FOMO

“Hey Jalisa! Are you coming tonight?”

“Nah… I want to but I’m exhausted after two a days today.” Jalisa told her friend. She was working on saying no to people when she didn’t really feel like going out. It was always the FOMO that kept her saying yes, but this time she was truly exhausted from her soccer two a days. 

“Awe come on, it's the last day of our freedom before school starts! you will be missed girl but if you change your mind well you know I’m just a phone call away plus I think Ricky will be there.”

“Nice try Nikki but I’m exhausted. I'm sure I will see him around soon. School starts this Monday.” Nikki had no idea that Jalisa’s crush and she already had a fling. She could never admit to her the embarrassment of how he abruptly ended things, she couldn’t face it so how could she even tell her best friend. 

“Well I love you and I’ll see you tomorrow, yes?”

“Yep you will, have fun love you bye.” Jalisa hung up the phone and plopped on the couch with her bowl of ice cream. It was her senior year starting Monday and she was determined to get that full ride scholarship in soccer. She did not want to risk it, not even for a boy who made it clear that it was over. Watching Netflix and binging on ice cream sounded like a way better plan to her than getting shit faced, then having to collect the embarrassing moments of what she might have done tonight. Plus if she really wanted to go, she convinced herself, it was not that far of a walk to the person's house they were throwing it at which happened to be Ricky’s.

“Hey baby. How was your day?” Her mom walked through the door putting her jacket on the hook.

“Oh good, just another tiring day mom.”

“You’re not doing anything fun tonight with your friends?”

“Nah, Nikki and I have plans for tomorrow, tonight I’m just going to chill, I’m exhausted.”

“Okay well I’ll get dinner ready. I know it's summer, but how about some grilled cheese and tomato soup? I’m too tired from work to make anything else.”

“Yeah mom, sounds good, you know I love that!”

They ate dinner, then Jalisa went to her room on a full belly switching her laptop on in her room to continue her binge on her show. Jalisa drifted off halfway through it. She woke up realizing her mom probably put her laptop back on her desk. It was 8:02 when she looked at her phone. The FOMO was starting to set in, sigh.. she knew it would be too early to text Nikki but she decided to do it, Nikki would eventually see it when she awoke from her crazy night. Maybe not crazy, maybe a boring night she tried to convince herself.

“Hey, how was the party?” She hit send and the word delivered showed at the bottom of the message. Alright now on to check every social media to see the posts everyone shared last night. Relief flooded in when she saw it looked like a typical night for female students taking selfies together or a group of friends having fun, but always making sure to hide the alcohol so that the parents wouldn’t find out. There were stories added of the music playing and people dancing. Just a typical high school party Jalisa thought. I really didn’t miss much at all. Scrolling through her heart sank a little when she saw Ricky in picture with another girl, oh well what could she do she knew that they would never happen again.

    She got out of bed and went to the kitchen pouring herself a bowl of cereal and milk. On the second spoonful she had a lightbulb moment to kill the time before her and Nikki hung out. She decided she would ride her bike by the house that threw the party to scope out the scene. She made the mile ride to the house, a giant white mansion in front a fountain set in the middle of the half circle driveway. From where she was at the house appeared normal, nothing out of the ordinary. But curiosity got the best of her so she rode up the giant driveway.

 What was that?! She jumped out of her seat. A red smeared handprint appeared on the front window. It freaked her out but she had to decide if she was going to investigate, or turn around now. Her guilt got the best of her. What if her best friend was still in there and something went horribly awry last night?! Heart pounding, she leaned her bike on a column supporting the front porch roof. Walking up to the door she gulped and pressed her finger against the doorbell. The chime went off, no one answered. She looked down at the door handle noticing that the door was ever so slightly ajar, trembling; she gave it a little push, it opened about a fourth of the way enough for her to see the foyer and the room off to the left, which appeared to be a sunroom. 

“Hello?” she poked her head in. “Anyone home?” That’s when her eyes landed on muddy footprints in the foyer just barely in sight. Weird, she thought, there isn’t any mud on the porch, but then again maybe it came from the back yard. Alright I must go in. She tiptoed into the foyer deciding to take the left where the muddy prints went, which led her to the red smear on the window. She took a closer look at it. It was definitely a handprint and it was definitely fresh. She turned around looking for any sign that someone was just recently there or hiding, but to her dismay nothing. So she mustered up the courage to head to the kitchen.  

    Security sank in when she saw the knife block on the kitchen island. She crept quickly trying not to make a sound to rush to her savior. She grabbed a handle and just when she grasped it, something grasped on to her ankle. She inhaled with a rasp trembling with the knife pulled out. Great a serrated knife much good this will do, Jalisa thought with a heavy eye roll. She did not want to look down, finally after what seemed eternity she glanced down. It was a bloodied hand and around the corner of the island there was the body the hand was attached to. 

“Help” Alexandra rasped out, she was Ricky’s twin, and the one throwing the party. 

“What has happened here?” Jalisa whispered, scared if she spoke too loud something or someone would find her.

“Just help” were the sounds formed that were barely audible. 

“Where are the others?”

“Some outside some inside. Everywhere. There is a murderer somewhere.” 

“Okay I’ll call 911 and get some help!” She reached for her phone in her pocket. “Shit I don’t have my phone I left it at my house!” Panic stricken, her eyes wide as an owl as she patted down all parts of her clothing only to still come out empty handed. “Where is yours Alexandra?” 

“Don’t know, maybe he took it.”

“Okay I’m going to go find others. I’ll be back for you.” Something seemed off but she couldn’t place it. She was hoping this was all some sort of sick joke. 

She made the choice to go up stairs first instead of outside. Both decisions frighted her. She gulped down her fear, careful not to squeak the stairs. Once she arrived to the top, she found a couple in what was obviously the parents room. Entwined together, as if they were caught off guard by the killer during a hot and heavy make out session, clothes ripped and blood everywhere. She heard a phone buzz. Following the sound she heard the phone and saw the screen light under the bed. She didn’t want to look under for fear that someone would attack her with her guard down. She reached her arm under to feel for it but seemed to keep missing it, finally she peeked underneath, to discover another person, with a painted white face, black painted around his eyes and a red smeared mouth with the phone in his gloved hand moving it back and forth with a delusional smile on his face. 

She screamed a pitch that would almost make a small mirror shatter. Surely someone heard that she hoped. She scrambled up, and sprinted down the stairs. Fuck I forgot the knife! She remembered. The killer was hot on her heels. He grabbed the hem of her tank top, she slipped on the last stair, her chest slammed to the floor. The breath was knocked out of her. Before she could even fight he grabbed her. One arm around her waist, the other covering her mouth and nose. She tried to kick, using the raw power and muscle she accumulated from years of soccer. She got him. She heard his sharp intake of breath, enough to loosen his reigns on her. Freeing herself she bolted to the door. But the killer was quicker, her body slammed into her, her head smashed against the door. Everything went black. 

Jalisa found herself bound to a chair when she came to her senses and felt the sticky blood dripping on her cheek from where the head injury made its way down. 

“Oh look guys, she is awake.” It was Alexandra who spoke, while other bloodied bodies surrounded her laughing. 

“Okay guys this isn’t funny enough acting!” Jalisa wanted to believe so bad that’s what this was. 

“Oh honey we aren’t acting. Today you are going to die and pay for your sins. Let’s begin the trial guys.”

“Did you or did you not sleep with Ricky this summer?” Alexandra asked, whipping the flat side of the serrated knife against her right palm.

“Yyyesss? But how did you know?”

“Nuh uh I’m the one asking questions whore!” She spat in her face. 

Don’t cry Jalisa Don’t cry you cant let them see you cry. 

“How long did this fling last?”

“Like a month then Ricky called it quits. Why do you care?”

“Bring out Ricky!” Ricky walked out, covered in fake blood with an air of composure barely noticing Jalisa. “Welcome Ricky! Is it true you slept with Jalisa this July?” Alexandra turned to him the knife in her hand like a baton a composure uses. 

“It’s true, I did.”

“And would you tell the judges why you did that?”

“Of course, it was a bet, it was revenge, it was an easy lay. It was a fun game to play and toy with someone’s emotions. I won the bet by the way.” He said nonchalantly. 

“Would you enlighten Jalisa why you did that?”

“Jalisa, do you remember January fifth?” He squatted down looking into her eyes. She just stared at him “here let me help it was a blizzard that day the roads were black ice with a layer of snow starting to accumulate? Does that ring a bell?”

Silence

“Answer me you bitch!” He grabbed the chair’s arms, shaking them with rage. 

“Yes! yes! I remember” she screamed, matching the rage of the shaken chair,  tears pouring down her face “What of it?”

“That was the night your father drove during those conditions and killed our family dog.”

“So this is pay back for a fucking dog?! My humanity, my being as a whole is meaningless compared to your precious family dog?!”

“He wasn’t just any dog! He saved my twin from drowning on a frozen lake three years ago! He was family! And your dad had to go and kill him!” 

Fed up with the stupid shit, Jalisa had zero fucks, what else could she do or say she was tied up, “Sorry you let your dog out on a stormy night and he was running away from you shitty people. Sorry my dad had a job and was driving home. At least he tried to save the fucking dog and didn’t just run away”

“Are you hearing this?! How disrespectful! Of course he did! He ran into a ditch so he had nowhere to go but to help” Alexandra yelled and went up and slapped her cheek. “By the way Nikki helped us get you out here. Let’s bring her in!”

“Nikki why?” Jalisa sobbed, as Nicole made her appearance in the living room. 

“Ttthey said they would pay for my college tuition and pay for all my needs through it,  plus my little sisters too, if I did this you know how poor my family is I need all the help I can get, and they have blackmail on my family that I can not say. I had no choice.”

“Pathetic, I can't even look at you. Do you just think about yourself all the time? Your family would disown you if they knew! What about the others helping?”

“I’m doing this for my family!” Nikki screamed. 

“They are cousins, and will not say shit. Blood thicker than water.” Alexandra said as she scraped some fake blood away. “Well time for you to pay the price. Today Jalisa your punishment for your family's sin is death by this blade that you so foolish chose.”

Alexandra walked behind Jalisa, with light pressure trying to saw through her throat. Little beads of blood formed out of Jalisa’s throat and trickled down her chest like the pace of tears when watching a sad movie. 

“This is harder than I thought. Ricky some do th…

“Fuck what is that noise? Did I just hear a car in the driveway?” Cutting Alexandra off, Ricky ran to the window. “God, our parents are back early. I told you idiot we should have waited another time to do this!”

“Just shut up! I have a plan!” 

A few minutes later their parents walked in “kids we are home early. We have a surprise for you.” 

“Mom be quiet you just ruined our whole scene, we are going to have to do it again!” 

“What the hell is going on?!” The twin’s dad boomed looking into the living room of delusional teens. 

“Dad I can explain. We had a film project for English, we were just wrapping up the last scene. Let us finish up and then we will clean this place up. We Were going to make it spotless before you got back.”

Jalisa was still tied in a chair and a phone acting as the camera in a tripod filming her, with the bloodied actors around her.

“I don’t even want to know, just hurry up and finish it up and clean up this mess!” Their dad walked off. 

“Okay dad jud please don’t go to your room yet!” Ricky said. 

“What the fuck!” Their dad yelled. “For fucks sake!”

“Your punishment today, you are sentenced to, know your place in this world and stay out of sight and out of our way and you’ll live scotch free. Actually move out of this town and never come back. Now get the fuck out of here you have no idea how lucky you are.” They untied her. She walked out of the room and ran to get on her bike. Never looking back at what could have been her death. Nikki tried to catch up with her but all she felt was disgust and betrayal in the pit of her stomach just hearing her say her name and talking made her want to vomit. She never wanted to see that worthless piece of human again. And hoped they would all get what they deserved. 

    “Thanks for cleaning the house kids, I appreciate all your hard work and dedication, and as a reward and a back to school present we brought you this!”

From behind their dad’s back he revealed a black puppy with a red bow tied around it. “I know this doesn't replace Harvey, but I hope you can fall in love with this puppy too.”

“Thanks dad, I love him!” Alexandra exclaimed, grabbing the puppy. 

“Me too, he's perfect!” Ricky agreed. 

All their grief was overshadowed by the new love of a dog. To them it was like they were never almost murderers or nothing tragic ever happened that fateful afternoon. 

    A week later Jalisa’s dad got a new job in another city so they moved. She never brought up what happened. She suspected that the twin’s had something to do with her dad’s new promotion. Not only that, but she miraculously already had a full scholarship to a private college to play soccer. She hated their get out of jail free powerful money and influence but she wasn’t going to say no she was going to take it. Jalisa changed her number and deleted all her social media, but made sure to keep an eye on the psychopathic twins, just in case they tried to pull anything like this ever again on her or someone else. 

“Hey Jalisa, are you coming tonight?” Her new friend from the new school asked.

“Nah I’m going to stay home. I'm not much of a football fan anyway,  well you know the pigskin kind.” She smiled, having peace in her mind that she wasn’t going to miss out on anything that night. Turns out she was right, it poured on the game. While everyone was getting soaked, she was cozy in her room watching Netlflix and enjoying the sound of the rain. Maybe tonight would be the night it would finally help her sleep peacefully and drown out the nightmares.