by Amanda Adair
“Come on in.”
“Nice house.” It was Tammy’s voice.
They arrived early. Piper explained why, “We were so hungry, and we didn’t want to go get some fries and burgers before going here.”
“There’s pizza and other snacks in the kitchen,” Francine said.
“Great,” Piper said, and they all appeared in the kitchen.
Anna’s costume was easy to spot. With her natural blonde curls and her white dress, it was obvious that she was supposed to look like Marilyn Monroe. Piper, who stuffed a mini pizza into her mouth, wore a red skirt, a white top and a golden chain wrapped around her head and loose dark brown hair. Only when I spotted the crystal ball in her hand I realized she was dressed up as a fortuneteller. I expected Piper and Penelope to choose a couple costume for best friends. However, Penelope combined both costumes. She wore a white dress and a golden chain around her head, but with her dark hair she looked like Cleopatra. I only recognized Tammy’s costume as she came closer. She was dressed as one of the River Vixens from Riverdale. She wore one of those yellow and white shirts, a black shorts and white canvas sneakers. The guys weren’t as creative. Axel just wore some white linen with blood splatter and a knife headband. Jason also went for a rather spooky look. He was dressed up as a vampire and wore a black coat with some black suit underneath.
“The Egyptian style looks good on you,” Francine said to Penelope.
“Yeah, she really looks like Cleopatra’s descendant,” Tammy agreed.
I decided that now’s the time to turn on the music. Also, I didn’t want to sit there alone like a loser. I turned on the Spotify playlist that Francine had put together for tonight, with mostly music from Halloween movies, French alternative music and just mainstream pop. Soon after Piper and her group of dummies arrived the bell rang again. That time Anna, Everly and Cora appeared in the kitchen and grabbed some food before joining us in the living room. Penelope and Jason were outside and smoked. Cora stood next to me and told me about her scholarship and some scout that came to Maywood High to judge her performance.
“Cool,” I said. She talked so much that I couldn’t contribute anything else to our conversation than just nodding and showing affirmation with “yeah”, “uhu” or “okay” every once in a while.
About an hour later some other people from school arrived. I saw Nora, Melissa and Patrick, Fred and Elliot. We were so many that most of us sat down or stood outside. It wasn’t too cold that night.
Suddenly Piper’s phone rang and interrupted everyone’s talks. Her ringtone was loud, and I was sure it’s a sound from a TV show, but I couldn’t tell which one.
“Just a sec,” she said and looked at her phone. Someone was calling her. She held it next to her ear. “Yeah.” Silence. “Uh.” Silence. “Well.” Silence. “Okay.”
“Great conversation,” said Tammy and we all started laughing, even me, until Piper looked at me annoyed.
“Where’s the beer?,” Jason asked, standing in the doorframe and looking at Francine who sat with us at the table.
“Sorry, I don’t have any,” she said and shrugged her shoulders. “My host mom didn’t want me to buy alcohol.”
At least Mrs. Samuel was chill enough to let us party in her house all alone. I understood why she didn’t want us to drink alcohol.
“We can go get some,” Penelope said.
“Yeah,” Piper agreed.
“I don’t know,” Francine said insecurely. “I don’t want to upset her. She trusts me. She’ll come back tomorrow.”
“Great,” Piper said cheerfully, “so she won’t ever find out.”
“We can’t celebrate Halloween without some beer,” Axel said. “No way.”
“Piper’s cars outside,” Tammy said. “We could be back in ten minutes.”
Piper and Axel were the only ones who were already sixteen. She had her driver’s license and for her birthday she got a brand-new white Toyota Prius from her mom and stepdad.
“Come on,” Piper said and held her car key in front of her. Then she turned around to Axel and Penelope. “You can help us carry.”
Tammy was noticeably angry because Piper wanted Penelope to come with her and not her. It always seemed like Tammy wanted to take over Penelope’s role as Piper’s best friend. I had found out that Piper and Penelope became friends in kindergarten. They were inseparable. As children they had told the teachers that they’re sisters. Francine didn’t manage to say no, so those four walked outside. A few minutes later we heard the engine of a car. I didn’t want to be alone with the rest of them. At least Piper wasn’t here, but still, Francine was the only one I got along with. Tammy and Jason stood next to the garden fence and smoked cigarettes. Anna, Everly and Cora sat on the other side of the table and stared at Anna’s phone.
Suddenly Tammy said, “Guys, there’s a problem and we need your help. I’ve already talked to most of you.” She got up. “I’ll say it again. Axel was caught with drugs. He is supposed to be expelled from school.”
I was shocked, even though I expected him to do drugs.
“No way,” Cora said. “That will totally cost him his scholarship.”
The only thing Cora was interested in is her scholarship.
“It wasn’t a lot, really,” Tammy explained, “so we need you to sign a petition. We’ll say it was all of us. They can’t expel all of us.”
No. She couldn’t be serious, I thought.
“That’s cool,” Jason said. “Thanks for your help, Tamara.”
I lowered my gaze and shook my head. I thought no one saw it and no one bothered but then Tammy looked at me. I was the only one not willing to take responsibility.
“You just don’t wanna get in trouble,” Tammy criticized me. “That’s what one does for the community. That’s team spirit… solidarity.”
How dared she speak about team spirit or solidarity? They always rejected me, they kept making fun of me. There was no team spirit at Maywood High. There never will be. I was close to tears. I tried hard not to cry.
“Really, Samantha,” Jason said. “That’s not cool.”
“Whatever,” Tammy said and turned to the others. They all turned away from me. But I was used to this behavior. “So, I have the petition with me,” Tammy continued talking and got a piece of paper out of her black clutch.
They all started signing, Anna a.k.a. Marilyn Monroe, Jason, the vampire, Tammy, the cheerleader, Cora, Melissa, Elliot. Then Tammy walked past me, staring at me quite resentfully. She probably wanted to look for those who had stayed inside. I didn’t understand why she was angry at me. I still don’t. It’s just fair that I didn’t sign something that would get me in trouble and saved somebody who hated me and treated me accordingly. Everybody except Francine wouldn’t ever invite me. They never had. So just because I was around for once I didn’t have to do whatever they wanted. The rest of the evening I sat alone outside. Everybody was pissed at me because Tammy told even the one’s inside the house that I wouldn’t sign anything for Axel. After two hours Francine, Piper, Axel and Penelope still weren’t back. I was bored and my phone’s battery was about to die, so I decided to just go. Before I got up I texted Francine that I was about to leave. Have fun, I wrote.
“They’re probably drinking the beer,” Anna said as I walked past them and towards the front door.
“Yeah,” Elliot agreed. “We should go get some alcohol ourselves.”
“It’s a bit late for that,” Cora argued.
I reached the door and walked outside without saying goodbye. They wouldn’t mind my absence anyway. They were busy talking, having fun and eating what was left from the snacks and pizzas. Still dressed in a golden skirt and top with a starry headband I walked home.
I had absolutely no idea that this night would destroy my life.
part III
29
In about a week we’re going to visit the two human beings who gave birth to the devil himself. We’re going to visit your parents. The second you
mention your mother a memory spreads throughout in my head. Like a tumor. A deadly virus. I first met your mom at a school performance of Romeo and Juliet. You played Juliet, and since your former lover Axel is talent-free when it comes to acting they made his buddy Jason play Romeo. His brown messy and curly hair doesn’t quite match the image I have of Romeo. I auditioned for the role of Lady Capulet, but when I finished my monologue I looked up to the laughter of you and your minions. I’ve never been laughed at for my acting before. I’m not saying I’m a brilliant actress, but I am well trained. There’s no reason to laugh at me. Ms. Downing told them to be quiet, then simply said, “next.” I didn’t want to audition for the role of Juliet. You’d told everyone you want to portray Juliet, so I didn’t have a chance anyway. As soon as you want something it’s out of reach for everybody else. Other than that, no one would cast a ginger for Shakespeare’s Juliet. I heard you and the others talk Ms. Downing into picking the right people for the cast. The right people, which means you and your friends. Rehearsal was once a week and you wanted those two hours to be exclusively for your clique.
Even Dad came that evening, but I could tell how miserable he was. He wasn’t in the mood for socializing. He didn’t enjoy the play. I didn’t even have to put any effort into hiding my sadness from him. He couldn’t tell if I was sad because of Mom’s death or because the others hated me. He probably didn’t care that I lacked any interaction with my classmates the whole evening. I was sad because of Mom’s death. I was sad because I had no one to talk to. Losing one of the most important people is one thing, being all alone with your emotions and thoughts is another. I was sad that I didn’t get any role in the play, not even a minor one. I was sad because my life was slowly but definitely falling apart and there was nothing I could do about it.
Andrea Flores drew attention with her loud laugh and dark brown short hair. She looked like Jamie Lee Curtis in Freaky Friday. Everybody noticed her when she walked in, accompanied by her husband and Tessa. Your mother sat right in front of me and Dad during the play. Of course, she was friends with Penelope’s mom. You and Penelope constantly told everyone that you were sisters. Somehow you’ve grown apart. I remember that your mother secretly handed you and Penelope a bottle of champagne at the end of the evening. She drank a good deal of alcohol herself that night. I even saw her flirt with Tammy’s dad, which was fine for your stepfather because he had some deep conversation with one of our classmates’ older sister.
Right now, it feels like you and I are a couple, and you’re going to introduce me to my in-laws, which is not the case obviously. I should stop thinking these thoughts. It’s wrong. Disgusting. I’m close to throwing up way too often lately. We’ve just had two weeks off to drive to the Hamptons, but somehow you managed to convince Paola that it is a family emergency and that you need me for emotional support. I can assure you I am your emotional support. I am going to make you regret all your shitty decisions in life, including the ones that had an impact on me, an innocent teenage girl.
“I can’t go alone,” you said and begged me to join you. Why should I say no? I want to see your parents and your sister. I want to know why they’re urging you to come home. I’m nosy. Later that day you sent me an invitation to an app where you can split bills with friends. You generous selfless piece of shit. You want me to pay half of the gas for our roundtrip to hell. Half is not exactly true. You’re completely overcharging. You want me to pay forty Dollars. For those four hundred miles, gas should cost around sixty Dollars in total. I get it why you are trying to fuck with me. You are used to it. You are simply used to playing with people and making them do whatever you want. Other human beings are your puppets. Normally, people do what you want either because they’re afraid of you or because they desperately want you to like them and be one of your popular group of friends. I am not sure what strategy you chose for Paola though, so she gave us another week off.
I wasn’t prepared for this. Look at you, Piper, you’re really taking me to your parents. Maybe it’s because I did a great job by creating Blair as your ideal best friend. I’m proud of myself. Blair is well-developed and authentic. Nobody thinks I’m fake. Nobody expects me to be fake. Yet. People like you don’t think that their actions might put them in danger. You laugh at people, you torture people, you watch people getting hurt, and you do absolutely nothing. But you would never think that someday the people you hurt will come for you. Karma is not going to take care of you, so I am becoming karma.
I’m the one you’ve asked to accompany you when heading to your home town for some seemingly serious issue. Maybe it’s because most of your friends from NYU are only there for you when you’re going to the club, so the only one willing to support you is me. I am the only one you can ask to help you out. And I don’t even know what I am supposed to help you with. Most of your other friends are in Maywood, which is where we’re traveling to in a week. I haven’t been there in a while, and to be honest I’d rather not set foot in that town. You haven’t told me why exactly we’re going there, and I can’t find any information on what’s going on in Maywood. Is your sister pregnant? On her Instagram I can’t find anything interesting. She hasn’t posted in a while. What do you want in Maywood? What do we want there? I’m curious, I know.
It took all of my persuasive powers to convince you to take the car to get to Pennsylvania. We can’t take a plane. I really do need my pistol. An S&W Bodyguard 380. That thing is a top seller, told me the old but friendly salesman. He thought I needed a weapon to feel safe at home.
“There have been several break-ins nearby lately,” I lied to him.
As a blonde skinny woman everything is easy because no one expects you to be evil or about to kill someone. That’s probably why no one ever expects you to be evil. You may not be blonde but you’re a pretty woman with a baby face and a few freckles on your cheeks, at least when the sun shines on your skin all summer long. They might believe me that you’re a backstabbing hoe but not that you’re a seriously sick criminal. What you’ve done needs to be punished, and since the authorities do absolutely nothing, I will take care of it. I need to save others from stumbling into your life and losing everything they have.
We stand in the small inner courtyard of The Huntington School. I’m waiting for you and Dana. I put my hands onto Kye’s shoulders and listen to Miss Hastings’ speech in front of Dana Isabella and her classmates.
“Thank you for your patience,” she says. She looks exactly like an elementary school teacher. She’s wearing bright simple clothes, a low ponytail and she constantly smiles. “There has been an incident today in class, which we’re all not proud of, right?” She looks around, and some of the children nod. “Francesca,” she says and walks towards one of the children that stand next to their moms and dads in the circle. “Francesca didn’t have a good day today.” Gosh, can you please talk like a normal person? She’s emphasizing every single word and pronounces every single syllable. Listening to her is like watching a kids’ show on tv. “She was hit today, and some of her classmates has been calling her names this afternoon.”
“Why are we here then?,” a dad asks. “I don’t have time for this. I have an appointment in half an hour.”
“Just a minute,” Miss Hastings says, still smiling. “One child in particular started it, but others followed. This isn’t something that affects just one of you. I don’t want to reveal the name of the child who started this publicly, but I will talk to each one of you and your parents within the next week. However, the classmates who should think about their behavior are the following. Kristen, Fernando, Dana Isabella, Mariana, Nate and Ivy. I want you to write a letter to Francesca, so you can apologize.”
“Is this necessary?,” one of the moms asks. Apparently her child is one of the above.
“Yes,” Miss Hastings says. Maybe her smile is glued to her face. “Thank you all for staying here a little longer. See you tomorrow.”
“Bullshit,” you say while we’re walking to the car.
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None of us drives to work alone lately. We either take your car or we take mine. There is rarely a me or you, mostly us. And the kids, of course. I made you stop meeting with guys like Steve and Chad. Married guys who are looking for some fun while you are trying to find a new husband. These times are hopefully over. We basically live next to each other, so it doesn’t make sense to take two cars to get to the exact same employer and the exact same school afterwards. Today we chose your car.
“Dana Isabella,” you say while driving. You stare into the rear-view mirror. “Try not to get in trouble at school anymore.”
What a unique advice. So helpful. The award for the mom of the decade goes to…
“She started it,” Dana says. “Francesca, she…”
“You’re too young,” you say. “You’ll have fun in your teenage years, trust me, honey. But for now, I need you to be my cute little girl. You’re too young.”
“Do you now Francesca’s mom?,” I ask and interrupt your oh-so-educational conversation with your daughter.
You shake your head. “Why?”
“She looks familiar,” I say.
You don’t say anything. Of course, you’re quiet. Because Francesca’s mom isn’t just a mother of a child that happens to be in the same class as your daughter. Francesca’s mother is Guiseppina van der Bijl. Doesn’t that name sound familiar to you, Piper? The wife of William van der Bijl, who is one of the guys you’ve been screwing. While she was putting Francesca to bed you were screaming her husband’s name. She has a nice profile picture in Facebook. But I always wonder why some of us fake blondes don’t mind looking like they’ve forgotten to go to the hairdresser for decades. Her natural hair color is black, so it is even worse than with my natural ginger hair. You can see her dark roots miles away.
“I think I saw her at Saks,” I say as we arrive at your building. William van der Bijl established Benissimo. Yes, the Italian panini restaurant that you love to go to. It was a present for his wife, who happens to be Italian. This is so messed up. You shouldn’t mess with those people. Let’s mess with you now. “No, wait,” I say. “I think it was at Benissimo.”