you're next | dolan twins

e i g h t e e n

My wide eyes watch the entire student body of Marshall High pile into the large auditorium. Today is the big assembly in Amanda's honor, and I'm nervous to speak in front of the school. I look down at the little speech I prepared and take in a deep breath. What I really want to do is scream for everyone to get out, that the killer is sitting in the audience, but I can't.

"Rachel." A whisper calls out. I turn and see Grayson walking over to me.

"Hey," I whisper back, "what are you doing?"

"Uh, I know this is a hard day for you. I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Something is off about him. He's talking too low and he keeps looking down at the ground.

"Is something wrong?" I nervously gulp.

"There's something I need to tell you, but I know you aren't going to like it."

His words send chills down my spine. "Can it wait? I'm about to speak in front of the entire school."

"Sure, later do you want to check the wall behind the gym?" He quickly stammers.

"Yeah." I nod as I give him an odd look.

"Good luck up there." He adds before walking to find a seat.

Okay, weird. I've never seen Grayson so nervous before. I watch as the front row fills up with the usual suspects. Nicole and Alex hold hands while Jeremy looks down at the little program the school made.

Kelsey seems unamused and Crystal is looking down at her phone. Zachary is also walking around taking pictures. I make my way over to the front and take a seat next to them. Nobody says a word, the entire room is silent. Mr. Porter eventually gets on the microphone and talks about how tragic and terrifying this death was.

I wonder what the killer is thinking in this exact moment. I bet they're proud that all of this is happening because of them. The second my name gets called, every single person turns their head to look at me. I feel weak as I stand and walk up the stage.

My pulse quickens and my knees buckle at the thought of being here. I stand in front of the podium and stare out into the crowd.

"I can't remember not knowing Amanda Harding." I nervously speak into the microphone, "We became friends in fifth grade, and right away our friendship stuck. She was the type of person who always spoke her mind and was never too shy from telling you the truth. The biggest thing I learned from the seven years I knew her is that friends can be hard on you, maybe they expect more from you than strangers. I mean, strangers pretty much see you the way you want them to see you, but you can't fool friends. That's what makes them friends."

My eyes go directly to Nicole, who is tearing up. "Although she had a hard exterior, Amanda was a funny, smart and outgoing girl who enjoyed her young life. The memorial in the garden is the perfect way to remember her. For me, it's going to be a safe place to go and think about the amazing memories we shared. Amanda would want to make sure that we didn't forget about her, so don't. She would have liked that you were all here to honor her. Let's be real, she would have liked the attention."

A few light hearted laughs fill the room as I begin to loosen up. "It would have made her smile, and laugh. Amanda laughing was a beautiful sound that I will forever miss. I want to say a big thank you to Marshall High for honoring my best friend who didn't deserve to be killed. I hope you all try to think of the positive and happy memories of Amanda. Thank you." I quickly walk off the stage as applause fill the room.

I'm surprised the crowd didn't boo at the sound of her name. I sit back down and listen to another short speech from Mr. Porter. My brain is fried from everything that has been going on. Once the assembly is over, Nicole walks over to me and gives me a hug. I wrap my arms around her as I shut my eyes.