustees who'd wanted him expelled and posed for the camera, diploma in one hand, the other holding Foster's. As he smiled he searched for the girl he'd yearned to see, only to see a small figure at the back of the field. The graduation cap looked too big on her head, but there she was, waving as if she could see him too.

This chapter was over but he didn't want to forget her.

"Trevor will be attending the University of Toronto, he will be pursuing a degree in English Literature." Foster's voice was muffled as he walked away from him and towards his spot.

The rest of the graduation was an extended blur of handshakes, posing for pictures, and announcements made by Foster, followed by boring and reused speeches delivered by the trustees. The sun had set before they'd been asked to line up to exit the field in an orderly manner. Stars danced in the skies, celebrating the end of yet another part of their lives, and as they did he searched for Lily, Raj, and Kate.

After his mother had taken hundreds of pictures and selfies with him, she'd left to sleep at home, leaving him to hang out with his friends (she'd been taken aback hearing the term 'friend').

There he stood, in a sea of dark blue gowns searching for his 'friends', his arms carrying three different bouquets his mother had gifted him so he didn't feel as if no one was there for him. She loved him enough for him to start loving himself.

There was no bitterness to this end. He was happy.

He chuckled at the realization.

The moon was bright, stars in the sky, dark blue, red, and yellows, and all the colors in between. The days were no longer hues of greys, his feelings were no longer muted. He didn't need sleeping pills. He didn't dread the next day.

"And one day you'll get back to where you were."

"I don't think I can anymore, Mom."

I did it, he thought.

    "Trevor!" He turned around to find Kate, a garland of flowers around her neck, her parents standing behind her like pillars, looking him up and down. "Mama," she beamed, Trevor tried to stop his jaw from touching the ground. "Papa," her smile fell a little, but it remained. "This is Trevor Brown, my friend."

    "Hello, pleased to meet you," Trevor greeted her parents, bowing his head just a bit out of habit, as they shook his hand. "Your daughter is very," he tried to find words that wouldn't sour the mood, "adamant?" it came out as more of a question.

    "Is it okay if I hang out with my friends?" She pouted like a child and Trevor blinked multiple times, trying to make sense of the sudden change in Kate. Once the two agreed and turned away, she looked back at Trevor. The smile slowly fell from her face, and there she was. The Kate Rodriguez he knew. "Sorry," she said, tugging the sleeve of his dress shirt, "Let's go to where Lily and Raj are, I don't want them to change their mind."

    "What - W-Why were you acting like that?" He stammered, afraid by her sudden change.

    "Because I don't want them to be sad because of me," she explained. "They think I'm fine now, I'll let them believe that."

Before Trevor could press for more information, Raj and Lily's voice filled his ears, pulling his attention from Kate to them. Trevor took in the two, Lily wearing a white summer dress, and Raj wearing something similar to what the rest of the men were wearing - white button-down, black trousers, and black shoes to complete the look. As his gaze found its way back to Lily he noticed that her hair had been cut short, the strands barely grazed her shoulders, cut in an erratic pattern, as if she'd done it herself. She had a meek smile adorned to which he returned with an identical expression.

"Hey," she spoke up, "congratulations," this time she stared at Kate. "You look beautiful," he could feel Kate stiffen beside him, and the small 'thank you' she uttered went unnoticed.

As Raj opened his mouth to take over the conversation, as he always did, Trevor noticed that the two of them had no bouquets in their arms. Even Kate had flowers adorned on her in every which way to show the support, but not these two.

"Here," he shyly pushed one of his bouquets into Lily's hands. When she looked up at him, a hint of blush peeking through, he looked towards Raj and shoved the second bouquet into his arms. "Now we all have flowers," Raj smiled warmly at him, pulling him in for a hug.

"Let's go somewhere else," Raj proposed. "I want to spend this night with you guys."

Like that, the four of them allowed themselves to dance in ignorance. They wanted to be like the foolish humans that turned their heads when faced with evil, they decided to not ponder the evil bonds that tied them together. Tonight they would be normal, somewhat like friends.

Silently, they agreed to not dig up Venus's name. Today they would not look back at the past, but at the future that laid ahead, untouched, like a blank canvas waiting to be painted.

Today was the end of yesterday.

All Trevor wanted was to forget all the yesterdays, just like Raj had told him to. He wanted them all to forget. Venus was a nightmare, nightmares were meant to be forgotten. She was a storm, a calamity, a hard time in his life. Such things were meant to test him, but not remain as a constant in his life.

Let her case remain cold, like all the times he slept without warmth in his heart. Let her remain dead, and let him live.

From today onwards he would choose himself. There was no Venus Wilson.

There was never a Venus Wilson.

"Little Venus dug herself a grave, caught in a web of lies with only enemies to bury her name..."

Stop.

"Trevor,"

"Venus,"

Stop.

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