Random School Essays

In Plain Sight

   Prom. The night every highschool student dreams of, for some reason. I was not one of those people. I have dreaded this night for as long as I can remember. I wasn't even planning on going this year, for obvious reasons, but my overbearing friends are forcing me to. Something about how you can't be alone on the best night of your life or whatever. As if I've ever cared about that kind of thing. But here I am, in my room getting ready for a night that would most likely be the biggest waste of my time.

   "Hurry up, Josiah! You're going to make us late!" I turn around to see one of my friends, Eden, leaning against my bedroom door with an exasperated look on her face. Her gaze shifts down to my hand, which holds a very compromising object. "Why do you always carry around that pocket knife, anyway?"

          "It was the last thing my dad gave to me before he died."

   Of all the ways I could've said that, why was that the way I chose? I sound like a depressed little kid. Cringing, I look up to Eden and I am met with a shell of a human. It was like all of the color was drained out of her honey-like skin. Even her charcoal hair seemed void of all life. As she comes back to existence, she stutters, "Wow, ok. Uh, I'm just going to act like we never had this conversation. Let's go."

   "Yeah, definitely," I hastily agree. With an air of awkwardness surrounding us, we left my house and went into our rented limo with our other friends, Avni and James, who look very irritated. As soon as Avni catches sight of us, she does the largest eye roll you could ever imagine. "Finally, you decide to show up," she complains. "I was basically catching dust."

   As I try to come up with a decent rebuttal, James steps in. "How about instead of fighting with each other, we get in the limo and enjoy our last night as seniors?" Everyone was convinced. James has a way of dissipating any type of tension between the four of us instantly. If I'm being completely honest, he's probably the reason as to why we haven't bitten each other's heads off yet.

   Before we even step foot into the school auditorium, I feel a sense of impending doom. I really do not want to be here. I vaguely tell my friends that I'll be in the bathroom and make a beeline away from everybody there. Reaching the bathroom, I stand in front of the dreary sinks trying to calm myself down. Staring at my reflection in the mirror proves to do more harm than good because my eyes start to well up with emotion. "Oh, come on," I mutter to myself, drying my cheeks. "It's been two years. Get it together, Josiah."

   Some random guy in an olive green tux emerges from a stall behind me. "Can you take your little pity party somewhere else? You're messing with my vibe," he sneers. I've been tense all night and this did not help at all. Something inside of me just snaps and before I realize it, the guy falls unceremoniously to the ground with my dad's knife lodged in his chest, his face twisted with a gaze of utter agony.

   I know it would be the human thing to feel some sort of remorse or guilt immediately after, but for some reason I just... don't. If anything, I feel a weird sense of empowerment. High on adrenaline, I go back to my friends before they start worrying about me too much. The second I find them though, we hear a blood-wrenching scream. All the passion I felt moments ago floods out of me like a tsunami.

          Somebody found the body.

   People quickly got the gist of what was happening when caution tape was put up outside the crime scene. "Wouldn't it be hilarious if one of us was the murderer," Avni says, picking her navy nails as she laughs nervously. I freeze like a statue. Luckily, nobody notices as they are all too busy glancing around the room frantically, presumably looking for the killer. Like that would help them. They're acting as if the person would have a sign hung on them saying 'Look at me! I just slaughtered someone in cold blood!'. Idiots.

   After about thirty minutes, the chaperones attempt to assure everybody that they have it all under control. We all know that that's a lie but nobody seems to care. They're adamant on partying the night away. Better for me, I guess. Not long after, I resume my spree. Body after body. Innocent life after innocent life. Their faces are of the essence of porcelain. It's exhilarating. I never really understood the thought process of a murderer before, but now I totally get it. It's the feeling of being in control. Of believing that you wouldn't get caught. Of hiding in plain sight. But there's one difference between me and them. They got caught. I won't. I'm too smart for that.

   I realize that I'm starting to get a bit reckless, so I journey back to the hellhole which is the dance hall. My friends seem to be having the time of their lives. I wish that I could be like them. But happiness doesn't seem to come as easily to me. Ironically, this is the happiest I've been in a long time.

          Killing people. Makes me happy.

   Wow, I sound so sadistic. Anyway, I begin to travel towards them. Looking over James' shoulder, Avni sees me and her face lights up like a suburban neighborhood during December. "We've been looking for you literally everywhere," she exclaims. "Where were you?" And cue me not knowing how to form a basic sentence. If it were somebody else acting like this people would be suspicious, but since it was me everyone just turned a blind eye to it.

   "You don't have to worry about me, guys. I was just hanging out by the food," I explain. As I say this, James squints his eyes at me in an accusatory way. I think he might've figured me out. Right I start scrambling to find a defense, James continues, "We always have to worry about you. Go ahead, have fun!" I really need to stop jumping to conclusions. I always end up digging myself into unnecessary holes.

   Walking over to the area where they have the refreshments, I lock eyes with a monstrous guy. He is probably the tallest person I've ever seen. He gives trees a run for their money. When he leaves the area, I can't stop myself from following him. Poor guy. He has no idea what's about to happen to him.

   Yet another body slumps by my feet in a motionless heap. It's honestly getting a bit redundant at this point. But I just can't seem to stop. Retrieving my glimmering weapon from my latest victim's chest, I turn towards the door ready to get the hell out of there. And, of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because next to the very door that I need to use to make my escape, stands Eden, looking just as shell shocked as she did in my room mere hours ago. Cemented to the ground, I said the only sentence that could come to mind.

          "N-nice seeing you here?"

   I've never been good with words, have I?