What Happenned Next

 

I took the bus home, after inspecting myself further in a McDonald’s restroom. I was fine. No evidence. I slept like a baby.

The next morning, there was footage of Nikki’s mother crying, and all of her friends bawling their eyes out on television. The main suspect was her boyfriend. I barely managed to keep the smile off my face. It’s not that I didn’t feel bad about killing her; it’s that I had made lives better by sacrificing hers. My friends, her boyfriend and everyone else who’d been picked on or wronged by her would be better off. The only thing I regretted was rushing away from the scene. I should have been more careful; more meticulous. I could have taken the time to enjoy it; tied her up and watched her squirm while I made a mess of her tanning bed baked epidermis. I would have loved to see her reaction.

Her locker at school was a shrine. Several of her friends spent the entire day with counselors. Her boyfriend had been taken into custody. It took all of my willpower to act normal rather than paranoid or outwardly resentful of her. Paranoia is what gives some of the best criminals away. I was extremely careful.

Skull sat with me at lunch. “I kind of feel sorry for her.”

I bit into my sandwich. “Why? She was awful!”

“She didn’t have a chance to be a better person, though. I mean, not that she would have, but maybe all it would have taken for her to turn around was a good scare.” She took a sip from her juice box. Skull loved apple juice.

I swallowed and thought on that statement for a while. “You’re right; like in Saw.”

“Yeah, see, Jigsaw gave people a choice on whether they survived or not, but whoever killed Nikki just did it to get back at her for being a s**t.”

I almost smiled. That wasn’t my only motive. “Yeah, but whatever. I don’t think she’d’ve ever changed the way she was.”

“We’ll never know.” Skull rolled her eyes.

“Boo!” Crimson yelled, grasping my shoulders suddenly.

I yelled and turned around, ready to attack. “God!” I said, somewhat relieved that it was only her. “You scared me.”

She giggled maniacally while I attempted to regain my composure.

I can’t start being so scared now. I’ve gotten halfway through the day already.

She sat down next to me. “You guys working tonight?”

I said “Yes” at precisely the same time Skull said “No”.

“Oh. Ok.” She said, awkwardly. She and Skull proceeded to make plans for that night. I allowed myself to become lost in thought. My job consisted, essentially, of scooping ice cream for bratty kids and frugal senior citizens who insisted on getting both a coupon off as well as their discount. I worked at a family-owned ice cream store that competed with a Baskin Robbins three blocks over. Unfortunately, we lost a lot of business because we didn’t carry cakes. On the bright side, though, I was free to do what I pleased while behind the counter if I didn’t have anything that required my immediate attention. Also, winter was moving in, which usually meant less business aside from hot fudge and caramel sundaes.

I only worked three nights a week, usually Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, but sometimes it felt like a lot more hours. I was scheduled to work with the assistant manager of the store, affectionately nicknamed Jalapeno because of his ability to consume mass quantities of spicy food. Bunny worked whenever he was needed; usually Tuesday nights and Sunday mornings. We rarely shared a shift, but it was, nonetheless, nice to have a friend under the same boss, the way it’s nice to know someone else who has your teacher.

I made it through the rest of school by focusing on class work. The first day had to be the hardest, right? Right.

I got to work via bus about fifteen minutes before the shift change. I meditated as well as I could in the after-school rush of elementary school kids. One of them dropped a cone on the floor. I clocked in, changed into my uniform shirt, grudgingly, and set to work, angrily muttering “kids” under my breath.

Reviews

[Mark D. Chevalier]

Death...via double scoop--lol!
What in intricate character relationship you have going. It seems like there is the makings of a disturbace in the armor of her resolve. Or maybe it's just that little bit of conscience tugging ever so slowly at the back of her gray matter.
Excellent!
Mark

[Marth47]

Serial killer working at a ice cream store? Perfect! Hahaha! You are doing really good at showing that the main character has a some what ordinary life despite what she is really thinking. I like that.

[Brie]

Good continuation. Now I really want ice cream. haha.
-Brie