A Shade of Cool

XXXIX: The Rose

"Oh my god, can you just...shut up! For one minute, please!" I stared at her wide eyed in disbelief at her complete ignorance, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

She glared at me and walked over to the bed sitting down, roughly, knocking something from under the bed as she did. I quickly got to my knees and looked under the bed, my arms going into the darkness first, searching for what had fallen. It wasn't long until my fingertips found the cardboard of a box shape. My tips brushing against it as I tried to catch a grip on it to pull it out successfully. I slid out a shoe box.

Nothing was written on it but I knew, somehow, it was of importance. I steadied myself as I lifted the lid from the box. Inside was a number of things, posters of boys and bands folded neatly, a key ring of a Kangaroo, a few letters written from someone under the name 'Mr Alfie Smith'. But under it all, was a small notebook, no a diary. I picked it up and glanced over it, considering opening it up. I had too, something inside told me to, no matter how much I knew it was wrong.

I opening the book to the first page only to gasp and panic as bit as something slipped out. Glad it wasn't something awful, I sighed with relief, staring down at the CD. My heart skipping a beat as I looked at the front.

"I've found it... I've found-" I was interrupted by quiet sobs. Avery sat on the bed, holding a hairbrush. Her face red as she cried. Her body hunched and shaking gently. I moved over to her, my hand grabbing for hers, "Avery..."

"I don't get it," She cried, "I don't understand. She was here and she was laughing and joking and now she's not, you know? Like, it was her idea to go and watch the date! We talked and we... I felt like I could talk to her. Having another girl in the house to talk to and confide in was amazing. And now she's gone. She's never... gonna brush her hair again, laugh, read a book, eat waffles or..... She's never going to do anything of those things and I don't understand why?!"

I looked at the hairbrush in her hand and saw the blonde strands of hair coiled between the brushes. I looked up at Avery and felt my tears stinging my eyes, "I don't know... it happens... I don't know why," I pulled her into a hug, holding her as she sobbed hard into my shoulder, her hand holding tightly onto mine.

Because of Eric Stock, that's why.

_____________________

The church was filled with people. Students I hadn't seen before, teachers I had been taught by and even the Chief of Police in our state. Everyone had showed up even the worst of people; The Press. CNN, Fox News, Good Morning America. All stood outside trying to film anything they can to add to the on going headlines like; 'The Last Victim of Eric Stock'. Police had been put in order to stop them from getting an further than across the road from the mass crowds that gathered in the church.

Eric had been exposed to an extent where everyone in America knew his name. Fourteen victims came forward to testify against him in Court on charges of rape. Two of which was Stacey and Ana. And then there was the case of 'the gun victim'. That's what everyone called Kathy now, 'the victim'. But it's also what go Eric thrown into jail until court. The Stock family had also been arrested under investigations of drugs and theft and numerous charges along with that. The Empire the Stocks had built was now in flames and it was satisfying to see their house being raided on live TV.

But like they say, with every success comes many a failure. Ana had been raped, Kathy was dead and a family was broken for it to finally come down to this. That killed me more than anything. More than standing there, beside Noah in the church, trying to comfort him as I stared at the beautiful oak casket set ahead of us all, coated in flowers of a hundred colours that shone up the dreary room.