iii.  ᵍ⋅ ᵃᶜᵒˢᵗᵃ⋅           

^{when gustavo arrived in lakewood with his father,  he was  ALL  ALONE .    not many people found him exactly approachable.   and back in phoenix  ,   most avoided him due to the fact that he was a walking reminder that kyle was shot in the face and that he may have been responsible,  accident or not .   but they didn’t know that he was simply trying to keep his memory alive in his mind:  through his art.  nobody quite understood his unconventional way of dealing with the realities of life ,   so he didn’t try to explain.   to have a group of people willing to be his friend on some level was more than enough .  the reputation and aura of pure tragedy and betrayal that surrounded brooke and her friends did not scare him like it might have scared others .    and all previous fascination with it aside,  it was obvious that each of them were much more than a ranking .}   

 ^{❛      you don’t have to apologize .    i sorta asked for it in a way ,   didn’t i ?   got myself involved ,  started my graphic novel ,    never went away when you asked me to .   ❜}  

&   ^{though   she   was   one   of   those   very   people  /  just   before   murderville’s   reign   of   terror  continued  —  there’s   guilt   felt,   for   she   knows   classmates   are   correct.  (  everyone   who   comes   around   you   dies.  )   the   boy   has   seen   her   bare ; she   allowed   the   woes   of   boyfriend   trauma  & father   issues   come   into   play   within   his   very   presence  ——  he   deserved   a   barrel   of   respect,   a   bona   fide   acceptance.}  

she   holds   a   heavy   heart  ; ^{growing   within   her   from   the   very   first   act   of   bloodshed.   all   that   carnage,   all   those   victims   ripped   from   their   youth  ——  it’s   left   an   evermore   amount   of   crimson   on   her   hands.}  & ^{for   that,   she   holds   a   sense   of   concern.   the   horrors   of   a   cutthroat’s   blade,   whether   you’re   held   beneath   it   or   surrounded   by   anecdotes   of   it, ————  it   can   hold   a   grasp on   your   psyche.   their   innocence   has   been   ripped   from   under   them  //  gloom   building   a   house   within.}

^{there’s   a   sigh,   a   tightening   of   petals   following   when   her   own   thoughts   have   killed   the   night.  
       ❝  I   guess.   it   can   just   be  —  well,   it’s   scary,   you   know?   almost   being   killed   from   some                                          psycho   in   a   mask,  it   can   mess   with   your   head.  ❞}
&   ^{it   certainly   has,   fingers   lingering   above   her   scars.}