Scream

Reyna Copulas

At lunch, everyone sits at a table together, which is odd. That means that Dellamight actually is done calling Maren my "freak friend." With a tray of food, I manoeuvre around kids in the cafeteria to the table. My friends wave at me and signal for me to go over. I smile and speed my pace up. Then Aero surpasses me and sits down at the last available chair. That's when I realize they weren't even waving at me, but Aero. So, the new kid finally filled in a gap: mine. I look at the back of his head and imagine telling him I talked to his brother. That I agreed to go with him to the Spring Carnival and he told me that he wished he could mend things with him. 

Tentatively, I venture to the table. The laughter and smiles all stop when I arrive. Everyone looks down at their food to avoid eye contact with me. Even Aero. Hey, Aero, I'm going on a date with your half-brother. Maren shuffles green beans with her fork. Della just looks down. Allister leans on her hand and glances at Aero, who texts someone on his phone. Everyone gives me the cold shoulder and Hanzo is my only hope. "Hanzo?"I ask. 

Slowly, he looks up to me, dark eyes even and balanced like he is. "Where were you last night?"

 "I was on my way, I even brought coffee for you all...there was a man on the road who needed help-" 

 "A hitchhiker?" Della freaks out. "You didn't come to my house because of a hitchhiker?"

"No!" I shout back. "He was bleeding and cut and he needed to go to the hospital." 

 "You could've come afterwards," Maren quietly protests.

I'm at a loss for words. I've known Maren since elementary school. We were practically born holding hands and braiding each other's hair. Now she's turned against me because she finally fits in? Why couldn't common teen drama happen after the murders and kidnappings?

"Mare..." I whisper. "It would've been midnight, and we had school the next day."

 Della speaks next. "I kind of figured you were selfish, Reyna. But now you confirmed it."

"Del, I didn't show up because I was being selfless.

Hanzo grabs my hand. "Just give everyone time."

"I found something in my car," I tell everyone. "It's from the kidnapper."

 No one says anything. 

"You guys don't care anymore?" I ask, feeling foolish, standing when everyone is sitting, being outcast by my friends.

"If you can't be there for us," Allister says, "We don't want to take on the responsibility of being there for you." 

A wave of depression washes over me, drowning me in fear of losing my hold on my friends. Some faraway, hopelessly sarcastic part of me thinks, and it's only Tuesday.

 "Alright," I huff. "I'll just figure it out on my own." 

 So I took my food and went out to the picnic tables where no one eats because of flies. But I've lost my appetite. I couldn't have gone to Della's...I couldn't risk going against the kidnapper and showing up at her house. It's not like I can tell them, either, because they won't listen.

 I go on my phone and try to research what I would've asked Maren. 

Flash of contempt on someone's face is a sign of... 

I get a lot of different and mixed results. From depression to a psychopath, to sociopath, to anxiety. Maren's always been into killers and stuff like this, but the Internet isn't really one for giving specific answers to my broad questions. I look up any new information on Destinys disappearance and am pleasantly surprised when they've found a body

I read a few articles before confirming that the kidnapper is about to be called a killer instead. Destiny's body was found in the bottom of her backyard lake with slash marks. According to the autopsy, she died days before the body was dumped, and she was drained of over half her blood. From an assaulter to a kidnapper, to a killer. Oh, the evolution of crime.

I've made a silent pact with myself to find Makai before the others do. If they want to exclude me, then I'll show them why they shouldn't. We'll see how well they stick together without the glue.

 But now I'm at a dead end. I've got a bugged house, a location where the body of destiny was found, and a CD with the killer's audio. Now what? 

 The address. I still have the address, and no one's used that yet. I'll go there after school.

Right about now, Makai would've said "I'm in," and Della would've made a lovingly degrading comment at him. Allister would've laughed and asked me how, and as I explained, Hanzo would interrupt me and tell me I had to be smart about things. Later, I would've texted Maren, and she would've asked for a minute-by-minute text update. As for Aero...we would've already decided beforehand to check it out. But right now, I do have the luxury of friends. 

 The bell rings, and I hurriedly grab my things and head off to class.