If Looks Could Kill - Vance Hopper

one

A knock on my bedroom door startles me and I wake up, sitting up and leaning off my desk. I look at the papers and books in front of me. I'd fallen asleep before I could finish my homework. I look at the clock on my wall. 5:09pm on a Saturday night and I'm doing homework. Fucking pathetic.

"Come in, Mom," I call.

Jeremy opens my door and leans against the frame. "Mom and Dad left a minute ago. They saw you sleeping and decided it was best to let you get some rest or whatever," He notices my homework laid across the desk.

"Okay," I nod.

"So, I'm bringing Gale over to spend the night since the house is empty. Don't be weird." He pauses to think. "Come down soon when he gets here. I think he likes you." And with that, he leaves.

I purse my lips. Gale is nice to me and he's funny. He had dropped many hints about his feelings to me several times before, but of course they're nothing serious. He goes through at least a dozen women a week. He's still a good friend, though. Jeremy knows that, hence why he's always trying to set us up.

I start to finish the rest of my homework until I hear the doorbell ring.

I pull my hair out from the loose ponytail I had put it in. I lay the ribbon beside the biology book and go downstairs to the living room where Gale and Jeremy are talking on the couch. Jeremy is laying down with his head against the arm rest. Gale is sitting with his leg folded and his ankle resting on his knee.

"You guys wanna get snacks and watch a movie or something?" Gale asks when I sit down next to them.

Jeremy shrugs. "Don't got money, man."

Gale pulls his wallet out from his back pocket. "I'll pay."

"Let's go then," Jeremy sits up and pulls his shoes on while Gale and I sit on the couch. He looks at me and smiles. I force a smile back before also getting up to get my sweater and shoes on.

The streets are mostly empty due to the two kidnappings, Billy and Griffin. After Griffin, parents stopped letting their kids go out after 8pm. I don't remember their last names.

I'm walking in between Gale and Jeremy, they're both talking about something I'm not paying attention to. Gale drapes his arm over me. I shrug his arm off. Jeremy gives Gale a sympathetic look. He knows I'm smarter than that, but he'd rather me date Gale, his bestfriend, than some other kid he knows nothing about.

We get inside the shop and I go into the candy aisle, carefully scanning the price tags before choosing a bag of peanut m&ms. Gale and Jeremy are looking for drinks.

"You want a gatorade...redbull or something, Anna?" Jeremy asks, tossing me a watermelon redbull.

"I don't like this flavor," I tell him, scrunching my nose up in disgust. Gale studies my face and flashes his teeth at me. Jeremy puts the drink back and throws me a blue gatorade. I miss the catch and it htis me straight in the face.

"Oh!" I huff as I stumble back into a shelf.

Jeremy snickers and Gale tosses his water bottle at Jeremy playfully. It hits his chest. I pick the bottles off the floor while Gale and Jeremy mess around.

Gale shoves Jeremy sharply, too hard, and he stumbles into an arcade game where a blonde-haired kid is playing. His concentration is broken and I watch as the game rings once, meaning he's lost. He grabs his head in both his hands.

Damn. That really sucks.

I turn back to the refridgerator to close it when I hear Jeremy cry out. I glance over my shoulder. The blonde kid is clutching him by the collar of his shirt. He throws him across the floor and he lands back against a section of comic books. I drop everything.