Worthless
A Pretty Dark Secrets Story
When in doubt, tell a lie...
Remember those awful Friday nights when you didn't look old enough to pass for 18 and couldn't get into any good parties? You're flicking through the TV but everything bores you to death and you long to do something...exciting. The sound of rowdy college kids enjoying some kind of frat party gets increasingly annoying and you decide to find out what you're best friends are up to. Then one of them makes a suggestion and you feel like you need to do it to liven up your night. In Roseford, the need to agree with a suggestion changed everything...
"It's Friday sweetie. Of course the mall's open late." Abigail Du Mont laid on her king sized bed curling her golden locks around her index finger. She had to make sure that her opinion over powered everyone else's in the five way call she was having with her four best friends.
"Well I'm with Abi!" Sofia said as she sucked on a cherry Popsicle and tried to make sure none fell on her plain white tank top. "Who wants to stay in on Friday night anyways?"
"Now that's what I like to here. What about you Laura?" Abigail used that intimidating tone that told the others that they truly had no choice but to go.
"Um...I might come-" Laura started before Abi started speaking again.
"Great! Heidi you can just stay home like Tiana if you want!" Abigail shook her head silently.
"Even if I wanted to go my parent would probably say no anyway." Tiana whispered into her cordless house phone.
"Whatever," Abigail sighed. "All I wanted was to go to the mall with my four main girls...oh well, at least I have Sofia and Laura. Meet me at my house in half an hour."
When Abigail looked out of her window thirty minutes later, the four of them were standing near a tree in her backyard. Abigail knew that Tiana and Heidi would end up feeling bad and tagging along. She climbed out of her window to meet up with the others. None of their parents knew they were out.
"So you guys made it!" Abigail was clearly speaking to Tiana and Heidi.
"We're here aren't we? So let's just get going before it gets too late. "Tiana said as she checked her Armani watch. It was quarter past nine.
By the time they got to the mall it had just gone half past nine but the Northwood Mall was still buzzing with activity. The tantalizing aroma of expensive perfumes hung in the air and Laura took a deep breath in through her nose.
"I love that smell!" Laura closed her eyes.
"I'm gonna check out Cartier, you guys can stay here and admire the perfume or something." Abigail said as she applied another coating of lip gloss.
"But you don't like Cartier..." Sofia frowned.
"I'm sorry, but who are you to tell me what I do and don't like sweetie?" Abigail didn't wait for an answer. "I love Cartier!"
"But I thought-" Sofia sensed an argument brewing so she stopped.
"I'll come with!" Tiana moved towards Abigail.
"I'm a big girl Tee. I can go on my own." Abi slipped some Orbit sugar free gum into her mouth.
"So you invite us out here and you're just gonna leave us? Are you for real?" Tiana wasn't scared to speak her mind to Abi.
"You don't need to follow me everywhere like lost puppies! I'll meet you later!" And with that, Abigail disappeared around the corner.
When Tiana, Sofia, Heidi and Laura got to the second floor of the mall, Sofia saw something that made her cheeks go bright pink. "Tiana! It's your brother!"
Tiana had a bored expression on her face as she looked over at her brother Nathanial coming out of Lacoste. "And I care because? It's not like he's gonna rat me out to our parents."
Sofia pulled Heidi and Laura which urged them to continue walking with her. "But I think he's totally cute!"
"Gross." Tiana was about to take a seat when she spotted Abi going down the escalator on the other side of the second floor. "Where is she going now?"
"How about we follow?" Laura suggested. "Abi is way too secretive for my liking."
"You know what you're right!" Tiana said as she stood up from the bench. They all followed Abigail until they arrived at the entrance of the store room of the mall.
"Why's she down here?" Heidi questioned.
"That's what I wanna know!" Tiana turned the handle of the door that stood between them and the truth about what their best friend was doing.
It was quite warm inside and Heidi tried fanning herself with her hands. The room was large but it didn't take them long to find Abi once they heard her voice.
"Whatever!" Abigail exclaimed.
"Abigail just calm down-" A familiar voice said.
"I don't need to calm down. All I know is you're gonna pay for this!" Abigail spat back.
"Who's she talking to?" Tiana tried to remain hidden as she stuck her head round the corner of a shelf to see who was there. She gasped. "Bradley..."
Abigail had heard Tiana and she quickly approached them. When she saw the four of them, her anger escalated. "Did you follow me here? What did you hear?"
"Nothing! I swear!" Tiana swallowed hard.
Abigail ignored Tiana and went over to a shelf with a few large bottles of clear liquid on it. She grabbed one, unscrewed it and began pouring it everywhere.
"What are you doing?" Tiana knew what it was before she even looked at the label. The smell was so distinctive. Abi was throwing a 4 litre bottle of petrol everywhere.
"Are you crazy?" Bradley panicked. "You're taking this too far!"
"Abi!" Laura pleaded. "Stop!"
Abigail grabbed another bottle of the petrol. She held it in front of Laura. "Take it!"
Laura didn't move. "Why?"
"I said take it!" Abi shoved the petrol bottle into Laura's hands and it knocked her back a little. "Are you gonna help me or are you gonna disappoint me?"
Laura stood in a trance for a moment then Sofia spoke. "I'll help!" She grabbed a bottle of petrol and started dashing the clear liquid all over the store room and even threw some out in the hall.
Laura made the decision to go along with Abigail and Sofia. "Here goes!"
"Don't tell me you're about to do what I think you're about to do!" Bradley cried and put his hands on his head.
Tiana's eyes widened as she watched three of her friends go insane. "Heidi you're not gonna go along with this too are you?"
Abigail shot Heidi a dirty look. "Oh I think you are Heidi." Abigail took the fourth bottle off the shelf and waited for Heidi to come and take it from her.
A lump formed in Heidi's throat. "I have to."
Bradley tried to pull Abi by the shoulder. "Stay away from us!" She screamed. He backed away.
When the room was covered in petrol, Abigail checked a few cupboards until she found a tiny box with a single match inside. The others watched her as she stared at the match. Carefully, she took it out of the matchbox and walked over to Tiana. Abigail put her lips next to Tiana's left ear and whispered, "Let's say you disagreed with me. We wouldn't be friends and I only keep my friends' secrets." She placed the match and the box in the palm of Tiana's hand.
"This isn't happening!" Bradley ran out of the store room leaving the door ajar.
Tiana took a deep breath and struck the match head against the striker on the box. It ignited. "This is for you Abi." She dropped the match and the fire began to spread all over the store room. The five of them ran out into the basement hall.
"We need to get out of here! Quickly! Look at what you've got us into!" Heidi looked around for an exit.
"Don't underestimate me!" Abigail said as the fire alarms began to sound. She led them back up to the first floor where crowds of people were trying to squeeze their way out of the mall and into the car park.
After about 10 minutes, the mall had been completely cleared out and sobs were coming from every direction in the car park. Abigail and the others turned towards the burning building and then, bang.
Shortly afterwards, the police arrived along with the ambulance and the fire brigade. Abigail dealt with Bradley and the five of them walked away from the parking lot. But before they could go far, a cop approached them from behind.
"Are you girls okay? You look a little young to be out this late." The cop narrowed his eyes.
No one knew how to answer him but an unexpected saviour broke the silence. "Oh I bought them officer!" Spencer Hastings walked towards the girls. "They've been with me all night but I told them to walk ahead while I checked on a friend!"
The cop believed Spencer's story and she told them she had seen the five of them coming from the basement. Abigail thought about making up a lie, but Spencer said she didn't want to know what they were doing down there.
The next day they heard that Anna, Bradley's sister, was trapped in the mall when it exploded and she was in intensive care. When Abigail thought the cops were on their trail, she told them it was Bradley. Then a few weeks later, Abigail disappeared and was never seen again.
