Chapter 4
The kitchen was quiet that morning, with only the aroma of freshly brewed mocha wafting through the air. Dad had made coffee. I couldn't sleep last night; I had spent the night in tears, grappling with the reality of losing my friend.
My parents were silent at dinner, but I could sense that Mom had an inkling of what was going on. But she didn't ask; she gave me space.
How was I supposed to act on the bus? I couldn't even bring myself to sip the coffee. The thought of staying in bed seemed comforting, but I never missed school—I wasn't a rule breaker, not yet, anyway.
I grabbed my backpack and headed out, walking. Marco was nowhere to be found.
“What happened to your eyes?” Emily asked, concern etched on her face.
“Nothing, Marco and I just had a fight,” I replied.
“Whoa. I've never seen you fight before. This must be serious.” Inside, I was screaming, but I kept my cool on the outside. The bus arrived, and we settled into our usual seats at the back. Marco didn't show up.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Emily asked, placing her hand over mine.
“No,” I snapped.
“Okay, but if you change your mind, I'm here for you.”
“I know.”
“What a shitty start to the school year,” she said, and we both nodded in agreement.
“Oh, by the way, Jessica is back from her family vacation. She texted me about meeting this afternoon,” Emily said, hoping for my approval.
“I'm just not feeling up to it right now.”
“We could come over to your place and maybe watch a movie or something.” That didn't sound like a bad idea. It might help me take my mind off things.
I enjoyed when Emily and Jessica came over; my mom usually made us snacks or left something in the fridge if she wasn't around. We would chat about boys, gossip about town happenings, or just dance and read if we were feeling tired.
“Uh, maybe. Can I let you know later?” I asked.
“Sure, I'll text Jess.” She pulled out her phone and began typing.
“So, what happened with the principal yesterday?” she suddenly asked.
I recounted the events in minimal detail, and Emily listened intently, her eyes wide.
I wanted to talk about anything but Marco to distract myself.
“That's really creepy. What kind of prank is that?” she said after hearing about my name written everywhere.
“Your name written a thousand times? Whoa, that's unsettling.
But how can you be certain it's a thousand?”
“I can't; I just guessed. I looked around, counted how many times it was written vertically and then horizontally, and multiplied the two. It seemed like a rough estimate.” I realized it sounded even creepier than I intended.
I couldn't tell her everything; voicing it would make it all too real.
I was holding onto a secret, and I wasn't ready to share it.
As we stepped into the school, all eyes were fixed on us—more specifically, on me. Did they all know what was written? Or was it something else?
We hurried to class, and the stares continued. Once seated, I could sense the hesitation in the air; they wanted to ask something. The two sisters from The Holy Trinity sent Johnny over, who approached us with visible reluctance.
He was small and slender, with dark blond hair that partially obscured his face, and while he had a unique sense of style, the braces on his teeth gave him an awkward appearance.
“Hey,” he said, stopping in front of my desk.
“Hey,” I replied, looking up at him.
“So, what happened? Is it true about the name?” A hush fell over the classroom as everyone leaned in to listen. I nodded, and a wave of shock rippled through the room. “So it was all written in blood?” he pressed on.
“What?” I raised my voice to regain the attention of the class. Emily erupted into uncontrollable laughter. “Are you out of your mind? Who told you that?” I snapped at him, my frustration bubbling over.
“It's all over the school, and it's not like we can see it ourselves. The door's locked, and the windows are taped.” He looked taken aback.
“It was written in black marker, not blood,” I scoffed.
I could see the disappointment in their eyes as they drifted back to their usual conversations, as if it was no big deal, something that would fade by tomorrow.
Maybe it would, but I knew I wouldn't forget.
Now, I had even more questions swirling in my mind.
I was shocked by how swiftly rumors spread and how readily everyone accepted them as truth. My gaze shifted to Emily, who appeared to be deep in thought.
“How are you holding up, by the way? About… you know,” I asked cautiously, not wanting to say too much in case anyone was listening in.
“I try not to think about it. There's really nothing I can do. Maybe I should confront Jake…” She glanced at me, her eyes searching for support in mine.
“I really don't think that's a good idea, Em,” I replied firmly, genuinely concerned for her.
“What if they try to blackmail me?” The weight of her words hung in the air, and we both froze. I hadn't considered that possibility; we had a pact: secrets for secrets.
“If they do, I'll just go to the principal and tell them about the art lab. We're in this together; they won't dare,” I tried to sound convincing, even though doubt crept into my mind.
At lunch, we found ourselves in the courtyard.
Some were lounging on benches, others sprawled on the grass or leaning against trees, while a few stood chatting.
I couldn't eat; my stomach churned at the sight of the Vipers and their cruel grins.
Clous sent Emily an exaggerated kiss, his tongue flicking out in a grotesque display as he brought two fingers to his mouth.
“I can't stay here,” Emily said, her voice trembling as she dashed inside, tears welling in her eyes.
“Emily, wait!” I called out, running after her. I caught her hand and pulled her into a comforting hug. “Hey, just ignore them,” I murmured, though I knew I would probably react even worse if I were in her shoes.
“Is this how it's going to be from now on? Someone will definitely connect the dots,” she said, pulling back to meet my gaze, her cheeks glistening with tears.
“So what? Let them think whatever they want. They'll assume you slept with him, and?” I shrugged, trying to downplay the situation.
“How could I have been so stupid?” She buried her face in her hands, overwhelmed.
“How did you even end up together?” I asked, genuinely curious since she had never shared that part of her story. We settled on the stairs next to the wall. She stared down, playing with her fingers.
“It happened after we returned from the camping trip.
There was a party nearby that Jessica wanted badly to attend, and I felt the same way.
I asked you if you wanted to join us, but you said you were going to hang out with Marco.
So, we went without you. It was an outdoor event, packed with people.
I lost track of Jessica in the crowd, and then someone approached me from behind.
I turned around and saw Jake. Oh my God, he was so damn hot.
He asked me to dance, nothing more, and flashed that perfect white smile of his.
I thought a dance wouldn't hurt since Jessica was nowhere to be found—I figured she had found a guy and was likely off making out somewhere.
Then he kissed me, and it felt like the ground had vanished beneath my feet.
It was exquisite; I had never experienced anything like it before.
No one had ever kissed me that way. After that, he suggested we take a walk to chat, and we did.
We had what I believed was a genuinely great conversation.
Then he kissed me again, and before I knew it, five minutes later, I was tearing off his clothes in a car that wasn't even his. He was with some friends, a few of whom were older. For me, it felt like something deeper; I trusted him completely…” She curled up, resting her forehead on her knees.
Did she just admit she had feelings for him?
I couldn't bring myself to say it out loud.
“I like him; I always have. I just never mentioned it because we were supposed to hate them all.
But when I saw my chance, I took it. I couldn't help myself,” she confessed, searching for understanding in my eyes.
“I don't know what to say. I had no idea, and I'm sorry.” I thought I knew my friend well, but she had been dropping hints that I missed. I always assumed she was careless, but here she was, falling for a guy, and I hadn't even noticed. I guessed we all had our secrets to keep…
“I promise you, he didn't have time to start recording. I was right there; I would have seen it,” she insisted, her gaze filled with a flicker of hope that it was all just a misunderstanding.
“Maybe he set it up before that…” I replied, the realization hitting me like a sharp blade. That implication suggested it was all a game, a carefully orchestrated trap. Her eyes widened in shock at my suggestion.
“No, that's impossible. It can't be true. I refuse to believe it,” she replied, her voice trembling with pain, and I was the one responsible for that.
On the bus ride home, we decided to listen to some music. I thought we both needed a moment to process everything that had just happened. I had unintentionally hurt her feelings with my assumptions, and there was really nothing I could say to mend things at that moment.
“Are you coming over to my place today?” I asked as we stepped off the bus.
“I'll text you,” she replied, walking away.
“Alright,” I said, watching her go. Could it be that I was on the verge of losing not just one, but two friends in the span of two days?