End of the school day, beginning of a nightmare

When the final bell rang, Mary packed up her things and ambled through the halls towards the library. She lived close by, so she often lingered at school and took the time to study alone in peace and quiet. Today, however, Mary found herself constantly looking over her shoulder.

Becca’s stupid story was more prevalent in her thoughts than ever. She would look behind her, think she saw something and yelp. Then she would remember her friend’s cruel words.

“It’s not like I have anything to be worried about. I’m just one of the guys, after all.”

Mary blushed and stomped on towards the library.

“She thinks she’s so special because she’s pretty and has boobs. So what? There’s more to life than seh…sex.”

Suddenly, a freezing wind rushed through the empty hall, chilling Mary to the bone. On that wind, Mary thought she heard the faintest hint of a voice.

“Hello? Who’s there? Becca, is that you?”

Silence was all that answered Mary’s question. She turned and tried to hurry towards the library, but as soon as she took a step, the world fell out from under her.

***

“Ugh, I’m going to be so late getting home! This is what I get for having a conscience.”

Becca marched into the library and did her best to suppress her frustration. Truth be told, she felt guilty. She certainly loved teasing Mary, but today she knew she went too far. Calling the girl “one of the boys” was just plain mean.

Sometimes, Becca looked at Mary and felt a pang of envy. It didn’t make sense on paper. Becca was blonde, she had bigger boobs, better hygiene and a social life. Even so, Mary had this pure beauty to her that couldn’t be quenched. Even with a flat chest, messy hair, big ugly glasses, and that nerdy brain of hers, she still drew the eye. Boys actually did find her cute, even if she did her best to ignore them. Becca put effort in to look beautiful and it sometimes felt like it wasn’t enough. Meanwhile, Mary did everything to sabotage herself in that department and still looked cute as hell.

The library was empty. When Becca asked the librarian about Mary, the woman said she hadn’t seen her.

“She’s always here on Wednesdays. What the hell?”

A sickening pit opened in Becca’s stomach. She knew it was ridiculous, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.