When classes let out for the day, Sky decided that it would be easier to take a shortcut through the stairwell and out the fire exit than dealing with another walk through the crowded halls. Only, when he opened to door to the stairwell nearest to Burke’s office, he was a bit startled to find it was not abandoned after all.

Sitting on the bottom step and sobbing into her hands was Brandi Turner, Curt’s now former girlfriend and co-victim. Brandi startled a bit as Sky pushed the door open, looking just as surprised to see her there.

Upon seeing who it was, Brandi tried to stifle another sob as she buried her tear-stained face in her hands again. Not sure what he could say right then, but doubting just walking out of the building would be a good option either, Sky sighed under his breath and took a seat on the bottom stair next to her.

As he took that seat, Brandi looked up at him with even more surprise. He then swallowed slightly, eyes averted, and managed, “yeah my day was pretty shitty too.” He took another breath and continued, “so, how long have you been sitting in here?”

Brandi bit back another sniffle as she looked back at him, “what bell was that?” she asked hoarsely.

“End of eighth” he supplied, still looking down at the floor in front of them sadly.

“End of eighth?” she repeated with a shake of her head, “guess I’ve been in here about seven hours then” she returned, though her voice was barely above a whisper. She then looked up at him again and steeled herself, “I’m sorry for what he did to you” she stated as she bit back another wave of tears.

“Wow, you’re the first person who said that to me all day” Sky replied, pushing back his own emotions again. He then looked back over at her watery eyes, “and I’m sorry for what he did to you” he whispered.

“Least I got to be unconscious for it. It was waking up the next morning and realizing...” she shook her head, “that was when my pain began” she whispered.

“How long ago...” Sky then shook his head, “never mind, I″m sure it’s the last thing you wanna talk about” he apologized.

“A couple weeks before he got arrested. The first time I told him I wasn’t in the mood and just wanted to pass out. Guess he didn’t like that answer” she choked. “I heard rumors hinting that he had done that to other girls. But of course, being the dutiful girlfriend; you don’t believe it til it actually happens to you. Then you just deny it and make excuses, saying that you had let him do it before, so why should that time have mattered, right?” she replied, her tears replenished then. She then made herself continue, as though needing to pour out the truth to someone who might actually believe her and not blame her, “then when I heard Kole say he had done that to the girl who killed herself sophomore year? It just suddenly all fucking clicked” she added through another sniffle.

That was then Sky awkwardly moved to place an arm around her, despite the fact that this was the first time the two of them had even had a conversation in all their twelve years of being classmates. She surprisingly laid her head on his shoulder and cried for a few minutes more before Sky finally had to break the silence.

He reached into his pocket and took out a overly folded pamphlet that Burke had insisted he take with him when he left that day. “Burke gave me this. Maybe you wanna go?” he offered, “I mean, I figure you should at least know about it so you can decide” he told her as she shakily took the paper with the information for a rape survivors support group that met every afternoon.

Brandi looked over it for a long moment as though trying to form an opinion on whether or not she did truly want to go to something like that. “Don’t know how I’d get there. My parents won’t buy me a car til I get my grades up. And after all this? I’ll be lucky if I graduate at all” she admitted, eyes down, then continued, “and all the friends I usually get rides with? Well they went from loving me to hating me; in one weekend” she sniffled again. She then looked back over at Sky and suddenly asked, “can I get a ride with you?”

“Um” Sky was a bit caught by that, as he hadn’t even thought about going himself, “I wasn’t sure I even was...” he then shook his head as he saw her disappointment, “I mean, I guess I could give you a ride at least” he gave in. He wasn’t sure he wanted to make that offer at all, all things considered. But when he did, it at least made her smile; as impossible as that had been for either of them to do at all that day.

That was when he got a text from Crista which read “where r u?”

He took a breath as he sent one back which read, “omw” he then looked back at Brandi and spoke, “I kinda promised Crista I’d walk her to the lot.”

Brandi then gave him a questioning look, “I thought she was dating Kole. Why wouldn’t she just walk out with him?”

“No, they’re not really dating. Just friends” he answered awkwardly.

“So, she’s dating you?” Brandi asked as the two stood and reclaimed their bags.

“Not really. Just friends” Sky managed with another uncomfortable breath.

“Cause I also heard that you and Kole...” she then stopped herself, “sorry” she added as she looked down.

“Not really. Just friends” he repeated again, almost smiling at her confusion, almost.

“Then what about you and Star? I mean til Crista and Kole showed up, I thought you two were some... thing. I mean since you’re not really brother and sister. I just... who are you with anyway?” she decided on.

Sky then allowed a nervous laugh, “I just have some really... good... friends” he stated slowly, not sure how technically accurate that was, but it was much easier than trying to explain those friendships at all. He then added, “and one of them is waiting on me” he added as he nodded toward the door.

“Back through the halls we go. Great” Brandi mumbled.

They then both took a breath as they stepped through the door and headed back through the unfriendly hordes to where Crista was still waiting anxiously inside the door of her last class of the day.

When he appeared at the door to perform his escorting duties, Crista greeted him with a relieved kiss, “don’t ever be late again! I was ready to fucking call 911” she scolded him as she managed a little smile and reached up to brush some of her blue glitter lipstick from his much darker shade of blood red. She then startled slightly as she looked past him to where Brandi waited awkwardly outside the classroom. “And we’re friends with Brandi now?” Crista asked with slight confusion.

“Different kind of friends I think” Brandi offered awkwardly, to which Sky simply blushed before shaking his head and leading the two ladies with him toward the doors to the senior lot.

When Sky, Crista, and Brandi arrived at the senior lot a few minutes later, Sky warily led the girls to he and Kole’s cars, which were parked next to each other as usual. Only, Kole was already back at his own vehicle, sitting on the hood with Star standing next to the car, between his legs, both of them engaged in a somewhat passionate lip lock after their amorous encounter during the last period of the day.

Crista cast a look between the two of them and then back at where Sky awkwardly looked down and Brandi just stared on in further confusion. The youngest of them then cleared her throat to break Star and Kole out of their kiss, “look, we have a new friend” she greeted them as the two turned back and only further startled as their eyes fell on the tiny blonde cheerleader who had a few hundred questions in her slightly reddened blue eyes which she tried to avert as they looked back at her.

Sky then cleared his throat as well, “told Brandi I’d give her a ride on the way home” he offered, though his voice was a bit hoarse as his efforts to not call attention to the odd relationship the four of them had seemed destined to fail.

“O...k” Star replied with her own confusion as she claimed her bag from where it was sitting on the hood next to Kole.

Though before any of them could say any more, Regan moved past and glared over at them as she called out, “what’s wrong, Brandi? Gonna start dressing like a freak too since you were too drunk to remember the last time you put out for Curt?”

Brandi just flinched as the redhead moved past with a derisive laugh to head for her own car. “And now you know why I spent the day in the stairwell” she told Sky quietly as the others glared after Regan.

It was an even more awkward trip to the community center where the support group met. Brandi sat quietly in the back seat as Star watched the scenery whilst trying to think of any conversation she could make at all with the girl who was now sharing the ride home with them. When they finally arrived at their destination, Sky spoke up at last, “you can go ahead in. I’m still not sure if I’m gonna go in myself just yet.”

“Ok” Brandi responded warily as he opened his door and pulled his seat forward to allow her to exit the car. Brandi then cast another wary smile back at him before heading inside.

“They move cheer practice?” Star asked as she gave the building a wary look.

“Rape survivors’ support group” Sky offered, though quietly. He then quickly offered a further explanation, “Burke gave me some paper about it and I found Brandi crying at school and gave the paper to her instead. But she didn’t have a ride, so, she assumed I’d be coming too and asked if I could bring her.”

Star nodded as she bit her lip and looked at the building once more, “are you? Going inside I mean?”

“Hadn’t really planned on it” Sky scoffed.

“Well maybe you should. I mean, no one there should judge, right?”

“Since when are we the support group type?” he narrowed his eyes over at her.

Star sighed softly, “maybe I should go in too” she stated, then when she saw how quickly Sky’s eyes darkened, she immediately added, “I meant so you wouldn’t be alone. Remember, always stay in pairs?” she reminded him worriedly.

“But you’re a rape survivor too, aren’t you?” he whispered, voice breaking.

“Sky, please don’t go there again” she whispered back to him.

“But it’s true” he managed.

“And I doubt I can really even try to explain any of what you’re referring to to Brandi or anyone else in there; especially when it didn’t even happen in this life” she told him pointedly.

But before their conversation could continue, Sky’s eyes moved to a young woman who was now entering the building. She was dressed all in black leather with frosted purple hair. “What the?” Sky asked no one in particular.

“What the what?” Star responded as she watched the girl go through the doors, “do we know her?”

“I think...” he shook his head, “I think that was Raina.”

Star gave him a confused look, then suddenly replied, “coffee shop Raina?”

Sky then looked just as confused, “but that didn’t happen in this life. The coffee shop or her... makeover?”

Star raised a brow, “well the BJ with your coffee thing didn’t happen, but maybe what made her go dark in that life also happened in this...” her voice then trailed off as she recalled what sort of meeting was going on there that evening. “Wow” was all she managed to finish with.

Sky shook his head once more, “do you think it was Curt?” he had to ask, “I mean, there are five other girls he’s being charged with raping, right? And she was a cheerleader, at our school, just a few months ago” he filled in his own blanks then.

“It sounds pretty possible” Star admitted as both of them stared sadly at the door, wondering exactly how much all these lives they’ve led would ultimately end up intertwining after all.