Close As Enemies

Eighteen.

Now Playing... Mercy 

    Nikki: Where are you?

Nikki: Molly, come to school.

Nikki: You left me with lover boy again -_-

Nikki: You need to be here by lunch. Something's going down, and it involves you.

I read the last message I received from Nikki several times. My clock read 10:15 a.m., meaning third period had just ended. Throwing on a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie, I braided my hair quickly before heading off to school. After getting a note, I walk to fourth period--food prep-- and sat at my desk.

"Alright, class. Today I'll be assigning you partners for cooking." Miss. Dean looked at the piece of paper in front of her. "Hannah and Tessa, Willow and Bryan, Maddie and Dustin, Deke and Bryce, and Wes and Molly. Your kitchens are the ones closest to your row."

Well, that was just my luck.

Hesitantly heading to my kitchen, I stood as far away from Wes as I could, fear rattling through me. His last words had haunted me most of the night, and I had a feeling he meant what he said. Without looking at him, I faced the ingredients in front of us. There was a container of cookie dough, a baking sheet, and a recipe sheet. I sprayed the baking sheet with cooking spray. Wes stood there, watching me silently.

"Are you going to just stand there or actually make yourself useful?" I asked, glaring at him, and he rolled his eyes, tearing apart the cookie dough. Once he placed the cookies on the baking sheet, I placed them in the oven and set the timer. We sat at the stool in front of the counter in our kitchen, tension cutting like a knife between us.

"Remind me why I had to be paired with a whore?" He mumbled, and I glared at him.

"Have you taken a look in the mirror?"

His lips brushed my ear. "At least I don't let people take advantage of me when I'm drunk."

I pulled away from him, tears brimming my eyes. He chuckled under his breath.

"Sorry, I forgot you like to ruin my life when I can't even fight against you. Excuse me for ruining your fun." I bit back, and when our eyes met, a fleeting emotion passed over his face, rendering him speechless.

"Molly--"

The timer for the cookies went off, and I quickly took them out and placed them on the rack before sitting at my desk. Behind me, Wes sighed as he waited for the cookies to cool off, but then the bell rang, and I ran out of there faster than I ever had. The next two periods passed by quickly, and everything was okay.

Until lunch.

Placing my books in my locker, I waited for Nikki. When she reached my locker, her and I walked to the cafeteria, and nothing seemed out of place, except for the projector hanging from the wall. We sat at our normal lunch table, and even though Nikki tried to keep me distracted, my trembling hands knew something was coming, and it wasn't going to end well. The wall clock ticked like the timer on a bomb. I couldn't stop it, reverse it, or slow it down. Each tick dragged me forward. I couldn't avoid it as the beating of my own heart pounded against its cage of bone cartilage. The dread was an invisible demon sitting heavy on my shoulders. It taunted me, making sure I feared what was coming next.

Suddenly, the cafeteria grew dark, and Wes and Katie stood by the screen. His eyes found mine, but unlike his look when I left third period, his eyes were blank-- something I had learned to fear.

"Hello, fellow students. You all are about to see the real Molly Clarke, and not the one you think you know." Wes smirked, and my heart dropped in my chest. Katie clicked a button on the remote, and Wes and I appeared on the screen. When I realized what the video was, I nearly passed out.