I Killed Her

"Oh my god! Did you know Grace and Brent are dating now?" Cara asks. She points her finger to the new couple standing at Brent's locker. 

"He could do so much better. She has a pig nose and she can't even do her makeup well. Look at her eyeliner. Yikes," I say, recoiling on the inside. What I really wanted to say was at least she has a personality and doesn't make fun of other people. 

We walk down the hallway to first period and Cara goes on and on about how her boyfriend wouldn't text her back last night. I wouldn't have texted Cara back last night either if I were him. But now he'll have to deal with the repercussions of ignoring her. Sorry, Finn. 

"If he does it one more time, I'll  break up with him, I swear."

"You should. He's such a d****e. I mean, it wasn't even that late. And think about it, if you broke up with it would tear away his popularity," I say.

"Yeah, he only has friends because I'm dating him. The perfect revenge. Thanks, Kylie." I nod and head into Statistics. I take a deep breath as I sit down, knowing I'll have to keep up the charade when I go to lunch.

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I sit down at our normal spot and look across the cafeteria for Cara and Hannah. My eyes land on neither of them, but Madison Mueller. She's sitting there with the rest of the "nerds" completely quiet while they talk about comic books or something. I remember sitting there with her last year and talking about college and boys and studying after school before we would go out to get ice cream. She smiles and laughs at what one of the guys is saying. Her gaze catches mine and the smile fades away. She quickly turns back to the boy that's talking. 

"Hello, earth to Kylie. Anybody home?"

I turn to see Cara and Hannah sitting next to me. 

"Were you just looking at the nerd table? I'm so glad you left those geeks. You're so much cooler than them," Hannah says, laughing in their direction.

"Yeah. It was so funny when you poured milk on Madison whatsherface. She was so surprised and upset when her stupid cartoon leggings got drenched," Cara chimes in. 

It was an accident. I tripped and spilled it on her. I was just about to apologize when you came up and started praising me for 'giving her what she deserved'. I was stupid to play along with you and pretend it was on purpose. And they aren't cartoons, they're anime.

"Yeah, she's such a weirdo. Just like the other ones. They're like a flock of geeks," I respond. We all laugh and eat our lunches while talking about who we hope asks us to the upcoming dance. 

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When I get home that night, I do my homework on my bed and listen to the newest rap and pop music. Cara says it's the only good music but my favorites are the oldies. I used to only listen to The Beatles, Billy Idol, Elton John, Run DMC and stuff. Now, I listen to Nicki Minaj, Iggy Azalea, Eminem, Drake, and Miley Cyrus. 

I finish my homework and head to the bathroom. I look in the mirror and see perfect eyeliner, hot pink lips, gold eyeshadow, contoured cheekbones, and a blinding highlight. I grab my makeup wipes and clean it all off. I stare into the mirror again and my reflection speaks. 

"You killed me. You're a murderer. You killed me. You're a murderer. Murderer. Murderer. Murderer-"

I run out of the bathroom and collapse onto my bed crying. Crying because my old, true self is gone and I'm going to have to lie for the rest of my life about who I really am. I won't be able to do anything I want or have any of my old friends. 

I turn over and grab my phone. I click number one on my speed dial. My heart races until I hear the ringing stop.

"Hey, Ky. I had a feeling you'd call one of these days."

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, Madison." Tears stream down my face and my nose starts running. 

She hangs up and my heart sinks into my chest. My mind keeps repeating I've lost her I've lost her I've lost her until I hear the door bell ring.

Reviews

[Sunny]

Love this story.
It's so easy at that age to lose your way, blinded by the pressures of friends and popularity. You really took me back to school, with the cliques and insecurities. Love it and looking forward to reading more of your work.

Best, Sunny.

[barleygirl]

LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! This is an awesome lesson in a story. I always love the way you pack a short story with so many sassy & relatable details that we can picture happening as we read along. You really have a way of conveying the "typical" teen scene & how they put on acts. I really love your lesson about being real (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie