Character;

Stephanie Rosa Downer, (Stella's mom.)

*

I sat on my bed, curled up with my hands tight round my knees as I shivered to and fro...

It was killing me...

The guilt was eating me up inside!

I'm a fuckin' murderer!

It was 2pm but I'd already been home three hours ago. School had been called for an early closure today after a brief assembly because of Veronica.

Because of me.

She was seen later on in the bathroom by another female student and she'd been comfirmed dead.

A cold shiver ran through my spine as I thought of it.

Maybe I should have called for attention earlier.

Maybe I should have rushed her for medical attention.

Maybe I should have yelled for help. Maybe she would have survived.

But I couldn't, 'cus I was scared.

I'm still so scared, I couldn't get to tell anybody about what I did.

Not even my sisters, not even my friends, not even my mom.

I heard a soft knock on the door before the door opened slowly. Ivy poked in her head first before walking in.

I cleaned the almost dried tears on my cheeks as Ivy sat beside me.

"Kelly told me about it....about you and Daniel," she started.

Daniel and I?

No one else knew about it, I wonder how news travel so fast.

I nodded my head in response.

"I'm so sorry about that."

"No need to be sorry....he's an asshole," I retorted in a low voice.

"Yeah I know, all guys are stupid," she responded.

"I also heard about Nika," she continued after a few moments of silence and it brought a fresh set of tears to my eyes.

"I know you miss her so much, but don't be too hard on yourself okay? Her day had always been numbered, but if anyone had a hand in her demise, the police will find out and the person would suffer dearly," she said and I forced myself to nod in response.

Only if she knew...

I wonder how they'll react when they find out it was all me!

I didn't mean it, it just happened so fast.

Under that 'bad ass bitch' character she potrayed was a very fragile girl.

A girl with a terminal sickness.

A girl that tried to live her life to the fullest before her early demise.

I just had to make that 'day' earlier.

Those were one of the many things I didn't know about her and I claimed she was my friend.

I'm a horrible person.

Ivy looked at me with sympathy, noticing all the hurt in my eyes.

My sight was already blurry with tears.

She pulled me in for a hug and I stayed there and cried on her shoulders.

I didn't know how long we stayed in that position or how long I cried but I drifted off into dreamland afterwards.

*

Wednesday morning came by so fast, there was a day break in school to signify Veronica's death.

Her death remained a mystery--to every other person though, not me.

It might had just been an accident, she might have slipped and fallen. Besides, they had found traces of alcohol and hard drugs in her bloodstream, so it might have triggered the event.

For now, I wasn't a suspect. It eased my heart a bit but it couldn't erase the fact that I was the killer.

The murderer.

I'm presently in class, we were not having any lessons yet though, everyone was still talking about her.

Veronica Dallas.

I was surprised nobody acknowledged her this much when she was alive, but now she's gone, it seemed like everyone had a sort of connection with her.

But it doesn't matter, it was my fault...

I'm the fuckin' murderer!

I couldn't get it out of my head, I felt like I was going crazy.

Amber was with me in class though she was talking to a group of girls while Tianna left to use the bathroom.

The bathroom!

I will never step a foot into that place, it holds so much bad memories.

I felt something vibrating.

I ignored it.

It vibrated again and I decided to find out what it was.

I traced it to Tianna's purse, I opened it and the blaring sound of her ringing tone filled the air.

Someone was calling her and she wasn't around.

I looked at the phone screen and I couldn't believe what I saw.

The caller's name was saved as 'College boo', but that didn't move me.

It was the fact that Zach's picture was on the screen, staring back at me.

*

I was mad!

I squeezed the phone right in my hand, trying to break it if possible.

"What's wrong?" Amber asked, already noticing how tensed up I was.

"Just give me space," I said calmly but firmly so that I won't get to pour my anger on the wrong person.

About two minutes later, Tianna walked into the class talking and giggling with a guy as she strode in.

That whore!

She's the reason Ivy feels so insecure, she's the reason the 'once lively' Ivy I used to know locks herself in her room and drowns herself in sad songs.

Ivy had never felt this way for any other guy but she did for Zach.

She felt he was cheating on her but she was just scared to find out.

To find out it is all true.

And it truly was.

I waited patiently for her to get back to her seat, to get back to me...

It's just so painful that she had to be the one to come inbetween them.

"So....how has your relationship been with your 'college boo'?" I asked, calmer than I expected, putting air quotes while mentioning the last two words.

She was quite stunned by the sudden question.

"He'd been calling," I said, tossing her phone over to her.

"He's really hotter than hell," I said, using the same words Amber had used.

There was an uncomfortable silence between us and a quite puzzled look on Tianna's face.

"And it happens to be my sister's boyfriend, you snitch!" I shouted, now glaring at her.

"What are you talking about?" She asked.

"Don't act so innocent! I always knew you were a fuckin' slut but I didn't know you snatch people's boyfriends too....Wow, that's nice....Multi-tasking," I said to her, sarcasm written all over my expression.

"I have no idea about what you're saying! Shut the fuck up!" She shouted back.

How dare she!

"Who the fuck do you think you are, rubbing yourself all over guys to show your worth without knowing you're just a used old piece of trash!"

"Stella!"

"Tianna!" I replied with the same intensity.

"Or am I lying? Sleeping around just to pay your fuckin' bills and family's overflowing debts, you should be ashamed of yourself! Making others think you're a big deal but you're just a cheap whore!" I screamed back.

The scene had the attention of all our classmates and visiting school mates.

Tianna didn't say any other thing, a tear rolled down her cheeks as she just stared at me.

I looked around to see other people's shocked faces.

Then it dawned on me.

Damn! What did I just do.

I realized that those little words I said, held so much and revealed a lot of things that isn't meant to.

No one else in school, except Amber and I, knew about Tianna's family background.

She had confided in me.

As a friend...

I couldn't believe those words easily flew out of my mouth.

She took one last glance at me with eyes already filled with tears before she ran out of the classroom.

What have I done?!

~~~~~~

If you were in Tianna's shoes when would have been your reaction?

'Tianna and Zach,' I guess you didn't see that coming right😂

If you were in Stella's shoes how would you react to the information?