Short Story

It was day time again, as the streets roared with life. Everyone was hurrying to their destination, not giving heed to the others who they blocked on their way.

But that was life.

No one cared about what the other did; Kim was no different.

Kim was just a lonely average college student. She dreamt about becoming a teacher. Aiding children in schools, helping them do the best they can to give back to the world that they lived in. She didn’t mind not going to any of the big parties, nor having many friends. No. Kim just kept to herself.

She wandered the halls of her college, looking just over her nose at the people who hurried past one another. It was just like looking outside on a Monday morning. Everyone in a hurry. A few people caught her eye; they gave their morning rituals of a hello and then a wave. That’s all Kim ever got from these people. Not that she minded.

Keep to yourself, she thought as she hurried along with the flow of people.

As she stepped into the first class of the day, she realized that many of the students were still missing, the perfect opportunity to get the favored seat in the front of the class, right next to the door.

Not wasting any more time, Kim slipped past a student and slid into the chair.

Perfect, her mind cheerfully said.

It was not often someone other than the school’s favorite student occupied this seat. Feeling proud of herself, she opened her bag, pulling out the notes from the class before. Kim had the habit of always going over notes; she didn’t want to mess up her classes. Not like her older sister, Hannah.

Hannah was Kim’s older twin sister. Even though they were only a few seconds apart, Kim always felt like she didn’t belong. But there was no doubt they were sisters. They looked alike ever since they were babies. Even to this every day they looked like the other. People always had trouble telling who was who when they first met them, but after some time passes, people found that Hannah was the one who always stood out more. Kim, she was a wallflower. Blending in was her best feature.

Soon more students piled into the classroom, each taking only a second to glance around the room and pick a seat mentally before moving onward.

A boy, tall with black shiny hair walked in. His ice blue eyes seemed dead as he looked around. The look given off from most of the people who wandered into this early morning class. Kim leaned on her hand as she stared at his movements. The boy was graceful as he moved to the seat a row away from her.

“Derek!” a high pitched voice cried out, grabbing everyone’s attention.

The boy turned and looked at her, just as everyone else in the room had. “What?” he answered to the name.

“Look!” the high pitched girl squealed. She pointed at Kim. “She is in my seat!”

A soft blush covered Kim’s face. She had forgotten that the favorite student loved making scenes.

Sighing, Derek leaned back in the chair. “What do you want me to do about it?”

“Make her move,” the girl demanded.

This time he shook his head. “Laura, you have to learn. The seats in this class are: first come first serve. You didn’t make it here in time, you lucked out.”

Laura furrowed her eyes. Turning her head, she glared at Kim. “You get out.”

Kim lowered her eyes to her notes once more.

She’ll go away.

“Out!” she screamed.

Her voice made everyone jump.

This time Derek stood up. He walked over to Laura and put his arm around her tense tiny shoulders. Giving his warm half smile to her, he led her away.

“La,” he started. “You don’t have to seat there. Wouldn’t you rather be with your boyfriend?” He pulled her over to a seat next to his. The student sitting there quickly moved out of the way of the princess.

“Fine,” she groaned. “But that girl better watch it.”

Before class started, Laura threw another glare at Kim.

Lunch time. The time of day the students looked around for food. Kim was on her way to meet her sister at the parking lot. Hannah was picking her up to head over to the food joint down the street. A five minute drive. She never ate lunch without her sister.

Kim noticed her sister’s silhouette on the pavement, she rushed over.

“Hey!” she cried happily.

Hannah turned. Her green eyes sparkled in the sunlight.  “Hey baby sis,” she greeted. “You ready to go?”

Kim nodded.

“Let’s head out then.”

The girls piled into the beaten up car and drove out and onto the road, and soon enough the food place. After ordering their meals, they sat down.

“So anything interesting happened in school?” Hannah asked.

“I finally had the class’ attention,” Kim dully stated.

“Really? That great!”

Shaking her head she explained what had happened with Laura in the morning.

“Kim,” she said full of concern. “How much longer are you going to be like that? When are you going to take charge and tell her “No, I am sitting here today, go find a different seat,”?” Hannah pointed a soggy fry at her sister before taking a bite out of it.

“I just can’t do that. What if she gets mad?”

“What will she do? Make a scene like she already did?”

Kim pondered the thought.

“You know Hannah, it’s different. Everyone treated you with honor. Just knowing you was a privilege.  Not like me. I have nothing. Only the minutes in class where I feel like I am on the same level as everyone else. If I screw up then she’ll take that only pleasure away,” Kim complained.

“Oh, Kim,” Hannah said shaking her head.

“I wish you didn’t drop out so then at least I’d have you there,” she muttered under her breath.

A few days had passed since the encounter with Laura. Things had gone back the way they were before. No one remembered Kim, and she was happy about that too.

But one Friday after class had finished, the teacher called her over.

“Kim,” he started. “One of the students in the class is failing. You are the top student; I have a favor to ask you.”

Kim listened. She didn’t dare speak.

“I want you to help him bring his grade up.”

“Okay. Who is he, Sir?” she asked.

“Derek Burke.”

“Derek?” she asked as if her ears deceived her.

“Yes. You know him, tall, black hair, blue eyes,” the teacher said in a voice telling her to get going and start on what he told her to do.

Nodding, Kim hurried out the classroom.

“Not what I need,” she said in a soft voice. “Surely no good will come from this.”

Finding Derek was the easy part, talking to him was another story.

Kim looked at the group of students sitting on the bench outside waiting for others to come join before heading home. Taking a deep breath, Kim started for them.

As soon as she got there, no one even noticed her. But the beating in her chest felt as if it was going to burst. Her blood was rushing, and she worried what she was going to say. Standing dully in front of the people, she practiced what she would say in her head.

“What are you doing?” a voice pulled her back into reality.

“Huh?” she asked in a daze.

“What are you doing?” the voice asked again.

Kim looked around the group, and realized Derek was the one questioning her.

“Um, uh,” she muttered in a barely audio voice.

“You were looking at me,” he stated.

The others roared.

“Maybe she has a crush on you and came to confess,” another boy said. “Not that is matters, you already have Laura, the hottest girl on campus, and this chick is hideous in comparison.”

A girl with light brown hair slapped the boy who commented on the arm. “Hush you,” she said in a sweet voice. Turning to Kim, she smiled. “What do you want?” she asked.

“Um,” she started again in a voice just a little louder than before. “I need to talk to Derek,” she finally said.

“Figures,” Derek said. “What is it?”

“Mr. Louis asked me to help bring your grade up,” she lowered her voice.

His friends broke out in laughter.

“What! You’re failing that easy class?” one asked.

“How? It’s basic grade school work.”

“Shut up,” Derek said a bit annoyed. He turned his attention back to Kim. “Couldn’t think of finding me when I was alone and asked me then?” he asked in a harsh voice.

Kim pulled at her cuffs of her long sweater. “He asked me to do it right away,” she answered with her head lowered.

“Look you scared her,” the girl commented. “Meanie Derek. I thought you knew how to treat a girl.”

Running his fingers through his hair, he let out a sigh of defeat.

“Look, I’ll get back to you. I have to tell Laura I can’t make it to her meeting today then. Since it’s so much more important I study and do work with you,” Derek said. With that he stood up. “Wait here.”  

He left.

The group of friends stared at Kim for a few seconds, and then resumed their conversation as if they weren’t interrupted.   

It took Derek a few minutes to return to the front and face Kim.

“It’s done.”

He walked off leaving Kim to hurry behind him.

“No,” Kim said pointing at the paper again. “It’s not like that at all. How did you get that?”

“I did exactly what you had told me to do,” Derek whined.

“No you didn’t,” she turned a page in the book again. “You did this equation. You wanted to do the other,” she explained. “The type of problem wouldn’t work with this equation, try again.”

Derek stared at her.

“What?” she asked pushing her glasses back up her nose.

“You’re different than you are at school,” he said.

“Eh?”

“Yeah, you are more outspoken than in class.”

Kim lowered her eyes. That was true. When it came to teaching, it was as if a different person took over, and Kim left.

“Oh, sorry,” she said in a soft voice. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

Derek laughed. “What are you sorry for? You’re better like this,” he smiled. “I enjoy this better.”

“Oh?” she was surprised.

He nodded.  “I didn’t even know who you were until Laura made that scene. You’re really a Plain Jane, who only cared about taking notes and reading in school. More so you wear glasses, who would have guessed the quiet nerd actually can speak normally,” he laughed.

Blushing she took them off.

“I need them to read properly,” she explained. “I never wore contacts.”

“Why not?”

Thinking of a reason she shrugged. “I just ever had a reason to, glasses work just fine,” she said. Kim flipped a few pages forward in the book. “Back to the homework,” she ordered.

Derek nodded and fixed himself to get a better view of the book in front of the two of them.

It was a few hours until Kim and Derek finished their homework at the library. If it was just Kim alone, she would have been done earlier. But she was helping Derek until the very last question on the homework.

“Hey, thanks,” he said as they walked into the parking lot. “It was nice doing the work with you.” He pulled out a set of keys and opened his car door. “Want a ride?” he offered.

“Oh no, I couldn’t,” she said throwing her hands to refuse.

“Nonsense, you helped me a ton with the homework,” he said. “Besides now I feel like I won’t fail the quiz on Monday.”

Kim looked around; there was no sign of her sister.

Figured, she thought. Tell her that I will be staying after school for a few hours, she doesn’t ever show up.

Not really having a choice, Kim agreed to the offer, she knew her parents wouldn’t enjoy her walking home in the evening.

“Great, hop in.”

They drove along, on their way to Kim’s house. She looked over at the clock inside Derek’s car.

“Is that the right time?” she asked moving closer to the time.

“Huh?” He darted his eyes to the time. “No, it’s like an hour or so late.”

“It’s so late already,” she said sadly.

She missed dinner. If there was one thing in her family, they all ate on time, they didn’t wait for no one, mand they didn’t save anything for the person who ditched the table.

“Why? Plans?”

“No, just strict parents.”

“Oh? What you’re not going to eat dinner because you’re getting home really late?”

“Pretty much,” she said.

“Oh,” Derek lowered his voice. “Sorry, I suppose it’s my fault you’re in trouble.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes.

Derek turned off the main road and took a way to a plaza.

Kim looked out her window in confusion.

“Where are you going? I told you I’ll tell you when to turn,” she said.

Derek didn’t say anything.

He parked the car.

“Well get out.”

“Wait?” she stammered. She didn’t understand what was going on.

“It’s my fault if you don’t eat, and I wouldn’t be able to sleep knowing that, I have got to feed you. Get out, we’re at my favorite restaurant,” he said getting out of the car before she was able to comprehend what he had said.

Climbing out of her seat and closing the door, she hurried to Derek and pulled his arm. “You don’t need to, I didn’t do much,” she said in a rushed voice.

“Nonsense.”

Grabbing her hand, Derek led her into the restaurant. Not allowing her to decide.

Once they were inside, they got a booth by the window. Kim slide in and sat by the window. She wasn’t use to eating out with anyone other than Hannah. They sat in silence. The waiter had came and gone. They still hadn’t spoken a word.

“Are you mad?” Derek ventured to converse.

She shook her head.

“Then what happened? You were all talky earlier.”

Kim sighed. “You don’t get it.”

“No, I don’t.”

“If Laura knew you were treating me to food, she’d eat me alive.”

“You scared of her, huh?”

“You think?” Kim said looking out the window. “I am no match for her. And I don’t need any trouble in school. I just want to finish and get out as fast as I can.”

“Think I’ll cause you problems?”

“Don’t know. But I have a feeling involving you in my life will have a bad affect.”

“Well, if any harm comes to you, then I’ll be sure to be there to protect you,” Derek said softly so only she could hear him.

The waiter interrupted placing their order of food on the table.

Kim let out a nervous laugh and started to eat the food.

Safely home, Kim closed her bedroom door. She flopped on her bed, hiding her face in her pillow.

A knock on her door disturbed her thoughts.

“Yes?” she sighed.

“Kim? Can I come in?” Hannah said in a small voice.

Kim sat up.  It was unlike her sister to whisper, more so at their own house. “Sure, come in,” she said.

Hannah opened the door and walked slowly into the room. She sat down on the edge of Kim’s bed.

“What’s up?” she asked her sister.

Hannah just stared at the ground.

“Han?” she asked craning her neck to take a look at her face.

“Kim, you’ll always love me no matter what, right?”

Confused, she answered, “Yes, of course. We’re sisters, twins. The closest thing to each other we have. We’re one of the same. Why do you ask?”

Hannah shook her head.

“No reason, just wanted to know,” she laughed.

Kim made a face and hit her sister with her pillow.

“Weirdo, you had me worried,” she said.

Hannah laughed. “You were always the worrywart out of the two of us.”

They shared a laugh, and Hannah bid her sister a good night and left the room.

“Wonder what that was about,” Kim said to herself. She pulled herself to her desk. Even though she wanted to get to sleep, she had to update her journal first. A habit she had since she was a kid. Opening her laptop, she found her last saved document, and quickly read over it in case she had a spelling or grammar problem. Everything looked fine. So she opened a fresh page and started.

A half an hour later, Kim saved and closed the laptop. “That’s enough for now,” she said with a yawn. Looking at her clock by her bedside she read “ten-forty-five”. It was already so late for her, and she had to wake up at six in the morning to get to school. Peeling off her clothes from the day, she slipped into her bed time clothes.

Days passed since she and Derek studied together. Slowly the two people got closer, sharing stories about one another once in a while as they studied. Derek even offered her rides home after school, much to Laura’s distaste.

Rumors flew around school.

“Did you hear Derek is cheating on Laura with this nerdy looking girl?”

“I heard she is paying him for attention.”

“She used some kind of trick to get in between those two.”

Kim sighed every time she walked past people gossiping about her. She couldn’t believe how fast people made stories up. This was a reason why she didn’t want to “hang” with him inside school and outside. She knew this was going to happen.

Derek waved at her from his locker.

“Hey, Ki-Kimi,” he called.

Kim’s blood rose as he called her the nickname Hannah had given her when they were kids. She stormed over to him.

“Don’t call me that,” she said. “Aren’t you upset at all about these rumors?”

Derek shrugged. “Should I be?”

“Yes!”

“Why?”

“Clearly because your girlfriend is ruining my school life, everyone is treating me worse than before, can’t you do something?” she asked in a desperate attempt to get life the way it was before.

“Look, I’m sure it’ll die down as soon as this term is over. I promise to study harder without your help next term,” he said and walked off leaving Kim there dumbfounded.

“What is with him, doesn’t he know that I can’t handle this?” Kim walked to the girl’s bathroom.

Sitting on the toilet, Kim held her head. She didn’t know what she was supposed to do. The rumors were getting worse every waking moment. Derek wasn’t denying, nor trying to calm them down. Tears started to form inside her eyes. Her feelings were mixed about what she should be doing.

The creak of the door brought her attention back to earth. Girls were talking. Kim shut her eyes tightly, in hopes she could drown the voices out.

“She is such a little whore,” a high pitch voice said.

“Seriously, we all thought she was just the shy nerd, showed us,” another girl said. “Boyfriend stealer.”

Kim bit her lip.

“I can’t believe Derek either! I bet he wouldn’t like hearing what I was told,” the high pitch voice spoke.

“Oh! What did you hear?”

“Kim is pregnant.”

A gasp was let out from someone beyond the bathroom stall.

“What kind of rumor is that?” Kim asked herself quietly. “I never even had a boyfriend!”

Feet shuffled, the sound of a door closing signaled that she was now alone in the bathroom again.

“How am I to face any of this now?” she sighed. “If that rumor spreads then…Then,” she choked down on her words.

Forcing the tears back, Kim walked out of the bathroom.

As she walked the halls, no one made mention of the rumor she heard in the bathroom. Feeling a bit better, she started to think it was going to be bearable now that things seem to be dying down. Walking to her locker, she noticed Derek standing there.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hi,” her shy voice answered.

She looked over her shoulder; people were looking at her again.

“I was wondering if you would like to help me with tonight’s homework,” he asked.

“Hm?” she furrowed her eyes. “I thought you were getting the hang of the class!”

“Yeah,” he said and scratched his head. “I wasn’t really paying attention with the lesson today, so I figured you’d be able to help. You free to do so?”

Kim gave a sigh. She didn’t want to help; she knew it was a bad idea. But did she really have a choice. She promised their teacher that she’d help him whenever he needed since his grade improved.

“Okay,” she finally said as she closed her locker. “I’ll help. Meet you at the library?”

“No,” he said. “I am tired of the library, besides I have to watch over my younger brother this afternoon, just come to my place. That okay?”

A going to a boy’s place? I much rather die. Why is he even bothering?

She nodded.

“It’s fine.”

“Good, see you after school,” Derek said and he walked off.

Kim ran her finger across the spine of her text book. “Derek sure is pushy,” she commented to herself.

“Oh yes he is,” a voice behind her answered her.

Kim jumped and turned to see who was listening. Right before her eyes was Laura. Her blonde hair tied neatly into a braid that fell down her back and past her waist.

“I bet you love the attention Derek is giving you,” Laura said. “A girl like you, no guy would think twice.”

“Leave me alone,” Kim said with a soft voice. “Please.”

“Why should I?” Laura pushed Kim into the lockers. “You took my boyfriend you whore. What right do you have to tell me to leave you alone?” she asked her.

“Stop it!” Kim cried. “Please let me be!”

“No! The very least you can do for what you did, is become my toy! I am so mad at you bitch!” Laura screamed.

Everyone in the hall ignored what was going on.

Kim pleaded with her eyes to her peers whose backs were turned from her.

“You’ll regret all of this,” Laura said before storming off.

Kim collapsed to the ground, holding onto her shoulder. Her teeth dug into her lower lip. How much longer will she have to put up with this nonsense? She just want it to go back to the way it was just a few weeks ago. She started to regret picking the seat by the door. If she had only given it up. If she only got out when Laura told her to, Kim believed that if she had only listened then none of this would have happened.

After school, Kim saw Derek waiting but the front doors of the school. He waved her down. With no hope of ignoring him, she walked over to him with baby steps. As much as she wanted to get out of the school as soon as possible, she didn’t want to leave with him.

“Great,” he said with a cheery voice. “Thought you’d skip out on me.”

“Wouldn’t dare,” she said with a monotone voice. She was tired from the day.

They drove in silence. She felt Derek take glances at her. But she looked down at her hands in her lap. She didn’t know what to talk about, fact being she just wanted to stop talking and being around him. She wanted to go back being a wallflower. A wallflower no one knew, or remembered. One that can peacefully get by in life with all the other normal people. Being near Derek wouldn’t allow this.

Soon enough they arrived at a two story house, Derek opened the car door for her, taking her by surprise.

“Welcome to Castle Burke,” he laughed.

“Thanks for having me,” she said.

They walked inside and up to his room.

“Where’s your younger brother?” she asked.

“He’ll be home shortly, his school lets out a little after three,” Derek explained.

“Oh,” she said.

Kim took out her text book and flipped through the pages until she found the chapter they were learning in class.

“What were your questions?” she asked.

Derek moved closer to her to see the page. Kim felt uncomfortable; she was able to feel his breath on the back of her neck.

“This one,” he said wrapping his arm around her to point out a section of the chapter. “I didn’t understand what I’d use that for.”

“Um,” she looked at the part he pointed out. “That’s fairly simple, but the teacher told us we didn’t have to learn- Ah!”

She was cut off as Derek started to lightly kiss her neck. Trying not to make a sound, she turned around and pushed him away.

“No,” she said. “I’m only here to help.”

Derek didn’t listen to what she was saying. Only a matter of minutes was he able to pin her down to the floor. His hands touching her, feeling every inch he could. Kim started gasping between the kisses he was forcing onto her.

“Derek!” she cried out trying to get him to stop. But he wasn’t listening.

His fingers found her sensitive spot between her legs, despite her twist away; Kim was no match to his strength. He had her pinned against her will. Slowly feeling weak from struggling, Derek was able to take her clothes off, exposing her nude body before him. Taking her shirt, he tied her wrist together and reached onto the table for his camera phone. Snapping only a few photos of her, he tossed it aside and had his way.

By the time he was finished, Kim was in tears. She couldn’t believe what he had done. Touching her face Derek smiled.

“Don’t worry, no one will know but us,” he said in a soft sweet voice.

Kim whimpered.

“No one but you and I…and of course Laura,” he said.

The name of his girlfriend filled Kim with fear. She didn’t want her to find out. She was already scared of what that girl would do to her. If she knew what Derek did, she wouldn’t be able to face the school.

He let her go.

Days passed and Kim didn’t go to school. She sulked in bed over what she went through. Hannah stayed by her side. Cooing her to stop being so depressed. Eventually Hannah had to go to work, leaving Kim alone in the house as their parents had to go aboard for a business meeting.

Kim moved around the house, she couldn’t bare look at mirrors. She felt gross and sick to her stomach. Trying to rack her mind to why Derek would think of doing something like that confused her. He had Laura to do those things with, why would he do that to her. Kim couldn’t hold back her tears, and she let them flow out.

“I knew it!” she cried. “Nothing good will come from having to talk to him.”

Hannah walked in on her sister sobbing on the kitchen floor.

“Kim,” she said. “You have to snap out of it!”

She looked at her older sister. The picture of pure beauty. The beauty she knew she held.

“Hannah,” she said. “What exactly is your job?”

“Huh?” Hannah was taken by surprised.

Kim started blankly at the floor.

“You go off every night and day to work, your pay is big,” she said. “But no one knows what your job is.”

Hannah bit her lower lip.

“I’m sorry!” she cried. “I tried to stop, but I just couldn’t!”

Hearing her sister cry, made Kim snap her head back to her sister. Watching the tears stream down her face, cut Kim’s heart.

No, no! Hannah is supposed to be the better one! She isn’t supposed to cry, she thought as she stood up to hug her.

“I just couldn’t get away from him,” Hannah choked. “Mr. Louis was just too cunning.”

The name froze Kim.

“Mr. Louis?” she asked. “What does he have to do with anything?”

Hannah covered her face.

“I sleep with him for money. It was like that ever since I meet him. First it started off as a way to pay off late fees, something that was supposed to be a onetime thing. But then he had pictures. So I left, I cut all ties with him.”

“Then what does he have to do with any of this?” Kim asked again.

“When you told me what had happened, I went to school to see who Derek was, and I noticed him and Mr. Louis talking.” Hannah choked. It took her a few minutes before she was able to continue. “He…he gave Derek money and took a phone. I figured that that was the phone that held your photos.” She started to sob again. “I couldn’t let that pervert have some of you too! So I went back to him. He planned it all! He used Derek to get to you! He paid him to rape you so he can get me back so he can be inside of me again.” She cried even harder. “I’m sorry Kim! I figured this might have happened when you had told me you had his class. That day. That day you told me about Laura harassing you, I went to speak to Mr. Louis as well. I begged him to leave you alone. I asked him to help you, not hurt you. He also had his way. He vowed to have both of us. I already knew before any of this happened.”

Kim couldn’t take anything her sister told her in. It didn’t make any sense to her. How could her sister not tell her something as important as that? They had always shared everything. Secrets, memories, lives. Everything.

Hannah tried to give Kim a hug. Kim shoved her away.

Standing up, Kim went to the door. As soon as she got in the car, she drove away. She drove to school.

She walked to Mr. Louis’s classroom. As luck would have it, he was inside grading papers. In her hand she clutched a knife, hidden within her skirt.

“You!” she yelled. “This is your entire fault!”

Mr. Louis was taken by surprise and looked up from his papers with a startled look.

“Ah, Kim, the younger of the two lovely twins,” he said with a low voice.

She narrowed her eyes.

“Why?” she asked. “Why would you do that to my sister?”

“Your sister? She asked me. She didn’t want to be kicked out. She feared of being a failure. Funny how instead she ended up dropping out isn’t it?” he laughed. Getting up from his chair he moved towards Kim.

“She was your student. I’m your student,” Kim stated unnerved.

“Yes, my lovely students. My sexy students. Your looks are exactly the same as your sister’s. Even the look of fear and regret in the pictures are the same.”

Kim bit her lip.

“Even your habits are the same,” he said as he lifted her face to his. “I always loved watching Hannah and you bite your bottom lip in class as you took notes. That always got me excited. Just like it is now.” He took her hand and forced her to feel a lump rising, getting bigger by seconds.

She never took her eyes off him.

“You should leave Hannah and I alone,” she said. “Leave us alone.”

Mr. Louis laughed not removing her hand from its spot.

“You really think I can do that? I just love you too much. I love your sister as well,”

At that moment, the door swung open.

“Get your hands off of her!” Hannah’s voice rang through the room. She pushed Mr. Louis away grabbing Kim. “You okay? He didn’t do anything did he?” she asked with concern.

“Stay out of this Hannah,” Kim said not taking her eyes off Mr. Louis.

Hannah was taken back. “But Kim, there’s nothing we can do,” she said.

Mr. Louis started to laugh again and pointed at the girls.

“Do you really think you can outsmart me?’ he asked. “You aren’t nearly as smart as I.” He moved towards his desk and grabbed a letter opener. “I better teach you guys a lesson, starting with the youngest.”

He leaped at Kim, aiming for her chest.

“Ah!” was all the escaped. Hannah fell to the ground clutching her chest that held the letter opener. “I’m so sorry for all of this Ki-Kimi,” she said with tears in her eyes. “I really am.”

The nickname her sister gave her brought tears to her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said back. Turning to her teacher she lowered her eyes. “You should have listened. You shouldn’t have gotten me involved,” she said. “I just wanted to left alone. Why couldn’t you do that?” she asked walking slowly towards him.

“I love you too much, don’t you see that? Your sister and you, you two are one of the same. I love you!” Mr. Louis declared.

Kim plunged the knife she was holding into his stomach. She turned it making sure she hit the triangle of danger. Pulling the knife upward then downward, she made sure to cut him, cut him deep. As soon as she took the knife out, Mr. Louis fell to the ground. His eyes lost life in them.

“I asked you, you didn’t listen,” she said in a sad voice. “Why couldn’t you just listen and leave us alone?” She picked up her teacher’s head and cut it off the body. Blood spilled all over the classroom floor. Holding the head in her hand by the hair she noticed the teacher’s backpack still at the desk, dumping the items inside out, she placed his head in the bag.

Taking the bag with her, she headed home.

The light dimmed, as soon as she closed the door she knew what she had done. Kim didn't feel as if it was her fault. The others brought it upon themselves. She only tried to stay away. Tried to not get involved. They were the ones who pulled her in. She didn't want it. She didn't ask for it. Despite knowing this, Kim felt the tug of guilt in her stomach. Moving to the windows, she stole a glance at the dark street.

"If only they had listened," she whispered. "If only they let it be. Why couldn't they listen?" 

Upset over what happened, Kim hurried to her bed. Flopping down as if to be absorbed into a new world. How she longed that would actually happened. That would save her many troubles in the future. How it would have saved her from the past, from what happened. Turning to her side, she knew that wasn't possibly. Knew that this was reality.

Looking at the clock on her nightstand, she read the time: "Eleven-Thirty-Two." 

"Better time than any to get up and leave," she stared at her closet. 

What should she bring? Should she ever bother taking items with her?

Shaking her head, Kim grabbed her bag. The emergency bag she put together in case something like this had happened. Starting for the front door, she realized the blood was still on her hands. She had to do something or it'll get everywhere. As she washed her hands clean, she checked under her nails to make sure she didn't miss any blood that could be hiding. A short spin in front of the mirror approved there was no stain on her. Nodding, she hurried off.

Now on the road, Kim drove. She drove, and drove for hours. It started getting really late.

"I should pull over," she said in a sleepy voice. "I should..." 

A Motel sign caught her eye, and she turned off the road. Walking in, she asked if they had a room. The old lady at the desk eyed her. Kim's blood started to rush. Did she knew? Was she already busted? Reaching for a pocketknife in her pant's pocket, the lady stood up.

"Only you tonight?" she croaked as if she expected Kim to have a guy with her.

"Yes. A single bed, please," Kim answered in a hurry. 

The old lady handed her a key. "Room five-zero-six," she croaked again.

Kim nodded and left. Happy to be away, and safe, she looked out the crack of her blinds. No cops, she noted. Good sign.

Signing, she turned over and looked at the bags by her feet. Opening the furthest one, she pulled out a guy's head. Dried blood covered the neck, cuts and bruises left all over the face. Hold it by the hair, she gave a sad smile.

"I told you not to drag me into this, I begged you. Why couldn't you just listen?"