Present
TWO DAYS IS a relatively short time, but to Ariel, it was equivalent to 100 days that were lost with zero leads. Sure, in these past few days, an attempt at releasing Tobias has been made, but it was once again unsuccessful. The court refused to release him on bail in fear that he'd run and even so, bail was set at 1 million dollars, an amount of money not anyone could shit out with zero effort. This was more reason for Ariel to put in the effort neither the police department nor Tobias' lawyer was enforcing and that's why against her better judgement, she contemplated following Lewis' lead.
"So you're gonna trust her with this? After she played you like a fool, you'll still go running behind her? Ariel think! You're smart, one of the smartest kids in this school might I add but that's the whole point, you're a kid. What the hell can you do that investigators haven't already done? You complained about running around like a headless chicken when Lewis convinced you that Larson was the killer but you don't realize that it's all you'll continue to be doing because you can't handle the harsh truth. Tobias killed Maria and Kayla, end of story."
"Are you done?" Ariel inquired softly, her gaze remaining fixated on her chipped nail polish. Evelyn sighed and turned her attention towards Parker who was equally as distracted as Ariel. At the sound of his name, he peered up, "what do you think about all of this? It's useless, right? There's literally nothing she can do, please convince her to just stop."
Ariel's eyes met Parker's and she stared into them longingly as if saying 'I dare you'. Parker licked his chapped lips, unsure of whose side to take. With a bit of hesitancy he cleared his throat, "she's right, Ariel. N–not about Tobias killing Maria and Kayla, I know he didn't but about everything else. You can't help him, you don't have the power to do it and you have nothing to go on. Even if you do, it might just be a useless dead end."
Ariel closed the book gripped tightly between her aching fingertips and set it down onto the table. She got up calmly, "you both are unbelievable." She hiked her school bag onto her shoulders, preparing to leave before Parker's hand wrapped around her arm, halting her in her footsteps. "Please don't be like that, Ariel. We care about you, okay? We just want what's best for you and obsessing over proving Tobias was framed isn't helping you at all." Evelyn nodded her head in agreement.
Her composure had yet to be broken despite what she considered insults being flung her way. Instead, she dodged them swiftly, "I get why Evelyn would disagree. She doesn't know Tobias and it's not like she cared to know him either but you, on the other hand, you're his best friend. You know what he's capable of and what he's not but yet you'll sit here agreeing with someone who doesn't know the first thing about him. I hope you can look Tobias in the eyes and tell him yourself that you gave up on him when I prove his innocence."
Realizing now that no amount of convincing would move Evelyn and Parker, Ariel had no choice but to swallow the yearning for Lewis' head on a golden platter. She had to swallow her dignity and follow the lead, regardless of how minuscule or insignificant it may be. If she stayed rooted in one place, Tobias would suffer at the hands of his incompetent lawyer and the Harleyville police department.
Ariel let out an exasperated sigh as she now stood in front of her open locker. She hadn't a second to catch her breath when a black object sticking out from under her pile of books caught her attention. She retrieved it slowly, examining what appeared to be a vintage tape recorder. Inside was a single cassette and attached to the recorder was a sticky note. Ariel tore her eyes away from the foreign object in her hand and observed every student sauntering down the hallway. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary but she couldn't let her guard down.
Ariel read the note, 'Listen when you're alone, don't and you'll regret it ;)' it said, the smiley face at the end staring back at her sinisterly. She slammed the locker shut and stuffed the recorder into her school bag, swearing under her breath. "So this is what we're doing now, blackmail? Let's see how good you are," her eyes narrowed towards no one in particular, hoping that they would see that nothing could sway her.
Past
"Why do you answer to the name Jet?" Ariel asked, curiosity getting the best of her. She speculated the reason as to why but thought that it was insensitive to say it out loud, so instead, she kept it to herself, waiting patiently on his answer. "Jet Marshal, that's my name, love! Best baseball player in town, obviously handsome, charming, witty," he flashed her a toothy grin, "I go by many names: Tobias Aspen, Ricky Morton. You call it, you get an answer to the one that's appropriate at the given time. I shouldn't be telling you this but what the hell? What's there to lose? It makes things interesting."
Ariel ran her fingers through her hair and leaned back in her seat, "so what should I know about Jet Marshal?" His hands slipped off the steering wheel as he closed the space between them. "If I tell you, I'll be in big trouble, little mermaid." The nickname suddenly sounded foreign coming from his lips, as if it weren't reserved especially to him. Ariel's head was beginning to ache as she tried to fathom all the possibilities for this situation so for her own sake, she diverted from the topic. "I think I should head inside now."
"Before you go, do you want to be my girlfriend? I think you and I would make a lovely couple." Ariel ignored the fact that he already asked a few hours ago and instead she nodded her head in agreement, "yeah, I think it'll be interesting." She responded. He sported a giddy smile once again, a dimple she never realized until now formed just beside his mouth as if it were a new feature suddenly added onto his face to correspond with this bubbly personality. "By the way, I never got to tell you this but don't worry about the jersey, what happened wasn't your fault, plus it was always yours to keep."
Ariel smiled, although they truly never discussed what happened with the jersey, she didn't miss the fact that he worded it as if it were their first time speaking of the ordeal in general. It didn't seem as if he were clueless solely because of the fact that he purposely persuaded her into calling him Jet by not answering to Tobias and now bringing up an altercation that happened a week ago. Ariel wanted to play along with his game to see how far it would go until she figured out the truth behind his weird behaviour.
"Ariel, you agreed to be my girlfriend right?" She nodded her head slowly, "well I haven't dated any girl before because it's always been a complicated situation. But there's just something about you that no one can shake off. I mean don't get me wrong, you're not everyone's fan but we like dangerous games because everything lately has been boring. Don't worry about my rambling though, we'll figure it out." Weirdly enough she understood everything he just said.
He etched his face closer towards hers, "I like you, Ariel. And after today I can confirm it is not only of pure interest but an actual likeness." She brushed back a strand of his hair and smirked, "you talk a lot don't you, Jet?" He nodded his head vigorously, "it's my specialty." He responded, barely getting a second to simmer in his words before Ariel's lips met his. She kissed him softly, mostly out of curiosity to see how he would react. And as expected he jerked back in shock at first as if questioning his next move before he finally gave in.
He kissed her hesitantly, his hands hovering above her waist, unsure of where to lay it down. Ariel caught each and every movement even as her eyes remained closed. Tobias was confident, his love language was touching. . .intimacy. He's snarky, slightly cocky and charming amongst a list of other things. This was definitely not Tobias Aspen because the moment their lips would meet his hands would be all over her as if she would slip from his sight in a matter of seconds.
When she pulled away he was dazed: lips parting, eyes fluttering, heart palpitating in his chest as if it had just run a marathon. His face was a reflection of adoration, happiness and what seemed to be regret. He touched his lips then chuckled in astonishment. It's not as if he were trying to hide the fact that there was something weird going on with him but no longer could he hide it even if he changed his mind and decided to try. This kiss was enough of a revelation for Ariel. She ruffled his dishevelled hair, "I'll see you, later. . .Jet."
Present
Ariel closed the door behind her and trekked towards her bed, the tape recorder barely hanging by her fingertips. She set her bag down beside her feet and sat at the edge, knowing that even if she got comfortable, whatever was on this tape would most likely rip away any effect that her plush mattress could give her. She turned on her television for background noise and finally decided to click the play button.
At first, her ears were met with the sound of faint music, muffled by what Ariel suspected was a closed room possibly with someone standing on the other side recording. It went on like this for a few seconds before it became eerily silent but as she listened closely Ariel could hear the soft and steady breathing of someone. She gritted her teeth anxiously as something clicked, like a door handle. The silence was now enveloped by a song Ariel once loved as a child, but as she listened to it distorted, plagued by static and an unsteady pace; she no longer loved something that once brought her so much joy.
"You better watch out, you better not cry, better not pout I'm telling you why. Santa Claus is coming to town. He's making a list and checking it twice. Gonna find out who's naughty and nice, Santa Claus is coming to town. He sees when you're asleep. He knows when you're awake, he knows when you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake! O! You better watch out, you better not cry, better not pout, I'm telling you why, Santa Claus is coming, Santa Claus is coming, Santa Claus is coming to town."
Santa clause is coming repeated like a mantra, over and over again, becoming more distorted as the once sweet voice morphed into the epitome of atrocity. However, even as it continued, she couldn't prepare for the blood-curdling scream that suddenly ruptured through the recording followed by painful cries, grunts and pleading. Ariel slapped a hand over her mouth as someone began to cackle. It started out softly but gradually grew into a sadistic burst of laughter then it went silent as the tape suddenly cut off.
Bile climbed up the edges of her throat and as if it were instinct: she turned towards the television whose main purpose was simply meant for comfort. The news reporter rambled about the death of Maria and Kayla whose bodies were found by a stray dog discarded in a ditch at the end of the town.
They had been raped and bludgeoned with a bat, left for dead. Ariel's eyes darkened as she listened to the reporter's shrilling voice. Anger gnawed at her pale flesh, hoping to break free, to be let out so that it could stop. So that it would no longer be contained by someone fighting to understand her own emotions.
"Seventeen year old Tobias Aspen was arrested a week after the remains of fifteen year old Kayla Mammoliti and Seventeen year old Maria Jensen of Manchester Central High School were discovered in a ditch–"
She watched silently as his image flickered across the television. The dim lights flashed across her face in a mirage of colors, brightening the dark room with a soft glow. Ariel Campbell sat frozen in her spot, unable to comprehend the reality of her life now. She sunk her nails into her skin as his mugshot flickered across her dark dilated irises. Blood began to pool beneath her sharp fingernails but she hadn't reacted to the pain seizing her arm.
She was done. She was done playing games. She was over having Tobias labeled as the monster when the real monsters slept beside them at night. Ariel Campbell had one goal in mind:
She was going to prove that the psycho was innocent.
No matter what it took.
No matter who she hurt.
~~~