Summer kills
Per Square 1.12

"Friendships?" Ruby scoffed at Liam's incredulous expression. "Our friendships are as genuine as Maddie's so-called affection for Jake. We have sold our loyalties to the highest bidder and our moralities are nothing more than mere commodities."

Jake choked on his champagne and Maddie's cheeks flushed a deep red as all eyes turned to them. Ethan let out a low whistle while Olivia couldn't hide the tiny smirk playing on her lips.

Ethan frowned at her words, his bravado momentarily slipping. He looked at Ruby - really looked at her took in her tear-streaked face, the hurt in her eyes and for the first time felt a pang of uneasiness creeping up his spine. Turning back towards Liam who was watching this spectacle unfold with an unreadable expression, Ruby continued, "And you, Liam. You're the worst of us all." Her voice wavered on his name, the betrayal still too fresh. "You faked emotions and played with my heart just to make your life a little more interesting."

"No Ruby," Liam retaliated, his usually cool demeanor replaced by borderline anger. "That's where you're wrong. I never faked anything with you."

"Then why..." Ruby's voice diminished into a whisper, her question hanging in the air like an unfinished sentence.

Before Liam could respond, the clock chimed again, each toll echoing against the vast expanse of the room. The echo was deafening in the silence that followed Ruby's outburst. Each chime was a reminder of their facade crumbling down, of their perfect world coming to an end.

As the echoes of the chiming clock faded away into nothingness, they were left with their reflections staring back at them - raw and unfiltered. Their glamorous personas stripped away to reveal their ugly truths. The pretense was up and they were forced to confront who they truly were beneath their perfect facades: just a bunch of rich kids afraid of facing reality.

Jake was the first to break the silence, letting out a bitter laugh. "Well, aren't we all just a pack of hypocrites," he sneered, glaring at Maddie who was still blushing furiously. "We're all so busy judging one another that we fail to see our own faults."

Olivia's eyes flashed at Jake's words. There was a certain ferocity in her gaze as she rose from her seat, her impeccable Chanel dress shimmering in the dim light. "And what does that make you, Jake? A saint?" she questioned, her tone icy. "No," Jake admitted, his hands clenched into tight fists. "I'm far from it. But at least I don't pretend to be something I'm not." His gaze met each one of them in turn and then landed back on Olivia; his cold blue eyes burning with raw emotions.

An unsettling silence descended over them once again as they digested Jake's words, each one of them reflecting on their own actions and the roles they played in this tale of deception and pretence. The echoing chime of the clock had long ceased but the ticking lingered like a ticking bomb waiting to explode.

Ruby finally spoke up, her voice devoid of the usual playful lilt. "But we are who we are," she stated simply. "We're born into this life of privilege and we didn't ask for it."

"Doesn't mean we shouldn't take responsibility for our actions," Maddie replied softly but firmly, meeting Ruby's gaze with a newfound conviction.

Ruby looked at each one of them - Ethan's calculating eyes, Maddie's earnestness, Jake's bitterness, Olivia's fierce defensiveness and Ruby's resigned acceptance. She herself felt an odd combination of pain and liberation; pain from the cruel truth she had unveiled and liberation from the pretenses she had discarded.

"As much as I hate to admit it," Ethan began, breaking the silence once again. "Ruby has a point. We have been pretending. We're so much entangled in this web of deceit that we've forgotten who we really are."

"You mean who we were," Liam corrected, his voice weighed down with regret. There was an unspoken confession in his words which made Ruby's heart wrench. His gaze met hers and she saw the truth in them - a truth that was too late.

As the clock struck one, the room echoed with another haunting chime, this time more ominous than before. The truths they had laid bare were now part of their broken reality. Their lives of superficial friendships and pretend affections had been replaced by raw emotions and harsh confessions; their youthful naivety replaced by a newfound understanding of their own nature.

Each one of them knew that things could never go back to how they were before this night. Their masks had fallen off and their true selves couldn't be hidden anymore, forced to confront the harsh reality of their privileged yet hollow lives. Their friendships may still be broken, their loyalties still questioned, but for the first time they came face-to-face with who they truly were: rich kids playing at life with no understanding of its true worth. But maybe, just maybe, they could begin to rectify their past mistakes and step out from underneath the shadow of their wealth.

Jake was the first one to leave the room, his face a blank canvas hiding the bitter turmoil within. He didn't say a word, just stood up and left, leaving an uncomfortable silence in his wake. His exit seemed to signal the end of their confrontation, as one by one they all stood up, preparing to disperse.

Ethan cast a last glance at Ruby before heading towards the door. His gaze held a depth of unspoken words - of apology, of regret, but most importantly, recognition of the harsh truths that has been laid bare.

Ruby watched as her friends dispersed into their separate corners of the vast mansion. The chilling silence that followed seemed even more deafening than before. It was as if the entire place was grieving; lamenting for the loss of innocence and naive frivolities that once filled its hallways.

An hour later found Ruby alone on the terrace of their lavish home, staring into the starless night. She was alone with her thoughts and feelings she didn't quite understand. The confrontations and confessions seemed like a distant memory now, replaced by the heaviness inside her heart.