[color=lightgray][right][sub][color=lightgray]TIMESTAMP: Lunch Period
[@smarty0114] & [@LovelyComplex][/color][/sub][/right]
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[img]https://i.imgur.com/st6c527.png[/img]
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[img]https://i.imgur.com/EkbNCkj.png[/img]

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[/center]
[indent][indent][quote]FROM: [color=#ff6127]AJ Motherfucking Tyler
Hey 
I’m sorry[/color] [/quote]
There was a brief pause before Jamie's phone began to buzz with numerous text notifications.

[quote]FROM: [color=#ff6127]AJ Motherfucking Tyler
I fucked up. I wasn’t myself and I feel like shit. 
I’ve sobered up a bit so this is me. 
I need space because I can’t deal.[/color] [/quote]

[quote]FROM:[color=#ff6127] AJ Motherfucking Tyler
I said some fucked up shit, did some fucked up shit 
and this whole situation got me fucked up. 
Can’t keep doing this. [/color][/quote]

[quote]FROM: [color=#ff6127]AJ Motherfucking Tyler
I want more, Jamie, and that’s not what you want. 
I’ll respect that. [/color][/quote]

[quote]FROM:[color=#ff6127] AJ Motherfucking Tyler
Moving on. 
I need to.[/color] [/quote]

[quote]FROM: [color=#ff6127]AJ Motherfucking Tyler
I’m sorry I’m not right for you but I know it’ll be ok. 
You’re badass and I know you’re gonna do great.[/color][/quote]
There was a long pause and all that could be seen on the screen was AJ typing.

[quote]FROM: [color=#ff6127]AJ Motherfucking Tyler[/color]
[i]Typing…
Typing…
Typing…[/i][/quote]
Similar to Mordechai texting AJ, the length of the message that came through on Jamie's phone did not match the wait it took to send it.

[quote]FROM: [color=#ff6127]AJ Motherfucking Tyler
Good luck.[/color][/quote]
And then it stopped. Everything, all at once, stopped. No phone buzz, no notifications, and no 'I love you'. There was nothing more for AJ to say. He was finally following through with his words and what he needed to do. He needed it all to stop so he’d do just that. Make it all stop. With two simple words, AJ stopped everything. 

[color=#ff6127][i]Good luck.[/i][/color]

Jamie looked down at his phone, foot tapping against the floor of the Newsroom. His stomach had twisted itself into knots when he saw AJ’s name appear on his screen, and it had only gotten more tangled as he read the messages. Jamie Callaghan hadn’t cried since he was fifteen, but he wanted to right now. He wanted to cry and scream into the void, but there was no void to be found. Only the judgmental faces of his classmates and all the potential consequences of absolutely losing it in front of them. 

His mind spun, trying and failing to process the sudden stream of information. AJ had broken up with him, then AJ had…well he didn’t really know what to call AJ’s behavior earlier. He thought of the lectures the teachers had given them freshman year, of the talks he and Katie had received from their parents when they came home with matching hickeys. This wasn’t like the horror stories he’d heard…but it wasn’t not like them either. He couldn’t help but trip on the context of it all, blinded in part by the AJ he’d known, and his own part in making it disappear.

Because he didn’t want that moment to be how he remembered AJ. Angry and hurt, probably coked up (he didn’t have the bandwidth to even approach that can of worms) and worst of all, scary. He wanted to remember driving up the coast with him, top down, wind tousling their hair and music drowning out their laughter. He wanted to remember climbing out his bedroom window to watch the stars from his roof, dull as they were against the LA sky. He wanted the late night conversations, and the backseat hookups and fuck, there might’ve even been a part of him that missed doing homework in the garage while AJ tinkered with his toys. 

And yet, he couldn’t have any of that anymore, not without thinking of the way his stomach dropped when he was between AJ and that wall. He ground his teeth together as he felt his eyes sting. Jamie Callaghan hadn’t cried since he was fifteen, and he wouldn’t start now. Instead, he would do the next best thing.

He texted Trixie.

[quote]To: [color=15603a]Trix[/color]
[color=31ba9c]where are you???
i need to scream[/color][/quote]
He waited a few minutes, tapping his fingers against the table in front of him, anxiously awaiting a response. When none came, he picked up the phone again.

[quote]To: [color=15603a]Trix[/color]
[color=31ba9c]hellooooooo???
answer
emergency
are you dead??
i stg
i’m coming to find you[/color][/quote]
Moments later, he was zooming in on a map, where a picture of Trixie hovered over the parking lot. What the fuck was she doing out there? He snagged his bag and threw it over his shoulder with a huff, storming out of the Newsroom without a word, and making a beeline for the parking lot. The student body didn’t move out of his way quite as quickly as they did for The Hive or The Elite, but it was quick enough. 

Once he was outside, it didn’t take long to find Trixie’s parking spot. Her car was parked right next to his, as inseparable as they were it seemed. He marched over, expecting to find her doing homework in the driver’s seat, or working on an article for the paper, away from the distractions of the school. Instead, she was splayed out across the back row, passed out. [color=31ba9c]“Trixie, what the fuck?”[/color] he said, mostly for his own benefit before he began rapping his knuckles against her windows. [color=31ba9c]“Bitch, wake up, I thought you were dead!”[/color]

What year was it? 

When Trixie awoke, her stomach had the rumblies and her hair was disheveled. She could barely process the knocking on her window. Her best friend was outside clearly trying to check on her but her mind was set on two things: her thirst and her hunger. Her gaze searched her car and by luck, she caught sight of water and a bag of snacks. Reaching forward, she grabbed the water first and began downing it. As she drank, Trixie noticed Jamie watching her and she held up a finger, telling him to hold on a second. She needed to quench this intense thirst. What the fuck did Monarch do to her? After  she practically emptied it, she urgently grabbed the bag and pulled out the Takis Fuego chips. Unceremoniously she stuffed her face. 

Why was she so hungry?

Trixie had cravings and urges but nothing like this. She felt like she hadn’t eaten in ages and was going to die from starvation. With her mouth full, Trixie finally unlocked the door and beckoned Jamie to come in, not ready to go outside just yet. After ravenously eating a couple more handful of chips, she gasped and cursed, [color=15603a]“Fucking hell… remind me to be with you when I try to smoke ever again. I’m so sweaty. I need a shower. And I’m [b]HUNGRY[/b]. What time is it even?”[/color]

Jamie looked down at his phone then up at her as he climbed into the car. [color=31ba9c]“Queen, it’s noon. You slept through second period.”[/color] he said, slamming the door behind him to punctuate his words. His own problems seemed to melt away, subdued by his friend’s strange behavior. [color=31ba9c]“Since when do you get high in the middle of the day with Monarch?”[/color] He raised an eyebrow before digging around in his bag for his leftover lunch. [color=31ba9c]“You want a granola bar?”[/color]

[color=15603a]“Oh yeah, absolutely,”[/color] Trixie accepted with her chip bag on her lap. As she licked her fingers, she reached for the granola with her free hand. Would she survive? She had no idea. She was so hungry, it was hard to fathom. The small Latina didn’t think anyone could get this hungry but here she was throwing all elegance out the window, inhaling food she wouldn’t usually partake in that was conveniently by her. She figured the bag full of snacks was from Monarch, which would explain how she got here but how did the girl retrieve her bag? Did she run into Theo? Did Theo mention something to her friend? Oh god. The thought of Monarch and Theo talking caused Trixie to nervously chuckle. What if he told Monarch lies and she believed it? To hide her internal turmoil from her best friend she bit into the granola.

Chewing in silence before finally answering Jamie’s first question, Trixie admitted, [color=15603a]“I had a real shit morning and I might’ve been caught crying so rather than tell them anything, I just agreed to get high. And you know what? I’d rather feel famished than like shit. How ‘bout you? You tend to track me when you need me. What’s up?”[/color] Trixie deflected, turning the conversation around and toward Jamie. It was a clear maneuver that her friend knew well. When she didn’t want to go into detail she volleyed back in hopes he’d cave first. 

No matter how long they’ve known each other, Trixie habitually avoided talking about the bad. Jamie usually had to pull her teeth in order for her to admit her hurt. Kingsleys were stubborn as fuck. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to tell him either. It was just whenever she thought about it, she could feel an uncomfortable sensation throughout her body and she didn't want to feel that. She was ashamed to feel bad. Beatrix Kingsley considered sadness, fear, and guilt as weakness and didn’t want to be pitied, not even by her best friend. If he probed, she’d answer but she was going to buy herself time for as long as she could. That’s just how Trixie was. How do you even explain being sexually harassed by your ex without it sounding like something horrible? Was it right for her to paint Theo in that light? What gave her the right? She broke his heart, maybe she deserved it. 

On any other day, Jamie might’ve pushed harder. Today though, he was all too happy to dive into his own issues. [color=31ba9c]“AJ dumped me, like, out of nowhere,”[/color] he said, letting his head fall back against the seat. [color=31ba9c]“Look at this text. I mean, what do I even do with that?”[/color] He handed his unlocked phone over to her. Realistically, he knew exactly what he was supposed to do with that text. It was plain as day; walk away, and let it go. Unfortunately, he’d never been great at either of them. [color=31ba9c]“He’s not himself right now. This is just…I don’t know what it is, but it’s stupid.”[/color] Something stopped him from telling the whole story of this morning. Maybe because he knew how it sounded, or maybe because he just didn’t want to relive it. 

Okay. This was surprising yet not surprising all at the same time. Trixie wiped her hands on the napkins that Monarch also provided  in the plastic bag before grabbing the phone to examine the text. Silently, she scanned and analyzed every word. Once she was done digesting AJ’s message she looked up at Jamie, examining his expression. Not only did he press forward with her issue, volunteering to start with his problems, which was not like him, but he looked like shit. No matter how hard he could mask his stress, she could see the confusion in his stare and how he was in complete and utter disbelief. It didn’t take long before she saw the bruise on his neck. Trixie gritted her teeth, [color=15603a]“Did he hurt you?”[/color] Her hunger turned to anger, seeing how not long ago she too was put in a predicament this morning with her ex. [color=15603a]“What happened this morning?”[/color] Trixie sharply asked, her expression growing cold.  

Jamie’s hand flew instinctually to his neck, trying to play it off like he was scratching an itch. [color=31ba9c]“No, not really.”[/color] He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. [color=31ba9c]“He just…he shoved me and grabbed my arm–it wasn’t bad it was just…I don’t know. He’s not like that, I swear.”[/color] He heard it as soon as the words fell out of his mouth. [color=31ba9c]“Okay, I know how that sounds, but I am not a battered woman. I’m fine.”[/color] He shook his head. [color=31ba9c]“I may or may not have tried to get him and the Gearheads blacklisted from Ethan’s party, and Levi may or may not have told me to go kick rocks.”[/color]

Furrowing her brows at his explanation, Trixie tried to ease her jaws and relax. The anxiety from earlier, that sat in her stomach, made it so easy for her to grind her teeth and look unamused. She felt sick. Her head was pounding too from the pressure and there was this uncontrollable rage coursing through her small body. Her friend needed her. She had to stay calm and not lose her cool. [color=15603a]“You do realize if that wasn’t something you gave consent to, you can press charges on AJ, right? We could skip all that law bullshit though! I can take my gun out of my glove department...”[/color] Trixie’s voice trailed off as her hands subtly shaked. The  thought in her mind wasn’t that of AJ Tyler but of Theodore Van Cise. She didn’t even care about Jamie’s petty reaction of trying to prevent the Gearheads from going to the party - Levi was the worst person for him to go to and when she had a cool head she’d address that - what she cared about and was hyper fixating on was the fact that AJ hurt Jamie. After putting the plastic bag filled with both snacks and garbage on the ground, she reached over her center console, trying to climb over it, to get to her glove department, [color=15603a]“Just say the word, Jamie, and I’ll shoot his fucking head off. Like why the hell was he doing party drugs or alcohol at 8am in the goddamn morning? ‘I’ve sobered up’ the fuck? Yeah, no, not today. Bitches gonna’ die.”[/color]

[color=31ba9c]“Oh my god, we are [i]not[/i] going to kill him,”[/color] Jamie playfully shoved her back into her seat. He wanted to do a lot to AJ Tyler, but homicide wasn’t one of those things. He laughed, and as the laughter subsided, he stared at Trixie with the kind of look you can only get from someone who knows you pretty damn well. [color=31ba9c]“And I don’t need the cops. It was…shitty and weird, and it’s done.”[/color] Despite everything happening with him, he could tell that Trixie was off, to say the least. He had a sneaking suspicion that her reaction was less about him, and more about whatever had led her to Monarch’s smoky embrace. [color=31ba9c]“Okay, why were you having a shitty morning? Don’t bullshit, you’re clearly in a mood.”[/color]

When Jamie turned the tables, bringing the focus on her, Beatrix grew silent. She looked from Jamie to her hands and found it hard to disclose her experience to him. He was her best friend. If she couldn’t tell him, who would she be able to go to? [color=15603a]“Um,”[/color] the small Latina whispered, clasping her hands together to ground her. [i][color=#e7c142]My Bea.[/color][/i] She could hear his voice and it made her sick to her stomach. Was it wrong for her to put Theo in such a bad light? He was checking on her even if he overstepped boundaries… he was checking on her. It was similar to Jamie’s encounter with AJ, right? But then why was he able to tell her what happened and she found herself speechless. Lost for words. 

Tightening her grip on her hands, she played back her morning and how surprised she was. The shock, the confusion, and… the fear.  He didn’t hurt her. He would never hurt her. She broke his heart but he wasn’t capable of harming her. She’d be an idiot to think he’d lay a finger on her, right? [color=15603a]“Um,”[/color] she repeated, her eyes beginning to water. Reliving the memory, stuck in the bathroom, Trixie’s breath shortened. Something she’s never experienced in her life.

She couldn’t breathe. 

Frozen in her tracks, Trixie closed her eyes as her tears began to trail down her cheeks. [color=15603a]“Can… we… talk…”[/color] she stammered, catching her breath in between her words. She wildly shook her head, her hair covering her face as she did so, to get his smile, his touch, and his eyes out of her head. She needed to get a grip. [color=15603a]“To…night. My… place.”[/color] With Theo as her next door neighbor, Trixie didn’t want to be home alone tonight and her mom was in another country with one of her star figure skaters, her dad was at a conference, and all her brothers no longer lived in the nest. 

Trixie was utterly alone. 

Stopping this sudden fit of terror to the best of her capabilities, having no idea she was experiencing a panic attack, Trixie released her hands and slapped her cheeks, swallowing her tears,  [color=15603a]“I lied to you,”[/color] she admitted, redirecting her train of thought to something less intense. [color=15603a]“This morning…”[/color] she breathed, finding it easier to talk about the time they were together versus the time they decided to go about their days to their own personal hell. [color=15603a]“Marcos isn’t getting anyone knocked up. Actually, my life is so… lonely!”[/color] Trixie forced a smile on her face. Her voice went up an octave.  There was clear anxiety in her tone.  [color=15603a]“I spend so much time focused on my future and school,”[/color] she continued to explain, finally meeting Jamie’s gaze. [color=15603a]“That… I feel so empty.”[/color] Trixie’s guard completely dropped at that moment. While she wasn’t able to talk about her morning, she was capable of talking about her internal crisis that she’s been feeling for months now. Trixie was a fucking mess and she was so desperate not to be. [color=15603a]“I go home some weeks completely alone. My parents are very busy people and outside of you, I suck at trusting. I have ‘friends’ but only you really know me. Look at me, my grades are great and I have a plan for the future. Woohoo. Then why am I still miserable? What the fuck is wrong with me?”[/color]

Jamie furrowed his brow as concern etched a frown across his face. [color=31ba9c]“Babe…”[/color] Jamie sighed, and chewed his bottom lip. He wasn’t used to seeing Trixie like this. Out of sorts wasn’t even the right phrase for it. She was spiraling, worse than he was, which was saying a lot. He put his own freefall on pause. It was surprisingly easy to do, with Trixie’s sanity on the line. [color=31ba9c]“The only thing wrong with you is that you think there’s something wrong with you.”[/color] He tilted his head. [color=31ba9c]“I’m gonna sound like Katie for a second, but I think you need a good time. Like, ASAP. So yes, I will come over tonight, and I will bring a bottle of my parents’ favorite champagne. We can do a spa night and order sushi, and pretend like our lives are not falling to pieces.”[/color] He paused, before adding, [color=31ba9c]“And you’ll tell me what the fuck happened this morning, because it absolutely was not Bambi ruining your shirt.”[/color]

Wiping her fingers under her eyes, Trixie gave a genuine smile and nodded, [color=15603a]“I’d like that a lot. And I promise. I’ll tell you everything, I just don’t want to cry at school right now. God, I missed second period?”[/color] Burying her emotions deep, deep down to be a functional human being in BHHS society, Trixie glanced at her rear-view mirror to see her hair going every which way. God, she looked like she just had rough sex and Trixie was, sadly, still a virgin. Raising her arm, she wafted her armpits before grumbling, [color=15603a]“I should slip in the gym locker room to shower. People will talk and assume the worst.”[/color]   

[color=31ba9c]“Yeah, no, you definitely should. I love you, but this is not a good look right now.”[/color]

[/indent][/indent][/color]