Honey Tea And A Summer Breeze.

Donna was always the quiet type. With parents who taught her to hold her tongue and sit up straight, it was no wonder she ended up that way. They always told her 'the world will never change; it favours the wicked and leaves the rest to perish'. Of course, they always placed themselves with the perished crowd, dragging Donna along with them.

From the time she began school to the day of graduation, none of her classmates had much to say about her. She was bland. She blended in. 

When letter after letter of college acceptances landed on Donna's doorstep, she chose the one that would lead her furthest away. She had found an escape from her parents' restraints and attempts to build a perfect porcelain doll out of their only daughter, something pretty, but never says a word.

The body that washed up on the river bank down the road had nothing to do with it. Or at least that's what she liked to remind herself.

Now residing across the country, Donna craved to become what she always lost sleep fantasizing about. She wanted to leave behind the quiet girl, the one nobody would want to look at twice.

Party after party seemed to be the perfect fuel to the addiction. Donna observed every girl's body language. She followed every whisp that led to the way they wore their hair. How loud they laugh when the boys tell them jokes, and where they'd place a flirty hand on the shoulder. She loathed the girls who naturally drew a crowd, the type that seemed to be made up of warm tea with honey and soft whispers of a summer breeze.

Blocking out the bass through the thin bathroom door, Donna grins to herself in the dirty mirror, her eyes running over her face. Letting out a huff, her smile drops before she quickly replaces it with a new one: too much teeth- too little, too forced. With one final grin, she gives herself one more look over, the smallest feeling of satisfaction settling in her chest. She grabs her solo cup and heads back downstairs, her lips lifted upwards the whole way. Perfect.

Although her parents' calls were bland, they always seemed to bear more gossip than the last: the tree line leading to the river was blocked, they brought in the coroner, they identified the body. 

Jessica Furmore had just graduated alongside Donna. She had a scholarship lined up, granting her a full ride to her dream job as a nurse a few towns over. She was well known in the community for her volunteer work, her kindness being the one thing everyone seemed to deem as her outstanding quality. She had hundreds of friends on Facebook and teeth that belonged in a magazine you'd read at the dentist's office.

Donna had a Chemistry class with Jessica. Her bright blonde hair always stuck out from Donna's spot at the back corner, begging to be looked at. Admired. It was like Jessica wanted all eyes to be on her, even if she couldn't see them. Maybe that's why Donna picked up a box of dye on her way back from class. Or perhaps it was just time for a change.

As the fall turned to winter, Donna was finally becoming the version of her that was always hidden deep within. She could feel the eyes on her as she sat at the front of her lectures. She had boys telling her jokes at crowded house parties, leaving her to place a hand on their broad arms. She felt as though people were finally seeing the real her—the one Jessica had to die for.

It was always the high school boyfriends. The immature ones who can't handle the jealousy of their girlfriends moving on, unable to cope with new lives beyond just High School melodrama. Golden boy, Brad Longmire, was arrested on Christmas Day, just as Donna was opening the last of her presents in front of her parent's fireplace. Maybe the Holidays did hold a bit of magic.

Donna knew it was time for her to make an appearance in her hometown. She was who she always longed for. Honey tea and a summer breeze wrapped up in a slender body finished off with a bright blonde bow on top.  She walked with her head high through the grocery aisles, basking in the heads turning to watch her leave. Now maybe she could get hundreds of friends on Facebook, and people will start telling her how beautiful she is under every post, just like they did Jessica. 

Brad's trial date was announced just before the clock struck on New Years', leaving Donna smiling as she sipped lightly on champagne, surrounded by all of her parents' friends. A smile that may seem innocent to anyone but the officer sitting in the corner. She gives Donna a look over, the blonde hair, the floral dress, and the way she always seemed stiff in a pose, waiting to be noticed. Her smile was not one of kindness. It held eerie secrets. Secrets the detective was going to uncover.

Donna wanted to bask in the irony and her success, so she put on her best dress, the fabric being her and Jessica's favourite- baby pink. She sat in the backseat as her father drove the family to the courthouse, her glossed lips wearing an ounce of a smirk. She dragged her parents to the front, wanting to feel the glance of others on her back. The admiration she deserved. She watched as they brought out Brad in handcuffs, his eyes widening as they settled on Donna from her spot on the bench. She sent him a smile, appearing as an angel with the devil's smirk to the prisoner. Not too forced, showing just a bit of teeth. She had become a carbon copy of the life she took. One, Brad was being held accountable. 

Just as the gavel fell, the detective watched Brad sob, screaming his innocence until his voice gave out. Everyone cheered in victory, but one smile stood out from the others. She felt shivers creep up the back of her neck as she faced the truth; her stomach churned as she rethought her faults. It was never Brad. It was a girl who had taken a life only to replace it with herself—the girl who was made of honey tea and a summer breeze.