Dian's POV
I deftly scratch my itchy nipple and stifle a yawn. The uncomfortable study chair groans as I shift my stiff ass, trying to get some relief. I adjust my specs and look down at the table to avoid the withering looks I'm getting for disrupting the peace and quiet.
I should have worn my contacts, I look like a complete dork.
“Will he think I'm cute?” I wonder, peering at the phone screen next to the strewn notes on the table, willing it to light up. Nothing happens.
Where are you, Justin?
I ask the universe for the thousandth time in the last four hours. It's a school night and almost time for my curfew but here I am, stuck in the study cafe, waiting for my crush because earlier at school today, rumor spread that Justin Kingston was going to ask his crush out on a date and I've been crushing on Jeremy since I knew what a blush meant but he never responded to my little hellos in the school hallway, so color me shocked when he chats me up–omg! he has my number–then asked to meet at the study cafe at seven, which was four hours ago.
I glance at my watch and my heart stutters in my chest, 11:11 pm. It's way past my curfew.
My mind rambles through different scenarios and each one sends my forehead closer to the wooden table.
Maybe he got caught up on some errands
Maybe he's busy with… stuff
Maybe the chat was a typo
Maybe he forgot…
My forehead rests on the table until I hear the familiar swoosh of the entrance door indicating someone's arrival. My head jerks up, and a smile splits my lips even as a gust of frozen air shrivels up my facial skin. The smile falls off when I see two policemen at the entrance shaking off snow from their police attire.
When did it start snowing?
“Maybe… the snow's holding him up,” I mutter but a low buzz fills my belly at the sight of the officers.
I remember the incessant ringing of my phone two hours ago before I turned it off. Opening my phone now, the messages pour in.
MOoom👺👺❤️(67 missed calls)
7:05 pm: You left in such a hurry you forgot your hoodie, everything okay?
7:07 pm: There's a storm coming Dian and I just called Lisa's Mom, she says you're not with them. ????
7:10 pm: Fine, ignore me all you want. Don't forget it's a SCHOOL NIGHT
My eyes roll at the message, Like I could ever forget with Mom's never-ending nagging.
8:19 pm: Dinner's at Nine, your Father's gonna be late tonight, WRAP IT UP WILL YOU, there's a storm coming.
9:04 pm: I'm not waiting to heat up your food, Dian. Get your ass home! It's almost Curfew.
9:27 pm: Answer the phone, Dian! You Are SOOO Grounded when you get home!!!
I grimace, “I'm so dead.”
Daddy😎❤️❤️💓(58 missed calls)
9:28 pm: How was your day, little Dee? What's this I'm hearing from Mom?
9:46 pm: Why did you turn off your phone tracker Little Dee?
9:58 pm: Come on, pick up the phone little Dee... Where are you????? There's a snowstorm coming.
10:02 pm: That's it, we're calling the cops, and you better be in the back of some stranger's truck else you are in BIG trouble, little lady.
10:08 pm: I didn't mean any of that my little Dee, just come back to us. Your Mother and I, we love you...
A weight settles against my chest as more messages flood my phone, I set it on the table and a prickle of awareness stings my gut. I see the officers walking towards me and the buzz in my belly becomes a roar, twisting up my insides. I jerk upright and the sudden motion makes me throw up a little in my mouth. I swallow down the bad nerves and send the officers a shaky smile but they avert their eyes.
“Weird,” I mumble and turn back to my phone. Their shadows loom over me like two Grims from the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, except they traded their black cloaks and magical scythes for blue uniforms and stun guns, plus my Mandy lost her Billy or maybe… I never had Billy in the first place.
The thought tortures my already sour mood and I chew on the chocolate I'd gotten for our "date."
I'm grounded for life after tonight if Justin doesn't show.
I tear into another chocolate and hear Mom's chastise in the back of my head, “You'll get pudgy if you keep eating that junk.” “Your teeth will rot if you don't stop.”
“Ahem.” Someone coughs.
I glance up, surprised to see the officers in front of me.
“Sorry, I didn't…” I trail off, noticing their tight expressions.
“Is everything okay?” I cringe inwardly at my question.
“Uh... of course everything is NOT okay, Dian or they won't be looming over my table with pinched expressions and shifty eyes.” Mom's voice rambles in my head.
“Are you Miss Dian Fibarthorn?” the taller one asks.
My study chair scrapes the ground as I stand abruptly, “I am she.” I answer, ignoring the angry looks I get from the students around me.
“Let me get your things, we'll talk better outside.” The bald one reaches for my bag.
I jerk it back, “How do you know my name? What do you want from me?” I ask, my nerves shooting all over the place.
“Pardon my manners,” the bald one says, looking contrite.
“I'm Officer Terry and this is my partner, Officer Gibson.” They flash me their badges and the cafe owner gently ushers our business to the door.
“What's going on?” I ask, hugging my bare arms against the sudden breeze as soon as we're out of the cafe.
The bald one clears his throat, “Due to the unprecedented snowstorm there was an accident and your parents... were among the casualties. We need you to identify their bodies.”
My legs fold and I find that the other officer is holding me up. He's keeping me from falling but I can't see the ground underneath me, everything is blurred from my tears. I can't hear anything save for the roaring in my ears.
And I'm trying to grasp how the buzz in my stomach entered my ears within seconds.
“She's all green, Gibs.” Suddenly, my bowels loosen and I empty the contents on the shirt of the officer holding me up.
The roar tunes down to a whirr and I hear the muffled swearing of the officers.
Frantically, I swipe at my phone, trying to see through the vomit-smudged screen and blurred eyes as I read Dad's last message.
10:48 pm: Daddy's coming for you, We're gonna find you, just sit tight, little Dee.
Dian's POV I'm sitting tight in the back of the blaring cop car when the engine stops, the door opens, and a hand is stretched towards me. I place my clammy hands into the officer's sure one and I'm pulled out of the car. I puked twice during the ride here and I've never had a gag reflex incident but ever since I saw the blue uniforms it feels like my insides are all mangled . I stare at the red cross on the revolving doors of the hospital entrance and an unexpected shiver racks my exposed body. Goosebumps line my bare arms and a coat is tucked over my withering frame. My feet get heavy as we near the main entrance and I look up at the bald cop, “C– can we st– st– stop for a minute… my legs are a little weak.” I sit on the pavement leading to the entrance, beside me there's a well-groomed row of blooming pansies and I get lost in its sweet scent. How can a place so tragic smell so sweet, so sickly sweet it hurts... Everywhere. I'm still lost in my thoughts when the other officer
Dian's POV Seven Weeks After My Parents' Burial… “rrrrrrrrrr! rrrrrrrrrrrrrr!'' The school bell peals indicating the end of another horrible school week. I shuffle along the crowd of students gunning for the door, my head covered in a black hoodie. I'm almost at my once shiny locker–now marked and tattooed with stalker, psycho, four-eyed creep– when I hear Kingston's booming laughter from the far end of the crowded hallway. He throws an arm over Claire Eastwood's shoulder, his fingers flirting to breasts that mysteriously grew into a C-cup over the summer. He pulls her head in for a kiss but she turns away at the last moment with a shy smile. I realize they're heading in my direction and make a U-turn with a composure I don't feel but luck isn't on my side. “Hey, it's the four-eyed stalker!” Someone hollers. I freeze and the entire hallway bustling with kids keen to leave school suddenly quietens. I can feel everyone staring at me and then Kingston ices the cake, “Hey, creep!
JoJo's POV Four years later... “You're really okay with this?” Aunt Sherry gives me another once over. “Of course, Mom,” I squeeze her stiff shoulders, “I'm social media influencer Jojo Dukes of the KMJ Gone Girls', not psycho stalker Dian Fibarthorn.” “You know we'll call this off the moment you say the word.” Uncle Will chirps from the back of the car. I look back at the Manhattan Mansion and I don't feel any itch. I won't miss the nosy neighbors who gossiped about the mysterious couple and their dour-eyed kid that moved into the huge house they'd been eyeing or the enormous space in the house that was always void of humans or fun memories. I won't even miss my biches. Speaking of, my screen lights up and I see two new messages from our group chat. A wide grin splits my face. Mal: @Me, U gon yet??? I need me ur logins to get these for our next vid. (sent a pic) Moscow has some crazy ice skates. 😏😏😏 Ken: I miss u Jo 🤧🤧🤧 Me: Not❌❌❌ on ur deathbed @Mal Me: Ah mis
JoJo's POVMake-up ✔️Camera ✔️ Go live! 🎬I click the red Go Live button on the Instagram app. Unsurprisingly, I have three thousand views increasing by the second. Dozens of reactions and comments flood my phone and I read a few,Sandrakisme: What are you wearing gurlll💘💘 them lips be smokin'Jainleo&san: Your make-up is super flawless Jojo😭😭😭 We need another facial routine🤧🤧🤧Charle4twix: What u say Jo😜😜😜, a thousand bucks for one night, I tip well🥵🥵🥵I swing my gaze to the camera on the top of the screen and slap on a wide smile. Let's get this over with.“Hey! It's your girl Jojo from the KMJ Gone Girls and next week we're hosting The POAT #partyofalltimes on our beach house out here on the West Coast to celebrate our last year in high school,” The comments blow up with excited messages.I fake a pouty look and reply a mention, “I'm sorry @Ariay, it's strictly invite-only.” “Now, we want y'all in our party, so we're giving out a hundred slots to our top fans bu
JoJo's POV“I'm gonna murder you biches!!!” I yell at them, splashing around as my hands break the calm surface of the chlorinated water in slapping motions.My heart bursts at the sight of my two best buddies and I realize how quiet and lonely it'd been without them these two weeks. I missed these bitches.Mallory has taken position on my lounge chair and my headphones are now blasting some shit rock music while Ken tosses off her clothes, revealing a pale two-piece. She cries her excitement and jumps into the chlorinated water before I can stop her.“Mallory, you witch! Get out of my chair and drop my headphones!!!!” I yell like a Banshee while the bitch calmly tugs the headphones up and gives me a quizzical look, “You say something there?” She smirks and I want to wring her neck.I flip her off with two itchy middle fingers and she cracks up like the witch she is, a smile draws on my tight lips before she pops the headphones back on.Ken blubbers as she breaks through the water su
Jeremy's POVI take a bite of the red apple and watch the juice slide through my fingers down the length of my arm and on top of the pristine counter. I force myself to ignore it as the tic starts and I count backward in my head.1011, 1010, 1009, 1008…The silence of the moment is punctuated by teeth-crushing apple bits and the steady drip of apple juice.My phone buzzes and I glance at the notification.Unknown: WE KNOW WHAT YOU DID THAT NIGHTMy incisors bite sharply into the fruit, leaving a gaping hole in its place as the cell pings with another notification from unknown. I count before I read.999, 998, 997, 996…Unknown: WE HAVE PROOF I make a quick work of the fruit and toss it in the bin then find the kitchen rag and vigorously wipe the counter according to my counts before heading to my room. The apartment is silent until the phone buzzes again. My expression furrows and I remember I have a loose end to bind.Watching my mother die when I was eight broke something critical
Jeremy's POVUnknown: This video will go viral if you don't do what is required of you (sent video clip)Me: What do you want?Unknown: Isn't it obvious…Me: You'd have to be more specific.Unknown: We want you Jeremy Vongov.Me: You know who I am then??Unknown: Jeremy Vongov the elusive bastard heir of Russian Businessman, Maxim Vongov rumored to have blood ties with the Russian mob.Me: Then you know my father is a man to be feared, no?Unknown: We know that and more.Me: Enlighten me.After a long pause, three dots appear on the screen and I smile to myself.Unknown: We wouldn't want to bore you with mundane details of the contact.Me: Yes, the two drunk girls stupid enough to bug us, I take it they're your 'contact'Unknown: Your concern is with the video we just sent because one click and your father's empire is ashes.Me: You think you can get away with this?Unknown: Jeremy Jeremy Jeremy, you know this isn't time for threats, especially not from you.Me: You should run while y
JoJo's POV Ken and I peer into the burner phone, “What's with the burner?” “Activating Stage Two.” Mal: WE KNOW WHAT YOU DID THAT NIGHT Jeremy Vongov doesn't reply so Mallory shoots him another text. Mal: WE HAVE PROOF Still no reply, Ken takes the phone from Mallory, “Let me, I'll rile him up a little.” Ken: This video will go viral if you don't do what is required of you (sent video clip) “Why would you send him the video? you just played our trump card in the first round!” I yell. “So, he knows we're not messing around!” She yells back. Three dots appear, “Told you it'd work,” she smirks. Jeremy Vongov: What do you want? “WhatdoIsay WhatdoIsay?” Ken whispers like he can hear us, her anxiety spiking through the roof. “Oh hi there! Jeremy Vongov, we stalked you for a few days because we need your help to take down a common enemy… okay, not exactly common because you don't care about Kingston… actually you don't care about anyone but he cares about you, he sees you as h