October 13

              October thirteenth.

   It was October Friday the thirteenth. Everyone being huge fans of Halloween was super excited to see what the day would bring. I walked upstairs and found my brother and my mom eating cereal. Ever since dad left she tries to spend as much time as she can with us. I grabbed a breakfast muffin and looked for my folder. I found it on the couch and I shoved it in my bookbag along with the muffin. 

"Bye y'all I'm heading to the bus."

"You sure you don't want me to drive you honey?" 

"I'm good"

     I was never close with my mom. My brother however is the total mommas boy. He is a year above me in ninth grade so he goes to a different school. I waited in the dark until my bus arrived. I headed to the back were I sat until my friends got on. I looked at stories of people from my school saying today is going to be crazy but then as  I looked up as I realized my friend didn't get on the bus. I waited until we got to the school and I got off. I found my friend and ran up to her.

"Hey girl, you weren't on the bus." 

"Oh hey lauren, yeah I got a ride I thought ur mom would of taken you."

She laughed and I rolled my eyes. I listened as the bell rang and the school got louder.

"So uh some girl dared me on my Yolo to spend a night in a cemetery. I thought it would be fun if we did it together ya know make a vlog."

"Sure I mean I have nothing else to do. Plus then I can avoid my mom. Anyway see ya I gotta get to class"

I walked away as I thought about how this night could go wrong. Anything however would be better than staying with my mom. I went throughout the day coming up with things to do and thinking about what to pack. After lunch and discussing are plans of what to pack and what to do I left to go to my last couple classes. We texted the whole rest of the day saying how excited we were.

She wants to be famous or at least popular. She makes these video's and most of the likes are strangers. Strangers who comment as king her to do a bunch of stupid tasks. Like this one, staying the night in a cemetery. I sat and waited for the bell to ring during the last five minutes of class. My thoughts overpowering my teachers voice. 

Then the bell rang. Hundreds and hundreds of kids running to their lockers for their Friday night plans. I found bella and saw her next to the other girls who were coming. The ones who admitted to daring her. I was confused as I grabbed my bookbag for these two popular girls were hanging out with us. The normals. Or at least myself Bella is crazy.

I had a terrible feeling in my gut that they had planned something but remembered its better than being with my mom.

"Hey you're lauren right?"

I looked up at this girl who is wearing the school spirit wear and turned to Bella.

"Yeah, I'm going with Bella tonight."

"That's wonderful because my friend violet here and I will be joining you, maybe even give you a shout out."

She said as she watched Bella's eyes light up. They headed the other way and I looked at Bella making a list in her phone.

"Cheerleaders Bella?"

"What I am just using her for a shout out nothing more."

"You always do this you want to be with the popular group so bad but you have to stay here with me girl."

"Your just jealous Lore"

We both walked in silence for a minute before we forgot it and started talking again.

"So what's the plan? I mean for our moms."

"Your coming over to my house and I'm going to yours. Ill bring my bike over and we will bike down there and stay the night."

"And this is one of your videos."

"Yes this could be the one, ya know that makes me I mean us famous."

We walked out and got in opposite sides of the car and sat.

"Hey mom?"

"Yes Bella?"

"Can I stay over at Lauren's tonight?"

"Sure as long as its okay with her mom?"

"Thank you!"

She turned to me as a text of a winky face came through on my phone. I waited for two minutes listening to the radio until we got to my house. I thanked her mom for the ride and headed inside.

" hey loser" 

I said to my brother as I slammed my bookbag down. 

"I'm going over to Bella's tonight if mom asks where I am."

"But she isn't going to be here I don't want to be home alone."

I looked at the fridge that had a sticky note on it that read

"Going out for the weekend on the twenty is for pizza :)"

I rolled my eyes and threw the note away

"You will be fine."

I ran upstairs and started packing. Basically the essentials of camping. Plus a portable charger. I went and unlocked my bike as I remembered who was coming. I sat on the ground and sighed as I remembered how the teased me for my dad leaving. Then I heard a bell ring. I stood up and saw Bella.

"Your mom home."

"Nope she's gone all weekend I'm almost ready." 

I moved my bike and pushed it into the front yard. I looked at her as I walked into the house as she looked at her phone with regret and sadness. I went to my room and grabbed my bookbag and sleeping bag. I walked downstairs and saw her on the ground.

"Bella?"

She looked up from her shoes and stood up.

"They cancelled its just us."

"Oh Bella I'm sorry."

"Its fine I'm gunna do a live stream now."

"Why? What made you change your mind.?"

"Then we can do live challenges."

I looked at my watch that now read five thirty and hopped on my bike. Sleeping bag attached and bookbag on my back. It was heavy with gear but tonight is gunna be totally worth it. Or I thought.

We made it to the cemetery at six. I opened up our dinner and we set up camp near the abandoned church. She set up a camera and connected it to her phone. 

"Testing testing 1  2 3 "

I clicked on it on my phone to see if I could watch it but it wouldn't load. My brother texted me asking why I was in a cemetery so I knew the live stream was working. We got more and more people to join and we started to have fun.

We did guess the gibberish and put a finger down challenge however we never asked the people what dares we should do. There was this one guy who kept telling us there was someone behind us but we knew it was a prank.

"Isn't this fun"

"Yeah thanks for inviting me bella, guys everyone needs to subscribe to her YouTube channel right now and if she can go from three hundred to five hundred before eight then we will do the  scary dares y'all are saying."

She looked at me with worry as the number next to subscribers rose and rose. At seven fifty five She had almost seven hundred followers. I looked at the stream and smiled.

She muted us and turned on a slideshow of memes. 

"Are you crazy!?!"

"This is better than you shout out right? I'm trying to help you"

"Yea but now I'm scared "

"Here's the plan ill put my number up there and the first to get in dares us to do something."

"But what if its bad"

"We can set rules."

"Okay"

She unmuted the phone and turned the video back on. She explained the rules of the game and how we won't do anything illegal or inappropriate. I started to read off my number my phone number knowing I am getting a new one next week. I read all the numbers and got a call immediately. Only one though which was weird. 

"Hello this is lauren" 

I said with a stutter. The Phone was silent as I hear some sort of echo come from the phone. sounding like me. I assumed it was just my stupid phone. I waited for the response but the phone stayed silent. I looked at Bella who was looking at my phone that read unknown. I listened to this man breathe.

"Dude if up your not going to talk I'm going to hang up."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

He said in a scary tone of voice. Bella and I looked at the live stream who were now freaking out about some man in the distance.

"Dude listen were scared okay just tell us a dare and lets move on."

I said. I stared at the camera as he took a deep breath.

"I want her to run."

"What that doesn't make sense."

"Yes it does I want her to run a lap around the cemetery"

I looked at her and handed her the flashlight. I looked over at the comments who were saying its a prank and its not funny. So she stood up.

"Bella it takes like seven minutes to do the circle."

I knew this because my dads sister was buried here. 

"Its cold though and I "

"DO IT" 

The man yelled on speaker phone. A noise came from far away as if he were here. I had a terrible feeling in my gut.

"I hate you lauren."

I watched as she started to run away in the distance her light spinning. I looked at the live stream still holding my phone. I heard the man breathing. 

"You can hang up now."

"NO I want to make sure she does the dare"

I sat there and watched the light disappear and listened to the man breathing. A noise came from the phone that sounded like a person running past. It was almost midnight which confused me but whatever. But then his breathing got heavier and heavier and I stood up.

The comments were telling me to go after her. I then heard a scream and it echoed through the phone.

I stood there heart beating as fast as it possibly could. I grabbed her phone leaving it on the live stream and started to run as fast as I could. Out of the cemetery leaving my bike. I dialed 911canceling the stream and I ran further and further.

"911 what's your emergency?"

"My friend she is in the abandoned cemetery. She is hurt I think I heard her scream I don't know. BELLA."

I screamed and then tripped on the sidewalk. 

Silence.

" that's all that I can remember."

I stated as the detective stopped recording. He stood up and looked through his notes. He looked at me. Then he did the thing where they walk back and forth around the room. I shifted in my seat. 

"Were tracing the call."

I wanted to know where she was. I wanted to know where I was. I wanted to know who I was. I knew I was in shock. I sat there as a tear went down my cheek. 

"Bella well she"

I never thought silence would be such a terrible thing. Every second felt like a minute. 

"Bella is"

Again with the pausing. It drove me crazy. He sat down in front of me again and looked me in the eyes. 

"Bella is going to be okay and so are you."

I watched him as he stood up and left the room. I laid my head down on the desk and let my eyes close. I saw everything again. As if It was a movie. I jumped and sat up as my mom came in the room. 

" lauren my baby girl."

I stared at her and looked away. I wasn't going to bond over this. I'm sitting in a dirty room that's grey and blank. People are standing at the window behind me watching. I didn't think it was a time for mother daughter bonding.

I looked at her she was crying. Why was she crying. I just told the detective and not her. what does she think happened. 

"Honey I'm sorry this happened. You shouldn't of been in a cemetery."

Wow my bother snitched on me how nice of him. I thought.

"If I was home I could of protected you."

I sat in wonder to figure out what the heck she was talking about. The detective open the door and it hit the wall. I turned and watched as he cuffed my mother and dragged her out of the room. Confused I saw my dad come in the building. 

 I walked out and stared at the chaos of what was going on around me. I sat and put my head on my knees. Just like whenever I got overwhelmed. I sat there in a ball. Life was calm for a moment. I wanted to stay.