#cusaaccepted

“Are you, like, scared with all of this murder stuff going around?“

"Me? Scared? Clarissa, I feel like you've forgotten who you're talking to." West teased, making a point to flex an arm muscle with one arm while he reached into his pocket to pull out his lighter and light the cigarette that had been sitting at the corner of his lips with the other. "Murder? Christ I can't believe anyone's actually out here believing that shit." West mumbled, as he made a point of running his thumb lightly back and forth over the metal piece of his lighter. He wasn't a huge fan of thinking about the possibility of some sort of psycho killer running around Cherry, but he also didn't hate the idea of it taking some of the heat off of his own operation. "I mean here's the thing. Is it totally impossible? No. Lux knew a ton of people. Anytime you know a ton of people you're likely to have some enemies right? Enemies can make shit messy. But god at the same time we're talking about fucking Lux. I always thought if anyone's gonna go out putting a target on their back that it'd be my little sister. Virginia? Now she is very murderable. Not that I want her to be murdered. I'm just saying she wouldn't make it a challenge. But Lewis? I don't know. Not that suicide really made sense but murder doesn't feel right either."

“How do you feel about Harvard Hargrove’s expansion of the Boardwalk? Do you really think it’s going to help the town grow, or is he gutting everything you love about Cherry?“

"Here's my thing. As long as that man expands away from the beach... Not really my problem. My whole thing is that a Ferris Wheel of all things? Lame as shit. He could have at the very least put another roller coaster in or something you know? Put in a little go-kart track? Something people actually wanna see." West started, as he pushed himself up onto the fence post he'd been leaning against. "Do I think it's going to help the town? I mean it'll probably bring in more tourists, which I guess brings in more money, but that does mean more people on the beach which actually sucks. Do you know how many tourists come in thinking they can surf and end up ruining a perfectly good set? A lot of them. Cherry used to be the perfect place to be one with mother nature. Ever since they started building, slowly but surely, we've got more and more tourists who don't know what the fuck they're doing." West paused as he thought long and hard about the way his argument had changed before holding up a finger. "Second thought. Fuck Hargrove."

"Is it just me, or is it getting seriously boring around here lately? Come on. Tell me your favorite little bit of gossip. I’m desperate for a scoop.”

There was a beauty that came along with working somewhere that often had people bored out of their minds waiting for them to get finished. Boredom more often than not led to loose lips and loose lips meant that West was chalk full of Cherry gossip. "I mean I guess if you'd define boring as teenage suicide slash possible murder, and a blown up carousel.  But if it's the real juicy shit you're looking for I'm good for some. Why don't we play a little game of two truths and a lie. I'll tell you two truths and a lie and you can guess for yourself which one I'm lying about. I can tell you that one of Hargroves receptionists has been sneaking off to take one of Teller's deputies to pound town in the middle of the day when their bosses aren't looking. Or that that kid that works down at the gas station, got a tattoo of his ex girlfriends name spelled wrong on his ass. Talk about a permanent yikes. Last but not least, she'll tell you they're real, but Virginia's definitely been stuffing since middle school to get attention. Take your guess."

“Are you, like, from Cherry - or were you unfortunate enough to end up here?”

“I’m from the other side of Cherry - you know, the side that none of you like to fuckin’ acknowledge until it’s convenient to you?” Dallas lashed his tongue like a blade, but he couldn’t help but be impressed when Clarissa barely even flinched. Cherry Proper girls were always harder than he expected them to be - most of the time - but he supposed he couldn’t be too surprised about it. He knew from experience that watching people die all around you tended to toughen you up a little. “Was unfortunate enough to get roped into being up here a couple days a week, though. Turns out a few of your resident idiots blew up some carousel a couple months back, and they hired my Dad’s company to build over the wreckage.” He snorted, rolling his eyes at the whole. Fuckin’ weirdos. “Turns out that the south siders aren’t the only people who fuck shit up for everyone else anymore! Go figure.” 

“Do you really think Lux was murdered?“ 

“Sure fuckin’ seems like she was murdered, doesn’t it?” It wasn’t like it was any of Dallas’ business - he didn’t even know Lux - but there was no real escaping the fanfare when a girl from the Proper ended up dead. He couldn’t count how many conversations he had overheard discussing theories on what the hell happened to her; couldn’t count how many times he had heard people from the south side cursing the fact that nobody ever cared about their own going missing. If he was being honest, though… He had seen worse staged in his own years of running around with the gang. He had seen more dead bodies than he cared to remember, and it all made him wonder: did it really matter if Lux was murdered? Did it really matter if another girl from the Proper was dead? It was only a matter of time until they found the next one. “I mean, that’s what happens in this town. People get killed… others take advantage of it. If you don’t wanna get used to it, then you’re probably better off just moving.” 

"Did you vote for Sheriff Teller in the last election? Or do you think he should be replaced next year?" 

Dallas couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the question, eyeing Clarissa like he was still waiting for the rest of the punchline. It wasn’t like he and Tom Teller  had the best relationship - it wasn’t like the Teller’s didn’t know exactly what and who he was. The fact she’d even assume he was registered to vote was a joke in itself. “You really think I’d risk my old man finding out I kept your Daddy in his office for the last year? I can tell you one thing, and that’s that voting  - and especially voting for new sheriffs - is a useless waste of fuckin’ time. It’s like picking out your own personal bully..” Dallas snorted. "I’ll pass.”

“SO, HOW WELL DID YOU KNOW LUX LEWIS? AND, LIKE, BE TOTALLY HONEST… ARE YOU GLAD SHE’S GONE?”

Ted blinked in shock. He knew Cherry was prone to ridiculousness, but he figured the journalists would work to call it out instead of playing into it. At the very least, he hoped they’d be researched enough that he could get some info out of them. “Well...she was literally my cousin. So I’m definitely not glad she’s gone.” He said bluntly, staring at Clarissa like she was out of her mind. He recalled the call from his uncle, how messy the whole situation quickly became. News from Cherry just got worse and worse week by week. “I actually wish I knew Lux better than I did. Our families live so far away and we were pretty different growing up. Not a lot of fuel for some deep cousin connection or anything. That’s why I’m excited to meet her friends! I want to see the side of Lux y’all Cherriots got.” He chimed. It wasn’t a complete lie. In finding out what those people thought of Lux, he knew he could slowly but surely piece together the truth.

“WHAT ARE YOU PARENTS LIKE? DO YOU, LIKE, THINK YOU’RE ANYTHING LIKE THEM, OR DO YOU HAVE TOTAL MOMMY AND DADDY ISSUES?”

He blew a raspberry. His parents are objectively terrible. Emotionally distant but constantly meddling with the trajectory of his life. “I mean...my uncle and aunt are still grieving. This is my second time visiting since Lux died. They didn’t even make it to the funeral.” He explained. It was all too familiar to Ted by this point. They probably wouldn’t even show up to their own son’s memorial if it wasn’t going to make them money. Bottom-lines and appearances seemed to be their main worry most of the time. He tilted his head as he glanced toward Clarissa, flirtatiously. “Are you into guys with mommy issues or what?” He asked. Clarissa’s disgusted glare told him everything he needed to know. He lifted his hands in defeat and laughed. “In all seriousness, I respect my parents. They’re hardworkers and I’m getting my education because of it. But I’ll be damned if I end up anything like 'em.”

“YOU CAN BE HONEST WITH ME… WHO DO YOU THINK MURDERED LUX?”

Ted squinted at Clarissa. “Do y’all really consider that up for debate?” He inquired, leaning forward. “Don’t get me wrong...I wanted nothing more than to believe that someone did this to Lux...” He paused. He didn’t just want to believe it. He had empirical evidence at this point. Someone in this town was hiding something, and the worst part is that it was someone close to his cousin. When he did narrow it down, it would be too late for accusations. Ted backed himself that much. He planned to root out who was at fault before the trees even began to redden. “As hard as it is to admit. We have to accept that Lux was going through more than any of us knew about. All of that energy speculating on who fucking dunnit should be put towards something else. Like iunno...maybe supporting her loved ones instead of interrogating and ostracizing them all the damn time. I don’t have my certifications or anything yet, but I’ve studied enough to know that none of those kids are okay after some shit like that. Y’all could have a lot more dead kids on your hands.” He spoke, gesticulating with his hands all the while. In reality, Ted knew one thing. When he found out which one of those bastards were responsible for pulling a wool over this town’s eyes...a premature death will be the least of their worries.

SOLVING THE CASE OF LUX LEWIS - A TED LEWIS INITIATIVE

aka Ted had been using Lux’s high school yearbook and annotating pictures of the gang with sticky notes, because he’s fucking crazy passionate

Step One: RORY

From what I’ve heard, Rory is friends with Noah and Zev. That’s really unfortunate. She’s mighty pretty and definitely undeserving of whatever backstabbing is coming her way from those nerds.

I’ve listened to those damn tapes back to back...and nothing suggests that Rory has a hand in this. I think she’s my best bet in forming a real connection. Who knows, maybe down the line we’ll get to take down Lux’s killer together. She seems like a smart enough lady.

One more time for good measure: she’s a fucking rocket.

Step Two: ELAINE

If things don’t work out with Rory, Elaine’s my next target. She was pretty buddy buddy with Lux if I remember correctly. And she wasn’t in town when Lux died. Good things.

She’s a fucking rocket too.

Honestly...Lux has some really attractive friends.

Focus, idiot!

There’s the whole lady on lady thing between her and Lux. That’s a fucking bummer, to be honest. I obviously can’t confront her about it...it’d completely blow my cover. But I think if I insert myself into her life, I could get her to lean on me. Definitely a long-con...but not really because she does actually look like someone who could use a good friend.

Step Three: NOAH

This smug son of a bitch is gonna be a hard nut to crack. The tapes said something about him being a little bit of an outsider? So probably on the quiet shy side? Those are the mofos with the most to hide.

Since coming to town I keep hearing confirmation about what was said on the tapes. Some photo of him and Lux the night she passed? I have lots of reasons at this point to believe Noah had something to do with what happened to Lux that night.

He’s like a writing nerd or something? I’ve gone to school with that type of kid. I’ll just plan a meetcute where I walk past him in public and drop my “signed” copy of The Giver. Make some conversation about our favorite writers. Invite him to look over some of those stupid stories I wrote for non-fiction and get as much information as I can out of him.

“Do you really think Lux was murdered?”

Fuck did she say murdered? The word stuck out to him like a sore thumb. Flashbacks of a time when a different kind of blood was going to be on his hands. He didn’t like to think about it. Cherry was a lot of things, but a place where people were intentionally running around committing murders? Second thought, perhaps it was exactly the kind of thing to take place there. He’d been sent for a reason hadn’t he? “Honestly Riss? Think it’s all too possible.” He shrugged as he took the joint from his mouth to flick the ash onto the ground. “Something fucked up about this place. Which like isn’t to say things can’t be fucked up and not murdery but it wouldn’t surprise me you know?” Spinner couldn’t tell if he felt bad for saying it or not. He knew the initial ruling had been a suicide which had been a hard enough pill to swallow, but to throw out there the possibility of murder? Fucked up.

“Are you, like, from Cherry - or were you unfortunate enough to end up here?”

Spinner chuckled at the question as she asked it. Of course he couldn’t expect some girl from the Proper to know his life story, and it wasn’t exactly like he didn’t fit right in with the rest of the South Siders, but he’d had himself convinced that part of him screamed Southern California. Perhaps it was the pride? Or maybe just an essence thing but he found himself rolling his eyes before speaking up. “Call me unfortunate I guess. Although I don’t know that I’d say it’s that bad here. Met some good people. Some bad people. Some people in between. But uh I’m originally from down South. Came up here to help out my aunt and uncle. Uncle needed some help around the shop.” He fibbed as he let his eyes return to Clarissas. “Now enough bout me. How about yourself?”

“Do you miss home?”

This one struck Spinner as a little more confusing than he cared to admit. He assumed by home she was referring to Orange County, but that was assuming he still considered it home. Spinner had always been of the belief that home didn’t necessarily have to be a roof and four walls so much as the place where your people were. When he left Orange County, the only person he really felt he still had wanted nothing to do with him. She’d made it clear that he was good as dead to her and what kind of home did that make? Sure he could feed her some shit about missing his parents. Missing the way things were before he went and made choices that broke their trust and severed their relationship. But at the end of the day they’d sent him away too. No one back there wanted him. What kind of home was that? “Not really.” He finally said, the most honest answer he’d given her all night. “Home is where the heart is baby, and my hearts beating and well in Cherry. Hard to miss somewhere you’re already living you know?”

“Are you, like, scared with all of this murder stuff going around?“

Carter looked around, then lifted his T-shirt to give Clarissa a flash of his bicep. “When you have guns like these, not much gets under your skin,” he lied. “But, I’ll tell you what, if you or any other C.C.U. lady is too scared to walk back to her room at night, I’d be happy to provide my services as your personal escort and bodyguard.”

“I know not everyone is a fan of my column, but I promise it won’t hurt my feelings if you’re not! So… Are you?”

“Gossip’s kind of a girl thing, if you ask me, but as far as I can tell I usually come out lookin’ pretty good.” He let out a small chuckle before continuing. “Though, it’s hard not to when you look like I do. Hazard of the trade.”

“So, how do you feel about our little town? Sweetest place you’ve ever been, or too cozy for comfort?”

Carter had a lot of conflicting feelings about Cherry churning inside him. Most days he liked the feeling of being a big fish in a small pond. But small towns came with their own baggage. Mostly, everyone knowing about everyone else’s history. It seemed like no matter how many apologies he dished out, or how many hours of community service he got under his belt, he would always be the same stupid teenager that egged houses on Halloween. “I’m not exactly sure. Cherry’s cool and all, but I’ve been thinking it’s about time I spread my wings elsewhere, y’know. Plus, NFL draft’s right around the corner. But, hey, maybe someone special will come along and convince me to stay.”

“Do you really think Lux was murdered?“

Tag had to admit that it came with a bit of relief that he wasn't the only one to instantly assume something more sinister was afoot when he heard that Lux Lewis was dead. While it certainly wasn't totally unheard of for young adults her age to go and take their own lives, there were too many things about this case that didn't add up. Not that he could share that in the case of this interview, but he considered himself well versed in seeing things the Cherry Police Department didn't. The lazy bastards. "I don't really know how many times they've gotta rule it out, but all the evidence is not pointing towards a murder. This was a pretty cut and dry suicide and I think the sooner the kids in this town accept that, the easier it's going to be for this family to move on."

“How do you feel about Harvard Hargrove’s expansion of the Boardwalk? Do you really think it’s going to help the town grow, or is he gutting everything you love about Cherry?“

If it wasn't for the little reminders, Tag set for himself every day that Harvard Hargrove had this town under his thumb, he swore he'd have burst into his home without any sort of probable cause just for giving him the creeps. Harvard was the kind of person that made you want to cross the street if he was coming towards you and everything he did screamed suspect in Tag's eyes. "I guess from where I'm standing there's nothing wrong with growth. But I don't know that I believe the kind of growth Hargrove wants for this town, and the kind of growth I'm talking about are the same thing. If your only motivation for growing a town is to put more money in your pocket you're not exactly doing it for the right reasons. But what the fuck do I care right? I'm just here to help protect a place that's got very little left for me."

"Did you vote for Sheriff Teller in the last election? Or do you think he should be replaced next year?"

"I'm surprised a column like this would bother getting political..." Tag started for only a moment before remembering just who this girls father was. Of course if things were going to get political it'd be about this. Luckily for Tag, he didn't have a bad thing to say about Teller for the most part. "I did actually. I appreciate what he stands for. Namely that he doesn't put up with the bullshit from the Cherry Police Department. I think he was a great choice for the Sheriff and I'm pretty honored to get to be working with him. I feel like there's a lot I can learn from him." Which wasn't a total lie. Tag may have learned what he needed to from not so creditable sources, but as far as doing things by the book? He had some room to grow and was fairly certain Tom Teller was going to be his best bet. "If they replace that man with just about anyone else, that's not the only Deputy they're going to lose. Respect is earned in that position. I don't see anyone from the Police Department cutting it in that department."

 “Are you, like, scared with all of this murder stuff going around?”

 “Oh, honey, you got no idea,” Riley gasped out. There was a genuine note of fear in the words, hidden behind the tones and drama that the stage demanded of anyone that lived on it. “I’m the exact kind of hunk” he growled out with a grin and a shimmy of his shoulders, “that assholes like Dahmer would have wept over. I’m the hottest real-estate in town, baby! You and I both know it’s true, and if someone is out there murdering gorgeous people, I think I’m next on that list! Hell yeah I’m scared!” Riley wiggled his eyebrows at Clarissa. “You know I’m man enough to admit that!”

“Okay, like, if you had to recommend one place in town to spend all of your time - what would it be?”

 “Oh. My. God.” Riley gasped, one hand brought to his chest in the biggest pantomime of surprise that he was capable of. “You’re really telling me that you haven’t been to Twigs lately.” He huffed out a fake sob, the kind that had been perfected over needing to cry at the drop of a hat and yet consistently failing to. “Clarissa, babe, I knew your aura looked a little too blue for that stunning personality you have there! To you, and to every other poor soul here in Cherry, I beg you to go to Twigs.” It was only the grin on Riley’s face that told just how much fun he was having with this. That, and the gestures that were far too big for the tiny room they had gotten shoved into for this chat. “You’ll feel like a whole new woman,” he purred, flopping his hand towards Clarissa. “You can’t tell me you don’t need something like that, sweetheart, I can see how tired you are.”

“I know not everyone is a fan of my column, but I promise it won’t hurt my feelings if you’re not! So… Are you?”

 “Oh, sweetie,” Riley drawled, as comfortable in that old, lopsided chair as he would have been on a red carpet, “you know I love it.” He giggled softly, bringing his shoulder up to his chin with a coy gesture he’d kept after the winter production of RENT a few years back. He had, of course, been Angel and the gesture managed to stick even after he’d shed the Santa dress for the blonde wig of Hedwig.

“No, don’t give me that look,” he added, leaning in even closer to Clarissa once he saw the expression of doubt on her face. “I really do! It’s delightful and an absolute hoot to bring up at cast parties, darling. You do us all an incredible service with it and Cherry is truly in your debt. After all,” Riley added with a sigh, “we’re all so boring unless we have the spotlight on us. You do that, and just because most of the town can’t tell the audience from the performers doesn’t mean you won’t make stars out of us, sweetie.”

“How do you feel about Harvard Hargrove’s expansion of the Boardwalk? Do you really think it’s going to help the town grow, or is he gutting everything you love about Cherry?“

“Sorry, but what exactly is there to love about Cherry?” Pilar Hamilton wasn’t always a straight shooter, but with a question like that, it was hard not to be. The scoff that left her lips was punctuated by her sitting up and pulling taut the sides of her periwinkle blazer. “No offence! I’m just saying, there’s so much bigger and better in the world, Clarissa. When I’m a publicist for some hotshot celebrities in Los Angeles, this place will be a tiny grain of sand, a dot on my map, the hometown in my memoir.” She said, eyes twinkling as she looked off into the distance. “I honestly think what Dean Hargrove is doing is bringing Cherry into the next century. The 2000s are fast approaching, we can’t be a quaint little seaside town forever, as much as my dad and grandfather would love to argue otherwise.” That was Pilar, she always knew how to spin something so you forgot about the bad parts, like how poor people were losing their housing or how pieces of history were being ripped apart to create space for something more modern. “Out with the old, in with the new. One day Lambda Rho won’t have me taking care of things with Belle at the helm and making our fellow sisters better. You leave things better than you found them.” There was that charming grin, like she was being interviewed with every answer perfectly planned to make the other person like her.

“Were you there the night of Carousel Cove? Do you think one Lux’s friends was behind the whole thing?”

The smile that twisted onto Pilar’s face said one thing only: that maybe she knew something you didn’t. It was a expression for her and there were thoughts she was very much not going to share whirling around in her mind at Clarissa’s question. “I was there.” She nodded. “All of my sisters who were still in town this summer went together. I almost threw up the cherry slurpee I stupidly consumed, thinking I could count it as a cheat night and greatly regretted it during my workout the next day.” She chuckled, but seemed to be watching the blonde as she continued. “I was there when all the weird stuff happened too, in the back. It was definitely unsettling, to say the least, but Lux...” She exhaled sharply. “Let’s just say I don’t think she made friends with people who were total idiots.”

"Is it just me, or is it getting seriously boring around here lately? Come on. Tell me your favorite little bit of gossip. I’m desperate for a scoop.”