[014] unfortunate accident

                              It happens suddenly and without any warning whatsoever. But nonetheless, the University of Oxford would be confused and horrified to learn about Dana's unfortunate accident.

                              For reasons unknown, the girl would be going to the hospital after a fall managed to break her legs. Despite the nasty fall, she'd manage to survive. But her legs were broken, and she was in a coma. Even if she did manage to wake up, she was more than likely to remain a human vegetable for the rest of her life. The news quickly spread around campus and although Dana was a total bitch, people still felt pretty bad for her. They were also convinced that her freak accident wasn't so much of an accident. But the list of suspects was quite long.

                             Lots of people had a bone to pick with Dana Bahrami. Anyone could've wanted her dead. Only one of those people had the guts to try.

                            "It's pretty horrible what happened to Dana, huh?" Zoey states, looking over at Gwen who appeared to be staring off into space. The two of them were sitting on one of the benches outside, close as ever after everything they had done together. "Hey, weren't you friends with her? Gwen?"

                            Gwen hums before she turns to look at Zoey, furrowing her brows. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

                            "I was talking about what happened to Dana. Isn't it terrible?" Zoey repeated herself.

                            "Yeah, it's super fucked up," Gwen nods before looking away from Zoey.

                            "Do you think it's an accident? Or... do you think that someone tried to kill her?" Zoey questioned.

                            "I dunno. Maybe someone did try to kill her. I wasn't friends with Dana. To be honest, she was a horrible person," Gwen replied.

                            "I mean, yeah, she was terrible. But that doesn't mean she deserved to be taken out like that," Zoey frowned.

                            Gwen shrugs. "Maybe not."

                            But either way, Dana basically being gone was a relief for Gwen. She didn't have to worry about the girl anymore. Maybe it was for the better, as fucked up as it sounded.

                            "Can we stop talking about her?" Gwen asks a moment later.

                            "Fine, what would you like to talk about?" Zoey gives in, holding onto Gwen's hand.

                            Gwen glances down at their hands, enjoying how warm Zoey's hands were. It wasn't the same as Iris and really, Gwen was hopelessly trying to recreate the same feeling she had with Iris. And while she really liked Zoey, Gwen knew that it could never be the same. She was fooling herself if she thought that. 

                            "I don't know. But something other than terrible accidents and conspiracy theories would be great," Gwen chuckles, causing Zoey to do the same.

                            "Sorry, I forgot you hate that kind of stuff," Zoey says after sobering up, "We could talk about us instead."

                            "Us? What do you mean?" Gwen furrows her brows.

                             Zoey softly chuckles again, not really taking Gwen's confusion seriously. "I figured that now that we basically took the next step, we could start dating."

                            "Oh," Gwen slowly nods, "I'm sorry. I just... I've never done anything like this before."

                            "Me neither. Well, I've only ever dated one girl before but that didn't last very long. I really like you, Gwen, and I'd really like for us to be girlfriends," Zoey remarked.

                           Gwen hesitates. This was everything that she had wanted to hear, just from the wrong person. She wanted to hear Iris telling her this. She wanted to see Iris standing before her, looking adorably nervous as she professed her feelings for Gwen and told her that she didn't want anyone else but her. That she was in love with her. But Gwen is beginning to realize that she's asking for far too much now. Besides, Gwen was still convinced that Iris probably hated her now that she knew the truth about her. A truth Gwen had tried so hard to keep hidden. Iris probably wanted nothing to do with a lunatic like Gwen.

                          Maybe Gwen Hollow had to stop denying the truth: that she was a psychopath who'd ruin absolutely everything and everyone she came across.

                          It's with that thought in mind that Gwen gently pulls her hand away from Zoey's grasp with a small sigh. "Um, do you mind if I think about it?"

                          Zoey falters. That wasn't exactly the answer that she wanted to hear. "Think about it? You can, if you want, but... but what's there to think about?"

                         "I just want to make sure that I'm not rushing into anything," Gwen shrugged.

                         "But if I was Iris, you'd want to rush into it. Wouldn't you?" Zoey scoffs.

                         "What are you talking about?" Gwen frowned.

                         "Come on, Gwen. I know that you're in love with her. The way you look at her and follow her around... anyone with eyes can see that you're in love with her. But I can promise you that she doesn't feel the same about you," Zoey shot back.

                          Gwen frowns. "How do you know that?"

                          "Because I just do. Girls like Iris Catton don't know how to love anyone. They can pretend all they want but they don't have hearts," Zoey shakes her head.

                          "That's not true. And besides, I know Iris better than anyone. And she knows me. You don't know her, Zoey," Gwen argues, quickly rushing to Zoey's defense.

                          "I don't want to. She doesn't matter to me, Gwen. You do. From the first moment I met you crying in the library over her, I grew feelings for you. And I believe I'd do a much better job at taking care of you than she ever could. I could make you really happy if you just give me a chance, Gwen," Zoey continued.

                          "I know," Gwen nods.

                          "What?" Zoey faltered.

                          "I know you'd take care of me. You'd be absolutely perfect. But I'm too screwed up to accept it. I don't deserve it," Gwen explains, shaking her head.

                          "Of course you do, Gwen," Zoey insisted, reaching over for Gwen. But Gwen moved away from her and Zoey instantly retracted.

                          "What do you know? You don't know me. And that's okay. It's better if you don't. I care about you, Zoey. And I really like you too. But... I don't want perfect. I want the absolutely fucked up parts. Because I'm fucked up," Gwen admitted.

                           She wanted the destruction and the violence and the pain. That was all Gwen had known for a long time. She wanted to be controlled and she wanted it to be by Iris. She wanted to be wrapped around her finger, waiting like a dog for her to even pay attention to her or give her the toxic, rotten love Gwen so desperately craved.

                           "There's something wrong with Iris. But there's also something wrong with me. We're both so beautifully messed up. I've never felt a connection like this with anyone but her," Gwen remarked.

                           Zoey couldn't believe what she was hearing. She wanted to believe that this was some sort of sick joke. But the serious look in Gwen's eyes and the way she talked made Zoey quickly realize that she was actually being serious.

                          Before Zoey could say anything more, Gwen's phone rang and she reluctantly pulled it out of her pocket. Zoey gives Gwen a look before scoffing. "You should probably go and answer it. The love of your life might be calling you."

                           "Zoey, wait," Gwen began.

                           But Zoey doesn't listen. She gets up from the bench and storms away, leaving Gwen alone with her phone which still rang. Gwen figured she could chase after Zoey. But what was the point? She had said more than enough, crushing Zoey's heart along with her hopes. So Gwen answers the phone and presses it up to her ear with a sigh.

                           "Gwen, there you are," Iris replied and Gwen feels relief flooding her entire body at the sound of her best friend's voice. For a moment, Gwen worried that she'd never get the chance to hear it again. "I haven't seen you in days. What's been going on with you?"

                          "You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Gwen vaguely replies. And besides, she didn't want to tell Iris when she knew how much she hated Zoey. Gwen was sure her image was already tainted by Dana and she didn't want to make things worse.

                         The fact that Iris was even calling her in the first place had to be a good sign. Most people would avoid someone with a violent history like Gwen's. But Iris was choosing to stay. Gwen was right about her after all.

                         "Well... did you hear about what happened to Dana? It's awful, right?" Iris questioned.

                         Gwen nods before she realized that Iris obviously couldn't see her. She had to say something. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, it's pretty awful."

                        "I heard from Virginia that they'll be allowing visitors pretty soon. I'll probably go and see her. Maybe you should come with me," Iris offered.

                        "I wasn't exactly best friends with Dana. It might not be such a good idea if -," Gwen began.

                       "I'm not forcing you. But... I am mad at you for going completely ghost on me again," Iris admits. "So now you have to do something for me."

                       "Anything," Gwen breathed.

                       "There's a party happening tonight. Even with Dana out for the count, the show has to go on. It's practically tradition. I'm expecting you to be there," Iris replied.

                       "What sort of tradition?" Gwen wondered aloud.

                      "There are lots of fun parties here. But for one night, there's a secret party where you can completely let your inhibitions go. You can pretty much do whatever and whoever you want. You wear masks and it supposedly helps. It's easy to pretend to be someone else in order to do whatever you want, rather than actually be yourself. Less consequences, I suppose," Iris explained.

                      "Sounds like fun. But I don't have a mask," Gwen frowned.

                      "You can just borrow Dana's. I still have it with me. It'd be perfect," Iris suggests.

                      "Iris," Gwen sighs. She definitely thought that was a terrible idea.

                      "Gwen, I'm not going to let you miss this. Besides, I'd like to see you in a suit again," Iris insisted. She really missed Gwen and she was determined to see her again, even if it meant seeing her at the party.

                      Gwen chuckles, grateful Iris couldn't see the blush on her cheeks. "Alright, alright. You don't have to keep charming me anymore. I'm going to go. I'll meet you at your dorm room at -."

                      "Ten o'clock. If you're any later, I might just kill you," Iris teased and Gwen is able to picture her pretty, devious smirk. The thing about Iris was that sometimes it was hard to tell if she was joking or not. But Gwen just knows that Iris wouldn't actually lay a finger on her.

                      She'd miss her too much. After all, who else would worship her the way Gwen did? Who would love her the way Gwen did so relentlessly?

                      "Speaking of kill, who do you think tried to kill Dana?" Gwen suddenly questioned. It was a totally random jump, going from party invitations to murder conspiracies. But Gwen wanted to hear Iris's thoughts about it.

                      "Who says she was pushed? Maybe she wanted to off herself or something," Iris suggested.

                      "Did you know Dana to be suicidal?" Gwen questioned.

                      Iris sighs. "She could've said something once or twice. It's hard to remember. But I never thought she was going to be serious about it."

                      "So you don't think she was killed at all?" Gwen raised a brow. This was the first time Gwen had heard a theory like that.

                      "Absolutely not. And I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. I mean, it's not like you pushed her, right?" Iris remarked bluntly.

                      "Right," Gwen forces chuckles past her lips. "No, I guess. I'll see you tonight."

                      "See you tonight, Gwen," Iris responds.

                       Gwen hangs up the phone with another sigh, realizing that she had a party to get ready for. A wild party that'd be unlike anything Gwen had ever encountered before.

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word count: 2075
notes: i know i promised a double update but i decided to save that for the next round of updates! let me tell you right now, this party is about to go completely batshit. as for what happened to dana, what do YOU GUYS think happened to her? was it gwen and she's just one hell of an actress? or was it iris finally acting out on her own dark urges? or maybe... it was zoey??? jk zoey's too pure for that. but still, who do you think did it?