"Please." Nolan begs me as I put away my books.
"No." I slam my locker shut and walk away.
"I'll do your homework for a month." He runs after me.
"Thanks pal but, what do you think I am? Stupid?" I narrow my eyes at him.
"N-no." He stutters, obviously scared of the glare I'm sending his way. I have that affect on people. That's why I don't have many, or any for that matter, friends.
"Hannah come on. We're practically begging you." Aubrey chimes in.
"What is this about anyways? Why are you doing this?" I ask, setting my bag down on the table where I usually sit during lunch. Alone.
Not that I'm a loner or anything, I just don't like the people in this school. I choose to sit alone, it's better than sitting with fake people.
"Look, ever since we started high school Polly and the others just cut all ties with us." Aubrey explains.
"Great you're better off without them." I say, not really seeing the problem. Polly is the ultimate bitch at River High, she's your typical blonde head cheerleader.
"We were friends as kids. And now all they do is make fun of us. They bully us, they're bullies Hannah. And we can't take it anymore." Nolan finishes off his best friend's explanation.
"What does this have to do with me? Yesterday you didn't even know my name now suddenly you want me to help you? And with something as stupid as this? We were all friends as kids, that's just what happens when you grow up, you grow apart."
"First, we've always known your name. And second, we need you to win this game." Nolan says.
"Mystery is our thing they can't just come in and take it away from us." Aubrey says crossing her arms angrily.
"This is all because of that? That they won at the Murder House and you lost?"
"When the Murder House opened in Riverwood we were first in line to win it for the first time ever and get that cash, we needed it. But being daddy's little girl Polly bribed the employee and they went in first and won, there were six of them and two of us, it's not fair." She continues on.
"And they don't even need the money, they just did it to make us mad." Nolan says.
"Okay." I laugh.
"Don't laugh." He shakes his head as if it's a serious topic we're talking about.
"Look, why can't you just go find someone else, or better yet forget about it and move on."
"We already did, you're the only one playing hard to get." Aubrey says.
"I'm not playing hard to get. Or your stupid game. Out of curiosity who are the other two idiots who agreed?"
"There's Diego." Nolan informs me.
"The new creepy kid?" I ask with furrowed eyebrows.
"You're just as creepy as him." Aubrey says in a no offense kinda way.
"I'm just saying, I write about mysteries and murder, I don't actually draw dead people."
"Imaginary dead people." Nolan corrects me. "And the other one is Paisley."
"So you pretty much gathered the creepy kids in school."
"You all three are like experts in all things murder mystery and horror. You can guarantee us a win with your expertise. Everyone knows that."
"I'm flattered. How did you bribe these poor two?"
"Dinner after the hopeful win?!" Nolan says with a hopeful grin to bribe me in as well.
"Fine. But I'm not driving there."
"That's okay we're picking everybody up." He says cheerfully, smiling from ear to ear.
After they both give me very detailed information of how the day is gonna go down they skip off to their table. The Murder House is a new game center that just opened weeks ago here in Riverwood where we all live, it's your typical small town where everybody knows everybody and there's rarely ever crime involved. So, the game is sort of like an escape room, where there is a crime you have to solve to get out of there. If you don't figure it out by the time your time is up you lose. It's kinda stupid, but since there's hardly any excitement here in Riverwood, they thought it'd be a good idea to have a fake one.
Everybody has been talking about it ever since it opened up and every weekend the place is packed with group of teenagers trying to get a taste of the excitement. I, on the other hand, haven't been there yet. Despite as Nolan called it playing hard to get, I have been wanting to go, but you can't particiapte alone, you at least have to be a party of two. And even that proved to be no good, exhibit A Nolan and Aubrey.
I've lived my whole life in Riverwood, and growing up I always loved playing mystery games and coming up with mystery stories. I don't know how it all started but by the time I turned fifteen I developed this love for murder and horror and I started writing down my fictional stories. Everyone thought it was weird, that I was a bit creepy, hence having no friends. But, I'm not the only horror obsessed creepy kid as it turns out.
There he sits alone, at his usual table, drawing something that I guarantee is another dead body. Diego Gomez. He moved to Riverwood at the end of the last school year and has a reputation of being way creepier than me. His dad got a job here as a police officer and as I've heard his mom died when he was eleven. Shot right in front of him. That's all I know. He's not far too different from me, my dad died when I was seven. He wasn't shot in front of me but, still I lost a parent at a young age. So maybe that's why I'm fascinated with all things mystery, because my mom never told me how he died. She never wants to talk about it. For all I know he could have been shot too. But then I think this is Riverwood, people don't just get shot here.
I snap back to reality when the bell rings, and when I do, I see that Diego is staring at me too. His face is blank, eyes dark and brooding. Everyone is hurrying back to class, me included, but he just sits there not moving a muscle. I quickly pick up my bag and head for my locker. I get the books needed for the next class and shut it close with a gasp as I see who's standing behind it.
"You were staring at me." Diego says.
"And you were staring at me." I say without hesitation. I'm not scared of him unlike every other student in this school.
"Why? Do you find me fascinating?"
"You wish Gomez." I start walking away towards my class in the now deserted hallways of River High. "It seems like we're going out on a fun night out with our new friends. I just wanted to make sure I can trust you won't kill me in that Murder House."
"It's a convenient place to comit a murder." He says.
"You would know."
"So would you. I've heard about you Thorne."
We share a look for a second, a look I'm not quite sure what it means.
"So, can you trust me?"
"I don't know yet. I'll guess we'll figure it out if I get out of there alive."
I smirk to myself as I walk away but not a second later I hear his footsteps again coming after me. "Why are you following me?" I snap at him turning around.
"I got history too." He says expressionless, gesturing at the classroom behind us where Mr. Hansel is waiting at the door for us to come in.
Without another word I step inside and take a seat at the back of the class, hoping to avoid any more talking with him. But Diego doesn't let it go and takes a seat next to me.
"Really?" I whisper and he just remains silent, looking straight at the front of the class with that empty look on his face. God knows what happens in that mind of his.
"Hey, Hannah right?" A whisper comes from my right.
I turn around to see Paisley, sitting on my right with a grin on her face. I nod.
"How awesome is that we're going to the Murder House with Nolan and Aubrey?" She says, barely able to contain her enthusiasm.
"Great." I say, not even hiding the hint of sarcasm in my voice.
"Oh Diego." She tilts her head to get a better look at him. "Hi, aren't you excited?" She says with the same amount of enthusiasm.
"Ecstatic." Diego responds with the same empty poker face as always, which makes Paisley's smile fade a little. And this is considered a good accomplishment because no one can ever wipe that smile off Paisley's face.
"He scares me a little." She then says.
I chuckle. "You and everybody else in this school."
"Not you?" Diego smirks.
"Mr. Gomez, Miss Thorne, Miss Gold, you wanna share what's so important with the rest of the class?" Mr. Hansel interrupts, turning everyone's attention to us.
"Nope Mr. Hansel we're just discussing the lesson." Paisley says with her sweet smile. For a girl who's obsessed with crime and mystery, she sure is a perfect student.
"I'm sure you were." Hansel rolls his eyes, unconvinced.
The rest of the day goes quickly and since it's Friday I drive straight home instead of the diner to study. Nolan texts me and says to be ready at 7:00 pm.
"You're going somewhere?" My mom asks with a surprised yet happy smile.
"Yes mom, don't make it sound like it's something impossible." I say putting on my black leather jacket.
"Well I'm just saying you haven't gone out in a while. Where are you going?" She starts picking up my dirty laundry and putting it in her basket.
"I'm going to the Murder House with some friends." I say putting on my black combat boots.
"Oh, and who are these friends?" She asks.
"Nolan and Aubrey."
"Honey that's great. It's been so long since you hung out with them. You were inseperable."
So, yeah, I was close with them when we were kids and then things changed. I changed. And they became best friends with Polly and her friends. And, well, we now know how that turned out.
"Mom we were seven."
"And then your father died and you lost all your friends."
"Are you ever gonna tell me what happened to him?" I ask, knowing better than to hope she'll tell me anything.
"He loved you very much, that's all you need to know." She says putting a stray strand of my chestnut hair behind my ear. Just like every other time I've asked her.
"I gotta go they're here." I say and pull the hair tie away from my hair letting it fall down to my shoulders, grab my purse and leave.
***
So this is a new story I came up with. I'm not sure where it's going I'm kinda figuring it out one chapter at a time and see where it takes me. So stick around if you dont mind the wait. I promise I won't make you wait too long for an update. 😊