❝ I genuinely thought the worst of this nightmare was over ❞
Halle Brewster told a lie, and the secrets kept growing. After slaying one stalker, another reared its nasty head, and Halle was starting to wonder if she'd ever be free from the friendshi...
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Labor Day weekend passed painfully. The pit in Halle's stomach had opened up wide and grew into a dark, black abyss. She was now tip-toeing around it, terrified of slipping off the edge, constantly on edge as she waited for the next attack. Only, Halle hadn't realised when she entered her English class with Mrs Montgomery just how hard this new A's first shove would be.
"The author goes to great lengths to establish Hedda Gabler as a strong, proud woman," voiced Mrs Montgomery. She travelled across the classroom, handing out the reading assignments to every student as she spoke. "Someone who could never live with the threat of being blackmailed."
Halle pressed her lips together, hating the fact she could draw similarities between herself and a woman on a page. An unsettled feeling loomed within, and she knew the girls felt the same. From her seat, at the far row's back desk, Halle saw it clearly in the tense shoulders of her best friends.
"But Hedda was pushed to take a desperate action," Mrs Montgomery said, placing the hefty leaflet down in front of Halle. "And while she may have been brave, we see it as tragic." Mrs Montgomery reached the teacher's desk and observed the class. "What might be really tragic is if some of you don't start taking some notes," she said, and students began shuffling about to grab a pen from their bags or find a clean page to write on. "Sorry — Senior year is not all about skipping classes and dancing for the security cameras at Walmart. That's what your weekends are for." Moving to the chalkboard, the English teacher advised the class, "You might also want to research some of his other plays and see how they were received at that time."
Suddenly, Emily tore herself from her seat and bolted up. She grasped at her bag, knuckles white at the furious grip she had on it; her breathing was short and audibly sharp.
"Emily," said Mrs Montgomery in concern, "is everything all right?"
Halle's eyes darted to the floundering swimmer. Emily was having trouble, stumbling over her speech and possessions. She shoved her things in bag. "C—Can I be excused?" she asked, clearly upset. Emily didn't wait for a respond. Instantly, once she was certain she gathered everything up, Emily fled the classroom in a flash.
Without hesitation, the three friends that were present were out of their chairs and hurrying after Emily. They ran into Hanna, who was running late, in the hallway; she was caught off-guard, having had Emily brush past her to hide out in the bathroom. "Wait, what's going on?" Hanna asked them.
"We don't know, just come on," said Spencer.
Halle's hand was the first to collide with the door, it swinging open. She rushed in and found Emily wringing her hands under the cold water tap, shaking still. "Em," she began softly. "Em, what's wrong? What happened?"
