The Trouble with Love

❝ i'm not even sure why i'm down on my knees ❞

(unedited)

But I don't need a cure,
This is not a disease.
I'm not even sure why,
I'm down on my knees.
And I don't need your fix,
|No, it's not what it seems.

"Rooftop to the Street" –Tonight Alive

"Where is she?" Nathan asked as soon as we saw Ashton.

"They're still talking to her," he said. He glanced at me and Jacen, then back to his brother. I stared at Ashton; trying to read his carefully blank expression. So he had known, or at the very least suspected Keira would so this, otherwise he wouldn't have come here. Did he know why, too?

Nathan paced back and forth. "Why would she do this?"

"Did Keira actually kill Olivia?" I asked hesitantly even though I had a feeling he didn't know, and wouldn't tell me even if he did. It'd be stupid especially since we were in the police station, but I wanted to see his reaction.

He turned to give me a harsh look. "No! Of course not! Why would she?"

He looked and sounded sincere but I didn't know if he was as good at acting as Ashton or Jacen. Nathan, along with Skylar and Vanessa had always seemed like the ones who were more clueless as too what was going on, but they were still part of the Elite. The exclusive group of privileged teens that still somehow managed to keep dozens of secrets despite being so well-known.

"Why does Keira do any of what she does?" Jacen asked, dropping into one of the seats set up along the wall. It wasn't a big room, with only a couple chairs, but there were multiple doors that probably led to longer hallways.

I had been here a couple times for Shawn, since he worked here as a detective, but I had never gone anywhere other than the lobby, where we were now, and his office, so I had no idea where Keira was.

Ashton gave Jacen a hard, almost reprimanding look. I had a feeling what Jacen had said had a bit of a bigger meaning than a simple, rhetorical question. "She's been here since this morning."

"I thought you said you were going to school," Nathan said. "Did Keira text you that she were here or something?"

Ashton grimaced, then shook his head.

"Oh, this is gonna get good," Jacen muttered. He was quiet enough that I was the only one who heard him, or maybe Ashton and Nathan were both too distracted to pay attention. He glanced at me. "Nate's gonna find out everything Ashton's been keeping from him and get mad about it."

"You're an asshole when you're hungover," I told him. He looked a lot more amused and easy going than he should've for someone who's sister was possibly going to jail. Unless, had he, like Ashton already known? Or was he just sure that Keira would somehow get out of it? If Keira could get out, though, why would she bother confessing in the first place?

"I'm an asshole all the time, Elena," Jacen said. "Get over it."

"How'd you know she was here?" Nathan demanded.

"Lucky guess," Ashton replied.

I winced. Either he wasn't trying, or he was a more horrible liar than I had thought.

"I'm serious, Ash," Nathan said. "Did you know she was gonna do this?"

Ashton sighed. "I didn't think she'd do it."

"And boom," Jacen whispered as I dropped into the seat next to him. "This is when things really start heating up."

I ignored him.