Chapter 12: Kills Us All

Soon the time turned and it was suddenly near December, which meant exam season, the probable most stressful time of a teenager's life. I was sitting on my patio doing some revisions for the exam tomorrow, which I haven't at all been able to study for.

For the past three months it's just been a constant competition between Jonah and Daniel and Henry and Calvin. It's getting so tiresome having to constantly be on stand by if one of them tries to do something. Which resulted in any of us spending any time together. With a few exceptions in mind.

My doorbell rang and I went to answer as nanny Frida was sleeping. She deserved the break after all. It was the holiday season and my parents were happily throwing away thousands, maybe even millions of dollars, away to keep up their image of rich, and wealthy. Extravagant parties, here, there, and everywhere. Last year they threw multiple parties, some at a random yacht in London, an private island, an exclusive gym, and even a McDonalds. Though this year they wanted to stick closer to home, and hosted some, multiple actually, parties here at the house, and it has been so filthy and repellant. Though thankfully Nanny Frida, has been a big help by cleaning up afterwards for hours. I offered to help but she just kept pushing me away.

"Hello- oh hell no," I attempted to shut the door but they just barged in, as they usually would back in the old days, though it used to be more accepted.

"What are you two doing here?" I crossed my arms and stared at them as they sat in my kitchen island, while looking at me, feeling right at home.

"We wanted to see how you were doing," Henry said. "And we wanted to catch up, like old times." Calvin continued as he sat more comfortably.

"Catch up? It's been almost what- three years without a peep, and now suddenly you're interested in my life?" I asked as I pointed to myself in front of them.

"We tried reaching out, but you switched numbers. We tried Zach, but every time there would be an excuse, or some else would answer and blocked our numbers." Calvin said as he shifted in his seat.

Their demeanors have completely turned to the opposite side of the spectrum, as they looked more uncertain, anxious, and even scared at some points. Nothing different from the last time I ever saw them. The week before they left, well forced to leave. As if it wasn't abundantly clear that certain connections were what forced them to leave, a scholarship as such has never existed up until a month or so after our fight, and before they left.

"Okay?" I was unsure whether or not to take these two seriously but aside from that I walked into the kitchen to grab them some waters.

"We see that you're close with the other scholars, huh?" Calvin mentioned.

"Yep. Your cousins? Yes we're quite close." I put the glass water bottles down in front of them while leaning on the counter for support, while smiling a bit.

"She told you huh?" He asked.

"He told me actually" I smirked slightly.

"Manny?" Henry asked.

"Gabe," I muttered while eating a grape.

"You two are close?!" Calvin said in bewilderment.

"I'd say sure, he might say not. Agree to disagree maybe?" I shrugged not really knowing the answer to that, considering this whole week we haven't talked much.

"Well whatever it may be, I wanna say thanks." Calvin sighed.

"For what?" I tilted my head slightly confused.

"For taking care of them, for making them feel comfortable." He smiled at me, genuinely.

"Yeah Gabe raved about you. So did Manny, Naomi not so much, until after the exam party." Henry interjected.

"Naomi and I got really close at the party I guess. And I figured why not?" I shrugged off.

"Still. We expected you to be exactly like how Jonah or even Addison is right now," Henry muttered.

"We did do you both wrong. We never meant for any of this to happen though," Calvin sighed. I've only seen him make that face. The face of truly apologetic, and disheartened. Today and when we defended him from Daniels fist.

"Times are tough, you needed the help more than we did. They were angry about, and to be honest I was too. But i decided that it's better to move on than harbor that,"

"I wish all of you preppy friends would think like you do. Richness doesn't come with its own flavor, huh?" Calvin laughed.

"Yeah it comes in extra poor, poor, moderate, to get some cash flows going, but not too much, and extreme island parties." I joked.

"You still have the same humor," Henry said laughing.

"How was studying abroad?" I asked.

"Best experience of my life." Henry sighed out.

"We worked on the side, and we were able to earn much more than we did working at the Cavern Bar, here." Calvin said.

The Cavern Bar was popular with the students of Isla it was close, fancy, but a simple enough restaurant that anyone could work at. Most of the scholarships students have reported to work there in pervious school years. It was just very convenient.

"Who even proposed that idea in the first place?" I asked them, "If I would've known I would have done better on my geo test that semester."

"It was the PTA committees idea," Henry smirked knowing exactly who was on it. My mom, Daniel's parents, Jonah's mom, Jack's dad, Christina's parents, Ella's mom obviously, Addison's parent's, and Zach's dad.

"Of course it was," I rolled my eyes, "At least they didn't kill you both off right?" I asked but then quickly read the room and quickly shut up. "Wrong timing?"

"No. You're right, at least they didn't off us and feed us to the sharks. But now that we're back, we want to make things right." Cal said.

"Are you guys going to go back to before? With the drugs and all that?" I asked them.

"Well- we didn't, exactly, per say, wanted to sell them again. It's just kinda happened," he muttered.

"Yeah like how a cow accidentally gets turned into a couch," I muttered.

"Okay we had some business left behind when we left." Calvin admitted.

They were involved with some pretty rough people back in their day, they needed to be able to sustain themselves and their families so they did what most of the people around them did, sell drugs. When they left New York gang's sought out for them, but they were protected, it was only a matter of time before they had to pay back what they owed, and they were forced to sell drugs for their families lives. Which involved up to an extent.

"When are you going to tell them the truth?" I asked both of them.

"To be honest, never." Calvin said.

"Why not?" I asked, "Wouldn't you want them to know the truth instead of viewing you both as drugged up monsters?"

"It's better to not let them in anymore. If they some how, miraculously, believe us, then-" Henry started off.

"We'd rather live with the fact that they hate us, then to pity us. It's not worth it to involve them into more drama than whatever this all is,""

"They're good people once you get to know them." I tried to reason. "You guys know that. They'll understand."

"We do know that. But with what we did I don't think it's gonna be easy for them to forgive us. We can barely convince ourselves to forgive us as well," Calvin sighed.

"It's not going to be easy, but you'll spend the rest of your lives feeling guilty for shit that you didn't help do." I muttered.

Remembering the truth that just about killed us all.