If you asked Josephine why it was she was being so civil towards Mads all of a sudden, she wouldnāt be able to tell you. The truth was, she wasnāt sure where this was coming from - it was almost as if, piece by piece, the resentment she held towards the other girl was being slowly buried along with Orson. But it was still slow. When Josie looked at Mads, it was still through slightly narrowed eyes, as though she were trying to analyse the girl (which in a way, she was). Josephine was still a lion poised to pounce at any given moment, she was simply waiting for Mads to send her a sign. As of yet, no sign had been given. The two girls were in something of a predicament together, as of right now, and so all signs pointed to relax, you can understand each other, and yet still, Josie was ready. She would still continue to approach the conversation with caution.
Josieās eyes flicked down to the cigarette she had been offered, eyes glancing over the pack and taking careful notice of the brand that was stamped on the side. Josieās favourite. And with a lurch of nostalgia, she remembered - Madsā favourite too. Mads had practically been the one to introduce Josie to them. Once upon a time, they used to share them. Piece by piece the resentment was being buriedā¦ But not just yet. As Josie reached out to pluck one of the cigaretteās from the pack, she heard Orsonās voice in the back of her head, cursing out Mads with a spiteful laugh in the same tone he had used the morning after Josie had snatched the lead role from her. Weāre not here to make friendsā¦ And so when Mads offered a light, Josie made a point of silently refusing, pulling out her own light as if Mads hadnāt even said a thing.
Blowing out a plume of smoke, Josie quirked an eyebrow and sighed.Ā āYeah, I know.ā Narrowing her eyes against the glare of the sun and looking out over the courtyard in front of the FAB, Josie allowed the elongated pause to draw out before continuing.Ā āShe should be proud of you. Getting into character before rehearsals. First murdererā¦ I donāt think sheād be so inclined to give me the same special treatment, though. She probably thinks I did it, too.ā Josie scoffed, following it up with a laugh filled with absolutely no humour. Her eyes drifted to the ground, kicking at the dirt beneath her shoes.Ā āYou know, Iād ask if my name came up in your interview, but I doubt anyone who named me managed to implicate themselves, too. All those assholes who named people managed to get off scot free, right? Fuckers.ā
Mads could famously hold a grudge, she still doesnāt talk to her supposed high school best friend who had snatched up her boyfriend right from under her (was this it? was she used to disappointment? was that why she kept everyone distant?) Still, she canāt deny the fact she gave Josie her heart- maybe in more ways than one. But, hers belonged to Orson first. She wasnāt ever going to be anyones the way she supposedly belonged to Orson. Mads wished she had realized this sooner, she wished she had been the one to break off from Josie first before Orson could taint what they had. They still stood tall, her with a clenched jaw, and Josie with suspicious eyes, but there was a softness there that neither could quiet place. She waited for her cruel sneer, waited for a sharp insult, burning hot and vengeful, but it didnāt come. So, Mads acquiesces a bit. They both were still on guard, and Mads had no issue of fighting back just as cruelly as Josiee could be, but there was no need. Not yet, hopefully not anymore. Not that she wanted to make up.
Mads raises an eyebrow at the way Josie ignored her question, expecting a remark, but nothing came. She shrugged and that was the end of it. The tension was in her bones, the way sheās gotten used to seizing up and clutching tightly whenever Josie was nearby, or forging her existence all together if she could. Honestly, she had several questions, none of them about the investigation. But, she knows better. Some people get to have closure, some get to have answers. Her mother shutting her out was the first time she realized she was not one of those people, and today was no different. But, unlike her mother, Josie was here. All the questions were on the tip of her tongue, all her resentment and anger bubbled beneath her blood, but Josie was here, and she was standing besides her. It wouldāve been nostalgic, if there wasnāt a corpse between them. Mads had chosen Josie, but Josie chose Orson. Maybe she was right, Mads would do almost anything to get ahead too. Not in the same way, but Orson had a point. She did have potential, so of course he had to crush it.
February treated Alderidge nicely. While bigger cities had snow that was brown slush by now, it still managed to look picturesque on campus in its own way. Some things never change, but her world did the other day. She couldnāt ignore that feeling away no matter how bad she wanted to. She exhaled out, smoke and the cold air mingling past her lips as she nodded.Ā āOh, I know right? How very fucking meta of me.ā She laughs humorlessly, irritation and disbelief mixed in one. What did everyone else know? Did Josie know?Ā āYou think so? I think she feels sorry for all of us. She gave off that vibe.ā She shrugged, glancing over at Josie. It was a big question to ask, even if she didnāt technically ask it. She could tell with how she averted her eyes, despite how strong her voice sounded. Thereās a painful nostalgia here, shit talking their classmates together like before, a comfort that Mads sought after more often these days.Ā āFunny, I was gonna ask you the same.ā She almost rolled her eyes at her hypocrisy, but she could argue about that later. She had to approach this delicately.Ā āAll except one, I guess. Be honest. You think I couldāve done it? Clearly someone did.ā Though sheās perfected her devil may care attitude, thereās an edge to her voice no one really got to hear- no one except Josie.Ā
