All Chapters of Quicksand: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

 Venus took him away from the field and they ended up in an indoor swimming pool. She acted like she didn't see the closed sign as slipped through the window at the side of the building that just happened to be cracked open. She opened the front door for him with a Cheshire cat grin. "We are trespassing!" Jules hissed even though he had already stepped into the foyer looking around. "Do you really think someone will catch us?" She smirked. "Mind reader, remember?""What if another Jules comes along and you can't read him until he find us?"She laughed then, boy did she laugh like he had uttered the craziest thing. Jules never wanted it to stop because just being there, hearing it—made a part of him light up inside like a fucking bonfire and suddenly, the world was a beautiful place. "You're the only Jules, in the whole fucking universe and don't you forget!"Fuck my life 

 Jules didn't die—he wasn't all that certain though.Although his limbs were still attached to his body, his heart, stomach, and ego had taken some serious clobbering.The drive to Oakville's annual fair was just half an hour and during that time Jules thought he just might die."Jules!" Venus had screamed when his hold on her neared suffocating. "You're crushing me!""Ah, sorry." He'd said loosening his grip. Just a little."You know," she'd slowed down for a second, turning her head to give him a backward glance, visor up. "If I didn't see it for myself in people's heads I wouldn't have ever believed you were Oakville's very own heartthrob/football star. I mean aren't you supposed to be all male with testosterone oozing out of your pores."OuchJules had responded with. "Keep your eyes on the road."

 There was a hole in Jules's chest. Literally, figuratively? He wasn't sure, all he knew was Venus was not awake and—He. Couldn't. Breathe.The lack of oxygen in his lungs wasn't because the hospital room he sat in was bursting with people, it wasn't because he was trapped between the man who accidentally cushioned Venus's fall, probably saving her from dying instantly and David.It was because Venus was not awake. It had been 13 hours. 13 hours since she fell, 13 hours since they transported her to the hospital, 13 hours since she opened her eyes, 13 hours since Jules smiled, 13 hours since Jules breathed."Dude," David said after another hour of Jules asphyxiating. "Do you need an inhaler or something? You're breathing kinda funny."Or something, Jules thought. Or Venus. Just Venus.

Trigger warning: depression, suicide It took three seconds for the smile on Venus's face to melt away. Three seconds for her to fall apart. Three seconds for Jules to realize what a fool he was.Just three seconds.Venus laid back down on the bed gasping. Jules came closer hovering unsure what to do, where to touch, how to make it all better. Their eyes met for a second.And he was reminded of the unrealistic Bollywood movies his mom loved to watch. Where the actress always had makeup on, no matter the scenario. Wake up from bed? Flawless. Get hit by a car? Flawless. Venus looked the opposite of that.She looked-worn, tired, pale and small. There was a big lump under the sheet that happened to be her leg. There were a lot fewer wires than the last time he saw her. The bridge of her cheek was kissed by a painful bruise.She smiled, eyes glassy a watery smile. "You're such a crybaby," she squinted at him

"Things started going down the hill from there. My parents were getting into more arguments because of me. My grades plummeted; even football had lost its little appeal. I started having nightmares where Manju found out the truth.Everything stopped though when Manju went missing. I was worried, of course, I was worried but deep down...I was relieved. Glad she was gone. In the process of trying not to breaking her heart, of making her happy I was unhappy. I began to hate her for being delusional, hate her for being so fragile and naive. I hated Inu even more, I broke it off with her once Manju was gone.""I finally felt a semblance of peace," His voice sounded very far away, thick with tears. "They found Manju a month later or should I say they found her body. She was no longer a she but now an 'it'. I remembered seeing police cars zipping by but there was no case. Manju had drowned herself in Malarpon River jumping off the waterfall, a few miles from here.""I