Live, Laugh, Love

He’d always loved giving other people hugs, especially those that he cared fairly deeply about. Thompson was most definitely one of them. Honestly, Ben could stay there and hug him for however long his friend would let him. After all, it had been months since he’d seen him, so why should he stop hugging him? Laughing lightly, he ruffled his friend’s hair, just laying there. “It’s okay. Family is important. I get it. Just keep me a little more updated next time, yeah?”

As he saw his friend look over at the flowers an chocolates, he chuckled awkwardly. “Well uh… I have a girlfriend. The chocolates are for you, but the flowers are for her,” Ben explained. He finally let go of his friend and sat up, fidgeting with his hands. Explaining this wasn’t going to work all that well. Firstly, he was awful at relationships in general, but trying to explain what they were… “You remember Mora? The girl I’ve had a crush on forever? Well, I finally told her I liked her and kissed her and now I’m trying to figure out what’s supposed to happen next.”

Thompson rolled his eyes as he laughed a bit. “Yeah, a few of the younger ones decided it’d be fun to hold my phone hostage for most of the time,” he explained. “I’ll do my best to do better next time,” he promised with a grin as he sat up a bit and faced Ben. The smile on his face was beginning to worry him slightly. What exactly had he walked back into? He’d only seen his friend this giddy once before.

Girlfriend. Thompson’s eyes grew wide as he looked his friend over. “What crazy girl here agreed to that?” he teased briefly. He was happy for him despite how incredibly shocked and mildly jealous he was. “Wow, man,” he said, running his own hand through his hair after he listened to Ben mumble. “I mean... when did all this happen?” he asked curiously. It seemed like he’d come back at just the right time, before any damage could be done.

The day was beautiful and he was glad that he was off work early. Sometimes, not having to work until the sun went down was refreshing. He loved the smell of the air when the sun shone brightly and the wind blew through the air. With how much he’d been working, snooping around and trying to actually fit into the pier, he hadn’t taken the time to just enjoy its beauty. As he headed to the beach, walking through the sand, deciding to do a lap, he noticed someone else along the beach. Why not have a tour guide and a friend? Calling out to him, Michael ran up to him. “Hey, are you busy right now? I’m new here, well, not new, but I still don’t know my way around, so I was wondering if you could help me out a bit.”

Thompson turned in slight shock as he was brought back to reality. “Uh.. yeah, sure. I don’t see why not,” he answered after a moment with a grin. The boy offered his hand out to the other. He looked a bit more friendly than about half of the people here, so Thompson didn’t think they’re be much to worry about with him. “I’m Thompson. I recently got back here myself, so I may not know everything right now. What can I help you with though?” he asked genuinely.

That morning, Ben had been out, buying flowers for Mora, spending far too long trying to pick the most perfect bouquet for her. The problem was that he had no idea what she liked and he knew that was something a boyfriend should know. So, he asked each and every flower vender if they knew her and whether or not they thought she’d like the bouquet. Ben was nervous and the problem was that he needed his best friend to talk to about this, but he hadn’t been around. In his back pocket, his phone buzzed, and buzzed, but he didn’t think to check it. Why would he? It was probably an email or something from the gossip blog, or even Mora. There weren’t many people left that he trusted. 

When he finally took his phone out of his pocket, he looked down at the message. Ben’s eyes widened and in that moment, he bought the flowers he was holding and grabbed a box of chocolate for Thompson. Practically running, he wasn’t sure if the flowers would make it. As he struggled with the door, he ran in, dropped the flowers gently on the counter and practically threw the chocolate on the couch. Tackling his friend, he squealed, much like a little girl. “Dude, you’re back! I missed you, damn, so much has happened! Don’t leave me again.” Ben was laying on top of him, not wanting to ever let him go again. 

As long as they’d been friends, Thompson had gotten used to Ben’s random outbursts of emotion on occasion. All things considered, he didn’t mind it right now in the slightest. He probably owed Ben an intense guy’s night as it was. Therefore, Thompson simply hugged him back as he smiled widely. “Man, I’m sorry it was for so long,” he told him before sitting up again, finally getting a good look at his best friend.

“The girls are good now, though, and I really am glad to be back,” he smiled as he took the scene in. His eyes stopped on the flowers and the chocolates. “Okay... What exactly has happened?” he asked as his eyes grew wide, locking his gaze with the other. “Are you attempting to be romantic?” he asked, half teasing and half slightly concerned.

As he turned the key to his apartment, Thompson let out a huge sigh. He had only been planning on being gone for a few weeks, but it had turned into a few months. He couldn’t really blame his mother for asking him to stay, though. His sisters were becoming more and more of a handful as they grew into teenagers. He couldn’t relate much, but he was more than capable of beating a few guys who looked at them the wrong way.

Once inside, he tossed his bags onto his bed and flopped down on their couch. He’d told Ben that he was on his way home, so he was a little bit surprised to not find him immediately inside. It’d been way too long since they’d hung out or really even spoke. “Ben you here?” he called out as he flipped the tv on. After a few moments, he decided to shoot his best friend a text just in case. “I’m home. Where are you?” he sent, hoping that he would show his face soon.

Sighing, he shook his head, knowing full well, at least he thought full well, what the boy was talking about. Obviously, the boy was struggling with something and he wanted to help him out. “Hey, hey, mate, what’s wrong? It’s not the ghosts, I know that. There’s something that’s bothering you.” Garrett wanted to help him out but he had no idea what he was supposed to say or do. He liked to think he knew far more than he did. “It doesn’t. It just brings us all here to make each other better. You’re here because someone needs you.” As he spoke, he stopped, looking at him, confused. He never said things like that and wondered where it came from. Was it even possible for him to be a good person?

Taking a deep breath, Thompson shook his head. He wasn’t a huge fan of his boss being able to read him like that, and other than Ben, no one knew what was going on with him. It was possible that these deaths were simply causing him to worry more and more about her because if he wasn’t with her, then he couldn’t make sure with absolute certainty that she was always being kept safe. “It’s... It’s nothing. I’m just worried about a friend, possibly someone who needs me, as you put it. I’m just not sure if it’s me she needs,” he said, muttering the last bit.

Shae was messing with him, completely messing with him. She loved when people were insanely gullible like this. It only made her day even better than she thought it would be. Keeping her face serious, she leaned closer to him, continuing to explain. “Oh honey, you have to be careful. He prays on young boys because they’re easier to snatch. It depends on his mood, but I’ve heard that this is his biggest year yet. He’s already killed three. The rumor is that it’s going to be at least six.”

Thompson’s heart quickened as he shook his head. “Young boys? I’m not a young boy. I’m twenty-three years old,” he explained quickly, letting his realization actually calm him down slightly. “How do we stop him though?” he asked instead, suddenly very curiously about their situation and not wanting to see anyone suffer more than necessary.

From a very young age, Lottie was a firm believe in forgiveness. She wanted everyone to know that no matter what they did to her, if they continued to be nice, she’d forgive them, but she never saw herself as someone who could be, not because of what she’d said and done. She’s hurt people and quite honestly, had no idea what the repercussions of it were. They could have been seriously hurt or hurt themselves because they’d been thinking of what she said. But she couldn’t think of it and so, she pushed all of it away. It seemed to be working quite well for her. However, not all of the time. Thinking about it only triggered memories and all she wanted was to cry. “What’s done is done… ya ain’t gonna…” her voice cracked as she gently played with his hair, trying to keep him calm. “You ain’t gonna change the past.” Thompson was one of the most important people in her life and she hated that he was in so much pain. Whatever it was that he did, she knew that he shouldn’t be sad about it. Because he was here, he was safe and whomever got hurt was too. He may not have been all in one piece, but at least he was safe. “Nothin’ ya might could’ve done is g-gonna change how I feel,” she whispered, her voice cracking through her tears. “You’re my best friend, okay?”

His hugs always made her feel better and all she could hope was that hers did the same for him. Lottie would hold onto him for however long he wanted her to, however tightly he wanted. When she felt his head rest on her shoulder and the cool tears begin to form on her shoulder, her hand immediately went to his back, rubbing it, soothing him, trying her best to keep him as calm as possible. This wasn’t going to be easy, but nothing in life was. No matter how much they all tried, they all had baggage and something that they wished no one would ever hear again. “You won’t.”

When he lifted his head up, she looked directly at him before resting her forehead against his. Her hands took hold of his face. “Thompson Leveret, ya ain’t ever gonna need to apologize to me. You’ve done nothin’ wron’. Ya hear me? I don’t wanna hear it anymore.”

Her words took him by surprise, and a part of him hated how they were treating each other in this moment. He should be the one comforting him, not the other way around. Sniffling once more, he closed his eyes, allowing himself to adjust to their closeness, their intimacy. “I hear you,” he finally said, opening his eyes to gaze into hers softly. “That means I don’t want to hear it from you either, okay? Do we have a deal?” he asked softly.

He knew he could get through this if she was willing to forgive him, and to be quite honest, he knew that a part of their relationship had just changed, considering how they had both just admitted such heavy burdens to each other. However, Thompson was also greatly aware that this physical closeness was something they had never really experienced before either. Pushing the thought aside, he took a deep breath, taking in the feeling of her head against his once more before pulling away slightly.

“Lottie... This stays between us, right?” he asked quietly, not real sure how anyone else would handle his intense confession like this. “I trust you a lot, but... this isn’t something I want anyone else to know,” he admitted.

The night was so much of a blurr and Ben had no idea what even happened. Had he done something bad? Was everyone okay? Where did his friends go? Quite honestly, at that point, Ben wasn’t even sure why he started drinking. His head was still fuzzy and he remembered nothing. All he remembered was that Thompson hadn’t come to find him and he was upset. The two of them were best friends and that was all that mattered. They should’ve been there for each other, no matter what. At that particular moment, the floor was rather comfortable and he didn’t want to move, even though he knew it was probably a good idea. Falling down onto the floor, he rolled over closer to his friend. 

“You left me all alone! You didn’t come look for me! I could have died!” he whined, finally finding a comfortable spot. Drinking wasn’t something he liked to do alone, but when he thought about life, he had to. There were so many things going on and so many reasons to drink, but he knew he shouldn’t have. There were better ways to deal with it. His best friend was there on the couch and he was amazed at how much he didn’t know or didn’t want to tell him. “I’m sad ‘cause of you!”

“Ben, I looked everywhere for you,” he retorted quickly out of his own frustration. Looking down at his best friend, the boy was honestly just glad to see he was still alive. “Where did you go? For real?” he asked again, needing to know where to start next time, and he swore if it was that woman’s bar, he was going to lose it. 

After a moment, Ben’s words hit him hard. “Because I couldn’t find you or what?” he asked, unsure if he should be angry or hurt. If Ben was being irrational, then Thompson was likely to just lose his temper all over again, but if he was dealing with something much bigger, he genuinely wanted to know. “You can tell me, man.”

Alice shrugged softly, her brain still a bit fuzzy from her meds. All over her though, she just felt chilled from the inside out and nervous, though she did her best not to show it, unsure why she felt so panicked, “Maybe the place is cursed?” she suggested, “I don’t think a ghost can do that…” she peered back over her shoulder for a moment, gazing at the gathering of people just as police and medics were starting to arrive. It made her uneasy. Though snapping back, she picked up her pace to catch up to Thompson, “This isn’t good though…”

“I’ve never really thought about it,” he reiterated. Thompson just shook his head at the thought. “Who knows what they can or can’t do,” he reasoned aloud. He didn’t think this was a ghost necessarily, but it definitely could have been cursed. “No. It’s not. It definitely makes me not want to be alone for the next few weeks though,” he told her.

Shae figured that after processing everything, she should investigate. Her detective and curious nature was getting the best of her. She knew there was no need to rage and get too upset. It would only cause her problems. Walking proudly to the scene, she looked around, trying to figure out as much as she possibly could. It was almost exactly as she expected, but she didn’t get nearly enough information like she wanted to. When the cops left, she’d have to find someone to go investigate with. As she started to head out, she heard someone speak and thankfully, laughed. She needed it. “It’s very haunted. Have you not heard all the stories? They say that there’s a spirit who kills around Christmas every year, but not everyone knows about it. He’ll watch you at night, charting your every move.” Shae was messing with him and really only wanted to see his reaction.

 Her words caused him to immediately turn his head. “I... What?” he asked, not actually expecting to hear that he’d been right. “How many does he usually kill?” he asked, suddenly terrified. Thompson began to wonder how implausible it would be to actually go home for a bit this winter. He did not want to end his life at a pier... 

Screaming.

That was all the blonde could hear as everyone ran passed her backstage. Whispers of a murderer and the victim being her boss floated through the air. Frankly, Peg didn’t care if it was Dark that was killed. She didn’t care if there was another one dead in Murder Capital of the World. It was just some guy who happened to have similar features so why was everyone all wound up.

Before she knew it, Peg was being dragged out of the building and right to scene. She hadn’t even changed from her usual outfit from her last dance. Her legs ached from the cold and her toes were beginning to freeze. Shaking her head and rubbing her arms to cause some sort of friction for warmth, Peg turned to leave.

“Everyone acts like it’s some surprise that this guy is dead,” she breathed, teeth chattering, “Dark is an asshole, big shocker there. No shit people want him dead.”

It wasn’t until the boy next to her spoke that she realized he was there. She smirked at him. Red lips lifting at the corner. “Haunted? No. This is just the Murder Capital of the World.”

The small man almost immediately let out a laugh. “I can’t say I’ve ever heard that nickname used for it before,” he spoke into the cold air. “What makes you say that anyway? This is the first one I’ve heard of,” he said, showing his lack of research before moving here.

As they walked, he turned to see who he was talking to and couldn’t help but take her in. “You want my coat?” he finally offered, mostly hoping to get something in return later, but she definitely looked like she was about to freeze.

Garrett had to admit that he was intrigued by the murder. Someone had actually managed to do it. For months, he wondered if someone at the pier would finally snap and they hadn’t until now. There were quite a few suspects, and he was curious, but not enough to go around and investigate. He knew that sooner or later, someone would figure something out and tell him. At that point, he knew he’d figure out before them. Why? ‘cause he was the smartest and sexiest fo them all, so naturally he’d be the best at it. By now, someone should’ve known something. So, he headed over to the crime scene, looking for someone with answers. He stood there, staring for a few minutes, hoping it would be right in front of his face. When he left, he heard Thompson’s voice and looked at him with a serious look on his face. “Do you really believe all of that? You know ghosts aren’t real, mate…”

Thompson just sighed at the response. “Honestly, I don’t know anything anymore, Garrett,” he admitted. Shoving his hands back in his pockets, Thompson just kept walking. “It doesn’t even have to be haunted in a ghost sense, smart ass. It could just be that people are doomed to cause crimes here that they wouldn’t have usually committed anywhere else. Like the pier brings the wrong people together or something,” he tried to explain.

Mindy had gone to check out the screams just like everyone else, well at least most people her main goal was to see who had died. Of course, when she had gotten closer it turned out that it was no one she really knew or cared about so pouting she had decided she needed to eat something before it got to late. Lost in thought about who could possibly be next she didn’t notice someone keeping pace with her.  “ Yes, i mean have you seen what kind of people work here? I wouldn’t be surprised if the haunted house had actual bones!” She said before laughing a bit, realizing that would be a funny sight to see.

The answer to his question was certainly not one he expected. With a confused, and slightly horrified expression, Thompson turned to face the blonde next to him. “That... That’s just creepy. I meant like... ghosts and curses and shit,” he clarified quickly, shaking himself, though trying to make it look like he was simply shifting his jacket. “But... but yeah. The people here are insane, for the most part, and I’m not surprised... just... well, creeped out,” he confessed.

Alice had been on her way home from work when she stumbled on the scene. If it hadn’t been for the screams a block before her, she might’ve certainly passed it up, consumed with her own thoughts. Among the gathering of people who came to investigate the screaming, Alice, recognized Thompson. The sight took up most of her attention though, forming a stone in the pit of her stomach. She’d never seen anything like it… and frankly of everything she had witnessed in her lifetime, it was among the most disturbing. 

Swallowing hard, she noticed Thompson turning away, and she decided it was probably best to walk away herself, fixing her bag strap on her shoulder before wrapping her arms around herself and following after him, “Haunted?… I think that’s the question of the year… there for sure weird vibes though…”

Thompson just shrugged. “I’ve never really believed in that kind of stuff,” he told her truthfully as he shoved his hands in his front pockets. “But I don’t know... I mean something always seems to happen at the times when we should be the happiest... I’m not sure of anything any more I guess,” he rambled a bit as his feet shuffled against the ground.