The Psycho Is Innocent | ꪜ

Chapter 1: Romeo and Juliet (1)

Present

ARIEL CAMPBELL'S teeth sunk into her lips and the metallic copper-like taste of her own blood flooded the walls of her mouth as she unlocked the door. She swung one leg out of the car and the cold winter breeze swept the strands of her hair away from her eyes, giving her a clearer view of her surroundings. She tucked it behind her ear and slipped out of the car: an icy chill immediately rendering her motionless as she allowed the sudden blast of cold to subside.

She rubbed her hands together in an attempt to draw in some heat to replace the chill in her bones. Her eyes flickered around the parking lot, searching aimlessly for the grey mustang that belonged to no other than Tobias Aspen. But no matter how many times she fooled herself, the car won't ever reappear; at least not for a long time, because Tobias Aspen was gone.

Her head shook in disbelief and she tucked her arms into the fluffy pockets of her jacket. Her feet glided against the icy ground until it stomped onto a patch of snow. The loud crunching sound that emitted from it annoyed her but she pushed it to the back of her mind, reassuring herself that something so trivial  didn't need to have an impact on her already dampened mood.

Rushing up the stairs of the school to avoid the snow, she reached the doubled doors in no time and pulled them open. The heater installed above the door's head sent a gust of warm air through her body. She visibly relaxed, now consumed by heat, her gloves simultaneously slipping past her fingertips.

Ariel licked her chapped lips and began sauntering down the hallway and per usual, heads swivelled in her direction here and there, whispering and mumbling about the girlfriend of The Tobias Aspen. Months ago, such a title would be one to envy or adore. Now, being the girlfriend of Tobias Aspen only brought one thing Ariel wished she could bury deep beneath the depth of the earth: sympathy.

          Why?

          Because the town's golden boy was now a murderer.

          "You remember our promise, right? Don't you, Ariel? Well, whatever happens...I don't care how, and I don't care how long. Don't ever break it. You understand that, right? Tell me you understand."

          Those were the last words he said to her as officers shoved a handcuffed Tobias Aspen into the back of their squad car. Ariel refused to believe that Tobias was the culprit behind the double murder that shook the town of Harleyville. Despite forensic evidence proving that he had been in contact with the victims the night of their death, it wasn't enough to convince her nor 50% of the town's population who adored Tobias. To some, he was still their golden boy next door. To others, he was simply a devil in disguise.

          Ariel faced the blue metal lockers towering over her head. Her hand which was tucked into her pocket ached at the memory of her fist slamming into the metal door just a week ago after Tobias' arrest. She leaned forward as her legs began to grow weak. Ariel chuckled bitterly at the thought of Tobias never returning. Her life will never be normal again. The new normal she had adopted in his presence became the essence of her life. And now...the one person who understood her the most was gone.

Ariel fell into a new routine of waking up every morning, preparing for school, dragging herself through the parking lot as she searched for Tobias' car then standing at her open locker, staring intently at their photo posted up beside her mirror. A year ago, she hated his guts and wished for nothing more than for him to stay out of her life. And now, he finally granted her wish.