k a r r i s

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It was that part of the week where the weekend was so close, yet so far. I still had two more full days of school, plus practice before I could bask in weekend shenanigans. And when I say shenanigans, what I really mean is wearing sweatpants all day, watching movies, and sneaking in a few extra cookies into my system. But alas, it was only Thursday, and my weekend endeavors only seemed like a dream.

As I sat on the kitchen table, eating a gigantic bowl of oatmeal with several types of exotic toppings only my mother and a health guru could explain the significance of each, I looked over my notes for the Biology exam I had that day. In the midst of memorizing what a Golgi Apparatus and a Cytoplasm does in either an animal or a plant cell, my mother strolled into the kitchen. Her kitten heels click-clacked against the hard-wood floors as she made a b-line straight for the Keurig coffeemaker.

"Good morning anak," mom greeted, shooting me a smile before she proceeded to choose which kind of coffee to brew that morning.

(translation: my child)

"Morning," my voice was muffled, as there was a huge spoonful of oatmeal in my mouth at that point. I swallowed my breakfast, "how long will you be working today?"

"Till about 4PM. One of my patients will be discharged today," she explained, rummaging through the bottom cabinet beneath the Keurig for one of her many coffee carafes. "I'm thinking I'll cook pasta tonight. Is Berkley taking you home after Science Club today? She can stay for dinner."

I cringed, "I have to ask her."

"I haven't told you lately how proud of you I am baby," mom beamed at me with pride. "After everything with your brother, and switching schools, you still keep your mind on your education."

"It's no big deal, really," I felt guilty. I was sitting on a throne of lies and didn't deserve a word of my mom's compliments.

This entire time she's believed that her only daughter has been spending every afternoon building robots and analyzing Einstein's Theory of Relativity. I used to be my parents' easy child. Gabe used to be the one who'd sneak out, lie, and use his charm to get himself out of trouble. I was the obedient one; the one who stayed a wallflower because that's where I felt the most comfortable. But here I was, disobeying my parents for my own selfish reasons.

And speaking of selfish -- Sebastian Grey. I still hadn't forgotten what he said to me several days ago at the last home game. Apparently my parents were taking him to court again, and seeing how the law works, Sebastian couldn't be tried again for the murder of my brother.

"Mom?" I looked up from my oatmeal.

"Yes, anak?" she responded, a smile still on her face as she mixed creamer into her coffee.

"Are you and dad taking Sebastian to court again?" I went straight to the point; no beating around the bush because I just had to know.

Mom sighed and her smile faltered, "we can't drop this, yet."

"But are you even sure it's Sebastian? He was found not guilty, so Gabe's..." I paused. Saying the word that represented the action and fate of my twin, was a word I dared not speak around my mom.

"He could still be out there, yes," mom continued.

My stomach was twisting into tight knots, and I was pretty sure the culprit to my stinging tummy wasn't the chia seeds or goji berries that which were peppered throughout my oatmeal. I knew Sebastian murdered my twin, but the more my parents pressed the idea, the more their lives were in danger. I didn't want an innocent person to go to jail for Sebastian's unthinkable deed, but I was also scared of what would happen if he did go to jail.

"There will be a new detective taking on the case," mom revealed, and my eyes immediately darted to her.

"What? What about Detective Jackson?" I questioned.

"Karris, you know this town," she began, "Arden Heights has a crime level of almost zero. Our detectives aren't trained for this type of duty. Detective James Ross will be the new lead investigator. He's from San Francisco and has solved many..." mom paused and closed her eyes. She let out a deep breath and continued, "many cases like this."

We left the subject alone for the rest of the morning. I wanted to press on; wanted to pester my mother with question about Detective James Ross. Exactly who was this new detective, and how thorough of an investigator was he? Would he be able to figure everything out? And if he did, what would that mean for my family? I had to push those thoughts out of my head. I couldn't be boggled down with all this new information when I had a few quizzes and a Bio Exam to worry about.

Reluctantly, Berkley picked me up from school. As I was about to climb into the passenger side of my mom's car, that's when my best friend pulled into the driveway. I really wasn't expecting it, but I wanted to be with Berkley -- she needed all the support she could get.

"I wanna ask if you're ready to be back at school," I started as I slipped on the seatbelt in Berkley's car, "but seeing as you're wearing sweatpants, I already know the answer."

"You know what Karebear?" Berkley drove out of my subdivision, turning down the music that was playing, "I haven't worn sweatpants outside of the house in almost four years."

"Really?" I cocked my head to the side, delving into my repertoire of memories to try to recollect some moment in which Berkley wore baggy sweats to school. Then again, my best friend and I were separated our Freshman year when I was accepted into Brampcrest.

"Being on the dance team meant upholding Thunderbird integrity every moment of everyday," Berkley scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Tegan wouldn't know what it means to be a Thunderbird even if it buttfucked her raw."

I chuckled at her crude statement.

"Anything we did represented the dance team -- how we acted, how we presented ourselves on social media; down to the way we straightened our hair and wore our clothes," Berkley let out a laugh, shaking her head at her thoughts. "Willowridge dance isn't a team. It's a dictatorship."

"Does this mean you're glad to be off the team?" I asked, turning my head to look at her.

Berkley shrugged, a frown surfacing onto her face, "besides you, they were the only family I had."

We didn't talk much after that. We hummed along to whatever was playing on the radio, and after grabbing whatever we needed out of our lockers, Berkley and I separated towards our first period class. I had a quiz first thing in the morning, but thank God it was for Physics. I wasn't so worried about it and when I walked into class, there was one other person who wasn't worried either.

Ashton.

The dimpled hockey player who was slowly starting to grow on me, was still missing. The desk that he normally sat in towards the back of the classroom was empty. While my peers looked over their notes, cramming any bit of information on Atoms and Elements, Ashton was nowhere to be found. Normally captain's whereabouts were something I could care less about, but I was curious: where the heck was he?

To: Satan's Child - 8:35AM
Are you ok? There's a quiz in Mr. Pinkston's class waiting for you :P

I held onto my phone, hoping it would buzz with a response from Ashton. I was hoping for any kind of response, really. But after three minutes into the waiting game, Mr. Pinkston walked to the front of the class with a stack of quizzes in his hand. I slipped my phone into my pocket, clearing my desk of any objects besides my pencil and an eraser.

"You will have twenty minutes to complete the quiz," Mr. Pinkston announced, "after that, we'll jump into the next chapter."

The quiz was a no-brainer for me. It was comprised of topics I learned about during my Sophomore year at Brampcrest. As I sped through the quiz, filling in the blanks and circling options A, B, C, D, or E, my mind kept thinking about Ashton and how the phone that was inside of my pocket had yet to buzz. Even after turning in my quiz, I took a quick peek at my phone to see if there was a reply, but alas, there was nothing.

I was so distracted during class that I was annoyed at my own self. I was a diligent student who took pride in the color coordinated notes I always took. But despite the fact that Ashton wasn't in class, he still managed to haunt me -- so much so, that when Mr. Pinkston called on me during class, I almost farted out of fear.

Damn you, chia seeds!

"Miss Villanueva, is there something on that phone of yours that you'd like to share with the entire class?" Mr. Pinkston raised a brow in my direction. The entire class was now looking at me, and I felt my back heat up from embarrassment.

I shook my head, "no sir. I'm sorry."

I cowered in my seat, giving Mr. Pinkston a quick smile before putting my phone away. However, as I was about to slip the device into my pocket, did it buzz in my hand. My heart stopped for a quick moment as my eyes darted to the glowing screen. While I expected a text back from Ashton, it unfortunately wasn't. Instead, it was from my best friend.

From: Bestie Berkley - 9:20AM
S.O.S. Bathroom across from 204. Now.

Without thinking about the crazy looks I was about to receive, I shot straight out of my desk. My not-so-subtle movements caused both Mr. Pinkston and my classmates to divert their attention back to me. I let out a nervous chuckle, biting my bottom lip out of habit before bending down to grab my things. I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to say to my puzzled teacher, but before I graced him with whatever bullcrap my mind could muster, the bell rang. I let out a breath and jetted myself out of the classroom before anyone could say anything.

The girl's bathroom across from room 204 was the least used commode. Reason being, was because it was so far from any staircase or elevator. It was also inside the older area of the school where the corridor seemed sketchy -- like a back alleyway where drug deals happen. I walked into the restroom and found Berkley pacing back and forth.

"What's going on?" I asked her, worry etched all over my face. "What's with the S.O.S.? Are you hurt?"

Berkley faced me, her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks were damp -- she had been crying. I narrowed in my brows out of concern and stepped towards her. Berkley bit on her thumbnail, gazing at me with despair.

"Talk to me," I insisted, "what's up?"

"I was on Instagram--"

"--Instagram? I thought you deactivated your profile?"

"Curiosity got the best of me, okay?!" Berkley suddenly snapped, her voice cracking in the process. "I reactivated it just to see what everyone was doing and talking about."

"Then what happened?" I questioned.

Berkley didn't respond right away, instead she opened up her phone, tapping on the screen a few times before handing the device over to me. I grabbed it from her hand, looking down at the Instagram post before me. It was from Luke's page, and the photograph was posted last night -- the hockey team's pizza celebration. The photo was taken inside of Mel's Pizza Parlor. The entire team, minus Ashton I noticed, were grouped together in the picture. At first I didn't see anything weird about it; nothing peculiar jumped out at me. It wasn't until I zoned in on Luke, did I notice what Berkley was so upset about.

Luke sat at the table surrounded by his teammates with a big smile. And sitting on top of his lap, was another girl. She had her lips pressed up against his cheek, and a tight grip around his shoulders. I knew the girl because we hand Biology together. Her name was Natalia Luca and was also on Willowridge's water polo team.

"Babylove," I frowned, pulling my best friend into a tight hug.

"I don't know why I'm so upset about this," Berkley cried. "No one wants to touch me -- I'm the school slut."

"Stop! No you're not," I scolded, separating from the embrace. "You sent a nude, because you're a confident young woman. That doesn't make you a slut. You just sent it to the wrong person. Luke obviously can't be trusted and you don't want a little boy like him, anyway."

My attempt to ebb Berkley's misery seemed to help with my hopeful comment. My words weren't lies though -- I was telling her everything my heart knew to be true. In a way I still loved Luke. He was my teammate, and on most days he had my back. But at the end of the day, Luke was just a guy with a reputation to uphold.

My best friend and I had to separate for four more periods before lunch. When we walked into the cafeteria however, it felt like a scene from some cliche teen movie. Several pairs of eyes landed on Berkley, judgement brewing from the inside out. Our peers didn't even try to hide the fact that they were talking about her. They simply pointed and proceeded to talk amongst each other.

"What the Hell?" Berkley's body jumped, startled by something as she rubbed her head.

I turned my head to look at her with confusion, "what happened?"

"Something hit me on the head," she told me and immediately my eyes began scanning the vicinity for whatever was pelted against her skull.

I walked around Berkley with my head to the ground as I tried to find the culprit. Then I noticed a crumpled piece of paper near the large, plastic trash bin. I approached it, bending down to pick it up. To me, it just seemed like a wad of paper, but to Berkley however, it was more than that.

"Wait, don't throw it away," she grabbed my wrist, ceasing me from tossing the piece of paper into the trash. I glanced at her with confusion. "Open it."

So I did what I was told and un-crumpled the piece of paper. I don't know how Berkley knew there would be something written inside, but I had a feeling that she had one too many crumpled papers thrown at her today.

KEEP YOUR LEGS CLOSED SLUT!!

I gazed at Berkley, and before I could say anything, she rapidly turned around and ran out of the cafeteria. I followed after her, running into the hallway where my peers were walking in and out of the main cafeteria doors. I lost Berkley in the crowd and because I was so short, I couldn't see over the people who towered over me.

I was pissed. I felt my fists ball up at my sides and I felt my heart rage with fire. I didn't like seeing my best friend hurt and I hated how the people at Willowridge were such jerks.

"Yo Coach! Are you okay?"

I snapped out of my angered trance to find Michael standing before me. He had a sandwich in one hand and a chicken leg in the other.

"I'm not in the mood," I grumbled, "I just wanna get on the ice and shoot some pucks with you guys. I need to let out some steam."

"Is it about Ashton? Are you finally going to kick his ass? Can I watch?" Michael gave me an incredulous grin before taking a huge bite out of the chicken leg.

"No," I shook my head, "it's Luke."

"You're going to to kick Luke's ass?"

"I just wanna hit him upside the head with a hockey stick,"

"You might have to wait till tomorrow," Michael mentioned. The chicken leg that was in his hand was suddenly gone and in replace was a bag of Sour Patch Kids.

"Why?" I asked.

"I went to visit coach earlier, and he said to go straight into the rink after school -- no changing into our gear," he explained.

I nodded my head, suddenly wondering why hockey practice wasn't really going to be a practice at all. I didn't really have any ideas why, and my best bet was to either wait till practice to find out, or use the rest of my lunch period to talk to Coach Benson. But there was one other problem -- Berkley. I needed to find her first, but when I felt a buzz in my pocket, I found the answer.

From: Bestie Berkley - 12:50PM
I can't handle any of this. Sorry. I'm going home.

I stared and stared at Berkley's text as I walked through the hallway, not caring if I were bumping into people. It hurt me to see my normally badass friend, feel so hurt and vulnerable. I sauntered through the corridor, towards a pair of glass doors at the side of the school. I was met with a concrete pathway that I knew so well -- a path that led me straight to the locker rooms, the gym, and the hockey rink. As I headed towards Coach Benson's office, did I walk straight into an argument I wasn't suppose to hear.

I quickly remembered the last time I walked into an argument and immediately felt stupid afterwards because I had gotten caught. So instead of standing there like lost baboon, I quickly turned the corner. But because Ashton was involved, I couldn't help but to eavesdrop on the heated discussion.

"Coach that isn't fair! I'm the captain!" Ashton hollered, as I peeked around the wall to see Ashton and Coach Benson standing on the middle of the pavement.

"And as captain you should be setting a good example for the rest of your teammates," Coach Benson justified, his tone strong but not belittling.

"You can't put me on probation!" Ashton argued, "we just got out of our funk and we've got more games that I've gotta play in!"

"You should've thought about that before you let your grades slip," Coach quipped. "Gabe never let any of you guys forget about your education. That's what he did as a captain -- he continued to motivate all of you on and off the ice."

"Sorry I'm not the perfect captain like golden boy Gabriel Villanueva," Ashton sneered and I felt my heart cinch at Ashton's cold tone in mentioning my twin.

"Gabe wasn't perfect," Coach assured, "no one is. But Ashton, you have to realize that the team looks up to you. Anything you do, they will mimic. You have to think about other people besides--"

"--myself?" Ashton laughed, "you know too damn well Coach that I'm the last person I ever think about! Sorry that I let my grades slip, but you should know why! You've practically been living in my house since the summer! This is fucking stupid! I'm outta here!"

Coach Benson has been living with Ashton Irwin? 

I was confused, and naturally I wanted more answers but strolling right up to Ashton and asking about a conversation I wasn't supposed to hear, wasn't something I could actually do. And if I wanted to stay alive, I had to let it go.

Like at that moment, when Ashton began to stomp towards me. I quickly returned to my place behind the wall. I opened up my textbook to make it seem less obvious that I had been spying on them the whole time. I pretended to read the small text, counting to ten in my head before I'd shuffle off to class.

"Karebear, you suck at spying on peopl," Ashton scoffed with annoyance.

I looked up from the textbook in my hand to see Ashton's hazel eyes gawking at me.

"Sorry," I murmured, "I'll just go."

"Not so fast!" Ashton quickly grabbed my shoulder the moment I turned on my heel, causing me to turn back around and encounter what I expected to be irritation etched on Captain's face. However, what I saw wasn't rage, instead it was a pleading expression.

"Are you okay?"

"You're going to start tutoring me,"

"That sounds like a demand," I grunted, suddenly annoyed with Ashton's tone, "if you want my help, then use your manners and ask nicely."

Ashton groaned, rolling his eyes and rubbing his temples, "please Karris."

"Please Karris, what?" I raised a brow.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Ashton groaned, as I waited patiently for Captain to grow up.

"I'm sure you can find another tutor," I mewled, shooting Ashton a smile, and turning around to walk towards the glass doors.

"Wait!" Ashton yelled, "I'll tell you things about Gabe and Calum."

I stopped in my tracks, gasping to myself. I held onto my textbook tighter, like a safety blanket almost. I wanted to take Ashton's offer so bad. I had so many questions and I knew he had all the answers. Yet at the same time, I was scared. Ever since I could remember, Gabe has always been a hero to me; someone I aspired to be like. What if the answers to my questions changes my outlook to everything?

"I know you want to know," Ashton was right behind me. He was so close that I could feel his body heat radiate around me. "If you tutor me, and for every quiz or exam I pass, you can ask anything about Gabe and Calum."

I lingered on the idea. Ashton did know a lot about my bother and because of that, maybe he knew more about the relationship between Gabe and Sebastian. Maybe I'd learn something that could be used against Sebastian? It was a chance, but it was one I was willing to make.

"Deal," I turned around to look up at Ashton, "I'll do it."

Ashton smirked, "we'll start tomorrow." 

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What do you all think of this chapter? Berkley's back at school but everyone are jerks. I've also added some more details on the case against Sebastian Grey. Pretty soon things will start unraveling in so many different ways and I am EXTREMELY excited!! I've planned a ton of CRAZY things for this story and I can't wait for you all to read what I've got in store!

Thank you for continuing to be loyal readers -- for voting on every chapter and for commenting your thoughts! I really appreciate it. Let's continue all the reader interactivity as well as sharing this story with your friends! Thank you so much!