If Curiosity Kills the Cat.

(Listen to Play Nice- Annie LeBlanc)

She had been watching him for a while. Suspicion rose and curiosity, some may call it.

"Why are we going this way?" Her friend, Portia, asked.

"Don't worry about it."

He spun out of view.

"Why?" She muttered angrily.

Portia pulled her away. "If it makes you feel any better I'll invite him to the party. You can talk to him."

"What are you thinking and why."

"Hey, you don't concentrate anymore. So I have a good reason to doubt."

"Mhmmm yeah right. That is exactly what you were thinking about."

Portia rose her hands in protest and gave Sam the "Hm I'll show you." look, and walked straight to the group of people he was walking with. Before Sam could stop her. Oh no. Her worry somehow turned into disgust. Ugh. So much for being best friends. But the unspoken girl code for friendships like these. Follow her lead.

Begrudgingly, Sam followed her. Pulling her hair down so that if he knew anything he'd not see her face and had nothing against her. Right now her focus was to be invisible.

Sam watches from a difference trying to decipher the look on his face his eyes covered by his dark hair. Something is wrong and has been. I know it.

Portia gives them a smile and turns on her heel to hook her arm through Sam's.

"They said yes." She says lifting one eyebrow.

"That's cool." Sam answers, nonchalantly. Too nonchalantly. But she knows that it's better if one keeps a secret and hides it, or two people do when they are both involved. That doesn't stop her curiosity. It only arouses it.

Portia rolls her eyes and leaves Sam. Some things were meant for Sam to figure out, and Sam to keep.

Later

She's still watching him. Until she looses sight of him. She runs after him as quiet as a feather.

Can't be 90 pounds for nothing, she thinks.

But as fast as a cheetah.

Coming to an abrupt halt, she smells smoke.

She lets out a silent gasp.

In her subconscious, something tells her to run. But she stays put. Weed, she realizes. Oh no. What are they doing? A faint memory of the student's handbook comes to mind.

"No drugs. No alcohol, on school grounds." It says.

Oh cm'on guys, she begs silently. What else? Cocaine? Cannabis?

The bell rings into her ears. Directly. They seem to have dug a hole in the ground. They throw their garbage there and run past her. She holds her breath. His gaze was just right next to her. Almost touching her. But he didn't linger.... Soon they were gone, and, she let out a long breath. Still feverish she ran to class. Portia started talking but her words seemed to fade out of Sam's ears. But then again, who cared what Portia had to say? She'd found a new target and senior year just got a whole lot more interesting.

Am I being followed? He laughs at the irony. His Dad would say, "See, another reason, boy, just see a counselor." He laughs louder, harder. A counselor. In that guy's wildest of wildest dreams. He's just sure if he's followed he'd know. And deal accordingly.

**

She was in a debate with herself. There were two ways to stalk. Yes, she said it. Stalk. Sounded foreign. Two ways to solve a mystery.

Fraternize or stay hidden. Well, upside of fraternize. Means another friend. Maybe she could help him. Or anything. If she chose to stay hidden she would be better off. He would not have to go through the pressure of opening up to someone else. Nah. She should just stay hidden. Let's keep the mystery for now.

The week before the party.

She imagined what her Mom would say. "Honey, please stop sleuthing it's prrrivate." 'No offence, Mom,' Sam thinks. 'You don't know how annoying that was.' But it hits different when she's gone. 'What a way to start the day, Sam.' She scolds herself.

Despite her findings yesterday, she went back. They weren't there. Hm. 'That means," she thought to herself, 'They have more than one hiding spot." She scoffs. Typical.

They came back to the first hiding spot.

The irony isn't much now. "I am definitely being followed." he thinks to himself. He allows his mind to drift to the girl who had come to invite them to a party. In his memory through peripheral vision, he could see another girl she had hooked arms with, looking at him. He was jumping to a big conclusion, right..... Or was he?

With Two days to go,

Today she followed him right until they were behind the school gardens. She wondered what she would find today.

Alcohol, she guessed, judging from the foul smell. Just imagine what is inside their bodies right now. But still she felt, empty. Everybody seemed to break the rules. No. No. It was something more than this, something personal. She'd have to find out.

*

There she was. At the corner. Who was she to think she could hide from me? On no. She can't. She will know that he found out. She will have a shock. He drowned in his bottle of gin. She caught his eye. Oh no. She must be thinking. Run. Oh run. Girl. This story has only just begun. Then she disappeared. He was drunk.

Oh no. She thought. He saw me. She found the words coming out of her mouth as she bumped into Portia.

"Mija, sister, what's wrong? You've been acting all caught up and weird all week."

Sam burst out.

"What do you mean weird? If by weird you mean not listening to all the garbage that comes from your mouth. Then yes. Excuse me if I want to be friends with someone else. Excuse me if I have other things to do. Other things to think about, Portia. If you ever listened to me MAYBE. JUST MAYBE. YOU WOULD NOT BE THE ONLY ONE SPEAKING. Ugh."

She hated the look in Portia's eyes. Portia looked bewildered, angry at the same time. She felt bad, but right now Portia was gonna have to accept the truth.

God, was she tired.

*

She is not a master mind. Perhaps now she won't meddle in people's business. She was right to run. Strangely enough, he felt like talking to her casually and telling her to stop. Maybe he would. She probably should count her luck. But he was still drunk.

Friday

The day of the party: She had to go.

She arrived at Portia's place about 10. Tonight was gonna be the night it was going to go down.

*

Counting MY luck. Casual. Tonight was going to be THE night. It was all going down.

That Night

She followed them to the garage. They did their garbage. He wasn't there. Ugh. So much for sacrifice. She turned on her heel and somebody grabbed her elbow. She was face to face with him. Jake. From Mrs. Downington's class. From year's of stalking. HIM. She was dead.

OH NO.

"I'll make this short. What do you want from me?"

"What makes you that I want anything from you?" She said, feigning curiosity.

"You're following me around and you always seem to be looking at me."

"Okay..." She looks like this is the end of this thing.

"Why do you hide."

"I don't hide." He answers with full dignity.

"Apparently I have been following you, so I'm bound to know."

"You and Curiosity. If I tell you I'd have to kill you. Maybe.

She takes a step closer to him.

"Tell me. Does curiosity really kill the cat?"

She looks murderous.

He returns the look.

"That depends........"

"Yeah?" She says.

"Can you keep a secret?"