No matter how much he wished otherwise, James had school the next day.
James felt exhausted from the night before and wasn't looking forward to the fallout from ditching in the middle of a game.
James climbed out of his car and looked around with caution. He spotted the captain of his team, Josh, and groaned.
He knew he would have to talk to him either way. He left in the middle of the game. James could only hope that Josh would understand about Christine. It's not as if her meltdown in the gym was subtle and someone had to make sure she got home ok.
James hesitantly approached the taller boy.
Josh turned and the change in his expression was immediate.
"Hey…" James greeted. He avoided eye contact and rubbed his arm.
Josh's face twisted. "Hey? That's all you have to fucking say for yourself? You totally fucked us over yesterday!"
James cringed. "Yeah, I know, but listen-"
"No! Fuck that! You whine about not playing for months, and then the first opportunity you get, you ditch? Are you fucking kidding me?"
James's face heated. "Yeah, I know Josh, but I had to take care of-"
"Of what? Some crazy bitch? That's what you had to take care of? That's why you fucked your team over?"
Now James was getting angry. "Don't call her that."
Josh sneered. "Or what?"
James hesitated." Or…" he trailed off.
Josh's expression curdled further. "That's what I thought. You're already this fucking close to not being on the team at all. And you can fucking say goodbye to any chance playing again. You're already a picture player, Chu. So why don't you go find that crazy bitch and cry to her?"
Josh shoved James a step back.
That was fucking enough, James knew he only got a spot on the team so they'd have some 'diversity' for the school website. Being short, trans and Asian provided enough contrast between him and everyone direction looking ass player on the team that the coach admitted him and called it a day. That didn't make him any less of an effective player, the team had yet to realize.
And talking shit about Christine? Fuck no. She did nothing to him.
James got in his face and snarled. "Don't put your fucking hands on me"
Josh reciprocated and gave James another little shove. "Or fucking what, freak? You're gonna-"
Whatever Josh was about to say was cut off by a low, rumbling growl.
And it didn't come from James.
"What the…?" Josh asked. Both boys turned and froze at what they saw.
A fucking mountain lion.
In the school parking lot.
"No fucking way," James whispered.
Josh took a panicked step back from James in what would be an idiotic move.
As soon as Josh was away from James, the animal pounced.
It was like something out of a horror movie.
The animal's mouth clamped around Josh's arm and tugged.
There was a gut-wrenching pop sound and Josh screamed.
And James came back to life.
It was like the big cat turned off a switch in his brain and Josh's scream turned it back on.
"Somebody help!" James screamed.
He continued yelling until he was hoarse.
Help arrived, and the cat ran back towards the woods.
The Woods.
James froze as he watched the cougar bound home.
He noticed something bizarre.
It was wearing a collar, James thought to himself.
The ambulance door slammed and James jumped.
He turned to the paramedics. "Is he going to be ok?" He asked anxiously.
The paramedic gave him a small smile. "We'll do everything we can" the woman assured him.
The teacher who called them escorted James inside.
The whole walk to the door James didn't take his eyes off the woods.
This may or may not be the biggest mistake Piangi has made since he forgot to add water while making ramen. At least Carlotta was alone and not surrounded by her posse. Now that would be a real disaster.
Piangi swallowed and gathered his courage before approaching.
"H-hey." He stuttered. Idiot. Fool. You need to be confident, Piangi reminded himself. She'll never take you seriously otherwise.
Carlotta looked him up and down with a curled lip. "Did you get lost on your way to your gastric bypass?"
Piangi gulped. "I wanted to make sure you were ok. After yesterday."
Carlotta froze. She squinted down at him from her heels.
"It was pretty shitty." She answered, suspicion coloring her voice.
"Yeah. It really, really was." Piangi agreed.
Carlotta continued to glare at him. Piangi tried to think of something to say. "I'm sorry Meg was being such a bitch. She didn't need to come after you like that. You were just stating the obvious."
Carlotta smiled for.00004 seconds. Piangi totally caught her. She definitely smiled at something he said to her.
"I realize, thanks." Carlotta jeered.
Piangi shuffled his backpack to fit on her shoulder better.
He gave a small smile.
"Good. You should know what you're worth Carlotta." Piangi responded.
Her eyes widened a fraction, and she stiffened.
They were silent for a moment.
Piangi was going to give up hope and leave when Carlotta spoke.
"...And what exactly am I worth?" She asked. Her voice was soft and low. Her manicured fingers pinched with a piece of thick red-gold hair, the way she used to when they were young and she was nervous.
"Everything," Piangi answered. He believed it too.
Carlotta's lips twitched. Piangi's chest felt warm and he could feel contentedness dancing beneath his skin.
"Here's the deal, Ubaldo" Carlotta stated. She dug in her bag and got out a piece of paper and pen. She spent a moment scrawling something on it before tossing it to him. "You will meet me at that address. You can buy me coffee and kiss my ass more. Capisce?" Carlotta said. She walked off before Piangi could reply.
Today must be a really lucky day.
"Do you know why I asked you here, Mr. De Changy?" Mr. Bronson asked.
Raoul fidgeted with his sleeve and glanced around the empty classroom.
"No, sir, I don't." Raoul murmured.
Mr. Bronson and stepped behind his desk. The tall man did something on his computer and motioned Raoul to come over.
His stomach filled with lead, Raoul stepped over.
His heart skipped a few beats.
"Do you have anything to say, Changy?" Mr. Bronson asked.
It was a picture of him. Drinking at Brittany's party.
"Sir, I can explain-" Raoul stammered. held a hand up to silence him.
" Changy, you know school policy. I'm afraid I must speak to Principal Reyer about this. I thought I'd do you the courtesy of informing you beforehand."
Ice crystals formed in Raoul's heart.
"Wait, please, you can't-"
's face hardened. "I can and will. This behavior is not acceptable for an average student at our school, let alone the student body president. Perhaps you should think about that next time you have the choice to engage in this behavior." scolded.
The man turned to leave his classroom.
Raoul surged forward.
He had to do something.
The universe at large was conspiring against him. Or for him, depending on perspective.
The ceiling tile a step above Mr. Bronson clattered to the floor.
Cautious, Mr. Bronson took a step forward to peer in the gaping hole in the ceiling.
Neither he nor Raoul expected a Mountain Of Spiders to fall from the ceiling.
Joseph Buquet is a bitch. Meg knew that when she started hooking up with him.
She blankly stared ahead as Joey's face got redder and redder.
"I still don't see the problem." Meg drawled. Joey's eyes popped in an unattractive way. Meg thought he might explode.
"You've fucking been stringing me along! This whole fucking time you've been horny for fucking Sorelli and didn't have the decency, to be honest with me!" Joey burst.
Meg rolled her eyes. "Ok, yeah, but we're not like dating or anything. I don't see how it's any of your business how I may or may not feel about Sorelli. Who told you anyway?" Meg asked.
"Doesn't fucking matter?! You will be fucking sorry, Giry, that's all I got to say." Joey snarled and tried to storm off.
Meg's heart skipped a beat, and she hurried after him. She did not like the implication there.
"Joey? What do you mean? Joey!"
Joseph whirled around at the sound of her voice. "It means I have some interesting pictures of you I can post online if you don't get your act together." Joey threatened in a low voice.
Meg felt like someone had punched her in the gut. "You said you deleted those." Meg stuttered.
Joey said nothing. He only smirked and sidled off.
"Joey!" Meg called frantically after him. Her heart thudded in her chest, fighting against the icy hand that gripped it. She had to get those pictures back. There was no way she could let something like that get out. She could get kicked off the team, her mother would have a stroke, they could always be brought up again and again...
The bell rang and Meg begrudgingly went to class. It wouldn't help her any to cut and get found out by her mom.
At the end of the period, a loudspeaker announcement informed everyone they could go home.
Meg furrowed her brow as she went out to the parking lot with the crowd. Two ambulances sat.
Meg frowned.
"I hope they're ok." Someone behind her muttered.
In one ambulance they loaded up the science teacher, .
In the other-
Meg gasped.
"Joey" she breathed.
The ambulance covered him with a sheet and the crowd fell silent.
Carlotta's grip on the steering wheel was turning her knuckles white. She pulled into Mrs. Valerious's drive was with dread in her stomach. God, this was so fucking awkward. She didn't know how she ended up being the one to drop off Christine's assignments but here she is. Carlotta thought it was kind of bullshit that they excused Christine from school. Like, she understood it but it was still bullshit. The town hasn't forgotten how tragic it was when little Christine went missing. They hadn't forgotten how they all went out and combed the forest for her. So Principal Reeves called to let Mrs. Valerious know that Christine was free to sit on her ass and binge Netflix for the day.
Carlotta got out of the car. Stop whining, she told herself, hurry and get this awkward-fest fucking over with.
She jumped up the steps, her heels making the motion awkward. Carlotta huffed when she nearly tripped on a floorboard and tucked a hair behind her ear before knocking.
She paled when Mama Valerious answered instead of Christine.
"Carly Giudicelli? Why It's been years! Come in!" The widow bid Carlotta inside. Oh, shit this just got super uncomfortable.
"I can't stay long, I only came by to drop off Christine's... shit…" Carlotta still being ushered in by the older woman, trailed off at the sight of Christine. "Holy fuck you look like shit," Carlotta commented.
Christine's curly hair was a rats' nest and there were purple bags underneath her eyes. Her pale skin looked dry and her lips were cracked.
"Uh... thanks?" Christine's weak voice said. She raised an eyebrow at Carlotta. "What are you doing here?"
Carlotta loosened her iron grip on the bundle of paper. "You have homework."
Mrs. Valerious hummed and started out of the roomed. "I'll let you two girls catch up!" she called behind her. The woman left thick and stiff silence in her absence.
"Thank you for dropping this off." Christine acknowledged with a small smile.
Carlotta's mouth twisted and her face flushed. Jesus Christ she needed to get the fuck out of here this is so weird.
"Don't feel special. Just to make things clear, just because you had a meltdown doesn't mean I feel sorry for you or something. I don't need your drama Daae. You haven't been around and I'm only going to say this once, but we're not friends. Understood?" Carlotta asked.
Her eyes flitted away from Christine for a moment. It was uncomfortable to look at her without recalling everything. Carlotta struggled for only a moment before making eye contact. It was unpleasant but something that needed to be done. Carlotta only had so many excuses to hang out with losers and there was someone else that was much more promising than Christine.
The smaller girl's face remained that gentle neutral as she nodded.
"I get it. Thanks anyway. You should probably get going before Mama gets back." Christine suggested. She moved forward and ushered Carlotta out of the house.
Carlotta bristled, huffed, and marched to her car on her own.
She didn't turn around when Christine shut the door behind her.
The dream isn't scary at first
There are candles all around.
There was mist upon a vast, glassy lake.
There was no boat to be found.
And there is music in the air.
It thrums in their ears like it has a life of its own. It danced in the air and lured them towards the source.
It's pulling them.
Away from the light and the warmth.
There's only cold and dark and wet the farther they go in but they can't, can't walk away from the music.
It all leads to a large room.
There's a coffin on one side of the space. The other side has an organ playing itself.
They don't want to go near the coffin.
oh god, they don't want to wake whose inside.
The thought wasn't entirely their own but they would obey nonetheless. They didn't near the coffin.
They don't want to touch the organ as long as it's playing no one can hear them breathe. They edge away from that too.
And in the middle is a huge mirror. It's a beautiful thing, with a frame of silver and gold, the metals intertwining effortlessly. The glass is well polished and seems to glow from within.
They edge nearer to it and see something is inside.
They get closer, and closer, before finally spotting it.
There appears to be a woman in a white dress inside.
They walk toward the mirror. Surely, surely it isn't them in the mirror.
A gasp is ripped from their throat as they recognize the face behind the veil.
It's Christine
Oh god, she's so still.
They slam their fist against the glass. They have to get her out of there. They have to.
They lean closer to tell her they'll get her out, that she'll be all right, but see she's trying to tell them something instead.
Her lips are barely moving and they can't figure out what she's trying to say.
They don't hear the creak of the coffin.
They don't notice the organ is no longer playing its eerie tune.
They finally see what Christine is saying.
But it's too late.
"Behind you,"
They get one glance in the mirror of a figure behind them before they can't breathe and oh god they're choking-
With a jolt, five teenagers woke up from the same nightmare.
And with dread slowly filling them they realize it will be the first of many.