𝙸 𝚙𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜 𝚘𝚗 𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚝𝚢.

𝙸 𝚓𝚞𝚖𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚜.

𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝙸 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚖𝚎.

𝙸 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍.

𝙸'𝚖 𝚋𝚒𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚋𝚘𝚍𝚢.

𝙸'𝚖 𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎.

𝙸'𝚖 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚜.

𝙸'𝚖 𝚋𝚒𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜.

"And why are we visiting your boyfriend in the hospital if everything's fine?" Eddie scowled sarcastically.

"I didn't say everything was fine," Lennon rolled her eyes. "He's still injured and he was in a car accident last night. I should at least check in to see if he's okay."

"But didn't his dad just tell you he was fine?"

"Billy's dad isn't Billy," she responded flatly. "The man seemed more concerned about his precious car than he did his own son. So, sorry if I don't think we can rely on his word of mouth."

"So he is your boyfriend," Eddie smirked mischievously, glancing over at her cheekily and looking back at the road before she could notice.

"What?" she asked dubiously.

"Well, I'm certainly not your boyfriend so I was just wondering if there were any other men you were seeing in your spare time-"

"You're such a prick," she laughed, throwing her beanie at Eddie's face as he pulled into the hospital parking lot.

"I am just stating the obvious," he giggled, grabbing the hat and throwing it back at her.

"You are making fun of me," she grit through her teeth, tossing it back at him.

"What? It's not my fault you don't want to admit to liking my shit-brown eyes- Hey!"

Lennon had moved into the backseat and grabbed one of the drumsticks tucked into the pocket on the passenger seat and tossed it at Eddie.

"This is domestic violence!" he shouted sarcastically, shielding himself from the second drumstick.

"Can't be domestic if you're not my boyfriend. That's just violence," she teased, earning herself a sputtering laugh from Eddie as he pulled up to the front entrance.

"You know you're evil," he pointed an accusing finger at her as she quickly moved to undo her hair from its braids.

"That's all you, Munson. Remember?"

She ran her fingers through each strand of hair frantically, trying to make herself look a little more presentable than before.

"Well, in that case, call us both sinners," he joked.

"And how have I sinned?" she leered, flipping the mirror on the ceiling down and catching her reflection beside a sticky note stuck to the right.

She couldn't help but read the tiny writing that looked eerily familiar.

Trick or Treason.

The Hideout. 9 pm.

Don't be late.

- W

W must have stood for Warren. It was the only thing she could come up with. It was him or Wayne, but it was strange to think a grown man struggled to dot their i's and Warren became the main suspect.

But she didn't know why his handwriting looked so familiar. She never met the man, let alone analyze his scrawl.

Underneath the note, there was a bat messily drawn in the right corner that made Lennon smile to herself.

"If I'm as evil as they say, then that makes you quite the complex character, Lennon the Endurer," Eddie pulled her from her concentration on undoing her hair and reading the note beside the mirror.

"Speak for yourself, Eddie the Banished," she smiled, turning away and seeing how Eddie didn't even seem to acknowledge her staring at the note from his dead best friend. Or, if he had, he didn't seem to care.

Lennon had her hair down, leaving a damp spot in the very back of her head where the braid didn't leave much room to dry. She ruffled her hair to rid her scalp of the part and turned to Eddie one last time.

"I will be as quick as I can be. If you wanna go to the park down the road or... catch a coffee two blocks away, I can meet you there if you want."

"What? And leave you out to catch a cold? No," Eddie smiled tenderly. "I'll wait in the parking lot."

And he did.

Lennon went inside and Eddie waited outside.

She made herself look more presentable before walking up to the front desk and asking if Billy was admitted to make sure she had the right place. After the woman at the reception desk responded positively, she asked what Lennon's relationship was with him.

She didn't know how to answer and she felt cold when pausing before responding.

"A friend... We were on a date last night and I just wanted to make sure he was okay..."

The woman smiled dishearteningly. "I can't give you visiting rights unless you're family or a loved one. I'm sorry, Miss."

But as soon as Lennon started asking for a simple rundown of his injuries, insisting it wasn't too much, or implying she and him were technically together, two people came walking down the hallway beside the front desk.

Lennon turned toward the chattering and had to take a second glance after recognizing that head of golden red hair from afar.

"Max?"

The girl turned and widened her eyes in surprise. "Lennon? Lennon..."

That's when she shifted her gaze from the dubious female to the familiar basketball player she deserted in the hall.

It was Lucas; Lucas Sinclair.

What was he doing with Max at the hospital?

Lennon was happy to see her friend was in perfect shape, spending time with the boy she had a crush on. It was just strange though. A good strange.

"Where the hell have you been?" Max asked, stopping a few feet away as she confronted her friend.

"What do you mean? Are you alright?" Lennon asked frantically.

"I'm fine," she widened her eyes in surprise. "Everyone's out looking for you. Where were you? Are you okay?" she quirked an eyebrow and tilted her head in question.

"What- Of course I'm fine. Is Billy alright? I was just talking with your dad and he said-"

"He's not my dad," Max corrected her sternly. "And Billy's fine. I'm glad you weren't with him last night but why? I thought he was your ride to Heather's..."

"Yeah..." she trailed off, nervously shooting a glance over Max's shoulder to meet Lucas's stubbornly suspicious gaze. "I wasn't having nearly as much fun so I left..." she decided to look back at Max and shot her a knowing stare that she hoped the girl understood.

She wasn't interested in Billy. Max and Eddie seemed to be the only ones who knew that, but Lucas was still bitter toward her because of how Max took the news, thinking Lennon was trying to get on with her stepbrother.

It was cute how he cared for her, how protective he was over Max, but he still couldn't know the truth; especially while he was on the basketball team, hanging with all the people she needed to make think she was interested in Billy.

Max opened her mouth as if to say something but stopped and she dropped her eye contact to the ground self-consciously. "I'm glad," she admitted harshly, jumping up to Lennon and clasping her in a surprise hug.

Lennon thought the sudden movement and abrupt pressure would be enough to startle her, but it wasn't. If anything, the only thing that startled her was the fact this girl, who seemed to be very reserved and distrusting, was showing physical, public affection to her.

Lennon couldn't remember the last time she hugged someone like that. The feeling was nice. To be cared for like that, to be someone she could come to for support felt nice.

Max meant a lot to Lennon. She was one of the only people she began to trust after the incident in Vermont and after Eddie, she knew the most about her. There was a growing bond between them but Lennon never expected the feeling to be reciprocated.

"I'm glad you're alright too," Lennon spoke softly, embracing Max in her arms as the girl found consolation in her grasp.

"I know Tina's fine but if it had been you, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself for not going to that stupid party..."

"Wait..." Lennon pulled away from the hug first and peered down at Max's pale face with concern. "They didn't even make it to Tina's before Billy crashed? Her house is only five minutes from Heather's..."

"Billy was drunk," Max curled her lip with contempt. "It was stupid for him to be driving anyone anywhere."

"He wasn't-" Lennon stopped herself and considered what she saw the night before. She wasn't counting, but she only saw Billy drink what she handed him and beer. He was a big man who could hold alcohol better than most of the people at that party and they were there for hours. "He didn't seem that drunk when I left," she informed Max.

Lucus had come up to her side, still giving Lennon the side eye as she expressed moderate concern for Billy.

It was all so strange. She knew how much Billy loved his car and after adding that with the fact Lennon didn't see him consume copious amounts of alcohol, the accident seemed avoidable. And it was odd that Lucas was with Max now. The rest of the team seemed to be either at Benny's Burgers or home, but Lucas was here. It didn't seem to Lennon like he was there to check up on Billy. He was there for Max.

"Are you gonna go check on your boyfriend or...?" Lucas chimed in protectively, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket as he stood by Max for support.

Lennon smiled timidly and saw how Max shook her head with embarrassment. It was at that moment that Lennon knew Max trusted her.

Her actions weren't matching her words but Max took her by her word. She believed Lennon when she said she was interested in someone else. It didn't matter what she did, she believed her when she spoke to her. Not many people opened up to her like that and nobody ever showed her that amount of care since her father died when she was much younger. Lennon was beginning to be like the sister she never had and Max was grateful for it.

"I can take you to see Billy if you want," Max inclined. "Lucas will have to wait down here though."

She turned to the boy who had sat with her all morning to make sure she was alright after the accident and Billy's surgery to fix his arm.

Lucas nodded his head and told her he would be in the cafeteria whenever she decided to come back down. Max was only allowed one guest at a time during visiting hours so Lennon checked in with the woman who recently refused her admittance before being led into the elevator.

On the ride to the third floor, Max filled her in on the incident.

"He dislocated his shoulder and had a few fractures in his humerus when the car crashed. His face is kind of bruised so don't be shocked when you see him," she spoke efficiently. "I don't like him but I don't want to make him self-conscious either. That face of his is all he's got going for him," she rolled her eyes and exited the elevator with Lennon close behind.

Lennon giggled at Max's remark. "I wanna thank you, by the way," she fiddled with the skin around her fingers, walking side by side with Max as she slowly led them toward Billy's room. "For believing me... About Billy..."

Max looked a little lost so Lennon continued to explain herself.

"I like you a lot more than I like him but even if you pretended like I didn't exist, I don't think I would ever go for him like that..."

"Why wouldn't I believe you?" Max chuckled nervously.

Lennon paused, slowing her pace and realizing the reason behind her reaction. It was an effect of PTSD; from not being trusted back in Vermont. She was trying to prove herself innocent because she felt like everyone would believe her to be guilty if she didn't. She didn't even realize it until Max put all her faith in her.

"I guess the shit my brother's been giving me is getting to my head... Sorry."

"What? About last night?" Max responded curiously.

Lennon scoffed, going back to the night she walked past Brontë wearing Eddie's jacket and in an overly intoxicated state of mind, she admitted to wanting to sleep with the one man everybody wanted her to stay away from.

"You can say that," she scoffed, shaking her head at the floor in disbelief that she would be so reckless.

Max glanced over at her suspiciously and smiled. "What does that mean?" she giggled.

"I..." she sighed, lifting her eyes to the ceiling for support to explain herself. "I might have gotten really drunk and tried jumping the bones of the guy I went home with..."

Max snickered lowly, trying to hold back but finding it impossible when faced with such a ridiculous instance.

"And I might've told my brother not to worry because he said no..."

They were both laughing and smiling in the middle of the hall which felt like a blessing all in itself.

Max was a good friend for asking if her mysterious boy's refusal hurt and if she was okay but she was an even better friend for laughing with her about it.

They cooled off and simmered in their amusement before walking a little way down the hall and turning toward one of the closed doors to the left.

Max had opened it without knocking, knowing her mom was with Billy inside but stopped abruptly in the doorway.

Lennon had come up behind her and peered past to find two local sheriffs standing at the foot of a hospital bed.

In an instant, she felt as if all the air in her lungs was pulled from her body. Her pulse quickened and all the color in her face drained the moment she caught sight of those uniforms.

She fell back a step and heaved to find her breath. It took the cold touch of the wall to bring the air back but it took Max another few seconds to even realize Lennon had fallen back.

Lennon was slowly creeping away from the door, using the wall to hold her upright. She couldn't feel anything but the ill-tempered wallpaper against her palms, everything else had gone out from around her.

Her feet felt numb and she could have sworn her legs were paralyzed with fear; and yet she was still moving. She had been shaking, shuddering unknowingly as the edges of her vision beamed with a hazy black border.

It was worse than any episode she had before. It came so suddenly. She wasn't ready. She wasn't prepared.

She immediately felt as if they would recognize her. She felt like they were there for her, asking questions about her and needing to bring her into the station for questioning. Logically, she knew it was just the paranoia getting the best of her, but the trauma managed to warp her way of thinking so triumphantly that she couldn't restrain herself.

She tried to find comfort in the fact she knew that she was fine. She was able to acknowledge what was going on and yet she couldn't fight the thoughts from rapidly convincing her otherwise.

Max had closed the door, giving the police privacy to get the full statement from Billy.

"Sorry about that. The police want a statement real quick-" she turned the corner in question and found Lennon looking slightly frazzled and frantic. One minute she was behind her and the next she was working her way back toward the elevator.

"Hey," she called out softly, causing Lennon's eyes to feverishly move to her. "You alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Lennon hummed instinctually but it was probably because she couldn't force any coherent sounds out of her swelling throat. She then nodded her head and tried focusing on her friends face staring back at her. She tried grounding herself in those trusting eyes and yet she still felt like she was slipping back into the victim of her old life.

"Are you sure? You... You're shaking..."

"Fine," Lennon gulped a mouthful of air as she quickly assured her friend. "I'm fine," she managed to get past her lips, taking her hands from behind her back and thrusting her body upright entirely.

"Just uh..." she took a strand of hair and curled it behind her ear as she clung close to her own body heat for comfort.

She didn't want to stay long enough to see the police leave. She couldn't have them see her face.

The people in Indiana would most likely not know what kind of crimes were committed all the way out in Vermont. Her case, despite its brutal killings, was small. She guessed only crime junkies would notice the last name trailing off of hers to be the same as those found back home. But the police were sure to know. A multiple murder case was sure to bring their attention her way. She didn't need them to know her.

She didn't need this. She didn't need any of it.

"Listen. I really appreciate you... for everything and uhm... I'm really glad you're doing okay despite everything but I should get going..."

"They'll only be a few more minutes-"

"No," Lennon sighed. "Can you just uh... tell Billy he has my condolences and that I hope he has a speedy recovery. I... I'm really sorry. I need to get back home before Brontë grounds for the entire break... I-I'm sorry, Max," she stuttered, backing away from the door to put more space between her and the police.

"Lenny, are you alright?" Max took a step forward but Lennon couldn't breathe and the thought of wasting time in the hall drove her further away.

She quickly nodded her head, trying to hide the fact her throat was swelling and her legs felt numb. "Thank you, Max," she said forcefully. "For everything. I'll see you later," she said, hoping Max didn't grow overly suspicious of her hurried exit.

She quickly turned on her heels with haste, giving Max her backside before reaching the end of the hall. She thought she'd see the girl looking after her as she left but instead Max was turned toward the door, talking with the two police officers as if to bid her farewell.

Lennon began to fully tremble, everything around her except the sight of the police turned black and the air felt impossible to achieve. She hurried toward the elevator but instantly bolted for the stairwell off to the right.

She gasped and quickly glanced over her shoulder as if to check if she were being chased and made a loud sound with the metal handle as she flew through the door.

She didn't even realize her lungs felt like fire or the fact her cheeks were wet until she reached the bottom of the three staircases. She came to a staggering halt as she faced the grey metal door that led into the ground floor hall. She found that she had been overcome with a dizzy spell that sent her backward. She scuffed her feet against the tile floor and fell into the wall beside the door.

She gasped for air and instantly regretted it when a wave of fear filled her lungs. It was like a pair of burning whips were being struck against the inside of her lungs. With every inhalation, another kick of fire spread through her body.

It was an odd occurrence considering she was a track runner and yet she knew this kind of feeling only came with overvaluation and overuse of her cardiovascular system. It was only three flights, so why was she feeling like it was three hundred?

The room was very echoey and vacant, making the sound of her delayed breathing even louder than it would be in the hall. The echoic heaving made her hyperaware of her state, worsening her ability to stay conscious and continue breathing.

Her own quivering hands and loud stifled sobbing made her feel like a convict on the run from the cops.

She couldn't speak. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't even think straight.

"Oh fuck..." she choked, sliding down the side of the wall and submitting to her episode. There was no point in fighting. It wasn't going anywhere on her own accords and there was no way she could pretend not to be on the verge of a mental break outside that stairwell.

There was only one thing to do.

Surrender.