Distant Fallacy || 13 Reasons Why [ 2 ]

3

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' And given the right circumstances, the right motivation, who knows what any of us might do? '

~

Bailey stood before Ani and Clay, a concerned look on her face as she stared at the pair. Justin and Zach stood stoic beside her, listening to the words that left the boy's mouth. She felt her face go pale and her heart sink into her stomach as nausea rose. Everything was muffled out except Clay's voice, which seemed to move in slow motion.

'Bryce's dead,' Clay said softly; 'They found him last night.'

She strode forward at the sudden nausea rising in her throat, racing toward the bin where she threw up her breakfast; a harsh cough leaving her mouth. She sunk to her knees, leaning her back against the wall. After swiping her mouth on her sleeve, she merely stared out into the air; hardly noticing Justin puking into the bin beside her head before rushing out of the building. She felt the bile rise in her throat again, pushing herself up to vomit once more as Clay jogged past her.

She sent a fleeting look to Zach and Ani before she followed after him, swallowing the sob that threatened to break free. She found the pair on the field outside, Justin with his back to Clay as he approached him. She wiped her eye with the palm of her hand, striding toward them as she tried to put up a facade. She shouldn't be upset, she shouldn't feel how she was. But, she would never wish death upon anyone; not even her rapist.

'Hey,' Clay called out to Justin; 'Are you... Are you okay?'

'No, man. No, I'm not,' Justin turned to face him; 'I'm- I'm fucking sad.'

'You... You are?'

'Yeah, I've known him since I was eight. He was the first person that gave a shit about me, the first person to look after me, man... He was my fucking brother.'

'I feel like he didn't look out for you, though.'

Justin's gaze flicked to Bailey as she walked up behind Clay, watching him closely.

'Dude, you don't know what you're talking about,' He hissed; 'Okay, Clay? You don't know everything. You think you have this idea that- You knew what you knew. He was a fucking person, Clay. A human being. Now he's fucking dead.'

She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, finishing the conversation before Clay got to speak again. Justin sobbed into her shoulder for a second before he took her hand, leading her away. Once they were out of sight of Clay, they cried into each other's shoulders; unable to fully comprehend what they were feeling.

~

Bailey sat in the hall, her back up against the lockers. It was silent around her, everyone else in class. But, she couldn't bring herself to want to sit through the bullshit they tried to teach her. Not after what she'd learnt.