Dead Jealous

Red

Sky didn't know what to think. Was Christian the reason for all the shit that had occurred? It was a pretty big coincidence, that she started going out with him and suddenly one girl is unconscious and the other dead.

And why else would he purposely not tell her that they already knew each other when they met?

Sky felt sick.

Once she'd peddled home, she eyed shopping bags that were congregated on the ground inside the door. Her mum must have dropped off groceries and then left on another errand.

She carried the bags to the kitchen and unstacked fruit and vegetables, loaves of bread, cartons of milk and other various goods.

The last bag contained red hair elastics and white socks, obviously intended for Sky, and it made her groan because it reminded her that the new school year was starting in a couple of weeks. Then again, it would be good to see everyone. Even if she'd missed a lot.

She went to a high school that was a ten minute drive away. It wasn't a posh school at all but it wasn't the most derelict school in the area, for which Sky was grateful.

She seriously hoped she wouldn't get too much pity. She could already imagine the sympathetic looks she'd be getting, like she was a puppy dog tied to a post.

She pulled out a banana from the newly restocked fruit basket and went to her room to read a book.

Later that afternoon she got a text from Tiarna. Sky couldn't remember the last time one of her so-called friends had texted her.

Party at Britany's, it said. 6 - whenever. c u there?

Sky typed her answer. It wasn't like she had anything better to do anyway.

Sure

When her mum came home, she asked for permission. And of course, Sky didn't call it a party - she called it a girl's night in. Hopefully not too many people would have arrived at 6, or her mum would be suspicious.

Her mum agreed reluctantly - after all, it was almost the end of the holidays and Sky had been the picture of obedience all summer. Sky went to her wardrobe and tried to decide on an appropriate outfit.

She rejected her favorite yellow tartan skirt (too preppy; might get ruined) and her pink sundress (too girly and prim for a party) and eventually decided on high waisted flare jeans and an oversized crop tee. She tied on her worn Doc Martens, tied her hair into two plaits, and tried to decide on whether she should wear lipstick or not.

Sky came to the conclusion that a red lipstick would be perfect but she didn't personally own any. Tara's make up cabinet came to mind and she guiltily decided to borrow some. She felt like Tara would turn in her grave; they had often had cat fights over petty things like sharing make up.

She plucked the lipstick from Tara's room and took it to her room to apply. Twisting the lid off, she realized that something had happened to the lipstick. Its end was squished as though the lid had pushed it down. It confused Sky, because normally Tara was extremely protective when it came to her make up and how it was treated.

Sky's blood ran cold when she realized it looked like it had been used to write something...on her mirror. What if the murderer had stolen it from Tara's room, and written it in hers?

But that didn't make sense. It was Tara that had been murdered. Unless Sky herself had been stalked and threatened too? Possibly by Christian, if she really did believe he would do this.

She pushed down her theories to the back of her mind and smeared the lipstick onto her pouted mouth. As she did so, memories resurfaced like images on vintage photos slowly processing onto paper.

Sky walked into her room, about to pick up her phone, when she looked into the mirror and she almost jumped with fright. On the mirror, in blood red letters, was the word 'dead'.

She looked closer, shocked. Was this some kind of sick joke? Why would someone do this?

As soon as she thought that, Tara appeared in her mind. Of course. She really had sunk another level. And at closer look, it was just lipstick. More specifically a lipstick called 'femme fatale', which Tara had bought a few weeks previously.

Obviously Tara was trying to derail her, and it wasn't working. This was ridiculous.

She walked straight into Tara's room.

She was lying on her bed listening to music and scrolling through her phone.

"Tara?"

She looked up. "You didn't knock."

"Whatever. Tell me, do you know anything about a certain word written in red on my mirror?" she said cooly.

"No," Tara said innocently.

"Are you sure?" Sky said slowly stepping back until she was at her make up cabinet.

"Yes, Sky. What did it say?" Tara was looking at her phone.

Sky yanked open the lipstick drawer and pulled out the red lipstick, uncapping it. Just as she had suspected, it was smeared and squished as though used to write...on a mirror.

"Hey!" Tara jumped up furiously.

"What's wrong?" said Sky. "I wanted to write a message on your mirror in return!"

Tara narrowed her eyes. "Why? Are you scared? Stop acting like a little bitch."

Sky laughed in her face. "Me, acting like a bitch? YOU'RE the bitch. Stop being such a creepy, jealous stalker and leave me alone!" she said, storming out of the room.

"Gladly!" Tara yelled back.

Sky blinked as the memory resurfaced. So, what, Tara had written 'dead' on her mirror? Well, that scrubbed out a few of her worries from her mental chalkboard. It left a lot of questions, however. And it left her wondering who was more of a little bitch that month, because she couldn't really tell. She was kind of glad she couldn't remember the majority of that awful month.

As soon as she arrived at Britney's house, she slipped out of the car, kissed her mum goodbye and knocked on the front door. No answer came and when she twisted the doorknob it was unlocked.

As soon as she let herself in, the faint music she could hear from outside blasted around her, loudly playing music thick with bass that pumped in time with her heart.