Beating the System

Chapter Four: Misleading

"Well hello there sleepy head." Emily said while I walked up to her. She seemed a bit more cheerful today.

"Over your break up already?" I asked her.

"'Already?' Ya make it seem like I started datin' a new girl the moment I got to school!" she joked, "Ha, nah, I'm still upset but I can't make it look like that to everyone else." I looked at her faded smile. She was trying really hard to hide her sadness.

"Hey, want to go to Expresso after school today?" Expresso is the coffee shop downtown by the subway that we go to after school on Fridays. I figured today was a special day. I wanted to treat her.

She hesitated without looking at me before answering, "Eh...no, I have to do something after school. Oh but that reminds me..." she dug into her purse looking for something. She pulled out her diamond and sapphire pendent necklaces and gave them to me, "I want you to have these. I don't want them anymore."

I held up the diamond one, then inspected the sapphire one. They're both 100% legitimate and have real silver chains. They're easily worth hundreds. The size and color of the diamond one could make it go for thousands. "Why are you giving me these? They're yours! Plus, aren't they super precious and valuable?"

"Not to me." she turned to look down the street, "Bus is nearly here. Stop gawkin' and put those away. You wanna get robbed?" Of course I stared both at her and the necklaces, confused about her intentions.

I put them away and waited for the incoming bus. Today was gonna be a strange day.

*   *   *

At school, all day I was overhearing how kind Emily was for giving people her things. I was getting worried. She didn't eat anything all day. I noticed she was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and jeans. I dragged her into a bathroom and confronted her.

"Alright, spill. What's going on, Em?" I asked her.

"I don't know what you mean."

"Yes you do. Giving away all your stuff? Not eating? Long clothing?"

"I don't want that stuff anymore, I haven't been eating much for a while, you know that, and I'm just chilly."

I looked at her skeptically, "You weren't chilly a bit before school started and she broke up with you. You were wearing shorts and a tank top Sunday." She visibly panicked. I could tell she hoped I hadn't noticed. I gasped, realising what was wrong, "Emily? Oh my God, please tell me you aren't harming yourself..."

"NO! Wha- of course not! Why would you even think that!?" she fired back quickly.

"Strip."

"Excuse me? What did you say?"

"Oh please, I have seen your bare body plenty, leave your underwear on and strip." I repeated.

"I...um...but...th- that's completely unnecessary!" she protested.

"I will be the judge of that. Strip Emily. If there's nothing there, then I was wrong and no harm is done." I stood there as she slowly took off her jeans, revealing some pretty severe cuts on her upper thighs. Same with her shirt, showing deep, but not fatal cuts on her sides and arms from the base of her palm all the way up to her shoulder. "Oh my God...Emily...why?" I cried softly.

"I'm sorry, Kayla..." a single tear fell. She pulled her clothes back on quickly and ran out of the bathroom. I tried to run after her but I lost her. I leaned against the wall and slid down it crying softly. Class had started but I was missing time. I got up and began searching for her. I checked her current class hour, her locker, all the bathrooms, even the locker rooms. She was nowhere.

I ran to her house. I called her name over and over. Her mom came into the living room asking me what was wrong. Emily wasn't home yet. I told her what Emily's been doing and she was shocked to tears. We went out to search for her and called 911 to get their help. We were searching for hours. Nothing. The police told us with no leads, we couldn't do anything. She hadn't been missing for 48 hours. They left us.

I drove with Emily's mom back to the house. Everything was the same. We left the lights on if she came home and went to bed and turned it off. We went inside and I checked her room. Still not there. I told Ms. Mazzaville I was going to use the restroom and then go home. She sadly nodded and I went upstairs.

I opened the door to the bathroom slowly because I didn't feel so in a rush anymore. I sighed and went inside. As soon as I walked in and looked up, I saw it. All the red. The razor on the floor, covered in deep red blood. It wasn't entirely fresh, she did this a while ago She lay in her tub filled to the brim with water and even overflowing slightly. The water was stained red. Her body had deep gashes all over. The deepest were on her wrists. One floating in the tub and the other swaying over the edge. I screamed. This could not be happening. Emily wasn't like this.

Her mother ran in and was too horrified to even scream. I backed up and tripped over something and fell to the ground. I crawled back until I hit a wall. Still devastated, I pulled out my cell phone and called 911. I stumbled over my words a lot but I got the message to them.

I hung up and walked over to Emily. I grabbed her and sat her up. I shook her, crying hysterically, begging her to wake up. Telling her mom it had to be a sick joke. She'd wake up any moment and apologize for scaring us. She fell asleep waiting for us to come home so she could scare us. She's fine. She couldn't be dead. It wasn't something Emily would do. She was cheerful. She was my best friend. She was perfect. Perfect doesn't just destroy itself! I cried harder than I ever have in my life.

Her mom pulled me away and yelled at me to stop. I sat on the toilet and cried into my hands. I looked at the razor and thought to myself. She knew. She knew I'd tell her mom something was wrong. That I'd force her to go search for her. That the house would be empty. She completely mislead me. She was never missing, she was here all along, she was just hidden. She had a plan. And I completely went with it. Oh how I wish she didn't know me so well.

I heard the sirens in the background finally. Only just barely over my own thoughts and Ms. Mazzaville's crying over her lost daughter. I felt so completely useless. I couldn't save my best friend and I was supposed to know her best. She was such a good actor. I hate myself for not being able to help her feel secure enough to even talk to me about it. Why? WHY? WHY EMILY?

I feel like someone ripped a hole in my chest and left me to lose my guts. Oh wait, that's just me needing to puke. I stood up and lifted the seat and threw up. I couldn't handle this. I needed to get out of here. Now. I ran outside, tripping over nearly everything in sight. I ran without knowing where I was going. I was tricked. I was lost; and not just physically. I needed my best friend. I needed Emily.