Post by Mandi Lynn Collins on May 17, 2012 22:28:18 GMT -5
It was the summer before her senior year, and everything was shaping up to be amazing. Head cheerleader, 4.0 GPA, maintaining social importance in the grand scheme of things. Her parents were always on her back about something, but whose weren't? Beauty pageants, dance rehearsals, piano rehearsals, working on her broken down truck every five miles that it broke down, and her best friend Garrett. He'd been with her every step of the way. What she had never expected, was that she would be there for the last night that his heart beat. Or that the person that took it from him would be so close to her. He'd always made little flirtatious remarks, jokes about her body and how she looked, always approving, but she had never really thought of it. It had been a party that she wanted to go to, most of the people there were Riley's friends and the only people she knew there were Scarlet, Logan and Shane. Riley was probably hanging out with Chad somewhere, doing whatever the hell they did. At least, that was what she had thought. There had been so much drinking.. not even on her part. She'd had a few drinks, sure. Every piece of her knew in her heart that Garrett was drunk. That was the only reason he was pulling her so forcefully to his truck, that was the only reason he didn't seem to understand why she was screaming no out to him so loudly. But then they were gone, not at the party, no longer where people could hear her trying to get away from him and he said four words to her that completely chilled her to her core. " I didn't drink anything" he said, so calmly, eerily. All of his actions were his own. He didn't care that she was protesting, he didn't care that this isn't what she wanted. He didn't care . And a few minutes later she didn't care either. She felt a numbness she didn't even know existed. All she wanted was to be home, to be out of here, to be gone. She could sleep, wake up in the morning, this would've never happened. All of it was happening so fast, she didn't even realize that Riley had busted in through the door. How the hell had he found her? It was something that she still questioned to this day, she had bits and pieces.. but she wasn't sure how much other people knew. Chad had told her about how Riley had been at the party, trying to find her for about an hour before he disappeared. Had he talked to someone that saw where they went? She hadn't asked him about it, then he got into an accident. Did he even remember? He forgot so much else.
It was strange to think that when she thought back to that night, she didn't even think about the rape. It was the image of Riley, pinning Garrett against the wall, yelling at the top of his lungs, questioning what had happened, what in the hell he had done. He had only stopped, turning to Mandi when he yelled at her, questioning whether or not Garrett had touched her. She had opened her mouth to say something, but honestly she had never seen Riley like this. He was always so eerily calm and collected. If a problem came into his path, he always found a calculated way to handle it. He used to whimsically say that life was a chess game, to be successful you just needed to learn how to move all of the pawns. Which, to him, was anyone you could manipulate to get what you need. Yet here he was, blood pulsing through his veins, slamming Garrett against a wall with force she didn't know Riley was capable of and suddenly they were gone, out of the room they were in, when Mandi realized, where was she? Mandi picked herself up, moving away from the bed when she stepped outside, walking out and turning around until she saw the cabin that they were at, Garrett's families. When she turned back around she could see Riley and Garrett fighting, each of them getting the best of each other. How long had it gone on? Minutes? Hours? But Mandi dropped her jaw as she watched Riley grip Garrett by the back of his hair and slam his head against the back of his truck, damaging the bumper. She covered her mouth entirely, watching in horror, unable to breathe, move, anything as Riley threw him down on the ground. Riley looked exhausted, catching his breath which looked difficult, as Garrett's body lay motionless on the ground.
Riley was still breathing in like the oxygen wasn't reaching his lungs before he started looking around the place. " Where are we?" we asked quietly, looking up at her, though Mandi herself was still staring at Garrett with her hand over her mouth. "MANDI, WHERE ARE WE?" he screamed out of her and Mandi shook, looking at Riley as she slowly lowered her hand from her mouth. " We're.. this is Garret's cabin. His families." she said, trying to understand what Riley was doing. But he was already off, going inside, asking her what rooms she went into, if she touched anything. Why was he carrying the sheets from the bed? " No one can know you were here, okay?" he asked, looking at her before he dropped the sheet over Garrett's body. She assumed he was using that sheet because it had their DNA on it. Getting rid of everything it seemed. " Stay here" he said, moving inside. Stay here? How could she move? She stayed perfectly still, reminding herself to breathe as she looked at the red sheet covering someone who two hours ago had been her best friend in the entire world. She jumped out of shock as Riley stood back in front of her, snapping her out of her daydream. " Mandi.. it's going to be okay" he said, putting his hands on her cheeks so that he could tilt her face and force her to look at him. " It is GOING to be okay, Mandi.. look at me. We've gotta take care of this. Listen to me. You left the party with me. Understand? Garrett was talking to some girl that you had never seen before. He left the party early with her. You left with me. You have no idea where he is. Here. Give me your phone" he said, moving Mandi for her since she was till staring at the body. " What are you doing?" she asked as she watched him, feeling like all of this was in slow motion. "You two are best friends, you wouldn't just cut off communication with him." he said before he took her phone out and sent off a few text messages to Garrett's phone, attempted calling him even. He could always do more later. It would seem suspicious if Garrett's best friend just cut off all communication the night he died. " How do you even know to do this?" she said, still in shock as she just watched him handling everything. " Get in the car, Mandi" Riley said walking over to the car where he opened the door for her. "I have to go take care of something else". Mandi sat still in the passenger seat, watching as Riley picked up the body and made his way into the shadows. Had he buried him? Put him in the lake? Putting the body that close to his cabin seemed risky, wasn't that the first place they would look? What had Riley done to him to make him untraceable? But just like that, Riley was getting into the car, looking exhausted. "Okay Mandi.. tell me again, what happened tonight?" he asked as he started the car . " Garrett and I went to a party. When we got there, he was talking to some girl I have never seen before.. I met up with you, and you took me home early," she said, looking away from the windshield and over to Riley who was nodding, "Good.. " he said, focusing his attention back on driving.
Did it keep Riley up at night? Did he ever question what had happened, why it had? What was worse was it made her realize the horrible things she was capable of. His family had been people she spent so much time with.. and she lied, pretending to be hopeful he was still alive, still okay, with his parents. Now she was on a different coast, that should make it easier, right? She hardly got questioned about it anymore, her friends didn't bring it up, people she met didn't know what had happened. But then there would be moments.. like tonight. Mandi pulled her legs up tightly to her chest as she rested her chin on her knee, watching the extremely late night news which was discussing remaining missing persons cases, and there his face was. No leads, no idea where he had gone, still hope that he was alive. She gnawed on her lip until it felt raw, squeezing her fingernails deeply into her skin. The program went off, switching to a commercial before Mandi looked over at the time. It was a little past 2 in the morning, and Hunter was surely sleeping. She rested her chin back on her knee, debating what to do. She loved it in his home, felt so comfortable being here with him. It seemed like she was working constantly on homework, never really making time for anything else. Going to his football games, going to the cook-outs at Riley and Mackenzie's. She'd really just been wanting to get out of the state, go on vacation with Hunter. Hadn't he earned it after winning the SuperBowl? They could go now, right? Just pack up and leave? Mandi moved her legs, sitting up off of the couch as she made her way to Hunter's bedroom. She didn't realize how much she was shaking until her hand reached out to his shoulder, " Hunter?" she asked, giving him a slight shake. She waited until he woke up , sitting up on his elbow before she took in a deep breath and looked at him, her voice feeling so weak like it wasn't her own. " I need to tell you something.. something that happened before I moved here.. something that Riley and I haven't told anyone," she said, hoping he wouldn't hate her for what she was about to tell him.
Outfit
It was strange to think that when she thought back to that night, she didn't even think about the rape. It was the image of Riley, pinning Garrett against the wall, yelling at the top of his lungs, questioning what had happened, what in the hell he had done. He had only stopped, turning to Mandi when he yelled at her, questioning whether or not Garrett had touched her. She had opened her mouth to say something, but honestly she had never seen Riley like this. He was always so eerily calm and collected. If a problem came into his path, he always found a calculated way to handle it. He used to whimsically say that life was a chess game, to be successful you just needed to learn how to move all of the pawns. Which, to him, was anyone you could manipulate to get what you need. Yet here he was, blood pulsing through his veins, slamming Garrett against a wall with force she didn't know Riley was capable of and suddenly they were gone, out of the room they were in, when Mandi realized, where was she? Mandi picked herself up, moving away from the bed when she stepped outside, walking out and turning around until she saw the cabin that they were at, Garrett's families. When she turned back around she could see Riley and Garrett fighting, each of them getting the best of each other. How long had it gone on? Minutes? Hours? But Mandi dropped her jaw as she watched Riley grip Garrett by the back of his hair and slam his head against the back of his truck, damaging the bumper. She covered her mouth entirely, watching in horror, unable to breathe, move, anything as Riley threw him down on the ground. Riley looked exhausted, catching his breath which looked difficult, as Garrett's body lay motionless on the ground.
Riley was still breathing in like the oxygen wasn't reaching his lungs before he started looking around the place. " Where are we?" we asked quietly, looking up at her, though Mandi herself was still staring at Garrett with her hand over her mouth. "MANDI, WHERE ARE WE?" he screamed out of her and Mandi shook, looking at Riley as she slowly lowered her hand from her mouth. " We're.. this is Garret's cabin. His families." she said, trying to understand what Riley was doing. But he was already off, going inside, asking her what rooms she went into, if she touched anything. Why was he carrying the sheets from the bed? " No one can know you were here, okay?" he asked, looking at her before he dropped the sheet over Garrett's body. She assumed he was using that sheet because it had their DNA on it. Getting rid of everything it seemed. " Stay here" he said, moving inside. Stay here? How could she move? She stayed perfectly still, reminding herself to breathe as she looked at the red sheet covering someone who two hours ago had been her best friend in the entire world. She jumped out of shock as Riley stood back in front of her, snapping her out of her daydream. " Mandi.. it's going to be okay" he said, putting his hands on her cheeks so that he could tilt her face and force her to look at him. " It is GOING to be okay, Mandi.. look at me. We've gotta take care of this. Listen to me. You left the party with me. Understand? Garrett was talking to some girl that you had never seen before. He left the party early with her. You left with me. You have no idea where he is. Here. Give me your phone" he said, moving Mandi for her since she was till staring at the body. " What are you doing?" she asked as she watched him, feeling like all of this was in slow motion. "You two are best friends, you wouldn't just cut off communication with him." he said before he took her phone out and sent off a few text messages to Garrett's phone, attempted calling him even. He could always do more later. It would seem suspicious if Garrett's best friend just cut off all communication the night he died. " How do you even know to do this?" she said, still in shock as she just watched him handling everything. " Get in the car, Mandi" Riley said walking over to the car where he opened the door for her. "I have to go take care of something else". Mandi sat still in the passenger seat, watching as Riley picked up the body and made his way into the shadows. Had he buried him? Put him in the lake? Putting the body that close to his cabin seemed risky, wasn't that the first place they would look? What had Riley done to him to make him untraceable? But just like that, Riley was getting into the car, looking exhausted. "Okay Mandi.. tell me again, what happened tonight?" he asked as he started the car . " Garrett and I went to a party. When we got there, he was talking to some girl I have never seen before.. I met up with you, and you took me home early," she said, looking away from the windshield and over to Riley who was nodding, "Good.. " he said, focusing his attention back on driving.
Did it keep Riley up at night? Did he ever question what had happened, why it had? What was worse was it made her realize the horrible things she was capable of. His family had been people she spent so much time with.. and she lied, pretending to be hopeful he was still alive, still okay, with his parents. Now she was on a different coast, that should make it easier, right? She hardly got questioned about it anymore, her friends didn't bring it up, people she met didn't know what had happened. But then there would be moments.. like tonight. Mandi pulled her legs up tightly to her chest as she rested her chin on her knee, watching the extremely late night news which was discussing remaining missing persons cases, and there his face was. No leads, no idea where he had gone, still hope that he was alive. She gnawed on her lip until it felt raw, squeezing her fingernails deeply into her skin. The program went off, switching to a commercial before Mandi looked over at the time. It was a little past 2 in the morning, and Hunter was surely sleeping. She rested her chin back on her knee, debating what to do. She loved it in his home, felt so comfortable being here with him. It seemed like she was working constantly on homework, never really making time for anything else. Going to his football games, going to the cook-outs at Riley and Mackenzie's. She'd really just been wanting to get out of the state, go on vacation with Hunter. Hadn't he earned it after winning the SuperBowl? They could go now, right? Just pack up and leave? Mandi moved her legs, sitting up off of the couch as she made her way to Hunter's bedroom. She didn't realize how much she was shaking until her hand reached out to his shoulder, " Hunter?" she asked, giving him a slight shake. She waited until he woke up , sitting up on his elbow before she took in a deep breath and looked at him, her voice feeling so weak like it wasn't her own. " I need to tell you something.. something that happened before I moved here.. something that Riley and I haven't told anyone," she said, hoping he wouldn't hate her for what she was about to tell him.
Outfit
