magnetic everything about you [Livia]
Hey there, please tell me what you think about this in the comments! Have fun reading, Livia :)
CHAPTER 1
magnetic everything about you
MURDER SUSPECT SET FREE
The prosecutor has decided that in the case of Eden Murphy, who had been accused of attempted murder in July, there is not enough evidence for a conviction. Therefore, Murphy will be released from custody today to return back to his old life...
****
Livia
I've stopped counting how many times I've read last Thursday's daily mail yet, especially this particular article.
They're really letting Eden Murphy come back to school. I can't believe it. He's tried to kill Davis Cooper, my brother Aaron's best friend, last summer. And now, they apparently can't find enough evidence to prove that Eden really has attempted murder.
I don't know what to make of all of this.
Because the Eden I remember would never, ever do something like that.
****
Once I get to school, there's no escaping the Eden topic, everyone's talking about it, seeing as today is the day that Eden will attend school again.
"Have you heard? They're letting Murphy out of custody!"
"Murphy's coming back!"
"Have you seen him yet?"
Usually, there are quite a few topics everyone's gossiping about – Lily broke up with Adam, James cheated on Daisy and so on – but today the only thing people are talking about is Eden. And it's not hard to understand why.
In July, he's tried to kill Davis Cooper, beloved member of our school's basketball team. He's been in custody ever since, while the judges were trying to decipher whether it was really Eden who tried to kill Davis or not. Because Davis can't remember anything about the attack. And there had been nearly no witnesses. It's a strange case, though everyone is heavily convinced that Eden is guilty.
But now, whether or not he is guilty, after seven months of custody, he's back.
And everyone is terrified over it.
Because no one can predict what Eden's next move will be.
"I can't believe it!", my best friend, Ella, says enraged, staring angrily at the crumpled last Thursday's Daily Mail in her hands, as if it's done something to offend her.
"I can't believe that this is happening! Why on earth would anyone do that, let him out of custody?", she trails off, still heavily breathing because she's been talking faster and faster with every word.
"But the papers said that there wasn't enough evidence to prove that he's guilty", I try to argue, but Ella only laughs bitterly.
"Oh come on Livia, even you can't be that naïve!" She crumples the newspaper again, before she turns to look at me and sighs.
"Well, I guess you can. How could I forget, good Livia, who always sees the best in people, even in the worst people-"
"Hey!", I protest, getting angry. Maybe she's right, maybe I really am naïve. But I haven't heard the full story, I don't know all of the details.
And I can't help but think that the Eden I remember would never do something like that.
"I'm just saying that we don't know the whole story", I finish, trailing off. I can't tell Ella – anyone, for that matter – what I just remembered. I was friends with Eden back in first and second grade. And the Eden I knew back then? He'd never do something like that.
"You know, you can be really unbelievable sometimes, Livia", Ella now says, shooting me a slightly concerned look.
"What, am I naïve for wanting to know the whole story before I judge this?", I reply, crossing my arms over my chest. Ella sighs and turns to her locker, opens it, and exchanges her biology book for her history book. When she finally turns to look at me, she sends me a grim smile before saying:
"But you do recall that it's never been a secret that Murphy and Davis hated each other's guts, right?"
"Do you know why though?", I shoot back. Ella gives me a surprised look. I'm surprised myself. Why on earth am I defending Eden? True, I don't know the whole story, but after everything that's happened after second grade, I can't tell why defending him still feels so natural to me.
"No, I don't, but they used to fight all of the time, remember?", Ella asks. I have to nod, there's no arguing that. Before the attack on Davis in July, Eden and Davis used to get into fights all of the time, always feeding the school's gossip when they were both sent to Headmaster Good's office yet again.
"Look, Livia, all I'm saying is that people could be right in saying that Murphy's a psychopath, yeah?", Ella says, sounding tired. We've had this exact argument countless times since Thursday.
I mean, I get where she's coming from, I really do. We don't know the whole story – that's true. She's right in saying that for all we know Eden could really be the psychopath people are making him out to be.
I just wish she'd be a little less stubborn and try to understand my opinion on this, too.
I'm not sure why I can't just tell Ella that I used to be best friends with Eden, before he temporarily moved away and she and I became best friends. Maybe because I'm tired of having the same argument with her over and over again.
I doesn't matter how many times I try to tell her that we shouldn't judge things, before we know the whole story, she still won't listen to me.
If I were to tell her that I used to be best friends with Eden, she'd surely think I was absolutely crazy.
And, to be quite honest, I've begun to doubt this myself: yes, the Eden I remember from first and second grade would never do something like that, but people can change. People do change. After second grade I've never really had much to do with Eden again, even when he moved here back in sixth grade.
I just don't know what to believe anymore.
"I know, Ella", I tell her, trying to form a smile. It must look as fake as it feels, because Ella only rolls her eyes at me.
"He could be dangerous. Point is, he could be – we're not sure he is", I say while she closes her locker again, after stuffing her history book in her bag.
"I know what you're saying, Livia, I really do, but please, sometimes proceeding with caution is better then just blindly trusting a situation, or a person for that matter. Alright?"
I nod, even though my opinion still hasn't changed. Ella is right, in general I'd agree with her. It's just this particular case – I still don't know what to really think about it. Yes, for all we know Eden could really be a dangerous psychopath, but people seem to forget that Davis also never refrained from mentally and physically hurting Eden.
It's just that apparently Eden landed the 'killing blow'.
After what feels like the thousandth argument about Eden since Thursday between us, Ella and I both try to talk about unimportant things as we continue our way into the cafeteria.
Ella asks me how my weekend has been, and after we've both recounted what our weekends have been like – hers was a million times better than mine, seeing as Aaron was freaking out about Eden, the supposed murderer of his best friend, Davis, coming back to school all weekend, understandably though – we start to discuss the newest Marvel movie.
Discovering that we both liked everything Marvel and reading books is what brought us together as best friends in the first place. After Eden temporarily moved away after second grade I feared that I'd be all alone in school, seeing that Aron is a year older than me and he deems it uncool to be seen with his younger sister in school too often, it would just tarnish his reputation, he always says.
But luckily, Ella moved to Easton just before third grade started. We've first met in the library. I was so excited that day, because they had just announced that they'd be getting a bunch of Marvel comics, I stormed into to library without watching out.
I ran into Ella and nearly knocked her over. At first, she only glared at me, but when I told her that I was looking for the new Marvel comics, her eyes widened and she grinned at me, telling me that this was the reason she was at the library, too.
While we were looking for the comic books together, we began talking, quickly discovering that we both liked to read. We began discussing books and in the end, we forgot the time, so Aaron came after me, annoyed, saying that our parents had been worried that I'd gotten lost.
Ella was angry that Aaron had just interrupted our discussion like that – they've been bantering and teasing each other constantly ever since.
And ever since then Ella and I have been best friends.
Ella is just saying that this has to be one of her favourite Marvel movies yet, when suddenly, she freezes besides me, stopping dead in her tracks.
We've reached the entrance to the cafeteria and Ella is looking at the buffet with terrified, wide eyes, like it might actually kill her.
But then I see, what – or better yet, whom – she's looking at.
Eden. He really is back.
He's as good-looking as ever.
Same wavy dark-brown hair and piercing green eyes. But he looks leaner, sharper somehow. That must be the effect of seven months in custody, I think. But that doesn't make him any less good-looking, in fact, he looks better than ever save for the dark circles, almost looking like bruises, under his eyes.
He's just standing there, in the middle of the cafeteria, completely unfazed by everyone looking at him.
And by everyone, I really mean everyone. Everyone in the cafeteria seems frozen mid-action, people are looking at Eden from behind their books and magazines, or gawking at him open-mouthed, having forgotten their food in front of them.
But Eden, he's just standing there, completely unfazed by everything that's happening around him, calmly running a hand through his dark hair.
I only realize it now that Ella's been tugging at my arm, trying to get my attention.
"What?", I turn to her, irritated. But Ella doesn't answer me immediately, instead she grabs my arm and drags me out of the cafeteria entrance and back into the hallway.
"What?", I ask again, getting more and more irritated every second.
"He's coming towards us", she just says, continuing to drag me along.
"What? Who?", I ask her.
But it's not Ella who answers my question. Because suddenly she lets go of my arm, going completely still beside me.
And then he's right in front of us. Eden. He actually smirks at me, before saying:
"Livy, hi, good to see you again" and walking away again before I even have the chance to react, say or do anything.
For a moment I just stare at his retreating form, questioning everything I've ever thought about him, before Ella's voice snaps me out of my trance.
"What", she says and it's audible that she's restraining from shouting, " the fucking hell was that?"
I finally look away from Eden's retreating form and turn to face her.
"I have no idea", I say honestly.
I have no idea what is happening. Because – apart from Dad – Eden is the only one who's ever called me 'Livy'.
I have no idea what to think about all of this anymore.
