Death and Destruction (Jeff the Killer Fanfic)

3. Chance encounter

Nina

First day off of parole and it felt like a goddamned dream. With good behavior I'd gotten my sentence down to three weeks instead of the full four and I felt triumphant as I pulled my new dress on over my head, layering it with a mesh long sleeve and my black socks. As I stood in the mirror I pulled my hair up into a ponytail with the silky red bow I'd gotten back in Silver Cove, something I wore almost daily now. A little piece of home sweet home. I'd just been playing with the little O-ring on the neckline when I heard a knock at my door, opening it to find my mom on the other side and looking...defeated.

"Here," she handed my phone over, the purple kitty case squishing in my hand when I reached for it, "keep it in your bag and stay away from those kids. I don't want to find out you got in another fight."

"There won't be another fight if they leave me alone," I corrected her as I shoved it into my backpack, swinging it up onto my shoulders without a second thought. "Claudia hasn't bothered me much since. I don't think you have to worry about anything."

"Good," she sighed, "where did you get that dress? I don't think I've seen you wear it before..."

"Birthday present from a friend," I hummed to myself as I passed by her and ran down the stairs, "bye Mom!"

Chris was waiting for me at the end of the driveway just as the bus pulled up, he and I moving to our usual spot while I pulled my other birthday present from Kitty from my bag and handed it over. I enjoyed watching him play more than I did playing myself, although I had found a couple games I liked. Before we got to school I checked through my phone, my heart dropping when I realized my gallery had been sorted through. The video was gone. She'd even been smart enough to delete it from the trash bin and I sighed, my shoulders dropping in dismay. Luckily I kept the letter from Kitty and the picture she'd included with me at all times, leaving no trace of the surprise visit for my mom to find if she chose to go through my room.

The one solace I had was that my voicemails were left untouched, the sound of Kitty's voice through my earbud making me smile as tears pricked the edges of my sight. I still had a little piece of her left. As I exited the bus and stepped onto school grounds I took a good look around, spotting Claudia and her two twerps lingering outside. She got a good look at me and I passed her a wink, her face paling as she turned to look back at Yoni and Malcolm. I absentmindedly traced the tiny scars on my knuckles where they'd scabbed after the hits, proof of my little victory.

I was a good girl at school today and passed through my classes like a ghost, keeping to myself and not bothering a soul until the end of the day finally came. Of course, being off of house arrest meant I was going to abuse the privilege to the best of my ability and I emptied out my bag when I got to my bedroom, stuffing my jacket and the console into the depths before I slipped the red and black knife into the top of my sock, the black clip the only thing visible on the outside as I pulled the bag back over my shoulders. Mom had just gotten home from work when I rushed past her, yelling something about meeting friends at the arcade in town before busting out the door.

"Finally!" I groaned, stretching my arms in the air as I sauntered down the sidewalk. The afternoon sun was hot but it felt good in this outfit, my dress billowing in the breeze while I plugged my earbuds in and listened to music. I'd managed to find one of Kitty's playlists and I always had it on repeat, singing the lyrics that I remembered and dancing along to the beat.

I'd just made it into town by the time evening rolled around and I stopped into a local coffee place, sipping on an iced mocha that just didn't have the right taste. Chelsea's coffee had spoiled me and nothing could beat it, but I still took what I could get. I didn't necessarily have a real destination in mind but being out of the house for the first time all month felt good. Halloween was just around the corner and it made me giddy as I passed by Jack-O-Lanterns and purple lights, taken by a strong desire to decorate to my tastes for once. Strong enough to lure me into the closest big name store and send me straight to the Halloween section, eyeing the lights until I found a set that I liked. A devious smile crossed my face for a moment as I slipped the box into my bag, walking out with the most angelic of smiles on my face so that they'd wouldn't suspect a thing.