–– ᶠᵃᵘˣ ʰᵒʳʳⁱᶠⁱᶜ ! *

He lets his fingertips drag across his bottom lip, a tick he has had since childhood, only now appearing in adulthood when there was something on his mind that he couldnt quite put his finger on. “no problem, if you change your mind, I will put your name on the people who can pick up keys” he shrugged. Not really seeing a reason to rescind his offer or not double down on his wanting for the male to have the room that would go uninhabited. “yeah, elias” he shrugged, looking over at him with a small inquisitive look. Like there was a joke Murray was in on that Lincoln wasnt privy to. “never took you for the fathering type” he joked, his voice light and airy. That is immediately taken from him when he hears that he is staying with Elias’ sister. The one who had unapologetically sucker punched him, the one who had looked at him with such hate. It all started to click into place. is this why he doesnt like me? why doesnt she like me? how does he know her? questions circled his mind but would never be made known. “cool, never met her, from what I hear shes great” he offers, trying to not make it known that the gnarly bruise on his face was given to him by the woman he will be staying with. 

he nods his head, chooses not say anything on the matter. case closed, he’s too proud to even consider accepting the offer. “guess there’s shit-ton you don’t know ‘bout me.” he says, matter-of-factly, shrugging his shoulders, but there’s a hint of amusement in his voice. then, he listens to the other speak, lips pressed together, hands in the pockets of his jacket, gaze focused on the crime scene and the crime scene alone. he keeps a straight face for the longest time, letting out a soft hum when lincoln is done pretending. “yeah,” murray agrees, casually. “she’s pretty cool. i heard she knows how to throw a punch.” blue orbs finally glance over at the other, small smirk playing at his lips. he watches the man for a second, studies his expression. focus is now on the bruise. “what did ya’ do?” a simple question. 

@cloverstarters​

“don’t look at me like that,” the brunette snaps at her unsuspecting victim, turning away from the other person to wipe her eyes on her sleeves. shit. there goes her perfectly-winged eyeliner. “just because i’m a bitch doesn’t mean i don’t have feelings. i’m not a robot, okay ?! mitchell was in a few of my classes. he wasn’t all bad … for a beta.” nikki sighs and clears her throat. glaring daggers at the other person, she stands up and wags a threatening finger in their direction. “if you tell a single soul about this, i will personally make sure you will never speak again.” she then adds nonchalantly, “hard to talk when your tongue’s been cut off.” and with that, nikki pulls out a nail filer and gets to work on her nails. there’s a brief moment of silence. “well –” there’s a note of finality in her voice – “ what are you still doing here? ”

he watches her in disbelief, brows raised, eyes bit wider than usual, lips pressed together into a thin line. the further she goes, the more attitude she serves, the harder is for him to keep a straight face. “sure.” it’s deadpan. then, he can’t help but snicker. eventually, he rolls his eyes, lets out a scoff before turning his attention back to the laptop. “what?” he glances up. “oh, fuck – should’ve said that sooner. i already posted all about your little crying session on my fuckin’ facebook, like the corrupted lowlife i am, just to spite you.” he tells her, and it sounds almost legit, almost way too sincere. he flashes her a quick, quite forced half-smile before getting back to the powerpoint presentation. he almost tricks himself into believing this whole conversation is over, and that’s when she speaks again. a short laugh escapes, eyes not leaving the screen this time around. “selling rifles to some guy in milwaukee. look, i'd really like to focus so if you could do the whole cryin’ thing on a lower volume.. that’d be sick stuff.” 

@cloverstarters​

the door swings open and immediately he feels like an idiot. pulling out his phone he looks at the text, and that’s when he wants to smack himself. wrong room, wrong.. everything. ‘’well– shit. now, here– take..’’ trailing off, TK hands the flowers over with a shrug. ‘’have ‘em, so i don’t.. feel like i’m gonna embarrass myself. ‘m also.. gonna– like.. go.’’

ember had gone out, left him for maybe no more than an hour. he assumed it wouldn’t be a big deal, nothing weird would happen, right? he’s smoking out the window when someone knocks on the door. murray pauses, gives it a second before putting the joint into the ashtray and heading towards the door. he opens, not quite sure what to expect, but certainly not a dude with a bunch of flowers. surprisingly enough, that’s exactly who the visitor happens to be. brows are furrowed, blue orbs staring the man down. the explanation the other offers is.. not helpful, to say the least. “alright, i’m gonna take a wild guess and say you’re.. not the coke dealer?”  

                      “ No, I didn’t buy it for a second. “     Probably because even if she thought Mitchell was one hell of jerk, she didn’t think she had it in him.    “ He don’t have the balls and brains to commit a murder, let’s be real. “      And now, he’s dead.     “ This hangover is just whooping my ass. “

"hey, whoa, hold on there, lady–– that’s a fucked up way to speak about a dead man.” he tells her in a tone that’s almost too serious. “tone that shit down, you’re practically fuckin’ sinning.” he turns to look at the girl, offers her a small grin. “yeah, that’s freakin’ lousy. ya’ want a painkiller? homemade.” 

plucking a cigarette from the pack, she wedged it between glossed lips and patted herself down for her lighter, grateful for his kindness. most people weren’t in the mood for conversation after what had occurred and would’ve waved her off. “laced with acid? i like the way you think.” she complimented. from her back pocket, she yanked out a pink BIC lighter covered in smiley-face stickers. “they were white, i think. the pills. they made me see colors.” after a spark, she took a drag and recalled the vivid colors like explosions in the brain. “but that wore off fast. total duds. if there were a drug dealer yelp, i’d leave a scathing review.” she gave pause. “y’know, i didn’t learn much about him. he kinda scurried off when i told him i thought steve buscemi was sexier than him. but i’m sure if i offered to trade him a pair of panties, he’d cough up the social real fast. i find identity theft very sexy and fun.” she gave a sympathetic nod. “so where are you gonna sleep tonight? and what are you curious about?”

"mhm.” he hums. “figured if i were to be murdered, i might as well just go and fuck myself up first. ya’ know, it’s a once in a lifetime experience. imagine havin’ more fun than the killer himself. i wanna fuckin’, out-fun the dude. besides, i heard guts look real funny on acid.” it almost sounds like a legitimate theory of his. he ashes the cigarette, takes a final drag before tossing it to the ground, blowing out the smoke through his mouth and nose before reaching for another one. chainsmoking is fun. he hums at the description of the drug, brows furrowing slightly before he scoffs. “what the fuck? rat him out to the cops.” he suggests, not missing a beat. “be like— “yo, this boyo sold me drugs and they were shit as fuck.” they’ll be fuckin’ pissed.” grand advice. in fact, they should just go for it right now. brows raise as he glances over at the girl. “dude, i’m fuckin’ — identity theft crazy. think it’s one stellar investment. how many identities do you think you can steal in seventeen hours?” he seems genuinely curious, almost as if he were onto something. “fuck, probably with em?” he assumes, shrugs. “maybe massachusetts?” he jokes, brows furrowing at the second question. “oh, fuck. you know, the whole whodunit part— i think it’s engaging as balls. i mean, we’re being so fuckin’ ridiculously played by this fellow! i almost just wanna go there, shake his hand and give him all of my money.” 

elizabeth drinks some more of the water from the cup before then rolling her eyes at the male. “i can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or not.” she replied with a small grin. “yeah, i think i’m capable of walking for now.” she reassured the male.

"good.” he tells her. it’s blunt, but he manages a small smile. he stops rubbing her back, hand rested there for only few more seconds as he takes a quick look around, before lightly pushing her forward. “alright, let’s fuckin’ bounce. before we become the prime suspects in a murder case.” 

Rolling her eyes as he spoke she let him continue, his trust in her always apparent, even if they were joking about made up scenarios. “Ill bake you cakes with nail files in them when youre in jail” she laughed. When they were face to face, it was like they were so far removed from everyone else it was almost private, the way it had always been. Her and Murray Vs. Everyone else. His morbidity always matching hers. “they are all idiots” she sighed “its gonna be like the weird professor that they both had but dropped the class, when its not the first suspect, its always the last suspect” she added, a chuckle in her voice as she watched him, rolling her eyes once more. “last time wasnt a murder, it was just pigs blood, and an ominous message” she turned just a bit to start walking again, letting her shoulder bump into his, playfully. “Gamma has always been the horror house, none of you wash your sheets” she stated plainly. “disgusting the lot of you, murder makes sense at Gamma” she joked, to anyone else it would have been entirely too cold, entirely too soon for a joke of such depravity, but not with him. When he asked her to stay over she looked over at him and raised her eyebrows “I thought it was obvious you were staying with me, but if I have overestimated our friendship….” she is all too serious, to anyone else it wouldnt have been obvious that she was joking, but to Witzy, no way he wouldnt see through the charade. “then you can go stay with your hoes” she looked over to him, still not breaking character. 

"mhm. some weird professor, you say?” he questions, a smirk on his face. “how many weird professors did ya’ see fuckin’ walking ‘round gamma tonight?” it’s not that he thinks it’s a dumb theory–– it could be possible, but his mind is currently very much set on a student. “t’s gotta be fuckin’ one of us, man. how else would ya’ explain the dude getting killed in a house full of people? the murderer must’ve been invited to the party. he was probably there the whole fuckin’ night, lookin’ at us, playing along.” he shrugs. “that, or he disguised himself somehow to sneak in. but, i think we’d notice if some fuck-up in a cloak pranced around the kitchen.” he tells her, amusement apparent in his tone. “fuck you. i wash my sheets four fuckin’ times a week, skank.” he doesn’t, but that’s way beside the point. brows raise at the sudden act, but he knows better than to take it seriously. murray decides to play along, nostrils flared as he turns to glare at her. “okay, yeah, you know what? maybe i will. i’ve got so many fuckin’ hoes, ember, you don’t even fuckin’ know. i don’t even need ya’, or your stupid fuckin’.. room. it smells like bone marrow, anyway.” 

“well, gee, way to make a girl feel good about herself.” she rolled her eyes at the male’s comment before then shaking her head, but moving once she felt like she was going to die anytime. “what is it?” she asked the male before then taking the cup anyway and drinking from it. “could be better, but yeah, that sounds like a good idea.”

brows furrow at the question. ‘water, obviously’ is what he wants to say. “fuckin’, drain cleaner.” is what he ends up telling her, like it’s the most casual thing on this planet. “thanks, thought it’d be pretty stellar. you good to walk?” he sounds bit too bothered for someone who’s literally ready to carry her all the way back to the sorority, if needed. 

Lincoln shrugs at his response, “well, I charged my dads company with the presidential suite at the nearest ritz for the next three weeks. Its only like 20 minutes from here, and I dont plan on staying there, so if you want it its yours” he offered. Their relationship had been tumultuous, Lincoln had no issue with Murray, but he felt the same couldnt be said for his roommate. To no avail, he had tried to warm the male up to him, but it was proving impossible. With his charm no longer being able to do the job, his money took the place. Trying to give him anything he hears he wants, or gift him with experiences that are out of his income bracket. He hopes, however naively, that this gesture will be one of the things that chips away at the wall he feels is imposed between them. “I will be staying with Elias, for tonight at least.” he shrugged. He hadnt talked to Elias, but it was assumed, after the night they had begun to share, that he would end up falling into bed with him. “whos em?” he asked with a raised brow, “girlfriend?” he teased. He hadnt seen many visitors, that werent brought by the young Connors, in their small room. He also doesnt commit Murrays friends names to memory either, he may have seen her, but that fact is lost on him.

he scoffs at the offer, the very idea of it seeming way too ridiculous. murray has never been one to really depend on people, usually choosing to deal with things on his own, hardly ever consulting anyone around. now, with lincoln offering him to step into the connors’ rich people world, he can’t help but find the boy almost ridiculous. “no thanks.” it’s simple, but surprisingly not that stand-offish. “elias, huh?” a quick raise of the brow, but he doesn’t investigate, decides it’s none of his business— not directly, at least. he rolls his eyes. “baby mommy.” he offers the most stiff, forced half-smile in the history of stiff, forced half-smiles. ‘nah, ember. ya’ might’ve heard of her— fuckin’, elias’ sister?”

“it’s wildly cliche. shame on us,” she gave a disapproving headshake before her eyes fell to his cigarette. with vodka on her breath, she sighed. “can i bum one of those? i’m like, needing to come down a bit. took a few pills at the party. the dare lion would be so ashamed of me.” she knew the nicotine would steady her a bit, as well as give her something to do with her restless hands, full of nervous energy. “the craziest thing? we may have met this absolute madman. had a whole drunk heart-to-heart with them. i saw some guy there that definitely looked like he sniffed women’s panties and had just escaped from his mom’s basement. maybe it was him. i should make a report to crime stoppers,” she mused like sherlock. “are you, like, as freaked out as everyone else?”

"fuckin’, shame on us.” he repeats, a faint smile painting his lips. “’f course.” a nod of the head. hand reaches into the pocket, two fingers pulling out a pack of cigarettes. he listens to her speak, focuses on the tone of her voice. it’s pleasant, he decides — comforting enough to draw you in. an amused sigh escapes, brows furrowing ever so slightly. “what kinda pills?” he inquires, a hint of curiosity, before opening the carton. “here, help yourself. ya’ can have all but the one on the left— it might be laced with acid.” it’s a tad unsure, but casual nonetheless. her next statement makes blue eyes fall directly on her. “i fuckin’ know—“ he interrupts, but pauses half way through, deciding to let her finish. the description makes him laugh, brows raising at even the thought. “fuck, maybe. how much do you know about this man? basic stuff, like.. what does he look like, what's his social security number?” he offers, almost sounding like he knows what he’s on about. “eh?” a shrug. “nah? fuckin’, i’m not big on getting kicked out of my home, ya’ know, but really? i’m j’st curious, man.” 

—— she eyed him for a moment before glancing away elsewhere. placing her hair behind her shoulder, she looked toward a distance in their surroundings. “a girl can hope, can’t she? i’m a little surprised you’re handling this well though.”

“huh.” he shrugs. "hope is for toddlers and lesbians.” he jokes, but the expression doesn’t seem to give it away. murray furrows his brows, ashes the cigarette and brings it back to his lips with a hum. “yeah,” he begins, matter-of-factly, eyes never leaving the new official crime scene. “what can i say? it’s not the first murder i committed.” 

@cloverstarters​

elizabeth knew that it had probably been a bad idea to drink that much alcohol at the party, but she knew that it was the only way she could handle the entire night especially with so many people she disliked at said party. “my god, i feel like i could just drop dead any second now.” she spoke to no one in particular as she rubbed her temples before she then walked out of the gamma house as the cops escorted her and everyone else out. “okay, woah, calm down, wait, no, no, here we go-” she rambled on before then throwing up in one of the nearby bushes and some chunks making it onto someone’s shoes as she dropped her red solo cup to the ground. “oh my god, i’m so sorry, i didn’t mean!”

"yeah, you look like shit.” he can’t help but notice, and even though the statement sounds more apathetic than he had intended, murray turns out to be more than willing to help. fuck, he’s been there so many times, and it’s complete and utter garbage. “wait here. don’t fuckin’ go anywhere.” he orders, a supportive hand rested on her shoulder before he heads towards the kitchen. it doesn’t take longer than ten seconds, but when he’s back, a glass of water in one hand, she turns out to be.. gone? for fuck’s sake. he rolls his eyes, an annoyed huff escaping as he pushes through the crowd, makes his way out of the house. now, the good thing? he manages to spot her almost instantly. bad thing? she’s already puking over some guy’s shoes. “fuckin’ really, el?” he mutters, expression almost annoyed as he approaches. “hey,” an arm drapes over her shoulder. “drink this.” he practically forces the cup into her hand, shooting the guy an apologetic look, mouthing a little ‘sorry, man’. the male couldn’t seem more bothered, but instead of saying a word, he chooses to leave. murray sighs, one hand rubbing the girl’s back. “feelin’ better? come on, let’s get ya’ home.”  

               as the other’s voice cuts through the silence that lingered between them, max is reminded of the  grimace that must have painted his features.  scrunched nose, brows pulled into a frown as he gets completely lost in thought.     “ m’not that fucking naive, ”     he finds himself answering. considering the nature of the  haunting text messages  they all receive, it seems they are only just getting started. still, max catches himself having gotten his hopes up that something of  this magnitude  would have been prevented. somehow.     “ but that doesn’t really change shit, now does it. ”

"nah,” it’s blunt. focus remains on the crime scene, the cigarette burning up between his fingers, deadpan expression, one hand in the pocket of his jacket. “i s’pose not.” a quick raise of the brows followed by a slight shrug of the shoulders. “we’re all equally fucked, eh? eligible for certain death, no immunity for the children, no more. fuck, i love uni.” 

Distracted from the lights and commotion, Emil looked towards the person who just addressed him. The words only made the athlete more confused, brows drawing together. “What are you talking about?” He’d just transferred here, he was in the midst of unpacking his stuff in the Beta house and avoiding the party tonight… Whatever was going on here, Emil had no idea. 

the apparent confusion on the other’s face manages to throw him off the track. for a second, he wonders if he’s maybe too drunk, maybe tripping on some acid, imagining this whole thing. maybe no one died? maybe he’s going crazy? brows furrow. he takes a look at the other, then turns back to the actual crime scene. the blue lights are still present, still blinding. yep, this is definitely happening. “uh, the murder? body in the bathroom, blood-fest, third victim this month–– the fuck are you talkin’ ‘bout?” 

sabrina stood, shivering slightly - a red cup still in her hand. she was kind of in a trance as she watched the red and blue lights flights off in the distance. his words brought her back to reality. “what, me?” she asked, taking a sip of her drink. “i mean, I hoped it was over – but something in the back of my mind was telling me that … you know, something was about to happen…” she shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest.

"like a fucked up feeling in the gut?” he experienced it for the first time at the very beginning of the night, this uneasy sensation, almost as if his subconsciousness was trying to alert him that something’s not right. it eventually went away. the more he drank, the more relaxed he felt–– until the lights went out. it probably wasn’t even planned, just consequences of some stupid fucking storm, but it felt like this nasty moment of foreshadowing, like something even worse was gonna happen. he lets out a sigh, ashing the cigarette before bringing it back to his lips. “you know what’s fuckin’ batshit? the fuckin’ possibility that the person, the people behind this were there the whole time –– in that fuckin’ house, with us, maybe the entire night. hell, we might’ve spoken to the cocksucker, himself and we don’t even have a fuckin’ clue.” 

blairs normally pale face became even more pale as police walked past them. a body bag on a stretcher making it’s way out of the house. “huh?” the red head tuned her gaze to the boy speaking too her. even though she didn’t catch his words. “no, but the shock is…” her words trailed off as she tried to think of a response. “hey you got another one of those,” she asked while pointing to the cigarette that was between his lips.

"huh? yeah, sure.” a quick nod of the head as one hand reaches into the pocket of his jacket, fishes out a pack of cigarettes. he opens it, holds it out for her. “knock yourself out.” he waits for her to get one, closes the paper box and shoves it back where it came from, blue orbs glancing over at the girl. “need a light?” the zippo ready in his hand.