Collaboration || Dan Smith

Forty-Five.

  𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧, 𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜
  - 𝗞𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗱 

   "Ali..." my voice wearily trails off as he waves. Of course my big brother doesn't look pleased to be here. One of Dan's friends who answered the door backs off - since I clearly know him.

   "Oh my god..." I mumble in shock because of his sudden appearance. "Dan. This is my brother, Ali. Ali this is Dan my boyfriend." I know I should probably talk to Ali first in private about some things regarding our family...and my old ways...but I don't want anything bad to happen on my birthday.

   Is that selfish of me? I really hope not.

"Hi..." Dan's voice wearily trails off. But the weird thing is Ali doesn't even acknowledge Dan in the slightest. Instead he totally ignored him and walk towards me holding a white envelope. "Georgie's suicide note." He mumbles under his breath holding it out towards me.

"Thanks..." I sternly reply as I take it from him. What's his deal? There was nothing ill-intentioned in that card. Literally nothing.

"Can you maybe not write to me again? And guilt trip into me coming here because I didn't like that." Oh wow. Okay. That was a little mean. "Excuse me?" Dan interferes looking almost disgusted. "I wasn't talking to you man." Ali then point towards me. With his left hand he digs into his red and black checkered jacket - which is almost identical as Dan's - he then pulls out a ripped envelope with my writing on.

"You could've just gave me a text." Daisy's funeral is going to be two years old this year. Why is he still mad? I don't get it. What I did was right anyway. My therapist told me that. My twin brother who was almost mothered by Daisy wasn't there. Maybe it's one of the reasons why he ran away from rehab and relapsed?

Georgie was going to get help...and now I feel awful. Maybe at the time of her death he was off of the drugs - maybe he wasn't a druggie anymore. I feel horrible.

"Mate you're upsetting her." Dan whispers as I feel tears of confusion roll down my face. "Stop making out she's innocent." He mumbles under his breath looking around the kitchen. Probably for a knife so he can finish his job since his backstabbing didn't go very well the first time.

   "Little miss perfect over there isn't perfect...nor is she sweet." I haven't seen Ali in forever, of course he doesn't know that I've changed. I like the finer things in life - sure I was a bitch in high school but - everyone is a bit of a bitch in high school. Everyone.

   "Mate...do you mind if you just leave..." With that Ali points at me with a particularly evil smile on his angry face. "You never told your boyfriend about her did you..." Dan then confusedly looks at me. He has no idea what is going on and I want it to stay that way. "Maisie...what girl?" Dan almost whispers. "Yeah Maze...what girl? Tell Dan what you told me nine years ago." I shake my head as I start to tear up - but I don't allow myself to cry - "If you won't then I will." Ali sternly says as he flicks on the kettle.

   I'm not sure if my brother has ever made tea before in his whole life. He goes to the fridge and puts the milk in first - the monster. Even Dan uncomfortably looks away.

   "Bee's mother here...bullied a girl until she committed suicide." Dan literally freezes. Of course now is the time I burst out crying. Her death wasn't my fault I was just framed because I slept with another cheerleaders jock boyfriend. The hilarious thing about the entire situation is that I didn't even sleep with him. We was drunk and fell asleep. Nothing happened, he bragged about it the next day in school and then half of the cheerleading team ganged up on me. "Have you forgot about that? Fucking Delores." I shake my head.

   This is the lowest Ali ever has gone to prove that I'm a bad person. He knows I was innocent...he fucking knows. Why is he doing this? And now on my birthday!

   It's not fair.

   I then look at Dan. He literally takes two steps away from me. "Delores died because of her insecurities. I didn't...it wasn't me." Delores came to me in need and I pushed her away. I didn't bully her in the end because I really felt sorry for her.

   "What I told you was that I pushed Delores away when she needed me because I was embarrassed with the whole bitchy cheerleading squad situation. I said that Delores possibly could've been alive if I didn't push her away. I didn't fucking kill her! Those other girls did." The cops questioned every single student in our year about Delores - especially the cheerleading squad. I told them everything I knew and they let me off.

   That is how innocent I am.

   "You still bullied her...every school you went too. Until it was too late. You did the same thing with Georgie only it was reserved. You loved Georgie until you found the heroin marks on his arms and he was filth to you! Fucking filth!" Ali then angrily laughs. I on the other hand cry.

   "Get the fuck out of my house!" I scream at the top of my voice while Bee angrily kicks. We're getting stressed and she doesn't need to be.

   She is the only innocent thing in this room.

   "You know what?" - Ali whispers as he points at me looking psychotic as fuck - "With pleasure." He hisses before throwing open the kitchen door and walking out. I on the other hand put my hand over my head in shame while Dan immediately walks out of the room before I can explain the truth.

   I wasn't a bad person. I was a teenage girl with a huge ego. I was just an asshole. I've changed. I know I have.