Everything was going great. Was.

The DJ they hired knows what he is doing and is mixing the sound so well that everyone is having fun dancing to it. There was more than enough food to go around until tomorrow, and it seems someone has managed to spike the punch. Some of the kids were already stumbling around as they walked, so it is a good thing that there are no adults in sight to stop them.

It seemed all fun, and yet Morgan could not help but notice a sea of faces in front of him. Random, unfamiliar faces. Should he even be here?

He has gotten so used to it always being just him and Matt that he barely has any other friends. Morgan does not really know anyone all that well aside Matt. Sometimes, he feels he is missing out on something, say being normal.

People are a lot more friendly towards him when Matt is nowhere to be found. Even Matt admits that he has this air of dread around him that wards people off. One would think it was because of the Franco family’s reputation but Matt is also quick to spit venom at strangers.

It is not that Morgan no longer wants to be friends with Matt. They will always be best of friends no matter what, but would it hurt to meet new people? Matt is also keen on pushing Morgan to mingle with their peers more that he would rather stay in the crypts than ruin Morgan’s chance at a normal party. But Morgan feels that he really should have stayed there with Matt. Now that everyone is done congratulating him, they have left, and suddenly this party is boring and lonely.

Two more songs. Maybe just one. That would be his queue to head back to the mausoleum, and catch up to whatever campy horror movie Matt is watching. Then Morgan could tell him that he was wrong, coming over this side of the wall was not the greatest of ideas.

Morgan turned around and headed for the exit, turning so hastily that he ended up tackling someone to the ground.

"Oh no, this is bad. This is one stain that won’t wash off easily."

Morgan recognized the voice right away. It is a voice he would recognize from anywhere. Even under the dim lighting, Kira Marie Lauzon managed to show a radiant smile. Morgan lent out his hand to help Kira get back on her feet before getting all flustered realizing that he just held on Kira’s hand. It was soft and now, so are his knees. He would never wash this hand again.

Kira’s shirt was drenched in what seemed like red ice tea, although there was a hint of alcohol in the smell. Morgan’s stomach retreated, either due to excitement or embarrassment.

"Hey!" She exclaimed, smiling as if she did not just get drenched in juice and instead wrapped her jacket tighter. "You know I’d be surprised to see you here if I didn’t already see Matt earlier. He snuck away from me, but I hope he enjoys the night."

"Hi!" was all Morgan could muster. In his head, he was choosing between asking if she was okay after falling and if it was really Matt that she saw. She is the very reason Matt was able to trick him into coming here, but now that it is actually happening, he does not know what to do. Hopefully, the dim lighting is more than enough to hide the redness he is certain his face us flush on.

Kira was very engaging, and after the usual congratulations and asking about his summer, she even went the extra mile, asking about Crimson Café, the coffee shop Morgan’s family is running. Whatever this is—talking to Kira as if they were longtime friends—Morgan hopes this moment never ends. But if this continues, he may not be able to contain the giddiness trying to escape his chest any longer. It only grew wilder when they moved to a corner under the bleachers, pushing them closer each other in a tight space. I

Matt is brilliantly right. Coming down here was a terrific idea.

"So you’re saying I’m keeping you prisoner here with all this chitchat?" Kira laughed after Morgan told her that he was already on his way out before they bumped into each other.

"What? No!" If this is what being a prisoner feels like, then he would like to be sentenced for life. "Matt is right, I should hang around other people more. I don’t really have anyone else aside from him. But he is making all these excuses to kick me out of his crib. He probably wants more alone time."

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"That kind of alone time, huh? Aren’t there like dead people there?" Somewhere in the cemetery, Matt must be having a weird sense that they are talking about him. "I kind of know what you mean about not having any other friends."

"You? Vice Queen Bee of Lawton High School?" Morgan chided, earning him a teasing glare from Kira. "You’re the inner circle of the high school’s elites."

"It’s not exactly as great as people think it to be." Kira sighed as if she had been holding on to this sentiment for a while now. "Sometimes, even when there are others around, you can’t help but feel a little… lonely."

"Well, if you get bored here, we’re always on the other side." Morgan wanted to sound as sincere as he could. After all, it was a genuine offer. "We’d be happy to have you around. And with friends like yours—" Morgan cut himself off after seeing Kira’s eyes like daggers on him.

"Hey those are still my friends," she pouted but then laughed a little. "Yeah, those three idiots can be a handful sometimes. It’s just that we’ve been through a lot together."

“I have Matt so I know exactly what you mean.”

Morgan gathered all the courage he could. For the first time ever, he was talking to Kira, and not just casually. It felt like they connected on a deeper level, or so he thinks. Maybe he could go ahead and ask her out.

It was late to speak out.

"Girl, I cannot find her anywhere. Janina appeared from the crowd, her pink jacket burst sparkling under the flashing light with all the stones studded onto it. She grabbed Kira’s hand and pulled her out from under the bleachers. "Bailed out on going to the salon, bailed out on arriving fashionably late to the party, and what were you doing under there? Oh!" She finally realized there was someone else cramped under the bleachers with Kira. Her scrutinizing eyes made Morgan feel like he just underwent an X-Ray. "Morgan, right? What’re you doing here? Shouldn’t you be on the other side of the wall with the other ghoul of the grave? And what’re you wearing?"

“Child of the grave.” Morgan wondered why he even made sure she got the insult right.

"Janina, you were saying?" Kira was quick to grab her friend’s attention.

"Yeah, right. Sara. She’s not here."

"She’s probably just around. You know how she likes to make a grand entrance. Maybe she has something big planned for tonight.” Kira took a sip from her cup, but she was reminded that it was already empty.

"You’re not still mad at her, are you?" Janina scoffed after noticing Kira roll her eyes. "Kira, she’s just looking out for you. We all are. What you did, it’s… well it’s…" but she was not able to finish what she was about to say because Kira nudged her and stopped her, pointing that Morgan was here with them. "Well, whatever it is she is planning, it better be jaw-dropping, or I’m going to give her a hard time for the entire first week." Janina's sharp eyes went straight to Kira’s wet shirt, but before she could ask, the music turned to screech before fully stopping. The big bright lights followed, turning on one after the other. Everyone was pulled out of their euphoria, and murmurs of confusion turned into complaints until a video clip started playing on the wide screen on the stage.

A young woman appeared on the screen, sitting on a bed, and playfully wiggling her legs. She was not in her own bedroom, evident by the number of posters of women in suggestive poses on the wall. And those were just the ones visible on the camera. Her face was not in view but everyone immediately recognized her after she spoke.

"I know, I know. She is ‘just’ not being herself lately. I mean, I get where she is coming from, but at least use your brain or something." Sara Gutierrez’s voice was clear for everyone to hear.

"And you’re just looking out for her, but did you really have to go that far?" The other person is nowhere on the video, but from his voice, no one could mistake that it is Cedric Suico.

"You dumped her, and you’re still protecting her. Like seriously, what does she have on you?"

Another wave of gasps filled the large room as if it were news that Kira and Cedric were no longer seeing each other.

"I really don’t know what you see in her." Sara pulled Cedric towards her and ran her fingers on his arm. "If word gets out about what she did, she’s not the only one who’s going to be screwed. What was she thinking going off to see him?" She pushed Cedric onto the bed and began to take off his shirt. The video glitched, and it froze exactly when Cedric’s and Sara’s faces were in clear view for everyone to see.

They chose this spot to talk because it was far away from the center of the crowd, but somehow, in the silence, all heads knew where to turn to find them. Kira’s face was devoid of her beautiful smile, a sight Morgan never thought he would see. And before Morgan could reach for her, just as the murmurs grew louder, Kira’s form sped for the exit.

His feet bolted in pursuit. Kira was too fast even for an athlete like Morgan, and the last thing he saw was her figure crossing the gates towards the cemetery when he heard gasps followed by screaming. He thought the video must have continued playing, but it was something else. People were telling others to look up; others were pointing upwards at the center, and Morgan understood right away the terror accompanying everyone’s surprise.

Hanging on a rope, sending drops of blood directly below, was the disembodied head of Sara Gutierrez.