7
It was 7 o'clock on Friday night and Heidi was getting ready for Clarissa Rose's back to school party. Nick had just knocked on her bedroom door. "Just a second!" Heidi made sure her floor length, salmon coloured gown was on in the correct manner and went over to the door. She glanced at the small chip in the round doorknob. It had been there for the past year. Heidi wasn't exactly sure how it got there, but she had a feeling that her dad did it with a screwdriver and it slipped while he tried to tighten the screws on knob itself. He probably didn't want her mother Jackie to find out. Jackie Porter worked as an anchorwoman for ABC news and was often out of town. However, when she returned home, she resumed her role as a housewife and mother who was obsessed with keeping her house in tip top condition.
When Heidi opened the door, Nick looked up at her newly done hair. "Wow. Talk about an overdose of hairspray!" He bit his lip.
Heidi panicked. "You're kidding me. Is it noticeable?"
Nick smiled and walked over to Heidi's bed. "I'm just messing," His timberland boots matched perfectly with the wheat coloured jacket he wore.
Heidi found getting ready for parties so exciting. She remembered how Abigail always used to be the last to be ready and had everyone helping her achieve perfection, just like the time they went to Sofia Peterson's sister Nina's end of year bash in seventh grade. Abi said things like, "Make sure this bracelet fits right!" and "Add some more blusher to my cheeks!" That's probably why everyone thought of her as a Queen. Heidi could understand why someone would want to dethrone a queen like Abi, but kill her? That was one thing she could not comprehend.
"So wanna go to Clarissa's at about 9?" Nick lay on his back looking up at the ceiling.
"Uh huh. Perfect. It's always good to be fashionably late" Heidi combed her auburn hair for the fourth time. "That should do it."
"Hey did you hear Bradley Stafford's sister Anna is supposed to be back in town too? I mean, you'd think she'd want to stay away from home for now, but nope. Apparently their Mom and stepdad wanna bring their family 'back together'," Nick shook his head.
Heidi was speechless. "Hmm...I hope he'll help her out around school. It's the least he can do."
"Yeah I know. How can he live with himself though? He put his own sister in a wheelchair!" Nick said in disgust. Heidi didn't reply and stared into space. "Anybody in there?" Nick waved his hand in front of her face.
"Yeah! I'm sorry." Heidi exhaled loudly. "How can someone whose way of life has been messed up so badly still talk to the person who was responsible. I know I wouldn't be able to look anyone in the eye again if I did something like that to them." Anna Stafford was Bradley's younger sister. When the accident happened at the end of eighth grade, she left town to get treatment and didn't return...until now that is.
"This thing is kinda tight," Heidi tried to loosen the straps of her white, lace, strapless bra.
"And you're telling me this because?" Nick smirked.
Heidi rolled her eyes. "I'm just saying!"
"It's okay! I know you want me-" Nick began as he walked over the Heidi.
Heidi gave him a dirty look. "No I don't want you to do it for me!"
"Be that way then," Nick joked while strolling back towards Heidi's bedroom door.
"I will!" Heidi replied sarcastically.
"I'm gonna hang with your dad. Come down when you're done." Nick gave Heidi a nod then partially closed the door.
"Alright, meet you downstairs!" Heidi yelled before she went over to the mirror to check on her appearance one last time. Then, the screen of the iMac she had gotten for her birthday last year lit up. Heidi squinted and walked over to it. She had one new email.
Everyone's going to be out so late at this party tonight. But you and I both know parents let their kids get away with murder sometimes. In your case, literally. ––A
Heidi's legs turned to jelly. This can't be happening she thought. She wasn't expecting this to resurface right now at all. The only person who could have known about this...Was Abigail back?