Piece of Cake

Hi, my name is Davis.

JEREMY: Weren't you twenty-two last year?

It's my birthday.

ME: No, I was nineteen last year. This year I'm twenty-two.
JEREMY: But I'm going to be twenty-two this year.
ME: Wow, pretty soon you'll be older than me.

Past birthdays have been a little on the dramatic side--what with me getting plastered and confessing my love for my best friend to my boyfriend at the time.

This year, we're going to try to keep things to a dull roar.

We were all at Jeremy's getting ready before going out to Slice.

BILLY: Wouldn't a dull roar be a night in with a movie?
ME: Last time I checked, I'm twenty-two, not dead.
JACKSON: Plus, Davis has a lot to celebrate. He survived a near-assassination attempt, remember?
NATHAN: We all did.
JEREMY: I still wish I knew who told the Wilde Blog where we were.
ME: That happens to be my next order of business. As soon as I find out who writes that blog, they're going to turn into a social Chernobyl.
VOICE: Birthday cake!

Paige came out of the kitchen with a little cake for me.

She's adorable. Why can't the world have more people like her in it?

PAIGE: We're all going to sing!
ME: Great. Just let me leave the room first.
PAIGE: Move and I cut you with my cake knife. Okay! Here we go! I'll take the high parts!

After the singing, we headed out to meet the rest of the boys at Slice.

Unfortunately for me, the CBQ's weren't the only boys there.

Four police officers were waiting outside Slice with sirens lit up.

JACKSON: I wonder if Carter's been street-walking again.
ME: There better not have been a fight. If they close Slice down on my birthday, I'm going to be the one in the back of that car.

When we all got out, the police approached me.

It didn't occur to me that this might be about Travis. After all, he's a well-known guy. Maybe Adam's uncle forgot to put the stones on his ankles before they tossed him in the river.

...Just speculation.

POLICE OFFICER: You Jeremy?
ME: Huh?
JEREMY: No, Officer, that's me.
POLICE OFFICER: This your brother, Jackson?
JACKSON: Uh...yes.
PAIGE: And I'm their sister. What's going on?
POLICE OFFICER: The three of you are under arrest.
JEREMY: What? What for?
POLICE OFFICER: The murder of your stepfather.
JACKSON: Christopher?

That was when we looked in the backseat and saw Joan banging against the window.

POLICE OFFICER: We pulled over your mother for speeding, and we found blood in her trunk. Your stepfather's been reported missing. If that blood matches his, then you're all going to be prime suspects in his murder.
JACKSON: Officer, is there anyway our mother can take the fall for us?
POLICE OFFICER: You have the right to remain silent--

And so I watched my best friend, his brother, and Paige being put into handcuffs.

Before Jeremy went into the cop car, he looked at me with panic in his eyes.

JEREMY: Davis, if there's anything you can do--
ME: I'll get you out. I promise.

Should be a piece of cake, right?