Lions Pride: Mean Girls Next Generation

26

Both Shepherd and Charlotte stood with brows stitched together in confusion.

"Wait, wait, wait, hold up. What does that even mean? Of course Ethan is the one you should be afraid of! How can he NOT be?" Shepherd exclaimed flapping his limbs around wildly until Charlotte finally stopped him by setting a hand onto his shoulder.

Clara couldn't help but uncomfortably search the crowd around them for sight of Ethan himself. Knowing him, he could be anywhere. Listening in on everything said. He could very well hiding around any corner gathering information. "Look, I know it sounds crazy—"

"Crazy is right! Belle, we're you're friends. We want to help you...but you can't just write him off because of one bit of information that doesn't match up. It could be him trying to trick you. He could be deliberately creating an illusion to make you think he's innocent so you'll start trusting him, or at the very least not be afraid of him. I won't let you be careless!" Shepherd ranted.

"I get it....I just..." a simple sigh proved there was more she wasn't sharing. Clara fiddled with the nail, trying to explain the severity of the second text message she received last night....panicked her even more.

"Claire, hey...just tell us whats wrong. Why do you want to throw a party all the sudden? As much as Kenny can be a nitwit...as you put it....he is right in asking you why you want to do this..." Charlotte questioned gently. Watching her close friend fight against herself not to go into a full melt down...wasn't exactly her favorite pass time.

"B-Because...I got this..." Clara gulped pushing her phone in front of their faces. "I got it last night. It claims that I think I know who to be afraid of...meaning it can't be Ethan...because I already know I should be afraid of him...."

"Oh come on, that's a little...cryptic, don't you think? Like I said, he could just be messing with you..." Shepherd waved off. "But...that message is creepy AF...." He confirmed squinting his eyes to get a closer look at it.

"He could be messing with me but....w-what if he's not. No, I need to know for sure! That's why I need Kenny's help to throw a party!"

Both of the friends stared with blank expressions. Finally, Shepherd cleared his throat and spoke slowly, as if trying to see if he truly understands the plan.

"So...you're telling us...you believe there is someone who wants to kill you on the loose and....your plan is to...throw a huge party that will almost certainly draw the to-be murdered into your house?! Clarabelle Heron-George....do you actually want to be murdered?!"

"No! Don't you get it?" Clara cut in, "I know this sounds like a suicide, but it's not! Think about it, right now I can only guess whose out for me...but if I throw this party I'll be surrounded by people, so I'll be safe...but I can have look-outs keeping track of guests to try to figure out if it really is Ethan whose sending the messages!"

"....Alright....this is the most insane thing I've heard all week...which is definitely saying something considering I live in my own mind....but, we're in. We'll help where you need us, okay?" Shepherd sighed caving.

"Thank you! So much! I'll text you everything you need to know. Right now, let's just get through the day without being murdered!"

"Wow...I'm really feeling the positivity...thanks, Clara..." Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Right on. Let go NOT be murdered..."

"Yo, Heron-George?!" Kenny called out from the table. "I'll text you tonight with my plan. I gotta go steal the last packet of sour cream so Mrs Sour Cream goes insane!" He then slipped from the seat at the table and ran to the lunch line.

"Kenneth Omen-Samuels, don't you dar—" Mrs Sour Cream yelled from the distance. "Listen boy!" She then went on this long rant about the fact she wants everyone to be able to have sour cream...which means only one packet is allowed per student. Kenny.....didn't care.

••••••••••••••

"Thill, you comin'? I gotta have you look at my car before we start! Somethin's rattling around."

"Alright, I'll look at it, Ralphie. Let me just finish up here..." Ithlilen quickly sent a text to Clara.

"Gonna be late coming home again. I've got another race at the demolition derby tonight. Car got busted up pretty bad last time. Like seriously, check out this pic of it. Probably won't be home until at least midnight. It's a two race night. Bye, love you."

With that, he placed his phone into his school backpack and hurried after his friend. He never really worried about anyone shifting through his things. Mostly because he knew everyone who was racing. Plus, seeing a backpack sitting next to a Biology textbook doesn't exactly look worth looting.

Maybe he shouldn't have assumed it'd be safe. If he only would've known....

They stood in the shadows, stalking, waiting. Ithlilen worked obliviously on his friends car. They laughed, nothing was wrong with the world in that moment for them.

When Ithlilen returned after the races, hours later. He saw the onslaught of messages.

"Ithlilen Leo Heron-George, what on Earth are you doing in a demolition derby?!"

"I told you NO! You better start answering me!"

"Pick up your phone!"

They kept coming. All from Regina. Then they started coming in from Cady. Then Clara. Then Raph. Anger gripped Ithlilen's features. How could Clara tell them?!

"Hello?! Clara?! Yeah hey...what the hell?! You said you wouldn't tell them!" Ithlilen yelled through the phone.

"Why are you yelling at me?! I didn't tell them! You did!"

"Stop being a jerk! I didn't tell them! I haven't even talked to them today!"

"They just randomly called me freaking out because you texted them saying how you were in the derby and how messed up your car got last night AND then you sent them a picture of that messed up car! I didn't do anything!"

"I didn't text them! I texted you!" Ithlilen felt his heart beginning to drop. "Did you get a message from me at all?"

"Yeah, you told me you were gonna be late again tonight. Then I saw the pic of the smashed car you sent me." Clara's eyes widened. "Dude, how many people did you send that to?"

"Only you."

Just as the words left Ithlilen's mouth, another loud ding echoed through his ears.

"Mom and Momma....they know...they keep texting and calling me. What do I do?! What do I say?!" He panicked.

"I...unfortunately can't say I know for sure.... just focus on getting home. I'll be up....I'm studying for that test anyway..."

They watched the scene from the darkness of the grandstand. A nasty smirk appeared on their face. The start...of the end.