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Friday March 13, 2009: 5:23

“Sydney I can explain,” Jaime was suddenly on his feet.

“You… but… why?” the blonde couldn’t, no she wouldn’t, understand why he would do that to Donna – sweet, innocent Donna. Well, she wasn’t innocent, or entirely sweet, but she didn’t deserve to die, “How could you?!”

“Syd, listen to me,” Jaime dropped the knife and stepped towards her. He took ahold of her shoulders and tried to look her in the eye, but the blonde just kept looking away, “I didn’t kill her.”

“Then why are you covered in blood?” Sydney demanded to know. Maybe he was right, maybe he didn’t kill Donna…

He’s covered in blood, her blood, and he’s holding the murder weapon, Sydney rationalized, He did it. He killed Donna and Emily. No, he didn’t. The Jaime I know and lov- he wouldn’t. It’s just not like him to go off and kill somebody… I don’t think anyone I know could kill somebody… Could they?

“I found her,” the young Hispanic pleaded, “I thought she was still alive! I tried to save her… But it was too late… Sydney, you have to believe me.”

“I…” the blonde took a deep breath, “I don’t know what to believe anymore.”

“But you trust me, don’t you?”

“Well yeah-”

“Then you know I’m telling the truth!”

“But-”

“Sydney you know I could never kill anybody.”

No, I don’t know.

“Sydney did you find her-” Michael asked as he entered the room. He paused when he saw Sydney and Jaime. His bright eyes trailed down from Jaime’s frantic eyes to his blood-covered hands that were latched onto the blonde’s shoulders.

“It’s not what it looks like,” Jaime defended, “I swear-”

“What…?” Michael pushed them out of his way, “No! Donna!” He threw himself down on the ground towards Donna’s lifeless body, “Donna please, Donna?”

“What’s going on?” Cody demanded as he entered the small office, Natasha and Amber trailing right behind him.

Sydney felt her head starting to spin. She felt her legs wobble under her as she pushed herself away from Jaime, past everyone else, and out of the room.

“Sydney are you alright?” Elizabeth asked her.

“I think…” the color drained out of the blonde’s face, “I think- Oh shit.” Sydney rushed to the bathroom, threw the toilet seat up, and vomited up the very few contents of her stomach. Sydney felt her hair being pulled back, and a hand rubbing her back.

Out of the corner of her eye Sydney saw blood on her shoulder, she gagged.

“Breath, just breath,” she heard Megan tell her as the brunette rubbed her back.

“I need to take a shower,” Sydney grumbled after she was done.

“You want me to go get your toothbrush from your suitcase?” Megan asked her. Sydney leaned against the cabinets and groaned.

“Yes, please, “Sydney’s voice was hoarse. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe in and out through her mouth – she couldn’t stand the smell of blood on her shoulders.

“What are you doing?” Sydney heard Megan ask someone on the other side of the door.

“I just wanted to talk to her-” Jaime tried to explain.

“No, you can’t talk to her.”

“Megan please-”

“Don’t give me that look!” Megan interrupted him, “She doesn’t want to talk to you.”

“I just want to see-”

“No,” Megan was firm, “She doesn’t want to see anybody right now.”

“Please-”

“No.”

Sydney didn’t hear anything come from the other side of the door for a few more seconds, and then all she heard was the sound of footsteps walking away. As she waited for her friend to return, the blonde’s right foot quickly bounced up and down. She tried not to think of everything that just happened, but it was so hard.

She thought about the first time she met Jaime, then the image of him crouching under the windowsill with a bloody knife popped into her head. She thought about the last time she did anything with her niece then Sydney’s ears started to hear Annabelle screaming. She thought about the things her parents would’ve done if they were here, at her party, instead of buried six feet under. Surely, they would’ve known what to do with two dead bodies, several flat tires, and pretty much no way to contact anybody. They would’ve figured something out… or maybe they would’ve stopped everything from happening.

“Sydney?” the blonde popped her eyes open at the sound of her name being called, “Syd you okay?”

Megan reentered the bathroom, carrying a new set of clothes and Sydney’s travel bathroom kit – packed with everything she would need for a shower, to wash her face, and brush her teeth.

“Yeah,” the blonde nodded her head as she pulled herself back to her feet, “I’ll be alright.”

“Are you sure?”

“I just… need a minute.”

Megan starred at her best friend for a moment. Her thin brows furrowed together as she thought about what to do next.

“You don’t have to stay in here,” Sydney told her, “You can go… You don’t have to stay in here with me.”

Megan shook her head, “Syd you need me.”

“Megan right now I need to get to taste of vomit out of my mouth and shower.”

“Just… don’t do anything-”

“I’m not,” Sydney crossed her arms over her chest as she glared at her best friend, “Okay?”

Megan silently nodded her head and, with one second glance, looked back at the blonde as she gave her the space she so desperately wanted, “Just don’t take too long. I don’t want you to miss too much.”

Sydney shook her head, “No, I won’t.”

The brunette turned and left the bathroom for a second time.

Sydney let out a sigh. She grabbed the toothbrush and the toothpaste from the counter and began to brush her teeth. The minty taste almost washed the taste of vomit out of her mouth, but it hardly made her feel any better.

She scrubbed her teeth till she noticed blood, thankfully her own, in her spit. Groaning, she set the toothbrush down on the counter as she rubbed the back of her hand over her mouth. Her blue eyes connected with the blue eyes in her reflection.

She noticed the red rimmed around her eyes, and the dark bags that were already starting to form. How, she wondered. It hadn’t even been ten hours yet… but it sure felt like longer. Her thin lips were more of a nude color than their natural light pink.

Glancing down, she noticed the blood stain in the shape of Jaime’s handprint on her shoulders. Bits of her hair had been painted with the blood. Sydney couldn’t make herself look further down. She tore the shirt off and tossed it to the floor. The rest of her clothes joined the pile. She’d probably never wear the clothes again.

The next five minutes were a blur. Sydney found herself standing under hot water, blood mixing with suds and water as they swirled down the drain. Sydney resisted the urge the throw up again and swallowed the bile in her throat.

The blonde lost count of how many times she scrubbed her skin, which was starting to turn in a light shade of red – either from the hot water or from how hard she was scrubbing her skin.

Sydney felt a tear run down her left cheek, or maybe it was just the water from the shower head. But this drop wasn’t scolding hot, it was by far much cooler in comparison. So maybe it was a tear.

The blonde’s legs gave out on her as she fell down in the tub. The thud was masked by the sound of the running water, but maybe one of the alive party guests heard. Sydney hoped no one did as she started to sob.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this, she thought to herself, Today was supposed to be a happy day. Why is this happening to us? Why did Emily and Donna have to die?

She felt her chest giving in as she vocally cried. Her wrinkling hands grabbed ahold of the edge of the porcelain tub, like they were going to lift her back into a strong, independent woman, but the grip wasn’t nearly strong enough. Her skinny legs felt awkward as they lay crumbled in front of her.

“Sydney?” someone called from outside the door, “Syd you okay?”

“Yes,” Sydney tried to sound alright, “I just slipped.”

“Do you need me to come in there?” it sounded like Jaime. The blonde frantically shook her head, even though he couldn’t see. She couldn’t let him see her like this… this hurt.

“No, I’m alright. I promise,” she hoisted herself up as she spoke. She quickly turned the knobs till the water stopped rushing down. Sydney pulled the curtain back, wrapped a towel around herself, and opened the bathroom door just enough so that her head could peek out between the door and its frame.

“See?” she tried to smile, but it felt forced, “I’m alright.”

Jaime wasn’t so sure, “Syd I’m-”

“Hey!” Cody called, “What do you think you’re doing?! Get away from her!” Cody pushed himself between the two. Sydney stumbled back a little bit, almost losing her footing and the tight grip on the cotton towel wrapped around her wet body.

“I heard a thump; I just wanted to make sure she was alright!” Jaime defended.

“Sure you were,” Cody narrowed his eyes at him, “Just like you wanted to check on Donna.”

“I was!”

“If only you had an alibi for when Emily was killed-”

“Actually he does,” Sydney used her free hand to pull a strand of drenched blonde hair behind her ear, “He was with me.”

Cody looked back and forth between the two of him. He almost didn’t want to believe her that she was only saying that because she wanted his dick, but then Cody thought about who he was talking about. This was Sydney, who was possibly one of the worst bluffers Cody had ever met. He would surely be able to tell the difference between a lie and the truth… Right?

“Fine. But I still don’t buy that you just happened to walk in and find Donna dead,” Cody glared one last time at Jaime before walking away, making sure to roughly bump into the younger man’s shoulder as he marched off.

“I’m sorry about him.”

“You’re not the one who should be apologizing,” Sydney flatly told him.

“Auntie Syd have you seen Mommy?” Annabelle ran up to Sydney with her stuffed bunny in her small hands.

The blonde’s blue eyes went wide for a second as her eyes locked with Jaime’s. Then, she erased all signs of despair as she looked down at her niece, “No I haven’t. Why don’t you go ask Daddy?”

“I can’t find him either,” Annabelle pouted.

Sydney looked back at Jaime, and in that second they both understood each other.

“Why don’t we go start looking for them while Auntie Syd gets dressed?” Jaime crouched down and look Annabelle’s free hand in his.

“Okay,” the little girl gleefully nodded and pulled Jaime away, “Let’s go look up here!”

Sydney never slammed a door so quickly, nor had she never gotten dressed that fast either – not even when she had overslept and was almost late for class. She didn’t care that her hair was going to get the back of her shirt wet; all she cared about was making sure that her niece didn’t end up an orphan like her.