Hazel Kaya
Kaya mansion, Sunday 11pm
Kayden had left 4 hours ago. It took everything in me not to beg him to stay, to keep him from leaving me again. I had grown tired of people leaving me, from my grandfather, to Chase, everyone i had once love had disappointed me and left. I knew Kayden was different, I knew deep down that he didn't want to leave and that this wasn't his choice. His friends needed him, who was I to hold him back.
I sat in the lounge room with Lily, both of us in pink matching pyjamas watching a kids cartoon she enjoyed a bit too much. I had to admit, she was growing on me, Lily was slowly making me realise that maybe all kids aren't that bad.
We both sat laughing at some corny joke when a figure appeared at the room's door. He stood hunched over holding his left side as if the moment he let go his ribcage would collapse. He looked bruised, blue and in an unimaginable state of pain.
"Lily i need you to go up to your room, can you do that for me?" i glaced at the little girl, silently explaining to her that everything would be fine. She glanced at the broken boy and leaned forward to kiss my cheek before walking out the room hand in hand with one of the maids.
"Chase, what happened?" I walked close to analysing the hues of purple that painted the skin around his eyes. I had seen Chase like this before, his father was a horrible man, but something inside of me told me this wasn't the old man's doing.
"Hazel I-" he managed to speak before he collapsed on the couch. He was breathing heavily. The person who did this to him had nearly killed him, a part of me wished they had finished the job.
Chase had betrayed me. The night his lips met mine he had ruined to only good then that was left in his life. Part of me wanted to walk away, throw him out and never look back, but a larger part, the more reckless part of me crouched down next to his feet and lifted his chin to meet my eyes.
"I'm sorry," he breathed out. "God Hazel, you don't know how sorry I am," As much as I wanted his words to be meaningless, the still carried the weight of the world. I resented how much I wanted t to forgive him, to pretended he didn't use me to replace her.
"Chase what happened?" I asked again now sitting beside him. He refused to look at me, something i was grateful for. If I had met his eyes, I didn't trust myself not to breakdown.
"I need you," he pleaded, the hurt in his voice breaking down my walls.
"Don't say that" I pulled away from him. I didn't need this right now; I didn't need him to come back and ruin everything again. I finally had something good going on, for once in my life I was enjoying life but here his was, in all his pathetic glory saying he needed me.
"Please Hazel, I don't know what else to do," he sat upright. His voice flat and steady. What was he doing? Saying he needed me; he can't be serious. I may be a hopeless romantic but i wasn't stupid. You don't just show up at a girl's house months after you kissed her saying you needed her.
"Chase," I stood up pacing Infront of him. "If this is about your dad, I'll call my dad and he can help you," I didn't know what else to say to him. My dad treated Chase like a son, seeing him like this would shatter him, but if anyone could deal with Mr Carter it was my dad.
"No, it's fine I'm sorry for coming here" he stood up still holding his side before walking towards the door.
What was going on? Seriously what was up with beat and bloody boys showing up at my house in the middle of the night.
"Chase why did you come here?" i asked again, this time harsher. I was tierd of people coming and going as they pleased.
"I don't want to hurt you anymore," he spoke softly against the doorframe.
I didn't care about being hurt anymore. He was a Faultline, anything or anyone that got near him would be shocked on impact, but I had once been willing to give up everything to be with him so i had to trust there was still some good in him.
"You don't get to decide what hurts me," i stepped closer to him, placing my hand on his shoulder and turning him to face me.
He looked down into my eyes. It felt like old times, when he would show up at my house to escape his own. When his nights were full of terrors and his eyes full of tears, before I had known what his lips felt like against my own. I dint know what to say to the ghost of Chase Carter that stood Infront of me.
"Hazel It was me," he took a step back. His hands found the knots in his hair, tugging at them as he choked on his words. "I killed her."
Time stopped, the world stopped spinning, and gravity betrayed me. I collapsed to my knees holding back a sob. This whole time I was mentally blaming the troubled kids of the southside for taking my cousin from me. This whole time I was blaming the wrong side; this whole time it hadn't been them; it had been my people. It had been my best friend.
"They made me," he walked closer hovering over me. "Your grandfather, he loaded the gun and placed it in my hand," he lowered himself to me. "don't look at me like I'm some monster, I didn't want this." The words coming out of his mouth were falling on deaf ears.
It hit me then and there, sure Chase shot her, but it was his fault. I knew how manipulative my grandfather was, I knew the influence his mere presence brought. Chase wasn't some cold-blooded killer. Chase Carter was a victim.
It sounded crazy, the boy who sat Infront of me was just as innocent as Kayden. It pained me to compare them, the good and the bad in my life being mirrors of each other. Kayden and Chase both delt a shitty hand at life, both manipulated into killing people they cared about, but the boy Infront of my burnt to ashes while the other rose from them.
"I'm so sorry Chase," I leaned into him, tears falling from his eyes into my hair. My family had created monsters, my family had destroyed everything in my life, my family had destroyed me. Enough was enough, if they thought they could play games with the people in my life, they had another thing coming for them.
Carson Evans
Davis house, Sunday 11pm
As I sit in this room, I thought 3 things.
1- Why the hell is everyone in this town batshit crazy. 2- Everyone kept saying names expecting me to know who they were, like hey newsflash, new guy here can we please explain who these people are. And 3- Hanna was really pretty when she spoke about murder.
"Earth to Carson," Hunter spoke waving his hands Infront of my face. I turned to look at him, nodding my head for him to go on.
"Did you hear anything we just said or were you to busy gawking at my sister?" Zack spoke glaring at me. I could feel the tips of my ears go red in shame. It wasn't my fault her honey brown hair fell so perfectly over her shoulders, it was mesmerizing. Correction, Hanna Davis was mesmerizing.
"Yeah, sorry umm," I sat up straighter. "Chase shot Renae, Hailey manipulated Kayden into killing Elyse and Hailey tipped of North. Though we don't exactly know why, we're assuming it for cheating on her," I mumbled out quicky trying to prove I wasn't infact gawking at Hanna (I totally was).
"Good job newbie," Kayden said patting me on the back before side eyeing zack. Great, good job Carson, you've singlehandedly embarrassed yourself Infront of your new friends.
"Anyways," Hanna dragged out, circling back to the actual reason we were all here. "What do we do now, I mean we know who did everything," she met my eyes. I swear I saw a faint blush spread across her cheeks but hey I was a helpless delusional boy, i probably just say what I wanted to.
"We need to get a confession out of Hailey, then I'm personally dragging her into a cell," Kayden spoke determinedly. He had been manipulated and coerced by Hailey hand. His angry was not only understandable it was greatly encouraged. Hailey committed the crime, yet society would blame Kayden, all because of his status.
"A confesion is going to do nothing, her dad is the most respected lawyer in state," Zack said bringing us all back to reality. It hurt knowing no matter what we did, she would always win. Her father would do anything to make sure North stayed locked up and the rest of us would never be cretited in society ever again.
Kayden parker
Davis house, 12pm
"I don't give a flying fuck who her daddy is," I stood up angrily. If that witch didn't get locked up, it meant everything I had gone through was for nothing, and i sure as hell wasn't about to let that happen.
"Kayden calm down," Zack stood up next to me. I took a deep breath meeting his gaze. Being friends with zack was comforting yet weird, id spent a year resenting the guy and with one simple apology everything had been forgiven.
"i have an idea," Hunter spoke up. The look in his eyes made me uneasy. As if what he would say next would be the most outrageous idea would ever hear. I turned to him, nodding for him to go on.
"Well i mean, if Hailey wants to play the family card, what's stopping us from doing the same thing," he shrugged as if it was nothing. The minute he said it my blood turned hot.
"absolutely not," I pointed at him. "No," I repeated myself.
"I don't get it, our family connections end at a nurse, a deadbeat, a cop and a drug dealer," Hanna mused joking about our upbringings. "No offence guys but there is no way our family connections are coming in handy."
"You guys seem to forget that I'm a kaya," Hunter stood up now. "The last name has a lot of perks and is a lot more powerful that Haileys," Hunter said.
I'll admit it was true. The Kayas were the most influence family in the country. With a wave of a hand anyone and everyone would fall to their knees for them. Trust me i would know, Hazel had me wrapped around her finger. But that is the exact reason I didn't like the sound of this plan.
Involving the Kayas would mean involving Hazel, and i wanted her as far away as possible from the southside. Involving her could lead to her getting hurt and i was not about to let that happen. Hazel was safe in the North; she was far away from people who had committed atrocities. She was far away from people like me
"We can get the confession at the wedding tomorrow," Hanna spoke up. Shit, i had totally forgotten about the Layla and Avani's parents' wedding. "Then its settled, we get the confession tomorrow and the kayas will deal with the legal side of it," Hanna said getting up and walking to the demented looking corkboard that had all our clues and suspects on it.
"Kayden she'll be fine," Zack spoke from beside me. It wasn't hard to figure out that I cared about Hazel more than I should've. I couldn't help myself, she was smart, kind and treated me as an equal. Sure, she acted like she was all high and might, but when I mattered as was her equal. Those were all the qualities that drove me into madness for her, not to mention how beyond beautiful she was.
"If she gets hurt I-" I tried to speak but he cut me off.
"She won't, trust me," he slung his arm over my shoulder. "And if anyone tries anything they they've got you and me to deal with," he leaned his head against my shoulder. "Plus, you forget Hunter her cousin and the last time someone tried something with his girl, they died."
"Do you think I should invite her as my date for tomorrow?" I asked Zack. It was a dumb idea but i wanted to see her. Hazel was addictive and currently I was having withdrawals.
"you'd be an idiot not to, she may be the ice queen but she sure is hot," Zack grinned, "if u don't ask her out, I will," he joked slapping the side of my face in endearment.
"Funny of you to think you'd have a chance with her," I mused back at him walking towards the guest room.
"Funny of you to think I don't," he grinned walking away.
It occurred to me in that moment that I wasn't alone anymore, I had my brothers back. North had stabbed me in the back, but he deserved more than a jail cell. At the end of the day North had crossed so many lines, but he was still my friend, and in the southside we don't leave friends behind.
𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄:
very tempted to lie and say that I was kidnapped and locked up. but I just lost motivation during Exams. Uploads are back (don't get too excited idk if they are). Please let me know if there's anything in particular that u want me to right about. all suggestions are welcome.
Enjoy <3
No I'm not forgiving Chase that quickly but it's about time he gets a redemption.