[Still in Detention]
Imogen recounted the night of the Beasley's party, "Karen had a party at her house maybe six months ago. It was the night Karen, Kelly, and I stopped being friends" Imogen said
"Wait, I think I was at this party" Tabby chimed in, her voice tinged with nostalgia, "Fully trying to be one of those cool kids in that 80s rom-com kind of way"
"Oh yeah, I saw you with your boyfriend" Noa remarked, a hint of amusement in her tone
"Who, Chip? No, Chip is not my boyfriend. He's more like my gay best friend, who happens to be straight" Tabby clarified
"Well, I was there with my boyfriend, right before he became my boyfriend" Noa added, smiling at the memory
Juliette resisted the urge to roll her eyes as Mouse spoke up, "I heard about the party...after the fact"
"Karen invited me to that party, but I chose not to go" Faran admitted
"I wasn't invited, obviously, but I wouldn't have gone even if I was" Juliette said
Imogen then revealed a critical piece of information, "There's a video from that night...that someone made on their phone of Karen, which, if people saw it...it would destroy her"
"Destroy Karen? Like, embarrass Karen?" Noa asked
"If we posted it somewhere?" Faran inquired
"Exactly. She is messy as fuck in it" Imogen confirmed
"The Internet is...for eternity" Mouse warned
"I'm just gonna ask what we're all thinking. Is it a sex video?" Faran questioned
"No! I would never. Not a sex video" Imogen assured them
"Okay, well...if we did wanna post it, and it's not a sex video...I could screen it" Tabby suggested, "I work at the Orpheum. Depending on what kind of video file it is, I could project it right before my Jordan Peele double feature" She looked around at the group, "By the way, you all have to come too. Kids would see it, but it wouldn't be on the internet...forever"
"Unless they record it" Noa pointed out
"Maybe I could edit the video? Make it short enough so people don't have enough time to pull out their phones" Tabby proposed
"Okay....where's the video? Can we see it?" Faran asked
"I have it...on a phone...at my house" Imogen said, her voice dropping slightly
"Your..." Mouse gulped, "...old house?" She asked
[Imogen's House]
Juliette stood with Tabby, Mouse, Faran, and Noa at the entrance of Imogen's house, all of them equally terrified. The house felt especially eerie since Imogen's mom had died there only a month ago. It was unsettling.
"My mom's a real estate agent. She says bad things have happened in most houses...but this is an Amityville level of weird, right?" Tabby commented, and they all nodded in agreement, "Like, I'm getting some serious Poltergeist vibes right now" She continued, causing Juliette to interject, "Maybe we could stop with the horror references?"
They all took a small step forward, "Imogen? Everything okay?" Tabby called out
The sound of cracking filled the air, making Juliette suggest, "Maybe one of us should go up there?"
"Yeah" Faran said, looking directly at her, "Maybe you should"
She shook her head, "No thank you" Juliette replied quickly
YOU ARE READING
Hidden Flames
FanfictionIn the small, secretive town of Millwood, Juliette Thompson navigate the complexities of friendship, love, and danger. As she faces the threats alongside five other girls she never thought she'd talk to along with the pressures of their own lives, a...
