Prom Night

“Crystal, Jillian are you girls done? Ryan and Jake are here.” 

“Yeah Mom almost, ask them to wait we’ll be right down” Yes it was prom night and Jill’s squealing  had been at its peak, since she got asked out by Ryan whom I personally considered to be a jerk. If only my best friend could look past the looks and the evil charm.

“Jill come on already you look great, and why on earth are you wearing so much makeup isn’t it supposed to be a masquerade night?”

“You think its too much”

“No.... its fine can we just get going already” That girl always did know how to dress up. 

“Showtime” said Jillian grabbing both our masks.

We descended down the stairs, Jill as graceful as a dancer holding her gown carefully and confidently as she walked with me behind her clumsy as ever struggling to keep it together. Opposites really do attract else we would have never been best friends.

Then after mom’s pre-prom photo session we opened the door to see them standing by the rented limousine all dressed up in black tuxedos.

“Wow.. you look stunning” Ryan commented which of-course made her blush. As Jake and I followed them into the limo Jake asked, “So are you being dragged into this against your will as well?” “Most definitely” I replied. Again opposites attract else Jake wouldn’t be friends with Ryan.

We reached our beautifully decorated high-school in about an hour. Jill and Ryan seemed to enjoy themselves while to me it was like a nightmare. “Coke?” Jake offered. “Thanks, i’m sorry Jake I know you’re getting bored, this isn’t really my scene”   

“Not entirely your fault, i’m not good at socializing as well... Hey i love this song so what do you say one dance?” Right when I was about to make an excuse and decline we heard scream.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Let’s find out.” Jake said. We made our way through the crowd to the spot in question. The next thing that i saw, left me in mixed emotions of terror and sheer distress. It was Jill, lying face up on the floor, eyes still and blood all over her black gown. She had been shot.

I felt the whole room spinning. I could not think and had forgotten how to breathe. I was down on my knees with my eyes burning in tears blurring the scene in front of me. I felt somebody pulling me away but I had no strength to fight the force. It was Jake, he made me sit down and shook me trying to get me out of the shock, get me to speak. I looked at him and whispered, “Jill’s dead Jake” I still could not believe the words coming out of my lips. Even he did not know what to say to console me.  For the next hour the commotion in the hall was at its peak.

I was sitting with my head cupped in my hands when a familiar voice asked, “Crystal are you okay?” It was Ryan, all this time i had been so preoccupied with the grief of losing my best friend that i had entirely forgotten the fact that she was with Ryan the whole time. “Do i look like i’m okay ?” I barked and stood up to face him and whispered “Where were you Ryan? I am warning you boy, if i am to find out that you had anything to do with this....” that was when Jake interrupted “Crystal, he went to get drinks when it happened, you cannot possibly suspect him, i know you don’t like him but do you really believe he can murder someone?” he was right, i was being unreasonable “I don’t know what to believe Jake” I sat back down just when a man dressed in black leather jacket came up to us.

“Miss Rivers, I’m detective Hunt I’m here to ask you a few questions” he said in a gentle yet rough voice.

“Sure.” I said as i dried my eyes.

“you two as well” he said eyeing Jake and Ryan. “She came here with you guys right?”

“yes, but she was with Ryan most of the night.” He turned to face him as I pointed at him.

I looked at them as the homicide detective interrogated Ryan. All of it felt like an episode of one of those crime television series that i loved watching.  I heard him asking all of those usual questions to him like “Did you notice any suspicious behavior around her at any point of the night?”

“Nope..” Ryan answered. Ryan was the most callous boy that i knew, but this incident even got him serious.  

“What about you two? Miss Rivers did you notice anything out of the ordinary going on in her life lately? Did she get into any fights?”

“No everybody loved her, and she never fought with anybody.” I still could not get my head around the fact that somebody could do this to her. “Sir, did you find any evidence that might point to the killer.” Jake asked.

“Not yet, but the blood spatter indicates that the gun was fired from somewhere near the eastern window” which was clearly visible from where i was standing when the whole thing had probably happened and yet i saw nothing.

“she was shot in her back right?” it struck me suddenly “She was coming to talk to me..” Ofcourse, Ryan left her to get those drinks and she decided to come talk to me about her night. “If it wasn’t for that she wouldn’t have come in front of the window. She probably would have been alive” it was my fault..

“Crystal, its not your fault” said Ryan.

“Where were you Jake?” The detective cut in.

“i went to the men’s room” he replied.

“Alright that will be all for now, please do not leave town until the case is closed” said the detective as he left.

 

That night mom insisted that i sleep with her. Even though i was wide awake for most of the night. At around half past midnight even lying in the bed became uncomfortable. I took the glass of water by my bed and went to sit by the window. The faint breeze hitting me felt soothing. I sat staring at the dark forest just across the road. After half an hour or so i decided to get back in bed as i was finally getting a bit weary. That was when i noticed some movement in the shadows near the forest. I could almost swear that it was a man but it was too short a glimpse to know any more. Something like that would get anybody’s attention and for someone who’s best friend had just been murdered, it was fear, which the goosebumps confirmed. Then i realized maybe i was being too paranoid and it was probably just some random guy or maybe just a mistake of my eyes. But i did close the windows before going to bed.

 

Next morning i woke up tired. I almost did not feel like going to school, but i decided to go anyway. I figured going to school would keep my mind off the misery. But stepping into the school building i instantly regretted my decision. Everyone kept staring at me, which was really annoying. Then every teacher making us mourn for a minute before the beginning of every class made things even worse. I could hardly concentrate in any of the classes, but the teachers chose not to bother me. By lunchtime, the staring had minimized. Even though nobody said out loud but i could see the terror in everybody's eyes. I knew that by the next morning everyone would be back to their ostentatious selves. I just had to get through the day. 

"Hey can we join?" it was Ryan and Jake. "Sure.." i said. Even they would forget all about this soon enough, but it somehow felt good having some company at least. After all they were also pretty much attached to this.

"How are you holding up?" Ryan asked.

"Okay, but i really wish everyone would stop reminding me, and what's up with the staring its really annoying." I replied.

"I know, you're not the only victim of the stare attack" Ryan said. Atleast i wasn't alone. 

The second half was almost the same, just a little less frustrating. I was almost relieved at the sound of the final school bell. All i wanted was to run out of there. But somebody held me back, I turned to see it was Scarlet Richards. "What's up?" i asked confused. "Not here.." she said and dragged me to the girls washroom and we waited till it was completely vacant. "I might have seen Jill's killer" she whispered. 

"What?" i said. That was unexpected.

"The cops questioned us if any of us had been outside, we denied but actually i did step outside for a moment with Lucas, and on our way back in I saw somebody else entering too. He was masked so i couldn't see his face but i did see him bleeding from the back of his neck. I'm sorry i know i should have told the cops, i panicked."

"When did you see him coming in?" i asked, anxious now.

"few minutes before Jill's body was discovered, I saw him coming out of the bushes" she replied.

"Wait what bushes?" i asked

"The roses outside the eastern window." 

Clearly the killer. 

As i walked out of the school and into the crowd all my eyes looked for was a scarred neck. But i wasn't having much luck because of all the collars that were up. "HEY" said Jake as he interrupted my train of thoughts, he was panting from running to catch up with me. "hey" i replied then looked around and asked, "where's your sidekick?" 

"you mean Ryan? i don't know, he's around here somewhere" 

"right.. well see you later" 

"wait! need a ride?" 

"uh... no i'll just.. walk home"

"alone.. are you being serious its not safe, come on i'm dropping off Ryan anyway"

"me and Ryan in the same car... you really want your car to be the next crime scene don't you"

He smiled lightly,"Well you don't need to talk.. he's traumatized pretty badly too"

right when Jake finished his sentence we saw Ryan flirting with a random cheerleader.

"clearly... he's in shock" i said, my tone effortlessly sarcastic.

As i was sitting in the backseat glancing out the window i remembered, that i should check Ryan for a scar too. I turned my gaze to his neck which luckily for me was bare but unmarked. that ruled him out so i looked away now. Moments later the car jolted to a stop, that was my cue. i thanked him for the ride and got out of the car.

As they drove away my focus shifted to the forest. I closed to the point where i had seen that suspicious figure the night before. I made out a faint footprint on the soil. A human footprint! I wasn't mistaken last night, somebody was here. A shiver went down my spine and i turned to run into the safety of my home but my mind held me back. I took out my phone and took a picture of the footprint. Then i ran in. 

"i'm home" i yelled and went up to my room. I decided that it was time for some music now. I could really use the distraction. I put on a playlist of my favourites and laid on my bed eyes closed.