《Dancing In The Dark ✓》the notice

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When the six form tutors come up the stairs, here's what they see. My entire year, one hundred and seventy-nine students all trying to poke their heads out of their respective form room doors to catch a glimpse of their first reaction. I have a perfect view. They won't be shocked, they would've seen all the stuff around school already. They all look sad.

Miss Roberts attempts a smile as she comes in, all of us moving back to make way for her.

"Hey, guys," she says. "Big day, so sit yourselves down."

She has a pink sheet of paper resting on top of her folder. The sight of it makes me feel sick. It's the same kind of paper she had when the old Maths teacher, Mr Wright, died two years ago. And her expression? Those tear tracks and red eyes searching for the tissue box? It all tells a story. The story of how Josh died and how we're here to pick up the pieces.

"So as you all know judging by the state of the school, we lost a member of our school community just yesterday," she begins, voice already cracking. A tear trickles down her cheek. "I'm sorry, it's just..."

She doesn't need to tell us. Miss Roberts is still in her twenties, she started teaching ridiculously young. This is her first school, we are her first form. Of course she's attached to us, of course Josh dying chipped away a bit of her soul too.

"Miss?" It's Kylie Bennett, cautiously getting out of her seat and making her way to the front. "Want me to?"

Miss Roberts hands her the paper, muttering an apology.

Kylie reads it out, trying to keep her voice steady. It's all about how Josh passed away and how there's a current investigation into his death and how we cannot jeopardise it. Is not telling Diane about the murder for murder deal jeopardising the investigation? Probably yes. There will be grief counselling available and after Year Eleven and Year Thirteen's exams, there will be some sort of memorial for Josh held by the school.

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"We still have to do exams?" Jacob sighs.

There's an overwhelming amount of glares sent Jacob's way.

"And that's it," Kylie mumbles, giving Miss the paper and returning to her seat.

I see Steven turn around to shoot her a smile and they share a certain look. A look that says I love you even if they aren't saying it out loud yet. The two of them replaced me and Josh as our year's It Couple. And they're cute together, I'll admit. Designed to last unlike me and Josh.

Because Josh is fucking dead.

I take a deep breath.

Inez gives me yet another hug.

"We're here for you," she tells me.

Cerys and Edie turn around and give me sad smiles.

"We can use the ten minutes before final assembly to remember Josh," Miss Roberts says.

"Can we use our phones?" Jacob raises his hand.

"You know what? Fine. Just make sure nobody outside this classroom hears."

That'll do it. There's a flurry of grabbing your phone from the pocket of your jeans or from your bag and turning it on if it wasn't already on. I stare at my lock screen for a bit, it's nothing special just a collage of Marvel films and characters.

Josh won't get to see anymore of the Marvel films they put out.

"Oh my God, look," Inez says, showing me her phone. "Cerys, Edie?"

Cerys and Edie turn around too, dragging their chairs back until they can comfortably see what Inez is showing us.

It's one of the many posts from Year Ten, back when everything was good and fine. A collection of photos from January, us just messing around and having fun. Us being me and Josh. The first photo is us on New Year's Day, a shot of one of the photo booth things they had at the party we went to. His arm around me, my arms around him, our gazes locked with love.

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It's the caption though that's the real reason she's showing it to me.

you wish you were as pretty as @everevexx.

"I'm sorry," Inez says, flicking off Instagram. "It's just... it's so sad, you know?"

No shit, Sherlock.

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