The Grudge

Amber

 3/1/2020 2:03 am Hi

2:05 am I know I’m probably the last person you want to talk to right now

Charlotte

2:14 am Then why are you texting me

Amber

2: 15 am I have some bad news

2:15 am and this was the only way I knew of to reach you

Charlotte

2:17 am Ok

Amber

2:18 am Craig… passed away yesterday

2:19 am I figured the team had a right to know

2:19 am Including you

Charlotte

2:22 am Wtf, are you serious?

Amber

2:23 am Yeah

Charlotte

…. (Charlotte is typing)

Amber

2:27 am We’re having a memorial service for him on Friday

Charlotte

2:29 am Where at?

Amber

2:31 am You remember that one tree he always wanted to hang out at?

Charlotte

2:33 am Yeah. That’s where you’re doing a memorial service?

Amber

2:34 am Well it’s a private one, for us

Charlotte

2:35 am Ok

Amber

2:37 am Will you come?

Charlotte

2:39 am Is James going to be there?

Amber

2:40 am Yes, everyone’s coming

Charlotte

2:43 am Then I’m not sure.

Amber

2:44 am Please come, Charlotte

2:44 am I’m afraid if you don’t you’ll regret it

Charlotte

2:52 am I’ll think about it.

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Charlotte

 3/2/2020 11:45 am Hey what time did you say the memorial is?

Amber

11:46 am 7 pm 

11:46 am Does that mean you’re coming?

Charlotte

11:55 am Yeah

11:56 am Unless I change my mind again

Amber

11:57 am Good. I’ll see you then.

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Ricky

3/2/2020 2:45 pm Hey. I heard you’re coming to Craig’s memorial service. 

Charlotte

2: 55 pm I *might* be.

Ricky

2: 56 pm We really want you here. 

2:57 pm But if it’s too uncomfortable, I understand.

Charlotte

3:10 pm It’s gonna be uncomfortable either way

Ricky

3:11 pm I guess that’s true

Charlotte

3:23 pm I’m never forgiving James for what he did to me

Ricky

3:25 pm I know. 

3:26 pm But Craig would want us all there

Charlotte

4:01 pm Yeah he would

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Amber

5:01 pm So I think I finally convinced Kelli to come to the memorial

Ricky

5:03 pm Really? That’s great

5:04 pm I better warn James she might be there

Amber

5:06 pm I wish this wasn’t so complicated

Ricky

5:08 pm I know

5:08 pm Craig wouldn’t have wanted this

Amber

5:11 pm No, he wouldn’t. 

5:12 pm Great now I’m crying again

Ricky

5:13 pm I’m sorry

Amber

5:17 pm I wish you were here

Ricky

5:21 pm I wish I was there too

5:22 pm But I’ll be there tomorrow 

Amber

5:24 pm I know.

5:25 pm That’s the only thing getting me through this right now 

Ricky

5:27 pm I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with all this alone

5:29 pm I should have been there

Amber

5:31 pm It’s not your fault you got called on assignment right before he died

Ricky

5:34 pm Yeah

5:35 pm Did the police ever find anything out?

Amber

5:37 pm No. As far as anyone knows he died in a car accident

Ricky

5:29 pm Good

5:30 pm The last thing we need right now is a bunch of cops breathing down our necks

5:32 pm What about the files?

Amber

5:34 pm They’re long gone.

Ricky

5:37 pm How did we ever survive without you?

Amber

5:38 pm Oh shut up

Ricky

5:39 pm I have to go. My mark is moving.

5:39 pm I love you.

Amber

5:40 pm I love you too.

5:41 pm Be safe. 

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Ricky

11:22 pm So Kelli is probably coming to the service tomorrow

James

11:24 pm Oh really

Ricky

11:30 pm Yeah

11:32 pm But you have to promise to be civil

James

11:37 pm Allison’s making you say this, isn’t she?

Ricky

11:38 pm No, we all want it

James

11:41 pm Right.

Ricky

11:43 pm Please James. 

11:44 pm You can put the past aside for one evening

James

11:48 pm I guess.

Ricky

11:51 pm This isn’t about you 

11:52 pm It’s about Craig and saying goodbye and we all deserve a chance to do that

James

11:57 pm Yeah ok

11:58 pm I’ll be good.

Ricky

11:59 pm Thank you. 

11:59 pm I’ll see you there.

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Amber

3/3/2020 at 6:57 pm Are you close?

Charlotte

6:58 pm Yeah maybe 5 minutes out

Amber

6:59 pm Ok. I’ll tell them to wait.

Charlotte

7:01 pm K.

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Amber

3/4/2020 at 11:20 am It was really good to see you yesterday

Charlotte

11:28 am Yeah, it was good to see you too

11:30 am You and Ricky are really cute together

Amber

11:31 am Oh thanks

11:33 am It was kind of like having the old team back together, huh?

Charlotte

11:37 am It will never feel like the old team without Craig

Amber

11:38 am Yeah I know

11:40 am Well anyway Ricky and I were talking and we wondered if you’d like to come over sometime?

Charlotte

11:47 am Come over where?

Amber

11:49 am … to our house?

Charlotte

11:53 am You guys live together?

Amber

11:54 am Yeah. He moved in about a year ago I guess it was

Charlotte

11:57 am Oh

11:59 am I don’t know about that.

Amber

12:01 pm What is it? Is it because of James? Because we’re still friends with him?

Charlotte

12:09 pm It’s everything, Amber. 

12:10 pm It’s the fact that James, fucking James, is still here but Craig is gone.

12:11 pm It’s the fact that I was left with nothing, and had to pick up the pieces alone, while you and Ricky get to live out a perfect little fairytale. 

12:12 pm It’s the fact that our “team” is not a team anymore. And we never will be. 

Amber

12:14 pm Wow.

12:15 pm I don’t even know what to say. 

Charlotte

…..

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Amber

6/3/2020 at 9:01 am Hi Charlotte

9:02 am I know it’s been a long time. 

9:04 am And you probably won’t even answer me. 

9:05 am But I wanted to let you know that I miss you. Ok. That’s all.

Charlotte

10:05 am Hi Amber, I think you have the wrong number. My name is Cynthia and I don’t know a Charlotte.

Amber

10:06 am Oh, I’m sorry.

Cynthia

10:08 am No problem

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Amber

10:21 am Did you know that Charlotte changed her number?

Ricky

10:23 am No

10:24 am Wow, when did she do that?

Amber

10:25 am I don’t know. 

10:25 am I tried to text her today and it wasn’t her

Ricky

10:27 am Hmm.

Amber

10:31 am Have you heard from James lately?

Ricky

10:33 am No. Why?

Amber

10:35 am I don’t know. I just have this feeling something bad is going on.

Ricky

10:36 am Like what?

Amber

10:39 am Do you remember what happened the last time she disappeared?

Ricky

10:42 am We don’t know that she’s trying to disappear.

Amber

10:44 am Why else would she change her number?

Ricky

10:47 am Because she didn’t want any of us to contact her?

Amber

10:48 am No. It’s more than that.

10:49 am This is exactly what she did before Bolivia.

Ricky

10:52 am I think you’re making too big of a deal out of this

Amber

10:56 am I hope you’re right

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Ricky

9/11/2020 at 12:15 pm Did you see the news today?

Amber

12:16 pm Um, which one?

Ricky

12:17 pm London Times

Amber

12:18 pm No

12:18 pm Hang on, looking it up now

Ricky

12:19 pm It’s the front story.

12:19 pm Oh my god Amber. 

12:20 pm You were right. 

Amber

12:24 pm You think this is them?

Ricky

12:25 pm It has to be. 

12:26 pm It happened in London. 

12:26 pm That’s the last place I know he was for sure

Amber

12:28 pm I… can’t believe she would do this though

Ricky

12:29 pm Read the whole story

Amber

12:32 pm Ohmygod. 

12:33 pm It has her signature.

Ricky

12:34 pm I know

Amber

12:36 pm You’re right. It was her. 

12:36 pm She killed James. 

12:37 pm I can’t believe this.

Ricky

12:39 pm I guess there was really no other way for it to end

Amber

12:40 pm Ricky. It says she got away.

Ricky

12:42 pm Yeah. So?

Amber

12:43 pm What if… she’s coming for us next?

Ricky

12:44 pm You think she would really do that?

Amber

12:46 pm Yesterday I wouldn’t have. Now I think she’s capable of anything.

Ricky

12:47 pm Fuck.

12:48 pm Start packing.

12:48 pm I’m coming home. 

Amber

12:50 pm Where are we going to go?

Ricky

12:51 pm I’m not sure yet

12:53 pm Choose an alias and burn the rest

Amber

12:54 pm What? Why wouldn’t we take them?

Ricky

12:55 pm Because she knows all of them. 

Amber

12:57 pm God… ok I’m burning them.

12:59 pm What if she knows where you are? What if she comes after you now?

Ricky

1:01 pm Don’t worry about that. I’ll be home in 17 minutes. 

1:01 pm Be ready.

Amber

1:02 pm I am 

Ricky

1:03 pm I’m so sorry baby

1:04 pm I never wanted this for us

Amber

1:05 pm I know

1:05 pm I’m really scared

Ricky

1:07 pm We’re gonna be ok 

1:07 pm This is what we’ve been trained for. 

Amber

1:08 pm Yeah. So has she.

1:10 pm Ok. The house is clean.

Ricky

1:11 pm Good. So is my office.

Amber

1:12 pm I can’t believe this is really happening 

1:12 pm I can’t believe we have to run again. I thought we were done with this life.

Ricky

1:13 pm I know, and I’m sorry. 

1:14 pm But you know what we have to do

Amber

1:15 pm Burn everything. 

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