Odd One Out

CHAPTER 6

Naya
Friday, September 26

It would've been a normal day.

I would have woken up, early as always. Done my morning routine, put on the outfit for the day I had set up the night before. Gone downstairs and fed Eden — my cat — then eaten whatever healthy breakfast my dad had prepared for me. I would have brushed my teeth, reapplied some lip balm, and left the house. I would have gone to school, argued with Ellis once he tried to do some stupid move on me by my locker and gone to class.

I would have passed Jake Owens in the halls, studying with the one friend I tended to often see him with. I would have not given Bailey a second glance, and seen Viktor ditch school once again. I would have avoided Francisco at all costs. I would have gone throughout my day, not thinking much of it.

It would've been a normal day, except it wasn't.

Because at 3:45 p.m., Francisco Salazar was publicly announced dead.

Viktor
Sunday, September 28

It was better not to make any sudden movements in the midst of the chaos. Cops were sniffing out even the smallest of details in order to figure out the true and gruesome events that unraveled the night of Francisco's murder.

The school was supposed to have some sort of event in memory of Francisco Salazar in five days, and the entire city was planning on ways to help.

The city that hated him while he was alive was showing sympathy when he was announced dead.

They were all fucking hypocrites, and I hated going anywhere other than my house because every single person I passed would talk about his "motivated drive for life", or how great of a person he was, or whatever lies they managed to come up with about a person they barely even knew.

If Francisco were here, he would have ridiculed every single one of them.

"How are you, Vik?" my mother asked for the fifth time that day, only encouraging my annoyance even more. I grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and snapped it open, gulping it down and giving my mom a quick glance. The bags beneath her eyes had gotten slightly darker, and her hair looked thin and messy. Then, for the first time since That Day, I noticed how thin and bony she was becoming. And I hated that this was happening to her. I hated seeing her like this.

"Fine," I mumbled, loud enough for her to hear before walking into my room and shutting the door.

My lack of memory from the night Francisco went missing was driving me insane, and I was extremely close to losing it. It was as if my brain was on the verge of remembering, but every single time the memories would slip through my hands, leaving me with nothing all over again.

Just then, my phone buzzed from my nightstand and I groaned slightly, not in the mood to answer to anyone or anything. But something told me to go to it, and so I reluctantly did.

Unknown number: Hi

It took less than a minute for another message to appear.

Unknown number: Is this Viktor Henderson?

I stared at the number for a long time before finally giving the person on the other side a response.

Me: Who's asking?

It took the other person an equally long amount of time to answer.

Unknown number: Bailey.

They immediately followed up with:

Unknown number: Phillips. Bailey Phillips.

I stared at the three words 'Bailey' had last sent, trying to figure out why, of all people, she would be texting me.