Chapter 5: Bad Idea

Through the large windows, Chyler watched as the flashing red and blue lights bathed the school compound. Each step they took to observe protocol unfolded in her mind, one step ahead of the action as it was deeply rooted in her head from years of practice. The only difference now was that she was on the opposite side of the yellow crime scene tape.

The once lively union had fractured into murmurs, tears, and stunned silences. The Captain barked orders as uniformed officers moved around the crowd taking witness accounts. Beside her, Capri shook still in shock. Chyler gathered her closer, wrapping her arms around her.

"You are okay," she murmured. "One breath at a time, okay?"

"No," Capri whispered. "I'm really not."

"They are going to want to take your statement since you were first on the scene. Do you think you can handle that right now?" she asked gently and clearly. "If you can't, that's okay. No one is going to force you to, okay?"

"Lee!" The Captain's voice thundered behind them. They both turned. He had his expression pointed sharp at them. "A word?" he asked then, "Mrs Channing, right?" Capri nodded. "An officer is going to take your statement. It would help if you give him everything you know."

"I don't think she is in a state to do that, Captain. Please, give her a minute."

"Need I remind you that you have no business getting in the way, Lee?" Captain Navarro asked as he expressed away. "Walk with me, now."

Chyler sighed then stepped away from Capri after giving her a soft look of reassurance. She raised her eyebrows. "Need my statement, Captain?"

"I need you to remember what suspended means," Captain Navarro said, his voice low and flat. "You turned in your badge. You are not here on any official capacity. What were your hands doing on the victim?"

"I was the first officer on scene! Was I supposed to just stand around instead of getting him out of the water? What if he was still alive?"

"The guy was dead for at least two hours, Lee. And that was even before he hit the water."

"What? What are you trying to say?" The Captain's face rested, falling into defensive mode. "Captain?"

"What I'm trying to say is that this could have been just a little bit more that a reunion. And until it is ruled out otherwise, everyone who was here is a suspect, including you."

She scoffed, stunned by his statement and shook her head. "How am I—"

"You really want to help, Lee? Maybe do so by keeping a close eye on Mrs Channing. Something about her doesn't settle well with me.

"Capri?" Chyler's jaw tightened. "She was first on the scene but that doesn't mean that she had anything to do with it."

"And how would you know that, Lee? Were you with her throughout the evening?" he cocked a brow. Chyler sighed, her gaze falling to the ground briefly. "Just as I thought," Captain Navarro went on. "Stay close, don't tip her off and don't play cop."

He turned and walked off before she could respond.

Chyler watched from a distance as Capri gave her statement, the conversation she'd just had with the captain turning in her head. She didn't like any of this. Being sidelined, being used to... what, babysit? That was the part that puzzled her the most. Even though it had been years, she didn't think Capri was anything close to dangerous.

Immediately the officer finished talking to her, Capri walked away and disappeared into the crowd. Chyler was about to follow but she was stopped for a brief moment to give her own recount of this. After she was released, she went looking for Capri.

She found her on the rooftop after a few minutes of asking around, sitting on the edge looking like something out of a tragic film. The lights around the school compound reflected in her glassy eyes. Her golden hair looked like silver in the moonlight. She didn't turn when Chyler approached but just kept staring out over the trees and the quiet, dark stretch of the sky.

"Hey?" Chyler said and Capri jumped, startled and turned. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you? You okay?"

Capri let out a small, broken laugh. "That's the question of the night, isn't it?"

Chyler sat beside her, their shoulders close but barely touching. "You shouldn't be up here alone."

"I didn't want anyone see me fall apart. And it's not like I could go home." Capri glanced sideways, to her. "I guess I don't care if you do."

"Lucky me," Chyler offered a tiny smile. A beat passed, silence falling between them as Capri once again flicked her gaze into the vast emptiness. "Where is Caden?" she asked carefully to keep her voice even.

Capri's jaw tensed. "Who knows? I haven't seen him in over an hour. He is probably somewhere with his buddies bragging about their riches, discussing women... unaware of everything going on right now." Silence fell again, this time heavier, making the situation feel even more real. "I didn't know you knew Jason well," Capri added after a moment, her tone softer.

"He actually asked me out once in Sophomore year," Chyler said with a light chuckle.

Capri turned, her face lighting up in astonishment. "Jason Wyler? No way! Everyone knew you were—"

"Gay?" Chyler asked with a shrug. "Yeah. But this was during one of those... denial phases. I figured dating the straightest swim team captain might snap me into normal."

Capri turned to her, completely stunned. "That's just... wow."

"Right?" Chyler chuckled. "It didn't work. I froze up on the second date when he tried to kiss me. I told him that I had food poisoning."

Capri laughed— really laughed this time. The sound traveled through the air around them, hanging around Chyler snuggly and she had to smile. It was nice seeing her let go like that, especially after what she had just gone through. She watched her wipe at her face, even though no tears had fallen.

"Why though?" Capri asked eventually, glancing at her. "You were always so bold. You didn't care what people thought."

Chyler furrowed her brows. "You are kidding, right? You were the bold one. Confident, untouchable. You walked through the hallways like a Vogue cover come to life."

Capri shook her head, her gaze falling. "It was all fake. Every bit of it was. I was scared of everything— of being wrong, of not fitting into the mold. And now..." Her voice dropped as she lifted her face back to her again. "I'm still playing the same part. Just on a bigger stage."

Chyler studied her, her heart leaping to her chest. "What do you mean?"

Capri looked at her then— really looked. Their eyes locked like magnets, the silence between them louder than any scream.

"If I could go back," Capri whispered. "There are so many things I'd do differently."

The air between them shifted to electric, fragile, and full of ghosts. Chyler's heart pounded. She could taste the tension, warm, intoxicating, and terrifying. She didn't move. But Capri did, pressing her lips intently on hers.

The kiss was soft at first, hesitant but sure. It deepened slowly, to raw and real like something long buried clawing its way to the surface. Chyler's breath caught, and for a moment she let it happen. She let herself feel.

Then, like a smack into her senses, she pulled back, her eyes wide. "You are married, Capri."

"And we both liked it."

"Capri, this is a bad idea."

"Even the best ones are never good enough," Capri said, her gaze unwavering. "Isn't that what you once told me?"

"We were just kids and stupid."

"You don't really believe that, Chy," Capri insisted, leaning only a few inches from her face. "Do you?" she added in a whisper, but her eyes held a bold challenge.

Chyler stared into those eyes tensely. Her lip quivered and her stomach turned into a warzone of nerves. Her lips burned, her fingers itching to reach out to Capri and kiss her again.

"Capri?" They both turned to the sound of the voice, pulling away from each other suddenly. Caden. He stood near the rooftop door, looking at them. "Our ride is here. Let's go."

Capri didn't move or answer. Instead, she turned to Chyler, resting her gaze on hers again calmly. Chyler sighed hard without meaning to.

"I'll see you around," Capri said quietly then got up.

She was gone before Chy could even process what had just happened. Back to her perfect lie of a life with her perfect husband, leaving Chyler on the roof, her

lips burning with both questions she didn't dare ask, and the feeling of Capri's lips pressed on hers.