Chapter Text
Victoria would be lying if she said she's not nervous, she hasn't seen half these people in years, now their all just coming to town for drinks. "You are Victoria Chase, get it together." Victoria grumbles. "Hello Vicky." A mono tone voice says from the doorway, one she'd know anywhere. "Hayden Jones, long time no see." Victoria mutters sauntering over to give Hayden a hug. "Its been too long, am I the first to arrive." He questions, Victoria blinks slowly, since when has Hayden spoke so formally? "Yes, the rest will probably come soon." Victoria says dazed.
"Getting the old voretx club back together, thats a fucking fever dream." Hayden comments, he's currently just walking around Victoria's gallery the Chase Space, he's genuinely proud of how far Victoria's come. "I know, its almost like it hasn't been seventeen years since I last saw you fuckers." A female voice announces, Hayden and Victoria whirl around, Dana fucking Ward in the flesh. "Danny." Hayden sing songs, Dana speed walks over and throws her arms around him. "Jesus Dana, haven't seen you since graduation." Victoria exclaims, Dana spins around to face her. "You would have if you ever accepted my friend request but we're thrity five so Im not going to hold a grudge." Victoria cringes at that.
A sharp knock at the door makes all three of them turn. "Logan Robertson." Dana says instantly, memories hitting her like a truck, saddnes too, mourning over everything, all the pain he caused her. "Hi guys." Is all logan gets out, he seems pretty choked up too, Victoria and Hayden exchange a glance. "Its been a while." Hayden grumbles, even Victoria doesn't seem to pleased to see him, but Logan knows he can't really blame them. "Someone call the newyork times?" Juliet exclaims walking in, Victoria nearly starts laughing. "Juliet Watson, I assume our issues with each other are in the past?" Victoria trys, Juliet just rolls her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I wrote that the voretx clubs a cult in a school paper, you fucked my boyfriend, we were eighteen its cool." Juliet smiles.
"Juliet, you forgot your purse in the car." Zachary screams running in, Victoria, Logan and Haydens eyes widen. "You stayed with Zack?" Logan mutters in confusion, Juliet sighs. "We went to couples therapy, and none of your would be surprised if you didn't stop talking to all of us, see Danas not surprised because she stayed my bestfriend." She argues, everyone collectively roles their eyes. "Victoria, how are you?" Zack asks awkwardly, Victoria just nods. "Atleast we moved on from the whole cheating thing." Victoria laughs awkwardly, gesturing between Zack and Juliet. "I personally haven't, you framed me, told Juliet my bestfriend I was seeing Zachary all because you were mad at her, Juliet locked me in my dorm for hours trying to get a confession." Dana snaps. Victoria scratches the back of her head.
The rest arrived less then a half hour late. "Shall we head out for drinks?" Courtney proposes, which is probably for the best things were getting tense. "Fuck yes, i never say no to drinking, not since I was sober for a week two years ago, worst two weeks of my fuck ass life." Hayden grumbles, Victoria snorts. "Still a stoner i see." She comments he nods.
They choose to get a private room at the Canlis Seattle. "First rounds on me." Taylor announces, Victoria smiles at her as does everyone else. "How many divorces you on now Victoria?" Juliet promts, Victoria sends her a playful glare. "Three." She grumbles, laughs burst out around the table. "How many kids with these men then?" Taylor asks, Victoria closes her eyes. "Two, and only with the most recent husband, little girls they're five now.
"So what do you guys do for work now? I've been on Broadway twice." Hayden comments, everyone exchanges glances. "Successful photographer, i have a few books out, i run my family gallery, I have kids on the weekends, sometimes I fly to the Bahamas just to be there." Victoria groans, downing her wine, Juliet snorts. "Im a reporter for the new York Times, was on fox news for a while." No one is surprised Juliet became a reporter, why would they be? She's Juliet Watson. "Im a stay at home husband." Zack says proudly, everyone at the table burst out laughing.
"Robertson what about you?" Zack prompts, Logan shurgs. "Kinda just living off my inheritance and trust fund." He says casually, Victoria frowns, she's not surprised but everyone else has so much going for them, Taylors a doctor, Courtney's a model, Zack just stays at home but atleast he's married, Dana was on the dcc for a while, Juliets a reporter, Haydens a star who may have issues with drugs but he's still a star, Victoria has everything she needs, there all rich, but theres something just so empty about his answer that she can't get over. "Dana are you still with what's his face? Trevor is it?" Logan switches the subject Dana sighs. "Nah we weren't meant for eachother we only broke up five years ago though, we had a good twelve year run." She says warmly,
"When does Prescot get out? Because this is the first time I've thought of him, in god knows how long." Zach asks, Victoria's blood runs cold, Nathan Presscot, her bestfriend, former bestfriend hard to stay friends with someone when they go to prison at eighteen for the murder of two women, kid napping and somehow more. "I think he got life." Taylor says thoughtfully, Victoria shakes her head. "He got twenty years, he gets out in three, he might get parol." Everyone turns to face her, "how the fuck did he only get twenty years?" Dana asks dumbfounded, Victoria takes a deep breath. "Well his family are billionaires, so best lawyers known to man, he was mentally ill, first murder was man slaughter, second one he didn't mean, all the other crimes were committed when he was a minot, and were all because he was groomed and taken advantage of, and the grooming began at fourteen, so yeah he had alot backing his case, he's also shown remorse, and now that hes medicated he hasn't been violent in a while." She says, everyone's staring af her now. "Fuck, I forgot what Jefferson did to that poor boy, I don't support Nate, but fuck acted like he was a father figure, used the fact he was sick against him, fuck." Hayden grumbles.
The table goes quite then no ones knows what to say. "Have any of you spoken to him since?" Courtney asks, everyone exchanges a few glances. "I tried the year he got convicted i went to go visit him, and I couldn't do it." Hayden admits, his heart is beating so hard in his chest. "I still speak to him, i try to vist him every year on his birthday, we exchange letters, i call him once a month." Victoria admits everyone seems a bit shocked. "You always were obsessed with Prescot." Logan comments, Victoria shakes her head. "You guys didn't know him like i did, I wrote a letter to his dad when we were fourteen years old, saying he has to be a better dad, did you know he was taking medication for severe anxiety, and another one for stuff like Schizophrenia, bipolar, i talked to his older sister a while back and she said he'd been losing grip of what was real or not for a good few years. When Jefferson got involved im pretty sure it just snow balled." Victoria snaps.
"He was our teacher. You, me, Hayden, fucking Nathan, we were all in Jeffersons class, Victoria you only came to blackwell at fourteen because you were a fan of his work, he had you in a file you were his next victim in that weird sick game, he was meant to be the cool teacher." Dana splutters, everyone suddenly turns solem. "Oh my fucking god, it hurts to talk about it, you know? Like if we noticed Jefferson was treating Nathan weirdly, we could have saved him? Rachel wouldn't have died, neither would Chloe, Nathan would probably be sat beside us right fucking now, oh i hate that fucking creep." Hayden snaps,
"How do you even still talk to him? Like doesn't he scare you?" Taylor asks, looking a clearly shaken Victoria in the eye. "He has never once scared me, not when they dragged him out of the school in handcuffs, not when he was off his meds having a freak out, not when I found out what he done, never once scared me, because he's my bestfriend, when Kate tried to kill herself, he was the first person in my dorm to take care of me, he's not a bad person, he never wanted to hurt anyone." Victoria explains, no one else seems so convinced. "Because Victoria hes a fucking murderer?" Courtney snaps, everyone turns to face her now. "You dont get it." Victoria jumps to Nathans defence which makes Courtney scoff. "Mentally ill, absued by his dad, groomed and forced to do all the crimes by Jefferson, or not he deserved more then twenty years give him the death penalty for all i care." Anger is bubbling to the surface Courtney can't even hold it back. "Victoria you were at Chloes funeral." Dana screams, Victoria glares at her. "Stop it all of you." Hayden snaps standing up, everyone turns to face him. "This was meant to be a nice get together, a reunion, not a fucking court case." He says it firmly, no room to argue.
The night ends, everyone says their goodbyes, Victorias night ends with her switching off all the lights at the gallery.