The next morning was the worst. I had spent most of the night going back and forth with the demon and finding the devices my parents hid in my room. Not even all the makeup I applied to my facial features in the bathroom mirror could mask my restlessness.

A knock on the bathroom door startled me. “Hurry up, your sister’s already downstairs waiting,” my mom said. I checked out my outfit one last time to make sure everything was on point, and it damn sure was. The new black and purple Nikes that my dad had bought me while I was in the hospital looked good on my feet, and they matched perfectly with my black jeans, purple shirt, and gray leather jacket.

Despite how much I was gonna kill it in the looks department, I couldn’t help but feel nervous about how other students would treat me on my first day back. I mean, they all thought Valeria tried to kill me, which is wild considering our reputation of being best friends. We weren’t crazy popular in Ravenvale High, but those who were definitely knew we existed, and they should’ve known Val would never attempt to harm me or anyone else.

Taking a deep breath, I walked out of the bathroom and down the stairs to see my parents in awe of Mya’s attire, complimenting her with broad smiles.

And she thinks I get all of the attention, I thought to myself, watching as my mom took pictures of my dad and Mya standing together.

“Uh, Mom, weren’t you just rushing me a minute ago? We’re going to be late.”

She clearly didn’t hear me as she continued to shower my sister with praise. Annoyed, I rolled my eyes and went into the kitchen to grab a glass of orange juice.

“I should’ve asked Lucas to drive me,” I grumbled before taking a sip.

Finally, my mother walked into the kitchen. “Oh, I didn’t see you come downstairs. You look nice.”

“Wow, you look great,” my father said as he stepped into the kitchen and hugged me. Looking over his shoulder, I saw an irritated expression on Mya’s face just as an uncomfortable shiver came over my body.

I prayed my nightly tormentor wasn’t loitering around the house, but Cinnamon’s sudden bark only raised my suspicion. I looked out into the living room to see if I’d catch a glimpse of the demon, but my mom’s voice reverted my attention.

“You two all set? Let’s head out, then.”

***

My mother parked the car outside of Ravenvale High School. I used the opportunity to look out of the window at the familiar exterior of the building. The off-white cemented walls competed with the gray discoloration that was due to wear and tear. The cracked, rugged path that led to the front of the structure reminded me of the times Val and I would sit in front of the school and talk about whatever. Those memories turned into flashbacks of us chillin’ on the fire escape outside of her bedroom window and dancing in the hallway of her apartment building.

I missed her so much.

“Maybe everyone will leave me alone now that you’re back,” Mya muttered as we unbuckled our seat belts and stepped out of the vehicle.

“You two call me if something doesn’t feel right,” my mom urged. “Especially you, Aliyah. I’m serious.”

We both nodded and walked down the craggy entrance until we blended in with the other students entering the school. It was uneasy sensing the bleak and depressing emotions of my peers who filled the hallway.

I looked to the side and realized Mya had already gone off on her own. I sighed knowing that my sister wanted nothing to do with me. Memories played in my head of how close we used to be, and I couldn’t help but feel disappointed by our emotional separation.

Continuing in the direction of my first class and stopping along the way to converse with a few acquaintances, I looked around for Lucas, who I figured was already in the building. The school bell reverberated through the hallways just as I took out my phone to text him.

Groaning, I hurried inside the classroom and realized that the teacher hadn’t come in yet. Before taking my seat in the front of the class, I looked to the back of the room where two guys and a dark-skinned girl were seated. Her curly, black Senegalese twists stood out to me. They were wrapped in a gold headband that complimented her amber eyes. She wore an orange zip-up hoodie matching her orange and white Jordans as she slouched back with an opened manga in her hand.

The two dudes near her were Bruce and Jerome, Lucas’s bandmates. They spoke to her in a flirtatious manner with sly grins. She held a look of doubt and disgust the entire time.

“Y’all leave her alone,” I called them out. They looked at me in shock before coming over and embracing me with hugs. “Stop bothering these girls. Y'all be doing too much.”

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Nah, she just ain’t doin’ enough,” Jerome said, waving off the girl with a smirk. “She ain’t that cute, anyway. We can find a better baddie in this school to talk to. What’s good, though? I’m happy you back.”

Before I could even reply, they spotted another female in the class and walked over to converse with her. Their desperate attempts at getting laid were always ridiculous, and this time was no different. Some things never change.

I turned back to the curly-haired girl and walked over to apologize on their behalf. “Hey, sorry about those weirdos. I’ll make sure they don’t get on your nerves or whatever.”

She smiled. “Thank you ‘cause one of them had killer bad breath. I’m talkin’ onions for dinner without brushing in the morning. Straight murder.”

We shared a laugh before I introduced myself. “I’m Aliyah.”

“Janet. I don’t wanna be rude, but can I get back to this?” She pointed at the manga in her hand. “I’m at the end of this volume, so.”

Her thumb was bookmarking the middle of the manga, but I took it as a sign that she wasn’t the social type. “Oh, yeah. Cool. Have a good day.”

I walked back to my seat in the front of the class. It wasn’t long before Jerome saddled into the seat next to me with Bruce standing by him.

“Did that chick ignore you, too?” Jerome asked me as Bruce snickered. “I ain’t never known a girl to turn down the J-Master.”

“No one calls him that,” Bruce whispered to me loud enough for Jerome to hear, who stuck up his middle finger in retaliation.

Bruce leaned back on the teacher’s desk and shrugged. His heavyset build intimidated even the football team. “It’s almost the end of senior year,” he started, “so we’re trying to have fun before we go to college and have to take life seriously.”

Jerome nodded with a grin, his dreads dancing in motion. “That’s right. These last two months are all about hooking up with the baddest broads in the building, and shorty with the twists back there is bad as hell.”

“Didn’t you say she wasn’t that cute? Plus, she can read, so she’s already out of your league,” I joked, chuckling at my own words.

“Damn, she played you, bro,” Bruce voiced through his snickering.

“Yeah, whatever. But what’s up with you, Aliyah? You coming to band practice after school? Luke already has the music room reserved. It’s small, but it’s better than spending a whole bag just for a lil’ studio time.”

“Nah, I’m good. If that lying hoe is there, I don’t want anything to do with the band.”

The two burst into laughter before Bruce spoke. “Damn, you talking about Robyn? Not gonna lie, I tried hitting on her once, but she cursed me out. It feels like my boy, Luke, is the only one who can talk to her without getting flamed.”

As I had figured. Ugh, how could Lucas be so oblivious?

“I wouldn’t worry about it, though,” Jerome said, grinning. “You’re a ten compared to her. She ain’t got nothin’ on that nice, slim body of yours, and that fat—”

“I think you should shut up now.”

My attention turned to the speaker behind Jerome. “Oh my God, Tyler,” I exclaimed in excitement, rising from my seat to give him a tight hug.

“Chill, I was just playin’,” Jerome said. “You know I ain’t tryin’ to start nothin’.”

Tyler tittered before sitting at the empty desk behind me. I sat in my chair and turned around to observe him, asking, “Um, so how’ve you been since, you know, everything?”

“Not great, if we’re being honest. Oh, and I don’t know if Lucas told you yet, but—”

The sound of heels clicking against the floor made me rotate to the front of the classroom, where our teacher, Ms. Walters, placed some books and paperwork on the front desk.

“Bruce, Jerome, I don’t have the two of you until next period. Please leave the room. Now.”

“Yes, Ms. Walters,” they grumbled at the same time.

“I’ll tell you later,” Tyler whispered in my ear.

“Senior class of Ravenvale High School, I have an announcement to make. As a requirement for graduation, the Board of Education and the National Mathematics Committee have organized an assignment that you—”

Ms. Walters’s speech was interrupted by the presence of a freckle-faced, bronze-skinned girl with long, copper hair and glasses, who walked in as the late bell rang.

“Candice Santos, you’re late,” Ms. Walters’s reprimanded her. “I will not tolerate tardiness again.”

Candice giggled. “Ms. Walters, you’re the teacher here, right? So why is it that I have to teach you about the difference between being late and being fashionably late? One is irresponsible and downright unacceptable; the other is important and understandable. I, myself, am the latter. As a woman, you should be able to comprehend this. Hashtag Candice Forever.”

Okay, I believe calling someone cringe is cringe in itself—everyone should be allowed to express themselves however they want to—but my god did I cringe so hard at Candice’s words. Even Ms. Walters scowled at her narcissism. Since junior year, Candice had been an obnoxious, mean-girl movie stereotype, and I could never stand being in the same class as her. Still, one couldn’t help but be envious at times. She had announced her acceptance into UCLA three months ago to her one million followers on social media, and she was easily in the top spot for prom queen and valedictorian this year. Not that I cared for any of that stuff, but she was clearly going places, and I wasn’t sure if I could say the same.

“Candice, if you don’t take your seat right now, you’ll be staying here after school and completing days worth of assignments,” Ms. Walters warned her. “Now sit.”

Candice sucked her teeth and looked around the room until her eyes landed on me. “Oh, no. No, I’m not doing this. Ms. Walters, I refuse to be in the same room as her. I don’t feel safe.”

“Excuse me?” I was ready to slap this chick. “What did you say?”

“I said I’m not being in a classroom with someone as loco as you,” she sneered, walking up to me with her hand on her hip. “There’s a new rumor going around that it was you who killed your friend, and that you jumped off the roof after to make it seem like an accident. Not to mention your little freak out ruined my birthday party two days ago.”

“First of all,” I started, getting up from my seat to confront her, “I stopped someone from getting shot. Secondly, only a dumbass would believe a story like that. Third, don’t ever mention Valeria again. And lastly, take your hand off your hip. You already look and sound like a walking cliché, do you have to pose like one, too? I didn’t ruin your whack ass party, a guy with a gun did. So unless you wanna spend your day in the nurse’s office, I suggest you get out my face.”

“Make me. Puta.”

With pleasure.