3rd Person POV
Sarah's eyes turn dark as she lifts her head to look at Erica.
"What did you say?"
She growled, aiming to strike fear into Erica. And it works. The look in Sarah's eyes and her cold tone makes Erica second guess her choice to betray Sarah. There was not a single thought, besides the thought of inflicting serious bodily harm on Erica, crossing Sarah's mind.
"Sarah? What are you doing?"
Ace questions as Sarah slowly and eerily inches closer and closer to her target.
"Now you want to act tough? Just a second ago you were crying at my feet like a desperate dog! Don't pretend to be tough now"
Sarah doesn't stop despite Erica's provoking words.
"I used to think I hated everyone, but now I know I was wrong. I don't hate people, interaction just irritates me. The only reason I know the difference now is because I am finally experiencing true hate. So, before I beat you to a bloody pulp, I'd like to thank you, for showing me what true hate is Ri Ri."
And with that final monologue, Sarah launches herself at Erica and tackles her. Once Erica hits the ground, Sarah wastes no time hurling her fist at Erica's terrified face. She throws punch after punch without hesitation, driven by the fire burning under her skin and a primal instinct to destroy whatever threatens to cause her and/or those she cares about harm.
"SARAH!"
All three boys exclaim, rushing to pull her away from her victim.
"Calm down!"
Dez pleads while struggling to get hold of her right arm.
"Don't be an idiot, what the heck are you doing?"
Zaccai adds, also finding it difficult to cease her left.
"Sarah, please! Stop it!"
Ace begs while successfully lifting Sarah off of Erica.
"Let go of me!"
Sarah demands, kicking her limbs every which way, determined to end her target.
"Sarah, you're not thinking straight. Calm down."
Ace wraps his arms around his sister, interlocking his hands and imprisoning her in his hold.
"Listen, Sarah, I know you're mad but, like you've told me a thousand times, fighting isn't a solution"
"I'm not fighting! I'm beating the crap out of her!"
Erica stumbled away, rushing to get to safety.
"YOU COWERED!"
Sarah yelled, causing Erica to halt.
"YOU ONLY HIDE YOUR TRUE INTENTIONS BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANT TO BE HATED! YOU MADE SURE YOU HAD PEOPLE BY YOUR SIDE IN CASE WE EVER FOUND OUT YOUR DIRTY LITTLE SECRET BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANT TO BE ALONE! IT DOESN'T MATTER TO YOU IF THEY ACTUALLY LIKE YOU OR NOT, AS LONG AS THEY'RE THERE! THAT'S WHAT'S TRULY PATHETIC. YOU THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN ME BECAUSE YOU KNOW HOW TO MANIPULATE PEOPLE INTO STAYING BY YOUR SIDE, BUT IF YOU DID A SINGLE THING WRONG IF YOU MESSED UP EVEN A LITTLE, THEY'D LEAVE YOU, BUT ME? NO MATTER HOW MUCH I MESS UP, NO MATTER HOW MUCH OF A JERK I AM, I ALWAYS HAVE SOMEONE BY MY SIDE. THAT'S WHY YOU'RE THE PATHETIC ONE ERICA, YOU TRULY BELIEVE CONTROLLING PEOPLE AND FORCING THEM INTO SITUATIONS WHERE THEY MUST BEFRIEND YOU IS A FLEX! ALL YOU'RE REALLY DOING IS PREACHING YOUR DESPERATION!"
Erica's heart skipped as she listened to Sarah scream at her. Every word Sarah said hurt more than the last. She spent years planning ways to get Sarah to break, expose her weaknesses and hurt her deeply. But with those few words, in such little time, Sarah had done all three to her, proving once again that Sarah is the master and Erica but a mere spectator. Tears rushed down Erica's eyes as she internalised Sarah's words, not out of guilt, but frustration.
Was it all pointless? I did everything I had to this point just to get a single reaction out of Sarah, to prove she was a fraud and she did care about what others thought of her. To prove that she isn't the strong, cool, flawless person she pretends to be! But even at her worst, somehow... She still feels better than me! IT'S NOT FAIR!
Erica whines to herself.
Ace holds on to Sarah as tight as he can but she is surprisingly strong. She grunts and groans violently while struggling to free herself from her brother's grip. Her voice cracks and her throat closes up. Her freakish strength starts to fade and she stops struggling, finally releasing all the pent-up frustration she had been locking away. Once again, tears flow graciously down her pale face. She quickly buries her face in her brother's chest and lets out a painful scream before sobbing endlessly. Ace had never seen Sarah so broken, she never allowed herself to cry loudly. All three boys turned to face Erica with malevolent eyes, but before they could do anything, Erica's parents arrived on the scene.
"What's going on here?!"
Her father demanded as he shut the door to his car and rushed into the gate.
"Erica, sweetheart, are you alright?"
Her mother joined in, tailing Mr. Brooks.
Sarah just held on to Ace even tighter and did her best to be silent. She could not face Mr. and Mrs. Brooks because they were like her aunt and uncle. All three families had spent so much time together, they had become one big family. Now it was breaking, part of it at least.
"You! What are you doing here?"
Mt Brooks demands as he glares at Sarah.
"Hey buddy, you're daughter is the one who has been terrorizing Sarah, don't look at her like that!"
Zaccai snaps, resulting in a staredown between him and Mr. Brooks.
"Erica? Our quiet little angel? She's never even here to fly!"
Mrs. Brooks starts
"Sarah's the one who's been humiliating her. She has you boys wrapped around her pinky. Desmond, you and Erica were such a great couple till this witch got in the way. Erica told us all about how you kissed her at that party then when Sarah caught you, you blamed it all on her and followed Sarah like a dog. Then when Sarah would not take you back you crawled back to my precious daughter. I warned her against dating you but she insisted that she loved you and she was sure you cared about her too. But you ditched her the moment you thought Sarah found someone new. And instead of just picking one of you, this girl just kept flirting with you two boys for attention. It's sad to think you became such an awful person Sarah. I always warned your mother that your attitude was a red flag but she'd always defend you, now look at the disgusting person you've become."
Mrs. Brooks' speech shocks the three boys. They can all see the evil smirk Erika is wearing while hiding behind her father. These were the lies she fed her parents to ensure they supported her. None of them had proof that she was lying and Erica's parents always believed every word their precious angel said. It was their word against hers.
"Don't talk about my sister that way"
Ace hisses, but Sarah, who is calm and quiet now, pulls herself away from him and turns to face the Brooks'.
"Your crocodile tears won't work on us."
Mr. Brooks scolds. They all stare angrily at Sarah but she just stares back with a tired expression.
"A disgusting person?"
Sarah repeats with a shaky voice.
"Yes! I can't believe you'd go as far as to assault our daughter in our own home!"
Mrs. Brooks asserts, cupping her daughter's face and pointing at the bruises all over it.
"Yeah... I guess that was a bit extreme of me."
"Extreme is an understatement. We are calling your parents, and they'd better be ready to pay compensation for this. We might just take this to court too and their reputations will be ruined. Serves them right for raising you so poorly."
Sarah watches as Mr. Brooks takes out his phone to call her parents. She takes a deep breath and pulls out her phone too.
"I guess that's fair... but I wonder how the jury will react to hearing this."
She taps her phone screen and a recording starts to play.
"I don't know what you're talking about. You're crazy."
"Oh! Look at that, you can speak. I wasn't sure seeing as you haven't said a word to me after drugging Dez so he can make out with you. Are you seriously that pathetic? As for you not knowing what I'm talking about, I have a call recording and transaction receipts that say otherwise."
"I guess you know, but that is private information. You can't use any of it without my consent."
"You see Ri, that's why I was the smart one of the group. Y
That call recording and bank info is Chesters, and with a promise of reduced time for cooperation and good behaviour, why wouldn't he give it to me?"
"You b**ch!"
"Really? Me? I'm sorry, I could've sworn it was you who paid people to assault me."
Mr. and Mrs. Brooks's faces turn pale but Sarah just watches and allows the recording to continue playing.
"You like to play the victim but the truth is, you're no better than I am. You knew I had a crush on Dez so you asked him out before I could!"
"I asked him out because I wanted to. How was I supposed to know you liked him? And is this really the reason you caused all this? Because of your stupid little crush?"
"No, it's all of it. You got everything I wanted, captain of the dance team, top of the class, student council vice president! You got everything without lifting a finger! I worked hard, every day, but I still remained in your shadow. You treated everyone like garbage and no one disrespected you. I was nice to everyone but I'd always hear people whispering and spreading rumors about me. It wasn't fair, so I fixed it. "
"Fixed it? Ha! What did you want me to do? Apologise for being better than you?"
"Better than me? If you were so much better, why didn't you figure it out until now? That I'm the one who sent Trevor and his after Ace when we were in middle school. I Ace wanted to fight them for bullying you and gave them details of where he'd be. I knew you'd confront them since Ace was involved and Trevor wasn't the type to refrain from hitting a girl. It was the perfect plan and you never figured out it was me. None of you did, not even Trevor realised I was just using him. That's when I realised how easy people are to manipulate. I kept doing these little things that triggered chain reactions ending with you being hurt and none of you figured it out. So tell me Sarah, are you still better than-"
"That loud sound was me punching your daughter in the face."
Sarah explains with a blunt tone before playing the rest of the recording
"YOU PSYCHO B**CH! ACE ENDED UP IN JUVIE THANKS TO YOU!"
"I WILL MAKE YOU REGRET MEETING ME!"
"I already regret meeting you Sarah, that's why I did all this."
"All because you were jealous? You were my best freaking friend Erica. I refused to believe anything Mike or Chester said despite all the evidence because I thought you could never do this to me..."
"You really are a pathetic piece of s**t Sarah, you know that? Why would anyone want to be friends with you? You treat everyone like garbage and think you deserve better? Like I said, you and I aren't different, I just know how to be a horrible person and keep people by my side unlike you who push everyone away. You underestimate the value of friends, I made friends with the right people, and now, I pretty much rule the school. One phone call and I had Mike being rushed to the hospital for betraying me. Just because you have the popular guys wrapped around your finger doesn't make you powerful. But now, since they've chosen to stick with a reject like you, their popularity won't last long, and soon enough, everyone will hate them too, then, nothing will stop anyone from coming after you. "
Sarah stops the recording and watches Erica's horrified face avoid meeting her parents' gaze.
"I don't know about you but that doesn't sound like an angel to me. Other than this recording, I have plenty of evidence that proves she orchestrated my assault, including a call recording between her and my assaulter and transaction receipts from her to my assaulter, both of which were given to me by said assaulter."
Both parents just listen in disbelief regretting the horrible things they said to Sarah on behalf of their daughter.
Sarah indeed hoped Erica was still her best friend deep down but Sarah was never one to let ridiculous things such as hope blind her to the truth that sat before her. Erica did manage to get to her and make her vulnerable but that didn't mean she became an idiot. She could see right through Erica now that she knew the truth and easily manipulated her into confessing. Erica was clearly proud of what she did because it made her feel superior to Sarah, and so Sarah used that to her advantage. Even amid a mental breakdown, she's still a step ahead.
"Weren't you going to call my parents? Ask for compensation? Tell them how much of a disgusting person I am?"
Sarah mocks as she glares at the speechless idiots before her.
"YOU MOTHERF-"
Before Erica can finish her sentence, she tackles Sarah, and the two of them land on the ground with a loud thud. Ace quickly pulls Erica off and pins her to the ground as Zac and Dez help Sarah up.
"ERICA! YOU'VE DONE ENOUGH!"
Mrs. Brooks snaps, shocking Erica into silence. Never before had her parents yelled at her. Ace lets go of her and stands in front of Sarah, shielding her from any other attack. But Sarah had already made up her mind to leave. The situation was overwhelming. As soon as the three boys were distracted, trying to ensure Erica didn't attack her again, she took off, running wherever her legs would take her.
"Sarah!"
They all cried, running after her, but she was too fast and quickly disappeared from view.
___
It had been hours since Sarah disappeared. It was almost Dark out. Ace, Zac, and Dez had already told Mr. and Mrs. Gordon everything and now they were all looking for Sarah, with the help of Mr. and Mrs. Alverez as well. There was no sign of her anywhere in the estate. Mr. Alverez called for everyone to meet back at his house and discuss their next move.
"Okay... it's almost dark out, there's a chance it'll rain and my daughter is out there somewhere, alone and without anything warm on. I think we should involve the police."
A panicked Kiera demands. Jake holds her hand, trying to calm her down even though he is more afraid.
"The police won't help. It's not even been 6 hours. For her to be officially reported as missing, she'll have to be MIA for 24 hours or more."
Mrs. Alverez points out.
"WHAT!"
Jake exclaims.
"What Daina is trying to say is that the police won't be of much help. For now, we are on our own but I'm confident we can find her."
Raphael intervenes to make his wife's blunt statement more positive.
"Look, Sarah has probably found a spot where she can be alone, meaning she's going to stay there until she feels better. That makes the chances of us finding her pretty high. Even if she moves, she'll probably be heading home."
Dez adds, successfully easing the tension.
"That means someone has to stay behind in case she comes back."
Ace concludes. They all stay silent waiting for someone to volunteer.
"I'll do it."
Dez finally lets out, realising everyone wants to help with the search instead of sitting around and doing nothing.
"Oh no, you don't. So that you and Sarah can be in the house all alone while everyone's out looking for her? Not on my watch! I'm staying behind with you!"
Jake asserts, causing Kiera to roll her eyes in shame.
"Okay."
Dez says awkwardly as Jake stares him down.
"So, anyway... the rest of us will split into groups of two and search outside the estate. Daina and I will take our car, Kiera and Ace can take Ace's car and Zac can take his, obviously. Dez and Jake will remain here with one car in case we need them to drive over to us."
Daina instructs. As expected of a police captain.
"Wait... so there is a chance Zaccai will be alone with Sarah?"
Jake starts with concern.
"Jake!"
Keira snaps.
"Jake, I think it's best if you stay here and wait for her. Worrying about who finds her is counterproductive"
Daina points out
"Dez, I want you out there searching too."
Keira asserts. Before Jake can protest, she shuts him up with a glare.
"Alright! Let's leave now so that we don't waste any more time. Remember to tell us if you find her so we can call off the search."
They all agree and start heading out.
Before Zaccai can drive off in search of Sarah, Dez approaches him.
"I have a question for you."
He starts, causing Zaccai to halt.
"Oh? Well then, by all means, due continue to waste time we could be using to find Sarah."
Even though his tone is obviously sarcastic, Dez proceeds.
"For someone so obsessed with Sarah, you don't seem to be concerned."
"For someone who dated Sarah for two years and claims to still love her, you don't seem any more concerned than I am."
"That's a fair point. Anyway, there's only one reason you would be so chill about this situation."
"And what reason would that be?"
"You already know where she is..."
This is true, Zaccai knows exactly where Sarah is, or at least, he has a strong hunch. He figured it out during the first search, just before Jake called them to reassemble.
"I might."
Dez chuckles and begins to walk away.
"Hey, wait!"
Zaccai demands, causing Dez to halt and turn back.
"Like you said, we are wasting time."
"You know too, don't you?"
Zaccai glares at Dez, anticipating his response.
"What makes you think that?"
"If you didn't know, you'd have asked me to tell you."
"What makes you think I wasn't planning on following you?"
"The fact that you were willing to stay. You know she is going to come back and so you wanted to wait for her. And you know she's going to come back safely because you know where she is."
"That's an interesting theory."
Even though he was just as vague when answering Dez, Zaccai finds Dez's answers irritating.
"I guess... it's just a matter of who gets there first now."
Dez teases before turning to walk away again.
"I guess so."
Zaccai mumbles to himself before getting into his car and driving off. They were both headed for the same place but used different routes. They both refrained from telling the adults for the same reason as well. Sarah doesn't like being surrounded when she is vulnerable, which is exactly why she ran away in the first place. If the adults were told, surrounding her is all they'd do.
___
While everyone is out desperately searching for her, Sarah sits at the top bleacher bench in the school field, watching as the sun sets and the stars become visible. The school is completely deserted. Not a person in sight. The building itself was locked but the field was also used by the community and so was accessible at all times. Sarah hummed to herself the tune of suffocating Hayd, the song playing from her phone, her arms around her folded legs, as she stared blankly.
He watches her from the bottom of the stands as she tries desperately to hold back her tears. His heart breaks, watching her suffer silently.
Is that what she went through after our breakup?
He thought to himself, feeling an overwhelming rush of guilt fill his breaking heart.
"Hey... you know, everyone's looking for you"
She is startled by the sudden appearance of a human being before her. He smiled at her, waiting for her to respond.