Angelica was literally a mess. Her hair wasn't shiny as usual and it was only brushed because her mother did so. She had already cried so much Stephan was actually worried she would dehydrate. He didn't leave her side during the whole funeral and once it was over he still didn't leave her side.
"Frances!" Angelica shouted once she sighted the freckled girl and they ran to each other. Frances shushed Angie, caressing her dark hair, as the girl cried more "Oh Fran, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I yelled at you... I miss you and I should have forgiven you sooner... I-"
"Shhh... It's ok, Angie... It's ok. I get it. No hard feelings, you were right. I was being a b*tch" Frances chuckle at her own denomination.
"No you weren't" Angelica replies looking up at her friend with a sob and Frances raise an eyebrow "Ok, maybe just a bit" Both the girls laugh and separate from the hug.
"Ok, I think I'll just leave you girls to it. Will be waiting for you in the car, Fran"
"Alright, brobro!" Frances salutes him and both him and Angelica giggle.
"Good you're finally back. Both of you" He says smiling at the two and leaves.
"Gosh I'm so glad you forgave me, Angie, it's like a burden got out of my shoulders!" Frances says in relief.
"I'm happy to hear that" Angie says with a small smile and suddenly grows serious "But... I need your help, Fran"
"Sure, anything" Frances says worriedly.
Angelica bites her lip before saying "Ok, it may sound crazy but... Something sounds off to me and I have this feeling that... That maybe..."
"Spit it out!" Frances says anxiously.
"I think Philip and Georges were murdered"
Frances eyes widened as Mary shouted "Well, F*CK GENTLY WITH A CHAINSAW!"
"Ok, you said and I didn't believe but indeed she is smart. GET THEM, SIS!"
Frances cleans her throat before saying "Well, ahm... Why do you say that? They found a suicide note"
"It could be faked! You forge them all the time, right?" She wasn't accusing her, just using as an example, but still, Frances felt trapped.
"Oh, I'm in love with this girl!" Georges shouts.
"What?" Frances, Mary and Philip ask all confused.
"Whaat?" Georges asks back.
"What?" Angelica asks also confused.
"What what?" Frances replies.
"You, you said what. What?"
"Uh, nothing. Just thinking out loud" Frances chuckles "Either way, Angie that's ridiculous, who would kill them?"
"Well, I think it's your friend Alfred" Angie replies carefully and Mary loudly gasps "I remember how he attacked them in the cafeteria that time-"
"Yea, just to protect me" Frances crosses her arms getting in the defensive.
"And I've heard about yesterday too"
"He was angry! You heard the disgusting rumor they spread around about me"
"Exactly, that's an excellent reason, Fran. Also, you have to agree there is something off with that guy"
"Ooh, looks like Franny is going to lady's prison!" Philip teases.
"But you surely need to have more proofs than simply "he is weird"" Angelica looked down and bitted her lip "Angie?"
The girl looked up and said twirling a string of her straight hair in her finger "Well, yesterday Georges spent the night at home with my brother and stuff happened..."
"What kind of stuff?" Frances, Mary and Philip asked together again.
"He... Saw... Things he shouldn't see and we ended up kissing in the bathroom?" Angelica says bashfully.
"That's why you took so long in that damn bathroom! You nasty! She is my sister! EW!"
"You never cared for her, why does it matter now?! AND WE ARE DEAD IT DOESN'T MATTER AT ALL ANYMORE!" Georges shouts back sounding hurt.
"Also what kind of "things" did you see?" Mary asks mischievously.
"NOT THE TIME, MARY!"
"And that's all? That's no proof, Angie" Frances says annoyed.
"No, after that he invited me to have lunch with him today. At noon. I doubt he would do that if was planning to do a suicide pact that same night" Frances stood in silence with widened eyes "I want to look into Alfred's locker and I thought you could give me his combination?"
"Ooh, I bet there must be tons of interesting things in that locker!" Mary shouts and dramatically gasps "Maybe some, "Ich Lüge" bullets?"
"W-Well that's a pretty wild theory, Ange"
"I don't care what they were saying in the funeral. Georges was not gay, I stake my life on it!"
"Hey! Why only "Georges" and not "Philip" too?!"
"I think it's self-explanatory, hun"
"Oh, shut up, Mary!"
"You shut up!"
"Guys we are in a kind of serious situation right now!"
"Oh you shut up too, Georges! You kissed my sister in my f*cking bathroom! WHAT THE HELL, DUDE?!"
"You wouldn't understand-"
"Because you "saw" something you shouldn't, uh?" Mary teases again.
"MARY!"
"ARGH! STOP IT! STOP IT YOU ALL!" Frances shouts closing her eyes.
"Stop what?!" Angelica asks confused and worried "Frances, what's wrong with you?!"
"Sorry, sorry, I'm just trying to understand, ok?" Frances tries to dismiss what just happened and throws her hair back as a bitter taste comes to her mouth "Georges was gay, nothing you can do will change it"
"I know my heart, Frances" Angelica says staring in her friend's eyes.
"Time to choose, Franny. It's eat or be eaten" Mary whispers in Frances' ear and she shivers.
"Tell me, why would he ask me out if didn't feel anything for me?" Frances hesitates and Angie puffs "You know what? I'm gonna confront Alfred!"
As Angelica turns around, Frances grabs her arm in a reflex "No, please don't!"
"DO YOU REALLY HAVE THE GUTS?!" Mary shouts and Frances freezes for a second before starts to giggle.
"You are so cute Angie, you really are" She says crossing her arms with a fake smirk on.
"What do you mean?" Angelica asks scared with the subtle change of her friend's personality.
"The whole invite thing was planned"
"No, it wasn't" Angelica says with a chuckle, more to convince herself.
"Yea. It was the plan since the beginning. He would kiss you and asks you out just so people could see you waiting for him per hours like an idiot. Of course, nobody knew about the suicide thing was going to happen but-"
Angelica's expression fell as she looked down and her eyes started to tear up again as she bit her lip.
"Frances, stop it" Georges begs.
"He didn't love you. He was a dick!" She says it and Angelica sobs.
"FRANCES"
"And he's dead" She says the last part in a baby voice. Frances straight up her posture and says looking away to not see the sorrow in her friend's eyes and break "Just move on, Angelica"
The girl ran away sobbing and Frances watched her go, feeling as her heart was being smashed. Once Angelica was out of sign, Frances knelt down and started to cry unstoppably.
"Wow" Georges snorts "That was... Really something"
"Look, I had no choice. I had to hurt her" Frances says hardly swallowing her tears "If Alfred caught her going in his stuff he would-"
"KILL HER?!" The three spirits shout together and Frances shivers.
"Is that which you are afraid of? I thought the Punisher had retired his weapons!" Mary teases and then whispers close to Frances' ear "Don't you trust him?"