ALL FOR ONE,
CHAPTER FOURTEEN:
THE START OF SOMETHING NEW
WARNING: This chapter depicts bullying from a police officer who misunderstood a situation. You should never do what Eli does in this chapter, as you could be seriously injured or killed. Because this is a work of fiction, both Eli and TJ get to walk, mostly, free, because they had parents who were willing to hire lawyers in their defense, and, again, this is a work of fiction. While what happens to TJ in this fic is based on real life stories, it is still a dramatization. That being said, this example is only to show how quickly a situation can escalate if it looks like something that it's not. Things like this happen every day in our country, but this incident is not meant to depict a true version of anything. These characters will face trauma related to this event, as I want to add more impact and depth to this story. There will be no graphic images, and it is safe for everyone to read.
"WELL... THIS IS awkward", Eli said from where he was sitting between Mars and Mariana. The three of them had decided to try and talk things out.
"It doesn't have to be?", Mariana offered gently. "What happened was bad. And an emotional roller coaster. But we're young. It's not like we can control our feelings. We all had time apart, and that's good."
"We started this year as friends, we can still end it as friends", Mars added. "I liked our awkward little trio."
"So, you guys are staying here then?", Eli asked hopefully.
"I talked things out with my mom", Mariana nodded.
"And I am ready to soak up as much knowledge as I possibly can", Mars added with a nod. "So, are we friends again?"
"Best friends", Eli agreed as the three of them shared a group hug.
Love triangles were usually messy and difficult, but they wanted to handle the situation as maturely as they could. They didn't want it to ruin their friendship, and they were going to do their best to avoid that.
MEANWHILE...
Calla was standing in the bathroom at the mirror when Maddie and Tala came and stood on either side of her. She knew what this was immediately. This was an interrogation. She'd seen Maddie do it enough times to know how this worked, even if she had never been on the receiving end of it. But if she just told Maddie what she wanted to hear, then she would be fine.
"Do you really wanna hang out with those new losers?", Maddie asked as she began applying her lipgloss. That was how she operated. She lured you into a false sense of security, pretended she was there in peace, just making casual conversation.
Calla didn't know what Maddie had against the new theater kids. Maybe she felt threatened. Maybe she was just being mean for the sake of being mean. But maybe if she lied, if she just kept Maddie happy, then she would keep knowing what was going on, and she could at least put a stop to things. Calla looked at Lola in the mirror, who held eye contact for only a brief second before biting her lip and looking away. Maddie was such a control freak that she chose friends whose names all ended the same: Tala, Calla, Lola. They were interchangeable in Maddie's eyes. Worser still, Maddie was such a control freak that she turned Lola into a scared little shell the moment she even thought of leaving their inner circle. Calla didn't wanna end up like Lola, too afraid to be happy. So, she lied. And she lied with ease. "Of course not. Like you said, they're all losers. I know where I belong, and that's right here. I just felt sorry for them. Besides, I can be your person on the inside."
"And Eli?" Because if Maddie thought for even a second that Calla truly had feelings for Eli, she would try to take him for herself. And if she failed, she would ruin him.
"Eli's the biggest loser of them all." Calla had no idea that she was being recorded, or that that recording would ruin her life if only for a few hours.
♤♤♤
AS THE WEEKEND came, Alessia headed to do her favorite thing: volunteer. Alessia loved volunteering. It made her feel like she was truly doing something good in her life. Not to mention, she enjoyed giving back to her community. It made her heart full. Be it with animals or people, this was what she loved to do. This week, she was at the homeless shelter. The one thing she was surprised to find there? Noah. But there he was, smiling and handing out food to the people who couldn't afford it.
"Noah?" At the sound of her voice, the green eyed boy ducked beneath the table. Confused, Alessia leaned over to look at him. "What are you doing?"
"You weren't supposed to see me", Noah answered sheepishly.
"Why not?", Alessia asked, her brows furrowed. She couldn't imagine why anyone would be embarrassed to be seen doing something good.
"Because I tell my dad that on Saturdays and Sundays, I go to the Future Business Leaders of America?", he answered, cheeks red in embarrassment. Yes, that was a real thing. No, he never actually went. Not anymore. He'd gone long enough to get in hood with the other kids there, to the point they would cover for him if his dad called, but that was it. He still hung out with them though. They were pretty cool.
"And instead you come here?" He nodded. "Every Saturday and Sunday?" Alessia was surprised. Noah had a reputation for being... Well, he wasn't the type you'd think would care about anyone but himself.
Noah nodded again. "And Friday afternoons, when there's not rehearsal."
Alessia nodded, offering him a hand. "Alright, get up."
So, the two of them spent the day together, serving food and getting to know each other. Alessia didn't know that there was so much to Noah. Perhaps she had judged him too quickly. They really got along great.
"You know, Noah, I'm really surprised at you", Alessia admitted while they were cleaning up. "At school, you seem so..."
"Shallow? Stuck up? Snobbish? Rude? Cold and careless? Like a bully?", Noah rattled off. He had heard it all before. After all, he was the one who crafted that image of himself. He had to be someone he wasn't in order to make his father proud.
"No. No! I mean, yes, but no. I just didn't know there was such a gentle side to you", she admitted. "Maybe there's some depth to you after all", Alessia added with a teasing smile.
"Gee, thanks, Alessia", Noah scoffed, playfully tossing one of the left over rolls at her. It was one they'd had to hold back, because it was going stale. No one would mind it being played with, because it was getting thrown out anyway. Just because people were homeless didn't mean you had to give them stale food, after all. It's why they always took things out when they were going bad but weren't quite there yet. They left it outside for the strays and then tossed whatever didn't get eaten.
"Did you just hit me with a roll?", Alessia asked in shock.
"Maybe?", Noah answered with a raised brow.
Alessia scoffed, winding up her throw. "Oh, it's on!"
"Hey, that was a carrot! That could've hurt!", Noah said through his laughter, trying to run away. It was actually kind of comical, watching them run around and pelt each other with food. Sometimes, playing was a good thing, no matter how old you got. Alessia's parents always told her to fall in love with someone you could play with. It's what kept a relationship alive. "Wait, wait, I'm getting a text. Mercy!", Noah called, raising his hands. "Eli said they're taking a bus to see the city, his dad and that theater teacher agreed to chaperone. Do you wanna go?"
"Uh, duh? Maybe we'll see something cool", Alessia grinned. She loved being out in the city. Every time she was there, she found something new and exciting.
It may have just been one of the school's charter buses, but the students had definitely turned it into a party bus, Drew Seeley's Dance For Life blaring loudly. But what the group did at the teen club and in the city wasn't the important part of what happened that night. It was what happened after, when the group was merely having a fun time walking down the street.
Except a cop had stopped TJ and was making some very serious allegations based on something he'd only seem from afar. TJ had only been joking around with Nora, and now he was being accused of assault by a cop who was clearly having a bad day and looking for a fight. It happens, especially when a cop was already dirty to begin with. Everyone knew the rumors about Officer Ackles and the things he did.
Everything happened so fast, the group barely knows what they saw. During this argument, things escalated quickly. TJ did the one thing that his family always told him not to: he reached into his pocket. The cop pulled his gun. Eli rushed him. A gunshot rang out through the night.
JANUARY 24, 2022
i actually wrote the first half of this chapter in December
of 2021, but i wasn't sure i wanted to post this chapter.
sorry that i focused on only a few characters this
chapter, i'm thinking of doing that more often!