Chapter Text
Clay stared at the sign. The sign that started it all.
Liberty High School
Ten years had past since Clay had left those grey stairs, and never looked back.
Ten years later, here he was, looking back.
"You sure you want to do this?" Clay looked around to see Tony, smiling sadly at him.
"Yeah. Yeah, I do,"
Tony nodded, and gently kissed Clay on the cheek.
"When you want to go, just tell me, okay?"
Alex had never wanted to come back here. To the place that had hurt him more than anything. The place that made him think death was better that than life.
Alex was breaking a promise to himself. He had promised, on his last day, that he would never come back. He would never come back to the place that housed his worst moments. The bullying, the fights, the tapes.
And here he was, in the Liberty High carpark.
Yet, you could argue he never left. The brunet boy made sure of that. With his glistening green eyes, no longer rimmed with red. His curly, soft brown hair that Alex would run his fingers through whenever and wherever he could. At cinemas, on sofas, in the bedroom. Alex had fallen for the boy that reminded and comforted him of his worst years.
"You okay, baby?" Alex groaned at that nickname and rolled his eyes.
"Seriously, Alex, you okay?" Justin pushed, walking closer to him, and linking their hands.
"No, fuck, Jus' I can't do this," Alex confessed, pressing their foreheads together.
"Let's go get a McDonalds. I'll get you a happy meal," Justin teased.
"That was one time Foley!" Alex tutted.
"Fuck me! Justin Foley and Alex Standall!"
They both leapt apart, standing next to each other, but not touching.
"Monty?" Justin asked.
"Yeah man! I can't believe you two are fucking! And you came, together!"
"Alex seems to come more though," Justin whispered under his breathe, only loud enough for Alex to hear, which resulted in Alex gently whacking Justin.
"Fuck guys, I didn't think you'd come today. Fuck," Monty smiled.
Jess hadn't planned in coming. She had thrown the invitation into the bin the second it came through her door. There was no fucking way she wanted to go back to Liberty Fucking High.
That was until she received a call, from Zach. Zach Dempsey, who she hadn't spoken to since 2019.
He had asked her if she was going.
She said no fucking way.
He had said he was going.
She asked if that was meant to change her mind.
He asked her if it did.
She said no.
He laughed.
And that was going to conclude her interaction with anyone linked to those fucking tapes.
But it didn't. Somehow, she found herself getting dressed, and getting into the car, and driving the half hour to the school, and walking straight through those ugly brown doors.
Zach had wanted to go since that letter had slipped through his door. He smiled at the thought of seeing everyone one last time. One more time to say hi, to say what should have been said all those years ago.
This time, though, Zach would meet them all, with the love of his life by his side, whom he had met on the very first day of his marine biology class.
The best day of his life.
He had walked in late to the first class, grinning widely, as scurried to find a seat. He had sat right behind her, and that was the best choice of his life. He still remembers what happened, he had looked up at the board and saw a million notes he needed to write. He rummaged in his bag for a pen - it was his first day and he couldn't find a pen! He had been making a lot of noise, he knew that, but he didn't care, he had neededa pen.
And then, she turned around, probably to shush him or something, but instead, they locked eyes and - for some reason still unknown to them both - they burst out laughing.
It was at that moment, Zach had fallen in love. No words had been necessary, he knew it was love.
The best part about her, was that she made him feel like a good person. She made him feel kind and sweet, and all the things Hannah had thought he was ten years ago.
She, somehow, made him forget that he had caused a girl to slit her wrists.