"Now that you have almost give me a heart attack, will you please tell me what the hell is happening?" Aiden asked. Two chocolate milkshakes and two orders of cheese fries sat before them, the group's go-to every time they came there.
"Lee is going to the annual Fourth of July party and I have a really bad feeling about her going," Em said getting straight to the point. Aiden nearly choked on his milkshake as he replayed her words over and over in his head.
"The one in Fairmount?" Aiden asked.
"Jordan asked her to go," Em said as she nodded. Aiden rolled his eyes and now he fully understood why Em was so upset. Jordan was ruthless and the things she might do to embarrass Lee was scary.
"I have this gut feeling that this is wrong but I can't tell her. She'll get mad at me and tell me I'm overreacting," Em said.
"Tell her, your gut feelings are normally right," Aiden said. He wasn't wrong, she had felt the same way just moments before they found her father dead. She shook her head.
"If I tell her that she'll only think I'm saying that about Jordan and she'll be mad at me," Em said. Jordan was your typical popular girl. She always went out of her way to do things to upset Em and her friends. in seventh grade, Jordan asked Aiden to a school dance because she overheard Em telling Lee and Sami about her secret crush. Em never understood why Lee loved someone like Jordan.
"I mean she is known for ruining people's lives," He said. "How about me and you check up on her. Go to the party and see if she's okay. We can even stay, not at the party but out in one of the parking lots. If something does happen you will be the first person she will call."
"Thank you," She whispered and smiled at him. He didn't answer, he just smiled at her. They fell back into a comfortable silence. They went back to eating. Everything was fine for a couple minutes until shew felt weird. She felt weird sometimes because of her condition, it was just apart of her life. Yet this was different. She felt like someone was watching her, watching her every move. The kind of stare that felt like someone was burning holes through her body, the one that made her feel so uncomfortable that it made her shift in her seat.
"I'm going to the bathroom," She blurted out as she stood up quickly. Aiden looked at her confused but nodded his head.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
"Yeah, of course. I just have to use the bathroom," She said. She dug her nails into the palms of her hands, she tried so hard not to scratch at her arms. Aiden would know something was up. The feeling still lingered as she walked toward the bathroom door.
She immediately ran to a stall and locked the door behind her. Her breaths became scattered and the feeling still stayed. She sat down on the toilet and tried to focus on her breathing. The sound of the door opening made her head fly up. Heavy footsteps echoed throughout the bathroom. It's just another girl using the bathroom, it's just another girl.
Large, black work boots stopped just outside her stall. She backed up quickly and she stood in the corner of the stall. It was so quiet that she heard not just her breathing but the person breathing on the other side of the door. She grabbed onto the side of the stall. Her legs began to shake and tears brimmed her eyes.
It's just another schizophrenic episode.
This one was different. This one was too real. She was genuinely afraid. Pure fear ran through her whole body and she swore her heart beat never went so fast, not even when she was around Aiden.
Aiden! Aiden was just outside and down a hallway. She could have easily texted him. But what if this was real? She could have put him in danger. The boy she loved more than anything. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if something happened to him.
A sudden scratching sound grew louder which was followed by a punch. She flinched and had to force herself not to scream. A piece of paper was dropped right by her feet. The feet turned towards the door, the person dragged their feet loudly. They opened the door and slammed it shut. She breathed out a sigh of relief as she bent down to pick up the paper. This is real.
You were right
The first thing that came to her mind was Lee and the party. The handwriting was sloppy and the spaces between the letters were huge. It looked so familiar but she couldn't remember. She shoved the paper into the pocket of her jeans and ran out of the stall. That wasn't a stupid hallucination. That was real and it happened. Whoever did that was there, in the diner with them.
The sound of the water running made her head turn. She walked over slowly. Another piece of paper floated in the sink. She grabbed it and unfolded it quickly.
It's okay Emmy, don't worry. You'll meet me eventually. Just not tonight my love.
She stared down at the note and reread it to herself multiple times. My love? That was the nickname her father gave her, he always called her that. She walked out of the bathroom and back to the table. She looked around the diner. There was barely anyone there and no one wore black work boots.
"Em? Are you okay?" Aiden asked. She didn't even realized she was back at the table.
"Please if I tell you this, don't think I'm crazy," She said softly. "But not in here."
Aiden immediately stood up and nodded. He payed the bill quickly and grabbed Em's hand. They walked quickly out and got into the car. He locked the doors and turned to look at her.
"Was it an episode?" He asked. She shook her head and stared down at her lap.
"I felt weird when we were sitting in the booth. It wasn't the feeling I would normally get from an episode. It felt like someone was watching me. So, I went to the bathroom to calm myself down. I started panicking and I was trying to control my breaths when the door opened. At first I just thought it was another girl using the bathroom. The person had on black work boots like the ones construction workers wear. They stopped right in front of my stall. they ran their fingernails down the door and then punched it really hard. Then this was dropped at my feet," She said as she pulled out the first note and handed it to him. "They left like nothing happened. I read the note and left the stall. The water was running so I looked over and there was another note."
He took the two pieces of paper out of her hands and read them over and over again.
"This is shit you would see in a scary movie," Aiden said as he looked up from the notes.
"I know and that's why I need your help," Em said. Aiden looked at her and nodded.
"If we take these to your mom or to the police, they will automatically blame it on your illness. We need to stay at Fairmount until the party's over, stay in the parking lot closest to the party. If Lee gets too drunk or if something happens, you will be the first person she calls. We will be right there to get her if anything bad happens," Aiden said. "I'll pick you up at seven tomorrow."
"I'll be waiting,"
