Rose • Justin Foley

• 7 •

"Hi." The girl spoke standing inside my room. I close the door behind me and put my bag down before passing my hand through my blonde hair.

"What are you doing here, Jessica?" I ask making my way to the bed.

"I needed to talk to someone and since were friends. I'd hope you'd hear me out." She said with a look of pity in her face.

"We used to be friends, after you abandoned us." I said.

"I didn't know what I was doing and I'm sorry, Cassie. I – am but keeping a grudge against me isn't – " she said but came to a stop as she toned her voice down, scared someone would hear her. "It isn't going to bring her back." She said whispering slowly.

"fine – what do you want to talk about." I ask.

"Justin." She said and my heart quickly skipped a beat at the mention of his name.

"What about him?" I say as calmly as I possibly can.

"I don't know." She said putting some of her hair behind her right hear. " I just feel like he's not the same since – the Hannah thing. He used to be more – he used to care more but now its as if he doesn't care about our relationship.

"What makes you think that?" I ask.

"Just – his actions changed and I know his home life isn't the best because of his mom's asshole of a boyfriend but I want to help but-" she says with tears in her eyes.

"You can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped." I say looking down at my yellow sheets in which I was in top of.

She nodded and also looked down.

"And also after the tapes that Hannah recorded - it's like everything changed." She said making me look up at her with confusion.

"Which – which tapes? What are you talking about?" I asked curious and confused at the mention of tapes in which Hannah recorded.

"Uh – I'm sorry – I talked to much – it's nothing, I'll have to go. See you later." She said standing up looking a bit disorientated.

"Jessica wa-" I said but before I could finish the sentence the girl with brown wavy hair was already out of the door leaving me with a million questions.

*

I decide to gain courage and go to the Baker's house. I ring the doorbell to the house, hearing the sound made from the other side of the door.

I hear footsteps getting closer to the door and quickly opening the door.

"Hi Mrs Baker. Is Hannah home?" I ask with a warming smile.

"Yeah – she's right upstairs in her room." She says smiling back at me and opening the door making way for me to walk upstairs towards my best friends' room.

I walk inside to see her in a state that I had not seen before in Hannah.

"Hi Hannah." I say sitting down in the corner of her bed as she curled up and looked as almost as if she had been crying."Are you okay?" I ask and she jumps from her bed and gives me a huge hug. A hug in which I believe she was desperately needing.

"Justin – I went to hang out with him yesterday and he took – he took pictures and spreaded  them to his friends. Now everyone thinks me and him –" she says and I hushed her bringing her in for another hug.

"don't care about what other people think – their idiots for believing such thing from such a loud mouth." I said. "Why don't we go meet up with Alex and Jessica? They'll make you feel better." I said.

"Come on. Chop chop." I say trying to make her smile and forget about the Justin thing.

Pretending I wasn't broken inside knowing what Justin did to my best friend after thinking he was a decent guy.

"Cassie." Mrs Baker answers the door and gives me her best smile possible. She looked very different, her hair was tied and spiked in all directions as she had bags under her eyes. "Nice to see you again, come in." She said opening her arms to welcome me in.

I stepped inside and I remember the smell, the smell of lime wondered through the house making me feel at home.

As I always did everytime I came here.

I  walked to the living room and smiled at each picture of Hannah that I saw.

"Take a seat, please." Mrs. Baker spoke taking a seat on the opposing couch, as I took a seat in another couch. "Want anything to drink?" She said.

"No, thank you." I said.

I wanted to say the words 'I'm sorry' but I knew that she was tired of hearing them just as much as I did.

"So, what brings you here." She asks.

"I just wanted to know how you were. I haven't spoken to you since the day of that happened." I said sadly.

"Yeah – we're hanging in there." She said. "Doing our best at least."

"Yeah – same." I said looking down at my ring.

"How's school?" She said and I looked at her eyes, I felt as if I was looking into a dead women's eyes.

"Uh – good, the school is still grieving over Hannah's passing." I said.

"Yeah – that's very sweet of the school." She said and I nodded. "Cassie." She said in a questioning tone. I turn to her and wait for her next words.

"You were Hannah's friend." She said and I nodded. "Did you notice any bullying happening to her." She said.

"Yes. She sometimes told me something that had happened to her in school." I said and she nodded.

"Do you think that could've had a part in her decision to end her life?" She said almost tearing up.

"Maybe. It's possible." I said.

"Did she tell you anything before -?" She asked as I shook my head in response.

"I have to go, Mrs. Baker." I said standing up.

"Okay – maybe you can come after school some other day and we can talk more?" She said and I nodded smiling before she followed me to the entrance as we said goodbye to each other.

•

Almost getting home I hear a voice.

"Cassie Rose." The voice spoke and I looked at the park to see the person that the voice belonged to.

Bryce Walker.

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