There's Nothing Sad About It

You’re angry right now.

I can sense it… which is kind of crazy since I’m writing this way before you’re reading it.

Anyway, you’re angry. You’re angry with me for making you read this stupid interlude when you could be reading about victim number two.

I really hope you read this interlude, though, along with the others that will come throughout this story. They’re important--I’d almost say critical--to the story. It’s really up to you. You can go to the next chapter right now if you want to.

But it’d really be worth your while to read the rest of this one.

So, here goes interlude number one: Every person we have killed has been killed for a reason.

You already know about June Carter, the girl who ended up with twenty-three stab wounds to her chest.

But why did she die?

Steven dated June for awhile, back in Freshman year. Steven and June were the ‘it’ couple of our high school. June was head cheerleader: smart, witty, and energetic. Steven was the star of the Freshmen football team: fast, agile, and sure to make it to varsity by Junior year.

But Steven had a dark side, a side that no one, especially June, would have ever thought imaginable.

Steven’s parents were not happy. They hadn’t been happy since Steven was two years old. The only reason they stayed together was for Steven, because, as crazy as it sounds, while they didn’t love each other anymore, they both loved Steven unconditionally.

Steven’s parents fought constantly while Steven was growing up. In effect, Steven grew up learning that the way to deal with your anger was to verbalize it.

Needless to say, Steven had anger issues.

June found out about Steven’s anger issues first-hand. I remember a story Steven told us about how one time, after a football game, he and June went to get ice cream and she didn’t want to share a sundae with him so he got mad and called her a bunch of nasty names--none of which were true, by the way.

It was their first big fight, but certainly not their last one.

In retrospect, I kind of feel bad for June. She was in a verbally abusive relationship, with no idea how to get out. She was being pressured by her teammates and peers to stay with Steven; “Oh, you guys are so adorable together!” everyone would say. June was (at least in her mind) stuck.

That was before the incident, though. After that, I didn’t feel a bit sorry for June anymore.

It was April of our Freshmen year. Steven and June were at a party, and yes the party had alcohol. Neither one drank any, but at the end of the night, Steven got a ride home from a friend, one who hadn’t drank, either.

June, however, wasn’t as smart. She hopped in a car with a fellow cheerleader, Karissa, who had been drinking. Halfway to June’s house, her friend lost control of the car, hit a lamp post, and died.

June had a broken leg and a few scratches.

Everyone, from her parents to her classmates, told her what a bad idea it was for her to get in the car with Karissa. June knew how her decision had affected her life, and she told everyone that she was going to get through this by staying positive. Everyone thought it was a great idea--how else are you supposed to get through life, let alone a situation like that, without being positive?

June’s idea of positive was not positive. Yes, that’s contradicting. Yes, that’s confusing.

Let me explain: all of us thought June was going to mourn for her lost friend and maybe even hold an auction or a bake sale to raise money and awareness for the cause and for Karissa’s family.

Instead, June used Karissa’s death as a platform for her Prom Princess election. At Karissa’s funeral, only three days after her death, June hobbled around on her crutches handing out flyers that said ‘VOTE FOR JUNE CARTER, FIRST EVER PROM PRINCESS ON CRUTCHES.’

Not only was she using the funeral as a way to get people to vote for her at Prom, she was using her disability to get votes as well!

Steven broke up with her that night. He might have anger issues, but he’s still a human being (despite the fact that two and a half years later he killed her). June laughed in his face and told him she didn’t want him anymore anyway.

June won Prom Princess that year, and she hobbled on the stage and accepted her crown with a wide grin and a princess-like wave.

It was despicable.

When we first entertained the idea of killing, June was an obvious first kill in our minds.

So, June’s death was one-half out of anger on Steven’s part about the break-up and one-half out of anger on the rest of us’ parts about the Prom Princess incident.

But not all of our killings had the same motive behind them.

No, Dana Eccles’ murder was for a completely different reason.