Chapter 5
A/N: Hello guys. There are songs to be played in this chapter: Come Running Home to You by Grant Gustin and Look What You Made Me Do by Taylor. I'll notify you guys when to play it.
Don't forget to comment and vote. It means so much to me that you are already doing it, so keep up the good work. We are almost at 40 reads🥳🥳. Thank you guys. Sorry to keep you waiting. Enjoy😉.
****
I was in my room with Maddie. We were getting ready for the party.

"Are you sure you can go to the party? I mean, you still have a gauze wrapped around your head" Maddie pointed at the new gauze that Lucas helped me to change.

"I said I'm fine. This is the nth time you're asking me this" I groaned.
She was about to argue with me, but I spoke before she said anything else.
"If you don't stop, I'm throwing you out of my room"

"You don't even need to throw me out of here, I'll leave on my own accord. Sometimes I wonder if this is a girl's room or the devil's lair. It's too red!" She shuddered.

I laughed. It was so red that I agreed with it. My room was a 'dedicated corner for Barry Allen a.k.a The Flash'. That's what Max called it. I loved the series so much. The Flash was my favorite superhero, so my room was filled with posters and pictures of The Flash.

I loved the series and the actors. Especially Grant Gustin and Carlos Valdes; they played Barry Allen and Cisco in the series.
I knew every conspiracy theory in the series and I have religiously watched every fan-made stuff on YouTube. Even my favorite song of all time was from the series and for every Swiftie, picking a favorite song was super hard.

"You cannot blame a girl for having an obsession," I said while putting on my silver earrings.

Maddie was wearing a sequin short gown that was blue. She paired it with a matching set of dark blue earrings and a necklace that complemented her dark blue eyes and blue heels. She was dressed in all blue, except for her hair which was blond and was braided into two.

(This is Maddie's clothes,earrings and heels🌚)

However, I decided to dress in all silver because it matched my eyes. We looked at ourselves in the mirror and boy were we dressed to kill.

(Ashley's dress and shoes)

Maddie stood behind me, but she was a head taller than I was. I took in every single one of my features in the full-length body mirror.

I had grey eyes that looked so much like silver. My hair was a striking contrast to my silver look: it was bold red. I wasn't a natural red-haired, but it suited me so much that people had forgotten how I looked with black hair in the first place.

My red hair was curled at the tips. Nothing too special. I had a round face, a small heart-shaped nose, high cheekbones and heart-shaped lips that matched my hair, because of the Fenty lipstick I applied. I was the definition of an ethereal beauty.

The skin-tight gown I wore showed off my amazing figure. My breasts weren't too big or too small either. My waist was small in contrast to my wide hips and curvy butt.

We only applied very minimal makeup. It wasn't even noticeable.

Maddie placed all my hair on one side of my neck and kissed the other side of my neck. She trailed kisses on my neck.

"Ew. What are you doing?" I took a few steps away from her and glanced at her warily.

"If you are horny, wait till we get to the party" I joked.

However, she didn't find it funny.

"Maddie" I called out.

I placed my hand on her shoulders, but she shrugged it off and said rather coldly,"Let's go to the party"

The whole trip to the party was done in silence. Well, it was only a 5-minute walk, but the quietness was killing me.
We were almost at the party and the music was already loud, which made me wonder how it would be when we were inside. For sure, my ears were going to bleed tonight.

I stopped in my tracks and turned to Maddie, who was behind me.
"Maddie, did I say anything to upset you?" I asked.
"No"
"Then why are you giving me the silent treatment?"
"It's nothing," She said dismissively.
"If it's nothing, then it has to be something."
She still didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry" I apologized.
"For what? You didn't do anything, Ash"
"It doesn't seem like it" I folded my arms and raised a brow at her.
She sighed and said," It's complicated. You wouldn't understand"
I wanted to ask another question, but Brett saw us and started walking over.

"My, my, my. You guys look gorgeous." He licked his lips. We did look gorgeous.

Maddie and I shared a look and laughed.

"James is going to go out of his mind when he sees you." I smiled at his words and we headed inside.

Max's place was a beautiful mansion. We all came here every other day, so to most students who hadn't been here before, this place looked heavenly. By we, I meant S.M.Js.

Expected, when we entered the party, the once lively place, became quiet. We were the center of attention.

Maddie spotted a cute guy and went to make out with him, while I spotted Tracy and Max and I went to say hi to them.

"Bloody hell! You look like a Greek goddess You are too beautiful!" Tracy exclaimed.

"If James wasn't my boy and you weren't my sister, I'd have pin you down in an instant" I chuckled at Max's words.

"The sister factor didn't stop Lucas from pining me down." I thought to myself.

"You look lovely, Trace" She did look nice. She wore a black, sleeveless knee-length gown. Max just donned a blue hoodie, blue jeans, and a white Nike Air Force. He looked handsome as ever.

I scanned the room for two people in particular. Max and Tracy were talking, but I didn't pay attention.

"Are you a fool?"

"Yes" I replied not listening to the question, Max asked and Tracy and Max laughed.

"I asked if you were a fool, Girl Shayne" Max kept laughing and I hit his head.

"Ow!"

"Don't worry. James is busy doing something and Lucas is probably in an empty room with Iris. I saw them earlier" Tracy answered the question in my heart.

I almost rolled my eyes when I heard Iris' name.

Max received a text and said," Gotta go" He kissed my forehead, adding with a bright smile," Happy almost birthday Girl Shayne"

Before I could say anything, he had already gone.
Birthday?

"Birthday girl doesn't even remember her birthday. It's tomorrow. October twenty-second. It's almost midnight" Tracy reminded me and wished me too, before she also left.

I was standing there like a fool. I didn't even remember my birthday.

"Attention! Attention!!" The music stopped playing and D.J. held a mic and started to speak.

"There is a very special person that was born a few minutes from now and y'all have to agree with me that she's worth celebrating,am I right?" The crowd yelled "Yes" and started whistling and applauding.

"And only dick heads won't know who we are talking about. So to put you out of your shame, we are talking about the most beautiful girl with the kindest heart: Ashley Shayne!" And that was when the spotlight landed on me and I was the center of attention, again.

Max, Maddie, Lucas, Iris, and Tracy walked to the D.J.'s section and took mics.
"Let's start counting down!" She announced and they started counting down from thirty.

However, I was still restless. I couldn't find James anywhere. Where was he? But I still kept that perfect smile.

"..... Five, four, three, two, one!" They all shouted together and the confetti went off, with the crowd whistling and clapping.
"Happy birthday!!!" After saying that, the whole crowd went silent and the intro to my favorite song of all time was playing on a piano. (A/N: you can start playing the song that was mentioned at the beginning🌚)
I turned my attention to the stage, and saw James in a white shirt and black pants, singing. The piano was played by someone else, while he stood center stage with a mic in front of him.

He didn't have a decent voice, he had an amazing voice. He could become a great singer with that voice. He was very good.

He looked handsome with the spotlight on him. This was the man I love. His eyes searched the room for me. Finally, it landed on me, and his eyes lit up and he smiled. His eyes never left me.

I just gawked at him. Tears welled up in my eyes as he removed the mic from the stand and made his way towards me. He held my hand as he sang the last lines.

"Can't say how the days will unfold.
Can't change what the future may hold.
But I want you in it, every hour,every.......... Minute"

Then we kissed, slowly and passionately. When we pulled away, he whispered amidst the crowd roaring and cheering," Happy birthday,mi amor. Words can't express how much I love you".

"I love you too".

The rest of the night was a blur. I received a lot of presents from people I was familiar with and people I didn't even know existed.

Maddie gave me an Alexa. It was like Google Home. She had already put reminders on when to eat and take medicines and things I forgot to do if no one told me. So thoughtful of her. All her gifts were thoughtful.
She said," If we aren't around anymore, who would take care of you?"
"Don't you dare say that! We will always be together." I said firmly.
"Maddie and Ashley till infinity"
"Maddie and Ashley till infinity" I repeated with a smile.

Then Max gave me VIP tickets to EXO's concert. Everything was paid for, including the plane tickets. He also gave me a picture frame of me and him when I was 5 and he was 6. It was when we were running around playing with sand at the playground. Good times.
I hugged him and he said," Girl Shayne,we've always been the most playful out of the four. You are my partner in crime". Awwwn. We were the pranksters of the group.

Apart from the serenading, James gave me a necklace and there was writing on it," Always and Forever".

Lucas gifted me a trip for two. A getaway trip for the both of us and a bracelet and," mine" was engraved on it.

Tracy gave me a signed copy of Taylor's album record: Reputation.

My parents wished me and they were coming back today to give me a gift.

My life was perfect. Too good. Any girl would be envious and if I weren't me, I'd be jealous.

However, what ruined the night for me was a certain brunette girl. She came to me and held a customized neon light sign. And the customization was,' Athena'.

She's a bitch. A jealous bitch at that.

"Like my present?" She smiled.
"Yes. Who doesn't like cheap things?" I returned the smile. It was even faker than hers.
"You are a liar and I'll expose you. Even if it's the last thing I do, Athena"
I frowned and everything around me became blurry. My pupils dilated. Oh no, she was coming. I wanted to warn Iris.........
***
(Trigger warning: Violence and self-harm)
(Look What You Made Me Do by Taylor Swift)
Athena's POV
She was pretty. That I would admit. Her brunette hair irritated me. Today, she was going to learn a lesson.
She hadn't noticed that I wasn't Ashley anymore, I was Iris.

"I do like the neon lights. I wish I could reciprocate your actions. However, I think that neon lights inside a coffin, six feet under, wouldn't look nice, would it?" We were alone in a room upstairs in Max's house, so I could easily get rid of her.

"What do you mean?" She stuttered. My grey eyes shone with nothing but murderous intent. Even my aura had changed.

"Exactly what I said" I replied, with a smirk on my face.

"You're Athena! Where's Ashley?"
"How is this even possible?" She was beyond confused at this point. I just chuckled.

As I moved closer to her, she moved backwards. Iris was scared out of her wits and she tripped on her foot. She fell, which made her to be below my feet. Right where I wanted.

"I didn't want to do this" I sighed.

"But look what you made me do. Tsk.Tsk.Tsk"

I crunched down and punched her.

"Was I too harsh?" I asked, innocently, when I saw her tooth falling out. She spat out blood.

"Ashley, please! Stop!! Stop!!! Please! Stop it!!!" She kept chanting as I kept punching her.
"Ashley...." She was almost losing consciousness.

I stopped punching her.
"My name is Athena. Always remember this" Then I punched her for the last time before she passed out.
***
Ashley's POV
My knuckles were filled with blood. I was sitting next to Iris' body. I didn't know if she was dead. I couldn't check. I was too scared. What if she was dead?

"How do you like my birthday gift, Ashley?" I saw Athena leaning on the wall. She asked me with a sick smile.

"You!" I stood up and marched towards, raising my index finger at her, I spoke angrily," Why did you do this!? What do you gain by doing this? What did she ever do you!? You killed her!"

"No. You killed her" She shook her head and corrected.

"No, I didn't. I didn't touch her!" I stumbled backward.
"Oh, but you did" She said with a smile.

I lost my balance and fell to the floor.

"You killed her. You killed her. You killed her. You killed her. You killed her. You killed her." The voice kept chanting. It was getting louder and louder.

I covered both my ears and screamed," MAKE IT STOP!!!" I didn't even know when I started crying.
I got on my feet and ran into the bathroom. I looked at myself in the mirror and screamed.
My eyes were puffy.

My reflection in the mirror suddenly smiled at me and said," You killed her"
"No, I didn't!" I yelled back and began to hit my head on the mirror, repeatedly, until it shattered.
The previous injury reopened, making blood trickle down on my entire face. I looked like a devil.

My breath became heavy and I fell on the bathroom floor, with a thud.

I closed my eyes. But before I did, I saw Athena standing before me.

"You killed her" Those were the last words I heard.

***
A/N: Sorry for the late update. That's why I made this chapter long. The next chapter will be a flashback chapter. Thank you guys for your support. Don't forget to comment and vote. Love you all💞💞