Bad Isn't Always Terrible (REWRITING)

Chapter 20

*Charlie*

"I can barely find anything about what happened!"

Mason chuckled as I groaned in frustration. "Calm down, Angel. It only happened just last night, so I wouldn't expect there to be too much information right now. At least we've got something, right? We found out when it happened, where the fire started, and that it was p-painless." He cursed under his breath after hearing the crack in his voice.

It seemed more like Mason was trying to cheer me up, rather than me trying to help him find closure about what happened. I couldn't stop the guilty feeling in my chest like this was all my fault.

Mason never would have gone to see Rosie if it wasn't for me. If I hadn't forgotten to tell him an address, we never would have gotten caught in the rain, been forced to take cover, and had to go somewhere he wasn't supposed to. Then again, I also would have never met him if I hadn't caught up to him that day.
Maybe that wouldn't have been such a bad thing, either. For him, at least.

"Angel?"

I glanced up from watching the computer screen in a daze. "Yeah?"

"You okay?" He pulled out a chair and sat at the computer beside me, turning himself towards me so his knees brushed against my thigh. Mason had been leaning over the back of my chair, occasionally leaning back to pace behind me. It had been driving me crazy and I couldn't express how relieved I was that he finally sat down.

"Yeah." I nodded, pursing my lips as I thought. "I mean, there's not much else we can do here except wait to see whatever news they come up with." I grinned. "Or, you know, we could go ourselves. Check out the crime scene and see if we could find anything no one else noticed. You'd be surprised how much the police don't notice until years later."

Mason shook his head, but the mischievous look in his eyes told me it wouldn't take much to convince him otherwise. "It's not a good idea. Sneaking around a crime scene is illegal."

I raised an eyebrow. "You do realize that I lived on the streets for years, right? I think I'd know how to sneak onto a crime scene and not get caught."

A beat. Two.

Mason sighed. "Fine."

I pumped a fist up in the air with a grin. "Yes!"

Mason rolled his eyes, but failed at hiding the slight twitch of his lip from suppressing a smile. "Don't get too excited. We aren't staying long."

"Fair enough," I responded, exiting the page we were on and logging off the computer. I stood up and dusted off my pants. My book bag slung easily onto my shoulder as Mason slung on his. "Ready?"

Mason sighed. "I suppose."

I quickly made my way over to the doors to leave when they slammed open, nearly sacking me in the face if I hadn't jumped back on reflex.

Mason cursed under his breath before muttering, "Bryce," just as I glanced up.

The blonde glared at Mason, then raised an eyebrow at me. "Princess," he greeted.

I glared. "I told you not to call me princess."

He sighed. "Fine."

Both Mason and I froze in surprise.

"What?" Mason asked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Bryce messed with his hand that was no longer wrapped. "I was thinking about what you said, and you were right." He sent me a cautious glance, like he wasn't sure what all he could say. "I'm sorry for everything I did, though I don't think you'll ever forgive me, and I don't want to be friends again. I just thought I should apologize."

"Good thing you're not expecting it, because its not happening." He grabbed my west lightly ad started out the door, dragging me along with him.

Mason had told me about the argument between them, and I assumed that's what he'd been referring to, but felt I probably shouldn't bring it up.

"I hate him," Mason muttered.

"I know."

*****

We'd walked silently the rest of the way, only speaking to one another at the crime scene to say whether we'd found anything or not.

Unfortunately, by the time we were ready to leave, neither of us had found a thing. The body was gone, thankfully, and everything else was burned to a crisp. I didn't think anything could be recovered from that.

"I'm sorry, Mason."

He shrugged, though I could tell it was eating him up inside. Neither of us knew what to do or say, so he simply held my hand and led me back to the bridge. After a while of more silence, he said, "I can't stay here tonight."

"What?" I glanced up at him as I opened a can of Ravioli and started eating with a plastic fork. "Why?"

He shook his head and did the same. "Eugene will start getting suspicious. I've been here a lot more lately than I used to be, and eventually he'll start noticing my sudden distance. He'll either know something's up and make it his mission to find out, or he'll just automatically assume I'm 'rebelling' and trying to run away again.

"Oh," I said quietly. "I'm sorry."

"So am I," he muttered. He'd finished his food and tossed the fork into the can, sitting it down beside him. "I probably need to start heading back."

I nodded in acknowledgement and leaned forward to hug him. He seemed momentarily surprised, but still hugged me back.

I waited a bit after he left before pulling out my phone and dialing Hannah's number. She picked up on the third ring.
"Hey."

"Change of plans," I said quickly.

I could imagine her furrowing her eyebrows in confusion as she nodded. "Hello to you, too. Anyways, what's up?"

"Screw two weeks, I'm doing it tomorrow."

*****

Sorry for the long break between updates, and for ending this so soon. I'll be posting a chapter daily, up until the last chapter.

Also , there WILL BE A SEQUEL!

You DO NOT have to have read this story to understand the sequel. This sequel is what I call an unofficial sequel, and will focus on the life of.. Spoiler alert, you'll have to read and see who it's about.

Which, I assume you'll probably have some guesses about after the Epilogue.

I'll be posting the first chapter of the unofficial sequel 'She's a Fighter' the day after I post the Epilogue for this.

So, the countdown begins to the last chapter, and start to the sequel.

Four days until the first chapter of 'She's a Fighter'!