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Like a Train Wreck - 31. Chapter 31: If You're Reading This
Miracle sighed. "Couldn't find my phone, no way to tell the time. I have my appointment and then we have to show up for Kevin's graduation and we might aswell visit Brian while we are here." Miracle sighed, looking up at the numbers in the elevator as they changed.
"I snagged your Dad's watch." Jaemin grinned. "It was Erica's idea." Jaemin lifted his hand to show Miracle the watch around his wrist.
Miracle looked at it. "Those are so unreliable, how do you even know it's set right? I don't even care about any of this. It was Dad and Erica's idea that I see the psychologist, I only care about making it to the graduation on time."
Jaemin shook his head. "Oh right, because I forgot, you're crushing on Kevin, bad." He took a deep breath. "At least come this fall he will be gone. Would be gone much sooner if you'd just go away with me."
Miracle looked at Jaemin. "It just makes more sense to wait until next summer. That is when I graduate, then we are not time limited and then we really don't have to come back if we don't want to."
"Fine, whatever." Jaemin shook his head as they reached their floor, the elevator chimed and the doors slid open, he followed Miracle down the hall and into Brian's room.
"Hey..." Miracle said as he walked over to Brian's bed side. "We figured that...we would come see you. We weren't sure if you had many friends that would." Miracle tensed up, hoping that wouldn't be taken as an insult.
Brian looked at them when they walked in and then he looked at Miracle. "You're right, actually I have no friends. Brad and Melanie were the only ones I had, aside from club encounters that died as quick as they lived."
"Sorry for what Skylar did to you." Miracle said, looking around.
"I deserved it." Brian frowned.
"It's water under the bridge." Miracle said and reached over to take Brian's hand and briefly squeezed it in comfort before letting go. "So much bad stuff has happened since that it doesn't really matter to me anymore."
Brian nodded as he stared at the television. "Well they are going to let me go soon. Then I'll just return to my empty house."
"Empty house..." Miracle spoke softly. "Actually, Jasmine and her Dad need a place to stay, Skylar burnt their house down. If you don't want to be alone, it would be the perfect set up."
Brian thought about it for a moment and then shrugged. "Okay, I don't see what it would hurt. The spare key is above the door, just make sure to tell them that my bed room is off limits, other than that, it's good."
Miracle nodded. "I will." He took a deep breath. "Well, uh...Jaemin can stay and hang out with you, I have an appointment to get to."
Jaemin made a face at Miracle, his eyes going wide, knowing it would be terribly awkward, he didn't even know Brian.
Miracle returned the expression and leaned down towards Jaemin who sat in the chair by the door. "Just figure it out." He tapped Jaemin on the shoulder and walked out of the room.
"Just figure it out." Jaemin mumbled and he looked at Brian who stared right back at him. "Uh...sucks Melanie died...didn't it?" Jaemin then looked down. "Actually, Brian, if you don't mind, I have to go." He stood up and rushed out of the room.
Brian watched Jaemin leave in such a hurry. "No mind in getting rid of awkwardness."
Jaemin rushed to the nurses desk. "Can I use the phone, for just a second?"
Maxine looked up and shook her head. "Go ahead."
"Thanks." Jaemin picked up the phone and dialed Hunter's number and waited for an answer.
"Hello?" Hunter answered.
"Hunter, go to Skylar's condo, I will meet you there. If it's not to late, if it hasn't been swiped clean, who knows what we might find."
Hunter thought about it. "Okay, I'll get there as fast as I can, see you there." He hung up.
Jaemin hung up and looked at Maxine. "Thanks." He then rushed off.
Miracle came upon the door, reading the name. "Jordan Bryant." He shook his head and pushed the door open to find a young red headed man. It was the same man that Robin had seen in the diner. Miracle expected the man to be older. How could someone so young be a psychologist?
Jordan smiled at Miracle. "Expecting someone with a bald spot? Your parents misunderstood. I'm not an actual psychologist. I'm in college, learning to be one. This is training for me, experience. If you want to call them, you can, make sure they don't have second thoughts."
Miracle shook his head. "No, they picked you, they will have to settle with it just like I have to settle with going to see someone period." Miracle shut the door and walked over to sit on the soft leather couch near the desk. "Oh and Craig...not my Dad, it's parent, that was my bio Mom."
Jordan nodded. "And what happened to your bio Dad?" He sat back in his chair, placing a pen between his two index fingers.
"Went into the army to try and fix money issues, left a tape that my Mom never watched until she came back into my life, before that I just thought he disappeared but then after he went into the army...he did...just disappear because he didn't come back for a visit after the three months that he said he was supposed to." Miracle crossed his arms.
"I wanted to hear it from you." Jordan laid the pen down and opened a folder. "Both Craig and Erica wrote summaries of everything they know, about you, about themselves and about the people that surround you, Craig also included documents about your time in the orphanage and in the boys home after you were rescued from David, they thought it would make it easier if you could just start with more up to date issues and...things they are unaware of." He looked up at Miracle. "You know, things they had no knowledge of and couldn't provide."
Miracle grinned and rested his elbows on his knees, leaning forward. "I never gave Miss Carter an easy time." He shook his head. "So, given what you know, what do you think about me?"
Jordan returned with a smile. "Well your insecurity is definitely on high. Answer me two questions. Do you happen to have multiple lovers? And do you have a feeling, a need to want to hold on to all of them? Maybe even a fear that letting one go is dangerous because it's one less back up?"
"That's three questions." Miracle said, though his grin did fade and he stared at Jordan seriously. "Yes to all three, so? Why?"
"I can't tell you why, I can only suggest ideas to think about." Jordan wrote down a few things on Miracle's file. "Most orphans, like yourself, they tend to distance themselves for fear of abandonment." He looked up at Miracle. "The difference with you is what David had done to you, it makes you jump for it every chance you get, that creates the multiple lovers. The want to hold onto all of them? It's because it provides a great amount of security and that relates to the fear of letting one go because it's one less to fall back on."
Jordan tapped his pen against the paper. "In other words, it's because if David repeats, you have multiples, so it's okay, you have another to turn to but the fear comes from the less you have because it makes the risk of being left abandoned and alone much greater."
Miracle slowly nodded. "Okay but explain to me, the multiple lovers, why wouldn't they all be loved equally? Why are some favored more than others?"
Jordan tilted his head. "Tell me more, doesn't sound like a general question, sounds like a real situation that you're trying to make a general question."
Miracle looked down and nodded. "Okay well when I first moved here, as you know, the whole thing with Brad..."
"I know you were with him, you blackmailed him into trying to be decent and then he stole the blackmail back and you were...attacked and then shortly after he was murdered, bare bone story." Jordan said.
Miracle looked up at Jordan. "Right, thing is...Brad was a jock, captain of the football team, all popular, the guy anyone who likes guys would dream about. He didn't care for me, he used me and the blackmail didn't work, it didn't make it a real relationship, like with Daniel, it failed. Brad was a jerk. Well, Kevin was his best friend, he used to be a jerk too but I never knew him all that well until after my suicide attempt, that's when I started to become part of a newly forming circle. Point is, I slept with two of my best friends but when it happened with Kevin..." Miracle brought his hand to his chest. "It felt deep...heart pounding deep and I remember saying that he was like the non jerky version of Brad."
Jordan nodded. "So you wonder if you loved Brad more than you thought and because of Kevin's similarities yet the added realities of his kindness and tenderness, his ability to be sensitive and loving..." Jordan looked up at Miracle. "Non jerky as you put it, you wonder if you actually loved Brad because of all of the good things about him that Kevin has but Kevin has the few things that Brad lacked that you wanted, that if Brad had, it would of been perfect?"
Miracle nodded. "Sounds confusing, like a carousel, I know but...yeah, I wonder because ever since I slept with him, he sticks to me and he's the one that I fear losing the most."
"Football players are strong, dominant, as you were a child, David was the strong and dominant one yet he wasn't mean, he was kind and gentle as you described him to your family, he spoke words of love, painted it as a fairytale." Jordan squinted his eyes momentarily. "That is the difference and the attraction. The strength and the dominance lead you to Brad but those similarities combined with the loving affection from Kevin is what binds you."
Miracle nodded. "And Jaemin?"
"Tell me about him? That's not in the files other than the fact that it is your main relationship. Do you keep your other affairs secret?" Jordan asked.
"No, I don't hide any of it." Miracle sat back. "I think I'm starting to see now." He looked at Jordan. "Jaemin is the least I worry about because he forgives me every single time, even tries to help me as much as he can."
"In other words, he's the perfect, all sacrificing, boyfriend? Then that makes sense why you would not fear abandonment from him. Miracle, do you feel guilty about it?"
Miracle frowned. "When I'm alone and think about him, I do. He is so good to me, I mean he seems like exactly what I've looked for ever since David was taken away." He looked up at Jordan. "That's why it doesn't make sense. Even Jaemin himself could understand. He told me that fairytales weren't real but with him, they could be, that he would be my prince, that I just had to stop switching stories and switching prince's. I was looking for promise, for the forever promise and I got that and yet I am still doing exactly as Jaemin said in his own metaphoric way, changing stories."
Jordan thought about that for a moment. "When you found what you want, why do you keep looking? Again it could be that security factor, but then again if he's forgiven you for every single one of your...encounters then that could take the insecurity factor away. It could always be that it has become a developed nature, to always search, so even though you found what you were looking for, you still search because that's all that you've done for so long, you just keep doing it, out of nature or because it's all you know what to do, all you've ever known."
Miracle looked down, thoughtfully.
"That's a deep question, one of the core questions of your psyche, Miracle. The core questions are always going to be the hard ones to answer and they are always going to probably be the ones with many questionable answers for you to pick from or figure out. You don't take a guess, you think..and you keep thinking until you discover the one that makes sense." Jordan said.
Miracle looked up at Jordan. "So since you're just in training, I guess you're not allowed to officially diagnose?"
"Not officially but I can report and my professor decides my accuracy." Jordan nodded. "If you want an answer, I would say you may be in the Borderline Personality realm, maybe Bipolar but then those two in my personal opinion go hand in hand and are often statistically very confused with one another and people in that category are often misdiagnosed."
Jordan paused, jotting a few things down. "I also think there is most definitely sexual addiction that comes tied with emotional bonding, and I may or may not be correct on this, I am only a student but I think it's rare for emotional bonding to be tied with sex addiction, usually sexual addiction is used to numb the emotional pain, I think in your case, you use it to turn the pain into bliss but not entirely physical but rather...a fantasy of love, in the way that David created that fantasy for you when he mixed the two. So given that, a more suitable thing to write down would be love addiction, that one is overlooked so much in the psychological community that it's practically non existence but it exists, in my opinion I guess it's just that rare or overlooked. Throw in some depencency factors." Jordan looked up at Miracle. "It would be hard to sit here and explain someone in detail like this."
Miracle's eyebrows lifted. "Wow...I am fucked up." He started laughing.
"Not fucked up, just got a rough hand in life." Jordan shook his head. "So how about next week? Same time?"
"Works for me." Miracle nodded and stood up, leaving Jordan's office.
Hunter stood in the living room, looking around the apartment, it felt so empty but then it was empty. He took a deep breath, his eyes wandering over towards the couch.
Flashback
Hunter walked inside the high rise condo once Skylar opened the door and he looked around, the place was gorgeous, the living area nothing but a large ceiling to floor glass window with modern furnishings with an open floor plan to the kitchen that was also modern in it's appearance and a hallway to the right of the door that must of lead to the more private rooms.
"Impressive." Hunter nodded and walked further inside, turning around. "I would kill to have this view of the city."
Skylar grinned and closed the door behind her. "Literally? Because I could have it arranged, right across the hall." She walked closer to him and grabbed his leather jacket, tugging it off his shoulders and down his arms. "We could be a little Bonnie and Clyde, just enough to make ourselves happy."
"Yeah, as fun as that sounds, I wasn't being literal but it would be nice." Hunter said, letting her take off his jacket and then he looked around again. "So how much did your parents pay for this place?"
"Oh I didn't really pay attention." Skylar said, turning to throw his jacket across a chair as she moved to sit on the couch. "I don't know who my Mom is. I'm a product of a slutty one nighter, as for the price of this place? Daddy wouldn't spend any less than atleast one million on me. And it's mine alone, I was emancipated."
"Lucky." Hunter smiled and walked over to the couch to sit beside her. "So what does your Dad do to have that kind of money? Impress me, I'm getting addicted to it."
"Addicted?" Skylar grinned. "I like that."
Flash
She stood up and sat the bottle on the counter. "Typical suits in the morning, brief case, coming home..pretty much your nine to five." Skylar laughed and turned around to find some champagne glasses. "Though that doesn't seem to fit for that kind of money does it? Especially when he'll just have to buy me another place like this somewhere else when I go to college." She turned around with the glasses. "Maybe he's CIA?"
Hunter's eyes followed her and as she finished talking, he laughed. "Very imaginative. Do you like the idea of him possibly being CIA?"
"Oh I love it." Skylar said as she poured the champagne into each glass. "I should start digging around for secret documents or something."
End Flashback
"Secret documents, huh?" Hunter frowned and walked around the counter, his hand gliding over the surface where she had poured the glasses of champagne and then he looked over at the couch where they had sat together, a pained expression took over his features. "Why did it have to be like that?" He then looked over and noticed a stream of photos they had taken from a photobooth in the mall a while back, it was just laying on the counter as if she had recently looked at it. He picked it up and looked down at the pictures and slowly shook his head, trying so hard not to cry.
Flashback
Hunter grinned. "Maybe I could help you? I think it would be a fun way to bond. I like you Skylar, I like you a lot and I want us to do things together."
Skylar grinned and leaned forward to cup his face with both of her hands. "I thought we were doing things together." She went to kiss him only for him to ease his head back and away.
Hunter looked down and shook his head. "We do and that's been great, from the very first moment, it's been fun and exciting." He looked up at her. "But you leave so much to be desired. My whole life, I've had to be the best in everything and that meant sacrificing alot but the second I got face to face with you like that, I knew I had a chance at something great and I just...I was tired of sacrificing."
Skylar's smile faded and she eased back, she tilted her head to the side. "Wow...I really don't know what to say to that." She looked down for a second. "You know, I've never gotten close to anyone either. I never planned to get close to you. The idea just came in the heat of the moment." She shook her head. "That's not to say it wasn't real because it was but like I said, it just came out."
Hunter looked at her with a pleading expression. "Then let me inside of your life and I'll let you inside of mine. Skylar..my brother always talked about this being so happy that you cry feeling and I get that from you, I just never let it happen because that's not me but it feels like this ache to be closer, to be more."
"Hunter, you really don't want to be inside of my life." She looked down and then got off the couch and walked to the window. "I...I can't explain it to you. It's not my place and people close to me could get into trouble." She turned around to look at him. "You know what I did when we met. I was ruthless, I didn't even feel no remorse but I did it because that man was awful to Cody and I don't even know Cody but where do you think those ways come from?"
Hunter watched Skylar. "I don't hold that against you, I knew of Cody's situation. I don't have any theories about you. Jaemin and Sterling think that you're mafia. Everyone agreed not to report you because they thought the mafia would come after everyone for revenge. It's not right to kill someone but some people are murderers and they redeem themselves, you don't have to go to prison to make up for it."
Skylar shook her head. "I'm still not sorry for it. I did it for Cody, so that he could be free, I never meant for it to freeze him up or send him into some bad place, that is what I am sorry for." Skylar walked away from the window and moved to sit in the chair where Hunters jacket was draped over. "I can't talk about what goes on with me or with the people around me, at least not about any business. All I can do is be myself, who I am when I'm on down time."
"Then we'll start there." Hunter said. "I just want more because I like you and I could potentially love you one day. That's not a declaration but who knows where life will lead or where liking you will lead but if we don't explore..we'll never know." Hunter raised his eyebrows, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands. "I just want to be closer than in your bed, I want to be close to you."
Skylar looked thoughtful for several moments and then nodded. "Okay, we'll try for more than casual because you..." She paused and took a deep breath. "Honestly...you have hit buttons in me that I didn't know I had but you're going to have to accept what I give you, what I can give you."
"That's fine." Hunter smiled. "But..now that we had a nice talk." His head turned towards the hall way.
Skylar followed his gaze and then grinned and got up and walked over to him, grabbing him by the shirt and pulling him up and walked off down the hall, laughing as she kept hold of his shirt while he followed the whole way. Once in her bedroom, she shoved him back on the bed and kicked the door shut.
End Flashback
By the time the images faded from Hunters mind, he was staring at the bed room door down the hall which was left shut, tears staining his face by that point and then he looked down at the pictures before hearing a knock on the door. He folded the long row of pictures and shoved them into his pocket, slowly, hesitantly walking towards the door.
"It's Jaemin! Hunter, if you're in there, open the door!" Jaemin knocked again.
Hunter closed his eyes and sighed with relief before opening the door. "I thought you were bad guys or something."
Jaemin stared at him. "Seriously? You think the bad guys would just knock?" Jaemin shook his head and walked inside. "Find anything."
"Sorry..." Hunter shut the door and turned around. "And no, not yet. I just couldn't focus. There are memories here...it's difficult. I found pictures of us on the counter, as if she had just been looking at them before she left."
Jaemin looked at Hunter, apologetic. "I'm sorry, maybe I should of called Jasmine instead, if it's here, she would be the one who could even identify the thing. I just figured you would be able to get into the place."
Hunter shook his head. "It's okay." He looked around. "I want to search her bed room, if you don't mind?"
"Go ahead, that's usually the most personal of spaces." Jaemin said, looking around, not sure if he would really find anything much in the living room or kitchen, it was pretty bare bones.
Hunter turned around and headed into the bed room, shutting the door behind him and walked over to sit on the bed. He could hear her laughter just echoing in his head. A sigh escaped and he opened the drawer to one of the two night stands and right on top there was an envelope with his name on it. Hunter picked it up and turned it around, carefully tearing the top open and taking out the letter.
"I wrote this letter to you, I don't know if you will get it but if you do, it means that you got to it before my place could be swiped clean by my Father. I write this intending for it to be my last words as I am about to do something very dangerous and I am about to do it on my own but because I am torn between good and evil, I challenge someone to save the day which puts my life at risk. I know you will wonder why I won't just choose to break away, you will never understand until you discover and experience the life for yourself. Hunter, if I live, I want to tell you that I love you, if I don't, you will know it here, should this come to you. I know what you seek, an envelope, the one that Kyler tried to deliver. It will be where I am not, above, in the heavens, above, Hunter, look above, if you find it, I left you a momento. I love you."
Hunter finished reading it and he shook, his hands trembling, his breath grew heavy, the note becoming blurred by the tears that formed in his eyes.
Jaemin was looking under the couch cushions when he all of a sudden heard a loud scream of a sob echo down the hall from the bed room. He stood up and ran down the hall, finding Hunter sitting on the bed, barely clinging to the paper and the envelope with one hand. "Hunter, what happened?"
"She loved me...she really loved me." Hunter looked up at Jaemin. "She called you on purpose, she knew...she knew you would save Jasmine. Look at this..." Hunter cried and handed the letter to Jaemin.
Jaemin took the letter and quickly read over it. "Damn...Hunter..." He looked over at him. "I am so sorry...but she is right, they will be here to swipe the place. She left you a coded clue. Above...above..." Jaemin nodded towards the ceiling.
"What?" Hunter looked up.
"You know how some closets have those little openings that are usually sealed off? They are attics, sort of but more like crawl spaces, not really meant to be attics but perfect places to hide little things in? I've never been sure what those things are truly for." Jaemin shrugged.
"It's worth a check, above." Hunter stood up and then looked at the ceiling.
Jaemin gave the note to Hunter and looked up at him. "You should...share it with Miracle. I think he would be happy that someone really loved you." He paused. "Her last words make sense now, with her being the sole active enemy, she could of protected you. Our next one isn't going to be as sympathetic." He then turned around and opened the closet, pushing clothes out of the way and stepped inside, turning on the light and he looked up to see a square shaped opening and of course it was sealed off. "Sure enough, I was right, you need to get something to bust through it with."
"Well this is just a theory but what one finds above..accesses with what's below." Hunter bent down and looked under the bed and found a steel baseball bat beneath it and grabbed it, a small smile appeared. "At least we had great minds."
"Ha ha ha..." Jaemin stuck his tongue out. "Funny." He grabs the baseball bat. "And where does the ladder get found? To the side?" Jaemin grinned.
"Actually, yes." Hunter shifted into the closet and pushed clothes aside to find a step ladder stacked against the wall behind the line of hanging clothes. "There ya go." He holds the clothes out of the way.
Jaemin narrowed his eyes at Hunter and then grinned. "I would of gladly picked an engagement ring for you to give to her, your mind is practically inside of hers." Jaemin grabbed the ladder and set it up before climbing and then he took the bat and started slamming it against the wood blocking off the opening.
"Could probably use Kevin's strength for this." Hunter leaned against the door frame.
Jaemin suddenly looked annoyed. "Yeah well...football star is graduating right about now and Miracle just has to attend!" With that last word he slammed the bat into the wood and it busted right out of the way. "No need for him." He smiled and dropped the bat and climbed up higher, sticking his head inside the opening.
"Mad at him?" Hunter grinned. "Let me guess...Miracle played with him?"
Jaemin laughed. "Oh my god, do you normally talk about your brother that way? And...I could use a flash light."
"I just know him that well." Hunter offered up his keys. "Use the top button, it's the flash light, the bottom one is the red laser light."
"Maybe I should use the laser to make Kevin think he's being targetted by a sniper? Probably really would scare him with Eric and his people after us." Jaemin shined the light.
Hunter laughed "You are mad, so how did this happen? I thought Kevin was...well...I mean I thought he only...because Brad said so."
"Miracle was hurt because Kevin found out...well that's a story for a different day. Anyway Kevin got pissed at me and pushed me off the boat, I find out later after some fishermen save me that Jasmine gets super pissed, runs off." Jaemin's voice then becomes sarcastically dramatic. "Then Miracle hurts so much and takes advantage of Kevin's strange fucked up need to comfort Melanie so they just use the fuck out of each other. The sex fixes Miracle's emotions and Kevin feels like the sex some how goes up to the heavens and comforts Melanie. Fucked up story isn't it?"
Hunter's eyebrows lifted. "Kevin sounds more...crazy than..." He trailed off.
"Than Miracle? Yeah, I know." Jaemin then grabs the folder. "I found it!" He climbs down the ladder. "I hope this is it!"
"We should take a picture of it and send it to Jasmine to ID it." Hunter said.
"Can't...because Kevin threw Jasmine's phone in the water while she was storming off, made her even more pissed." Jaemin grinned. "Just have to hope it's the right one. Trust Skylar."
Hunter took the folder and walked out of the closet and moved to sit on the bed, Jaemin sitting beside him. He opened it and pulled out a black leather book with a picture of himself and Skylar taped on the front of it. He opens it and flips through the pages. "Her diary."
"That's the momento." Jaemin said. "You know, she gave you something really sweet, they say a diary is like seeing inside someones very soul, it's where they put there deepest secrets...you just got a reveal all."
"She gave me what I wanted..." Hunter sat there. "Her life..." He stared off, almost in a daze as he let this settle in.
"Maybe this was meant to be, you know, none of this would probably be happening if she lived. I know it hurts but maybe...her love, maybe she felt that she could only truly love you through death. It's only a thought. I mean she probably had a lot on her, if she betrayed...she would have become more of a target than any of us, betrayal is never taken lightly." Jaemin then began to take out the rest of the folders contents.
Jaemin looked at a birth certificate. "Oh my god..."
"What?" Hunter looked at him.
"Paula listed Brendan as my Father." Jaemin looked over at Hunter. "Brendan as in...Brad's Father." Jaemin looked down at everything and then pushed the birth certificate aside and then looked over a police report. "Paula reported me missing, this must of been when they stole me, they took Brendan's statement, he claimed not to be the Dad without proof and that she probably had an adoption agency ready to take the kid." Jaemin frowned, pushing the police report aside. "A DNA test was done before I was taken...I don't get it, why didn't that prove anything to him?"
"Maybe he left before the results came out? Maybe Paula didn't know where he was? She is in Ohio, right? Maybe she didn't know he came to New York." Hunter suggested.
"Maybe that's why Paula wouldn't tell me any different, even after I found out that me and Melanie didn't share Fathers."
"Wait...what?" Hunter looked up. "Paula is Melanie's Mom? You two were half siblings?"
"Yeah, she wanted to keep it quiet, Melanie was..." Jaemin shook his head. "Unfortunately, I wish she could of been different. She was lovable but some things were more important to her than family." Jaemin frowned, this meant not only did he kill his sister but now he had killed his own brother. Jaemin quickly stuffed the evidence back into the folder and stood up. "Who got all the proof?! Who had it? And how did Kyler get it? Who the hell would trust him?!"
Hunter looked up, obviously understanding why Jaemin would be upset. "Well obviously the proof comes from the police and the hospital." Hunter looked down thoughtfully. "Only someone with power to get a warrant could get this stuff."
"What? Your Dad? Did he even know Brendan or Paula?" Jaemin shrugged and shook his head at Hunter.
"Only one way to find out." Hunter said as he stood up.
Miracle sat in the audiance, watching the stage, waiting for Kevin's name to be called, a twenty ounce bottle of mountain dew being lifted for a sip.
"Gonna share that?!" Cody yelled excitedly as he jumped into the seat beside Miracle and bumped shoulders with him.
"Make that a double share?" Robin smiled, sitting on the other side of Miracle.
"Oh my god! Cody?! Robin?!" Miracle sat the drink down and then he hugged Cody and then Robin. "I am so glad you two are okay! I was scared, I didn't know what happened to you guys! What the hell did happen?!"
"Well I was being stalked all the way down to Virginia." Robin said, taking a bite of the hot dog that she ordered.
"She saved me along the way though! I was kidnapped, drugged, thrown in the back of the van that her stalker was driving. We ended up at this diner and she called Jasmine with her last bit of change." Cody laughed. "Robin felt like her life so failed when Jasmine dropped the phone and started bitching at Kevin and she ran out of time!"
"Skylar stole all of my money." Robin frowned.
"Oh my god! What happened to Jaemin?! Is he dead? Robin heard Jasmine say Kevin pushed him off the boat!" Cody looked at Miracle with widened eyes.
"Fishermen saved him." Miracle said and he smiled at their stories. "So how did you guys get home?"
"Well Robin was going to sin! She said she'd rather steal the food and throw monopoly money on the table than to sin by suicide by starvation!" Cody laughed. "And her mind is finally opened, the experience...has scared her free. Oh and we didn't have to use monopoly money after all. She scared a guy with the whole story, all of it and he practically threw money at her just to get her to go away!"
Robin grinned.
Miracle grinned and started laughing at the whole tale. "Wow...man, I am just so glad you guys are safe. I also should tell you that Skylar is dead. She tried to consequence Jasmine, she was going to burn her alive and burn her house down. Jaemin and Hunter got there in time, they took Skylar out, she fell through the floor into the flames and they got Jasmine out. Skylar burnt with the house...they confirmed finding bones this morning, did some DNA work and found the match."
"I told you that girl shouldn't of done that with that fire extinguisher." Robin grinned and then sighed. "It's never good for a person to die. I'll never hate her, just like I'll never hate Melanie, even if Skylar did far worse. I am done hating and I am done judging period."
Miracle smiled at Robin. "Thanks."
"Just my truth." Robin nodded.
"Kevin Collins!" The announcer called out over the loud speaker.
"Kevin!" Miracle stood up, clapping along with Robin, Cody and several of Kevin's other friends and family.
Kevin smiled and walked onto the stage to take his diploma and stood at the microphone. "Wow, again, I am nervous, even more nervous than the last time I was at a microphone." He laughed. "I think I have anxiety people." He shook his head. "I know it was supposed to be Brad that took this place, unfortunately he was taken from us, as has many others this past school year, all of which were very close to me. To my other friends and to my family, as I will be leaving and going on to the next stage in my life...I better not dare lose another one of you, I mean it. I'm leaving survivors behind and I expect nothing less and for those who aren't or haven't been in danger, if you ever are, don't be, you are all survivors, of life, of challenge, of everything this world has to throw at you. So...carry that on." He smiled, raising his arm with the diploma in his hand and the audiance cheered and he turned to head off the stage.
Miracle finally released his held breath. "Wow...I could just feel his anxiety." He looked at Robin and then Cody. "Do you guys think I will get stuck on that stage for the speech?"
Cody grinned with a wicked little laugh. "Keep up your reputation and then maybe."
Miracle grinned and his eyes widened. "And what reputation would that be? I actually don't think I am anymore noticed than the day I got here." He paused. "At my last school though, I'm sure I left an impression, the teacher stalker!" His eyebrows lifted. "All I would have to do is send that video tape back and that man's life would unravel, he probably doesn't even think about it anymore."
"Wait...you blackmailed before? And you keep them?" Cody's eyes widened.
Robin grinned. "I want to hear this one."
"Well it pretty much goes the same as Brad's except it was a tape recorder, not a webcam. Guy was a jerk, only wanted sex, wanted to make him love me. Well the tape got all the sex on it, plus more. He hit me, assault on a minor...then I grab the camera and footage goes all shakey as I'm being chased out of the house." Miracle grins. "Then the guy has the balls to go to the school board and claim that I'm stalking him and I get expelled."
"Why didn't you use the tape? You know, punish him?" Robin asked.
"Because, like with Brad's blackmail, wasn't the point of it. I didn't want to punish him or get him, so to speak, I wanted to get what I wanted, it didn't work so I failed." Miracle shrugged.
"In other words when you blackmail, it's a bluff and neither this guy nor Brad called your bluff?" Cody nodded.
"Pretty much." Miracle said.
Cody grinned. "I think you should send it, send him a letter too, tell him to never forget what seemingly disappears. Make it out of newspaper letters."
Robin laughed. "That's so evil."
"That would take me like hours, and how do I even know he even lives in the same place?" Miracle asked.
"Call him?" Cody looks up at Miracle.
"Can't...my phone is gone. So is Sterling's. We think they got swiped so the videos of Skylar could never be found." Miracle shrugged. "I could message him on facebook, he never removed me."
"Swiper no swiping." Robin narrowed her eyes. "We have got to come up with a better term."
"Is his phone number on facebook? Sometimes people put their numbers on there." Cody said.
"Maybe, if we're lucky." Miracle grinned.
"Okay, what's the conspiracy, you three?" Kevin grinned as he walked up, sitting in front of Miracle. "By the way, glad to see you two! Happy you're safe and sound. I told you, I raised survivors here."
Miracle smiled and leaned forward and started to massage Kevin's shoulders. "You did. Let me ask you something, do you think my reputation might get me up there next year?"
Kevin closed his eyes and shook his head. "Well you don't really have a reputation Miracle, not like I did either. It was Brad's place, he was chosen because he was the captain of the football team and then of course valedictorian gets to deliver the really meaningful speech, one that's probably going to make mine sound like a joke."
"We should plan it. Announcer calls Miracle, he walks up, grabs his diploma and starts to walk away, then he calls Jasmine and she goes up, snatches her diploma and sucker punches him out just so Miracle can make a speech." Cody laughed.
"What is wrong with you? Villain!" Robin laughed.
"I didn't say I wanted to! I was just curious...if all of my drama would earn me something." His hand left one of Kevin's shoulders and he moved his fingers over his short cropped hair.
"Speaking of drama, we're trying to get Miracle to take his old blackmail that he didn't use on a teacher and send it to Australia, a blast from the past, expose the guy." Cody laughed. "Either way, I want to see the damn thing."
Kevin closed his eyes, enjoying the work of Miracle's hands and then grinned. "Miracle has some old blackmail? Boy...when do you plan some new blackmail?"
Miracle laughed. "I think I learned my lesson."
"Nah! You can still blackmail! Just make sure the person doesn't get into your house and steal it back!" Cody bumped shoulders with Miracle.
"Cody..." Robin gave him a look, a serious one this time. "Sorry Miracle, he was hitting to close."
"It's okay, like I said, water under the bridge." Miracle smiled. "So you guys want to see it? We take Kev's vette, it's the fastest."
Miracle sat in the middle of his bed, Robin beside him and Kevin laid back with his head in Miracle's lap, Cody on the bean bag chair as they watched the television. "Wow...Miracle...maybe you should be a porn star?"
Miracle laughed and lightly slapped Kevin's arm. "I'll get rough and then you won't feel so comfortable being so close to me."
Robin tilted her head to the side. "It's weird seeing your personal friends in such a way..."
"Dumbass sure liked it though, he just had to fuck it up." Miracle grabbed the remote. "Look at what the hot porn turns into." He started to fast forward it.
"Woah! Go, Miracle go!" Kevin laughed at how fast Miracle started moving when he started fast forwarding it.
"Shut up!" Miracle laughed and then hit play. "This is the good part."
And there Miracle and Daniel appeared on the television, fully clothed after the sex when the argument began.
"You don't love me?! I thought...I thought you loved me!" Miracle screamed hysterically at the man.
"I don't love you. How could I love you?"
"How could you love me? It's not that difficult, Daniel!"
"You don't understand. You've completely blown everything out of proportion."
"Like hell I have!" Miracle reached up and slapped Daniel across the face.
"You little fucking shit!" Daniel charged forward, shoving Miracle and then he punched him in the face.
Miracle fell down, nearly hitting his head on the edge of the bed. His face turned away due to the punch that had been delivered. His hand moved to his face as his head shifted around to look at Daniel.
"You'll be sorry you did that."
"Get out of my house!" Daniel pointed towards the bed room door.
Miracle pushed himself to stand up, shaking his head. "Or what? You'll hit me again?"
Daniel raised a fist. "Get... out."
"You're going to love me because if you don't, I'll tell everyone what you did!"
"No one will believe you."
"We'll see about that." Miracle then reached for the camera.
Kevin grinned and laughed a little. "Damn, that was real...fatal attraction of you, Miracle."
"Shut up." Miracle slapped Kevin on the arm and laughed before sliding off the bed, letting Kevin's head hit the mattress as he rushed to his computer desk. "Anyone know anyone that can take footage from tapes and put them on dvd? I'm not sending the original and having it get lost in the mail."
"It was kind of fatal attraction, Miracle. You were pretty mad." Cody grinned.
"Hey, he was the one that got punched." Robin looked at the guys.
"See? She takes my side now." Miracle smiled and opened a drawer and took out a pen and a piece of paper and started writing a note. "See? I told you I was telling the truth. Love, always, your most bestest, most favoritest student in the world that you will wish you never expelled, Miracle." He grinned and folded the piece of paper. "To the school board, this is important." Miracle laughed and capped the pen. "I got the note!"
"Should threaten them with a lawsuit." Kevin laughed and sat up. "I know a guy that hangs with the drama crowd and he does some of that filming and editing stuff. He could probably do it."
"Should tell them you want to hear from them on skype as soon as they review the video so you can see how they react." Cody laughed.
Robin rolled her eyes but couldn't help but to laugh with them. "God, you're making me horrible!"
"I'll call him up tomorrow...though, now that we had some fun viewing Miracle's porno drama movie...we should really hit up some graduation parties. Go house hopping." Kevin smiled.
Miracle's door flew open as Hunter and Jaemin rushed in.
"We found the folder!" Jaemin said, Jasmine walking in soon behind them.
Hunter looked around and then grabbed the note off Miracle's desk and opened it, reading it. He looked at Miracle and tossed it back onto the keyboard. "What are you up to?" He then looked at the snow on the television and hit the rewind on the VCR to see the argument again. "You're showing off your blackmail, now you want to send it?"
Miracle looked at Hunter innocently and shrugged. "It was everyones idea. Kevin's friends going to make me some copies on dvd."
"Damn...he punched you Miracle." Jasmine's eyes widened.
"Hey...how come I've never seen this? Rewind it all the way to the beginning." Jaemin narrowed his eyes on the man that was assaulting Miracle.
Kevin laughed at Jaemin. "You want to see the sextraction."
Jasmine's mouth fell open. "Cool word."
Hunter shook his head and hit the power button to turn the television off. "Hello people! The envelope that we have been looking for...for I don't know...weeks?! The envelope that Sarah died for?! We found it! And you all can thank Skylar for it!"
"Why thank that bitch?" Kevin looked at Hunter.
Hunter's eyes widened and he reached forward and grabbed Kevin up by the shirt. "Don't ever call her that in front of me again unless you want to wake up with a gun stuck in your mouth."
"Guys! Chill out!" Miracle jumped up and moved in between Kevin and Hunter. "Shush!" He put a finger on Kevin's mouth to keep him from firing back. "Just tell us." He looked at Hunter.
"She left a note in case she died, she purposely wanted Jaemin to be there to save Jasmine, she purposely always wanted us to have a chance in everything. Why the warnings? She didn't have to do that, the action and the consequence? She could of been unpredictable but she back tracked on things that we knew we already did, made it easy to figure out. Sure, what she did to Cody's Father was awful, what she did to Robin...well I don't even know if Skylar even had control of that situation anymore after they took Robin." Hunter looked at Robin. "Did she?"
Robin shook her head. "I never saw Skylar again after she left with my truck, after Sterling blew up the SUV."
"Reasonable doubt. Point is, she left a note, in case she didn't live because the stunt she pulled with Jasmine was dangerous but she wanted Jaemin there, she wanted him to save her and she left a clue in code that helped us find the envelope in her apartment, luckily before the place was swiped clean." Hunter took a deep breath.
"Swiped...please guys, lets choose a new word?" Robin looked around.
"Inside the folder was a birth certificate, a police report, a DNA test...point is the information contained in that envelope proves that while Melanie and I do not share the same Father, Brad and I, well we did share the same Father, when Brad was alive. Thing is Brendan denied me being his, he disbelieved in the kidnapping, he thought Paula made it up to cover up giving me up for adoption and then he took off. We figure...Paula living in Ohio, she probably didn't know he came to New York and that he probably left before the DNA came back and that the test..." Jaemin shook his head. "The DNA had to be taken from me before I was snatched."
"We were in Craig's room before we came in here, wondering who could get all this evidence on the outside. Craig, Paula, Brendan and Eric all went to the same high school, Craig has all their signatures in his year book and all of their pictures are in it. So Eric had to be the one that snatched Jaemin and it was the perfect time, they had all graduated and were all parting ways to go off to college or go off and do whatever but Craig is the FBI agent here." Hunter explained.
"Only question now is...how did Kyler have it, did he steal it? Or did Craig trust him to deliver it and if so, why?" Jasmine looked around.
"Or was he hypnotised and was it just a trick to deliver the envelope seemingly in appearance to Brendan only for Eric to so conveniently be there to take it for himself?" Miracle looked around. "Either way, we know he's hynotised or programmed or brainwashed now."
"What I want to know is why was he so careless with Paula's information but felt so strongly about hiding Brendan's?" Jaemin looked around.
"Because...with that information gone, there would of been no way to tie Jaemin to Brendan, much less even suspect." Robin said. "You know how guys are, they could of been our version of Kevin and Brad."
Kevin looked at Robin and shook his head. "That makes no sense. If Eric took his baby then that's betrayal..."
"Best friends don't betray." Robin looked at Kevin. "So long as it's covered up, Eric never betrayed Brendan because Brendan never had a son with Paula and if Paula was discovered as Jaemin had, it would have been assumed that Melanie's Father was also Jaemin's until proven otherwise which again leads back to the start, unknown, which is what happened, until now."
"Well now we have the proof and a reason to tell Paula where Brendan is, she probably still doesn't know which is why she hasn't said anything about it, she probably feels like it's a lost cause." Hunter said.
"Wouldn't Melanie's Father say something about him though?" Miracle looked up.
"No." Kevin shook his head. "That little triangle, it was like Melanie and Robin. Melanie had no interest in Brad at all, she thought he was a bone head, though she liked to make Sarah think that she did sometimes, just to irritate her. Melanie was all about torturing Sarah and she distanced herself as much as possible and the more she did, the worse Melanie got. Thing is, Melanie was really private about her life as far as her parents were concerned. She probably never mentioned Brad's name at home. Not even when he was killed."
Cody looked around. "Okay, even Kevin is thinking to much. Did you bump your head on a football? It's your graduation night! I've been out of it for like...ever! I'm excited! Can't we just go house hopping and party crashing and do all this talking later?!"
Miracle grinned. "I agree, we got the answers now, thank you, Skylar, anyone who wants to go, lets go." Miracle got up and ran out of his room, soon followed after Cody, Robin, Jasmine and Kevin.
Hunter looked over at Jaemin. "You don't want to go?"
"I don't feel like I should. How can we have these huge things just dropped in our laps and then just drop them like a hat and go party?" He shrugged. "I could but it would feel wrong to me."
Hunter stared at Jaemin and then sat back on the edge of Miracle's bed. "It's just going to give him more time with Kevin, even if the guy is leaving, I know my brother, he'll play it up."
Jaemin sat beside Hunter and shook his head. "Let him, I've forgiven it already, what's one more time?" He looked down. "I have to keep showing him, I won't give up, one day, he will be better, I have to be that one person that does not give up, that one person that does not walk out."
"You think that strategy will work? Just staying for him yet letting him go and do whatever he wants? I think all that is saying to him is that your the doormat that he never has to worry about because when the parties over, you're always at home waiting." Hunter stood up.
"Well I'm not giving up." Jaemin looked up at Hunter. "So until I figure out something better...this is it."
Hunter nodded. "Good luck to you, I get it, loving someone who's damaged, making excuses for their wrongs just so you can love them, I'll admit that I did that for Skylar and I'll still admit that I don't think I was wrong for doing it or that I would do it differently." Hunter turned around and left the room.
"I'll do it forever if I have to." Jaemin whispered, hearing the screeching tires of the corvette as it speeded off and the laughter of the group as they faded away.
- 1
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