D A Y 0 2

[founds]

CHAPTER 1

NOV 1ST | 58℉☂

▸ In a sad turn of events during last night's activities, local teenager Bela Gage was found dead at Gainsbourg Resort as festivities were wrapping up. Local authorities have opened up an investigation regarding the circumstances around her death.

▸ Several houses were egged in height of last night's events. Locals are offering a small reward to anyone with information that may lead to identification of the culprits.

▸ Now for the weather, expect light showers from late morning to mid afternoon. Blackwell is expecting the storm to keep rolling through overnight, so drive safe!

▸ That's the News In today. Now back to your regularly scheduled tunes. This one goes out to the Gages, may you find peace in these difficult times.

THE RISING IS NOT IN EFFECT

Comments

corner store : early morning

[sciophobic]

[perusing a selection of junk food ranging from moderately junky to why even bother calling it food, turning over a $20 his mom gave him in his hand as he contemplates the severity of his junk food craving. the store owner is watching him out of the corner of his eye, in no small part because he has his hood up but colby interprets it as apprehensiveness stemming from his reputation and shoots him an antagonistic look every so often.

he was up late and so looks bedraggled, but so does half the town, so when the news on the store's mini tv starts blathering about the eggings and rewards for information, he doesn't sweat it. it's not until he's plopped his junk food bounty on the counter that the report gets into the death, and he pauses with his hand halfway out of his jacket for change. he watches it with trepidation for a second, a ringing in his ears drowns out whatever the cashier is saying. it grows in intensity until all he hears is high pitched squealing, watching the silent image of the highschool portrait of his schoolmate on the screen. he only snaps out of it when his phone interrupts loudly to the tune of some obnoxious pop song of the week, and he apologizes distractedly to the cashier as he finishes paying.

the caller id reads as the samsons. they don't talk for long, but they thought they'd extend him the courtesy of explaining that their daughter had been found.]

[nowheres]

[Once he makes it outside, Colby might just have his attention drawn to a little more commotion. While he's still trying to bounce back from a sleepless night, Petre's look of drowsiness just stems from a near-constant state of daze, lines deep and dark under bright blue eyes. That might just be what gets that small group of older boys to hover over to him, demanding he hand over whatever it is he got from last night. They proceed to call him freak and other names between demands, shoving the kid between them. Finally one push too hard makes him drop down on his ass, skin of both palms scraping against concrete. Ow.]

No money - go away.

[Accent thick and voice helpless, he tries to shield himself with both arms before one of the boys are grabbing his shirt to yank him back up.]

[sciophobic]

[he doesn't believe it when they say kara has turned up but he doesn't say as much, out of morbid respect, just nods at the phone dumbly. he's angled away from the spectacle with his shoulders drawn up, not sure what he's supposed to do with this information. of course he wants to see her, doesn't know how to make that happen, and he's in the middle of this dazed back and forth with himself when the scuffle reaches a height of boys shouting names and jeering.]

[the good news for petre is that it's the worst possible time for them to be indiscriminately shouting freak, because he's reached his quota for the week and is just unwell enough to snap over it. even thankful for the outlet to pour his current state of helplessness into: beating on assholes. he tosses his phone and backpack to a bench and jumps in unceremoniously, pulls the guy off of him and proceeds to make a bloody mess of his face, well beyond the call of good samaritan duty]

[nowheres]

[Petre watches, stunned, really unable to understand what's going on until it's too late and Colby's fist is smashing against the guy's face. He gapes immediately, gesturing a bit helplessly because he really never thought it would come to this. He was just ready to get a beating and then go back to the house to pretend none of it ever happened.]

No, no, no! Stop! You stop!

[That's all he can say.]

[sciophobic]

[the way he goes after him, it's like he doesn't even see a person anymore. he doesn't stop because of petre's protests, but because he eventually tires himself out, only after he kicks the boy sharply in the ribs when he's already down for the count. he looks up, breath rattling but still obviously unstable]

You shouldn't let them call you that. [like its petres fault theyre harassing him. well stop asking for it like a little bitch]

[nowheres]

I don't do anything.

[Oh, man. He looks at the guy on the floor like he's just witnessed a gruesome murder. This is not the way - this really isn't the way. This is not what mommy and daddy and the priest taught him.]

You are hurt?

[sciophobic]

[of course he's hurt he just got his ass beat down in the street. he looks between them confused as to why petre gives a shit about his would-be tormenter's current state of ass beatedness. he does a little double take when he looks at the boy on the ground again, as if just now seeing how far he took it. but instead of trying to make up for it, he looks suddenly flighty, looking around to make sure no one's calling the police or some shit. hey man he's a troubled teen it wouldn't take much to land him in the juviest of juvies]

Come on. [urgently pulls on petres sleeve. stop being a wuss and come on] We need to get out of here, what are you doing?

[nowheres]

[He's half-way crouching to see the damage done to the other boy when Colby pulls on his sleeve, dragging him along whether he's strong enough to fight it or not. He trusts him, to some level, seeing as they usually end up together when they're stuck in class, but what he just did makes Petre extremely uncomfortable.]

I see the boy.

[He means he was checking.]

Why you hurt so much?

[sciophobic]

I don't know, I just lost it, ok?

[he's usually patient with petre because he's the only one that doesn't treat him like a total freak, probably because he's just as much one in the unjust eyes of highschooldom. but he's not right now, only stopping to pick up his shit from the bench as he pulls him away from the scene]

[nowheres]

I do not know the meaning of that.

[He sounds rushed, already breathing a little harder once he picks up his pace and runs along with Colby. They're both in trouble now.]

But I was okay.

[sciophobic]

You were not ok. They were gonna beat the shit out of you.

[said in a tone that suggests it's beside the point. he didn't do it to come to his rescue, it was just fortunate that he happened to benefit from that kid being in the wrong place at the wrong time.]

[nowheres]

I give them money and they go away.

[That's usually how it works.]

[sciophobic]

That's just as bad!

[gives him the most duh of looks and holds hands out to either side impatiently. but he's not as concerned about petre as he is being followed, and he slows down once they're a good distance away to look back. it's clear but who knows who saw what and he feels sick as he slowly realizes what he did]

I didn't mean to hurt him like that. [he doesn't sound sorry fwiw, just kind of shellshocked that it happened. i mean he still deserved it.]

[nowheres]

If he call cops, I say he attack first.

[A nod, like he truly believes that'll be worth anything.]

[sciophobic]

[there you go that's what friends are for. looks at him like he's stupid for a pause before breaking into a smile]

Thanks. [u got his back bruh]

[nowheres]

[yeah bruh.]

You pack punch.