The last bell of the day finally rang at 2:30 pm on Wednesday October 30th, 2019. Halloween had crept upon the students at West Helena High School. Signs regarding the upcoming Halloween party lined the hallways and streets. Students rushed to their buses and cars, eager to get home and make sure their costumes were ready for a night of fun tomorrow held for them. Because West Helena High School was closed November 1st, students would spend all of Halloween partying. But with wildfires threatening to clear out memories in one swipe, the city of West Helena had some bigger problems heading their way.
After school on Wednesday, Sam Roberts headed to yet another homeless shelter. She wasn’t there because she was poor; for she came because she was rich. Even though she doesn't live at a shelter, she was at them every chance she got. She loved spending her free time volunteering at soup kitchens and animal shelters.; She happens to be the standard cookie cutter, nice popular girl. Everyone wanted to be Sam Roberts, and Sam knew that. Being nice gave her an advantage. If someone despised her, everyone else stuck up for her. The only thing that ever troubled Sam Roberts was the past she kept hidden, and the one person who could expose it.
Alex Anderson didn’t fit in. Instead of going to parties and shopping, enjoyed spending her time inside, watching horror movies all day-if her mother let her. Her mother, Sydnee Judith Anderson, had been the mayor of West Helena and a household name for several years. Mayor Anderson never let anything fly. She wanted her daughter to be one of the ‘popular’ girls.
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“Looking good to the public is all we need, Alex.” Alex’s mother stated, her tone serious. “The public does not need to know anything about me, or our family,” Alex responded to her mother with frustration.
That was how their conversations always went. Sydnee simply cared about one thing: Being the mayor of West Helena. Alex used to please her mother, when she was friends with Sam Roberts. A few years ago, they were inseparable. They wore the same clothes, styled their hair the same way, and even shared the same interests. After the summer of 2017, when they were both sophomores, everything changed. No one knew what had happened, but everyone at West Helena High School knew one thing; Sam Roberts and Alex Anderson absolutely despised each other (they still do). Rumors were spread about Alex, which made her look incredibly bad. The rumors didn’t stop Alex from sticking up for herself.
Whispers danced across the hallways and through each student’s ears. However, those dancing whispers were about Sam Roberts. Alex didn’t expose Sam’s darkest secret, just a small one. It only had to be big enough to become even.