The Psycho Is Innocent | ꪜ

Chapter 21: The Alleged Game

He may be smart. . . but he's also incredibly stupid and naive. It's funny to think that he sees me that way when I'm the one tugging at his strings right now. "I know what you guys do Theo. I know what you did. I visited Tobias yesterday and he told me everything. He could have taken it to the police but he didn't and you have the audacity to paint him as a murderer when you know the truth. When you know what they–what you did?" I was just pulling shit from my ass at this point, but I knew it would work.

He made it painfully obvious that he knows something about Tobias. He's on the baseball team which meant he and Tobias were in constant contact with one another. Something happened between the two of them and or a group of people and Theo thinks I'm like them. By calling me crazy and saying I'm like them all, I'm suspecting that they did something that scared him off much like me breaking his nose with no hesitation. What was it? Is it Maria and Kayla?

His chest rose and fell at an unsteady pace as he stumbled towards the wall to brace himself. His hands disappeared in the mop of his dishevelled hair and he doubled over, clearly in discomfort. "Ariel, you can't tell anyone okay? Y–you just can't. We swore to never play that game again after that night. T–that game created monsters, it made us do crazy things. . .it made Tobias do crazy things. That game–" his eyes darkened, "it killed Maria and Kayla. And I might be next."

Past

I clamped down on my chattering teeth and flickered my eyes around my surrounding. A normal person would be shivering in their boots at the thought of being alone on a sidewalk at seven in the night but I wasn't. It was almost comforting and quiet: being alone on a deserted street with only one or two cars passing by every five minutes. All houses lining up the streets were either unoccupied at the time or the people living inside had no interest in being outside.

The sound of heavy breathing down my neck snapped me out of my thoughts and I spun around with a huge grin, expecting to have seen Tobias but it immediately fell when nothing appeared behind me. I sunk my nails into the hardwood bench as I twisted to the side uncomfortably.

Then I heard it: soft and almost silent, a whisper in the cold night air: my name, so tender but not in a comforting way. It was malicious and was soon followed by a piercing scream that sent me jolting up from my seat. Standing beside me was a familiar face doubling over with his hands clutching his stomach as he roared in laughter. I threw my balled-up fist into his shoulder, nearly knocking him off his feet, "Tobias! You grade A Asshole!"

He stood tall, finally sobering up. "You know it's nice seeing you freak out once in a while. If you aren't blushing like a schoolgirl you always look so cold and dead inside. You have a resting bitch face miss Campbell, and coming from someone like me who is the embodiment of solemnity and the inability to smile for more than five seconds–that says a lot."

Miss Campbell? I'm guessing despite the fact that I've made plans with a certain person tonight I'm now being accompanied by another. But. . .another what exactly? "Vamanos, I didn't plan to be with you tonight but here we are. Don't get me wrong it's nice being in your company but I don't exactly like bringing innocent cute girls like you around my friends. It would be rude to send you back home after you dressed so beautifully so, do you mind accompanying me?"

I rolled my eyes and followed in suit behind him. "Tobias!" He halted in his footsteps and tilted his head back, "yes?" I smiled, "I'm gonna ignore that rude and kind of sexist comment you made earlier. Tell me where we're going." He motioned to a house down the street, "a get-together. If you wanna call it that. Now are you gonna stand there and look pretty or are you gonna follow me?" Before waiting for my response he continued his trek across the street.

I caught up to him just as he unlatched a metal gate and sauntered up a footpath leading to the front door. At this point, I've grown accustomed to the rapid change in demeanours so it didn't really bother me that he wasn't as affectionate as– "you coming?" He interrupted my thoughts as he motioned towards a now open front door. With a sigh I followed and once I was inside, he slammed the door shut behind me.

I didn't care for the interior of the house and it's not as if I had time to register my surroundings before he ushered me down the dimly lit foyer. "My friends are down in the basement. You sure you wanna meet them? I mean they're cool but they don't seem like your crowd." I hate being underestimated especially by people who are so complexed themselves you'd never find the right tool to drill through their multiple walls to get to the core of their being.

I didn't want to tell him off so with a nod of my head he twisted the knob leading to the basement and tugged it open. Steep stairs led down into the room and from here I could hear the booming laughter of voices all jumbled into a chorus of drunken slurs and excited outbursts. Standing at the end of the stairs was a guy with a beer bottle in one hand, the other grasping the railing tightly as he stumbled on his feet.

"Yo! Asshat, I thought you were ditching us! Did you forget we have a game tonight? Jesus I'm trying to make some money, Ricky. It's not–It's not that hard." He babbled. I couldn't tell if he was drunk or just plain stupid and douchy. "I told you I had someone to go pick up," he clipped as he suddenly slipped his hand into mine, tugging me behind him when he descended the stairs. "Is this your girlfriend?" The guy trailed off, his eyes sweeping over my body swiftly.

"Yeah, stop gawking at her before that beer bottle ends up lodged in your throat," he quipped. I held back a smile when we sauntered past the guy whose eyes had yet to peel away from me. "I wasn't checking your girl out." His eyes narrowed, "she just looks familiar."

I don't know why but I felt like I've seen him somewhere too. and I've heard that voice but I can't put my finger on it. "She looks familiar? She's 16, where do you normally see 16-year-olds? I always knew our friendship stemmed from a creepy place. You like befriending teenagers, don't you? Stay in your age group, idiot." The guy scowled and even as he was visibly angry he didn't seem to care about anyone but me.

What the hell is his deal? "Hey, relax. He's just an asshole and he's probably drunk anyway, he had like ten bottles of beer. Not gonna be surprised if he's dead by morning from alcohol poisoning." Does he think I'm scared of this loser? I'm not, I'm just curious as to where I know him from. "Are they all older kids?" I asked, sensing from his comment earlier that these aren't teenagers. Is this why he didn't want me to join him?

"Yeah, they're around 19 to 22." Does he think a bunch of baby adults can terrify me? He'll be surprised to see us get along well. As long as whoever that guy stays away from me I'll be fine. Until I find out who he is and where I've seen his face I'd rather keep my distance. We stopped at the entrance of the basement and the noise had grown louder as we etched towards our destination.

Before we could enter, he stopped me in my tracks and suddenly cupped my cheeks in his soft hands, his oceanic blue eyes burning holes through mine, "we may not know the most about each other but I take protecting the people I care about very seriously and you've become one of those people. My friends are cool, but we sometimes do uncool stuff. Anyway, just know that I'd shank anyone with a beer bottle if it meant that it'd keep you safe. Mark my words."

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