All Fun & Games...

Chapter 4

I'm woken with someone knocking at my door. I groan and pull a pillow over my head. Why do they have to knock so loud?

"Sweetie, you're going to be late for school!" My moms voice booms. Thats when it hits me, I still have school to get to. I can't be late for that! I roll over and check my alarm flashing '7:30am' at me. School starts at 8:00...shit I'm going to be late! I scramble out of my bed and notice I'm still in my dress from the previous night! I open my closet and pick out a hoodie and jeans, the quickest things I could find and slip into them. I slide on socks, loose my balance and crash to the floor.

"Honey are you alright in there?"

"Yep! Can you get some Tylenol or something please!" I don't hear a response so I grab my bag and swing it over my shoulder. I'm about to walk out the door but catch myself in the mirror. I still have a lot of eyeshadow on, tear streaks, and my hair is a mess. What the heck did I do last night? I try to remember but the pain of a headache blocks it. I have to do something, I can't go to school looking like a slut. I give my hair a quick brush and pull it back into a ponytail and then douse my face in makeup remover. Once I'm sure it's all off I apply some concealer and mascara, some blush and highlighter, and then I grab my phone. I'm going to be so late, I check the time and it glows 7:45am! I run out of my room and down the hall. My steps echo in my ears and my head pounds with the beat.

"Hey, heres some toast, your water bottle, and the Tylenol you asked for."

I nod in thanks and grab the water and pill and down it in one go. I grab the toast and go down to grab my shoes. I don't even bother to tie them before I grab my keys and run out the door. My mom comes out right after me and runs to her car. She's going to be late too because of me. But her work is closer so maybe she'll be fine. Dad already left earlier as his car's already gone. Mom pulls out of the drive with a honk good bye and then she's blazing down the road.

I run to my car and just as I'm about to open the door, something seems off. It's like it's at a slant. I walk around to the other side to the back wheel and sure enough, it's flat. I crouch down to get a better look at it and it seems like it was slashed by something. I knife most likely but it doesn't make any sense. No one would do that in this town. I look around and I catch a black figure across the road. Poisonous Green eyes that are catlike, look at me and I see a flash of a white smile. My attention is taken away when my name is called from the other direction.

"Stephanie!" Liam calls from his drive way. I wince at the loudness. I turn and lock into his sea blue gaze.

"You ok? You shouldn't drive while having a hangover!" He calls.

"I'm fine!"

"You winced when I said your name. It's not safe for you to drive! I'll take you but we gotta go now or we'll be late!" I look back at the slashed tire and sigh in defeat. I can't drive anyway. Besides, Kyla was late once at she hasn't been seen since. I can't risk it.

"Fine!" I call.

I give a glance back across the road to the trees and the persons eyes narrow. Are they the one that slashed my tire? They clearly don't want me to go to school. I run over to Liams drive way and he already has the passenger door open for me. I slide in, dropping my bag at my feet. I close the door and he already has the car turned on. He slides in and pulls out of the drive way. Soon enough he's speeding down the roads and we pull into the school parking lot with 1 minute left to spare. He turns off the car, grabs his bag and before I have time to open my door, he's already opened it for me. I slide out and he closes it behind me. Then we're on the run for the school. Just as the school door closes behind us, the bell rings for first period to start. We make a quick jog to math and enter just as Mr. Lychee starts talking.

"Today- You two are lucky that your not late, just on the cusp. I won't give you a detention but you should take a seat before I change my mind." He says pushing his glasses up his nose. I nod and hurry to the back with Liam following suit. However I can't avoid the multiple eyes that follow my movements. Or more so... our movements. I take my seat and try to not to give a reaction. Isn't Mr. Lychee going to say something? Nope, he just writes on the board not a word. Great...

"Psst" someone whispers.

"Hey...Stephanie....did you sleep with him?" they continue. I look up to see Ana's big brown eyes starring straight at me. She's twisted her whole body around to ask that? Isn't it obvious? I clearly didn't, I hate him. Everyone knows that. Don't they? She should at least know, she's Rachels best friend, and Rachel obviously knows.

"No, of course not! You know I hate him." I whisper back.

"Yeah but everyone saw you together last night....and you came back with him this morning so..." and then it clicked. Everyone is staring because they think we slept together! The thought is enough to make me vomit.

"I just don't know how you could do that to Rachel." She says and her face turns sharp, it almost scares me.

"Do what?"

"Sleep with her crush! She's been trying to get with him for years!"

"I didn't-" But I'm cut off by Mr. Lychee clearing his throat loud enough for everyone to hear. I look up to him and he's eyeing me down. I look over to Liam but he has his face hidden behind his text book. I check to make sure Mr. Lychee's gone back to the lesson before I continue.

"Look I didn't sleep with him. He asked me to the party and I got drunk. Then he said he would drive me because of my hangover. That's all."

"If you were drunk, how are you sure you guys didn't do...you know?"

"We didn't. She's not lying." Liam says shifting his textbook to join the conversation.

"I don't even want to talk to you. You turned Rachel down, jerk." Ana says glaring at him.

"Wait...you turned her down? She asked you and you said no?" I ask turning to him.

"It's more complicated than that." He said eyeing Ana.

"No it's not, you clearly wanted to ask Stephanie instead. She'd turned everyone else down because she was waiting for you to ask. When you said no, no one else would take her. She had to host her own partner party without a partner! Do you know how embarrassing that was for her? People bullied her for it once she got drunk and said she was trying to drown out her heartbreak from being rejected. Then she stormed off and no one's seen her since." Ana explains.

"Not even her parents?" I ask. Ana shakes her head, "It's like she just disappeared."

And I can't help but think that whatever took Kyla....has taken there next victim and it's only a matter of time until it strikes again.