I couldn't shake the feeling that everything was unraveling and fast.
Ethan and I had grown closer in the days since the video. We shared quiet lunches, studied at the café, and sent good morning texts that made me smile. But beneath the comfort, something still lurked in the shadows, something I couldn't name.
And then, the school announced the Fall Formal.
"Are you going with Ethan?" Naomi asked as we walked down the hall, her voice teasing.
"I… I don't know yet."
"You're basically a couple. You'd be the talk of the night if you showed up together."
That was the problem. We were already the talk of the school and not in a good way.
Rumors swirled around us like leaves in the wind. Some people claimed I was just using Ethan for popularity. Others said he was only dating me to make Alexis jealous. And Alexis? She'd been quiet. Too quiet.
Ethan found me at my locker later, slipping an envelope into my hand before I could even greet him.
"What's this?" I asked.
"Open it."
Inside was a formal invitation. Elegant gold letters, a little cheesy, but adorable in a way that made my chest tighten.
"Scarlet Elara Hayes," he read over my shoulder, "will you do me the honor of being the only girl I look at all night?"
I rolled my eyes, laughing. "That's the cheesiest line I've ever heard."
He grinned. "Is that a yes?"
I nodded. "Of course."
The night of the Fall Formal arrived faster than I expected. I wore a dark emerald dress with a low back and soft waves in my hair. Naomi helped with my makeup, squealing every five seconds about how Ethan was going to "drop dead" when he saw me.
When I stepped outside, he did pause.
"You look… wow," he breathed.
"You clean up pretty well yourself," I said, taking in his sharp black suit and forest green tie that matched my dress perfectly.
We walked into the gym, which had been transformed into something out of a dream, with twinkle lights, flowing fabric, and glittering stars suspended from the ceiling.
People stared. Some whispered. But for once, I didn't care.
We danced. We laughed. And when the slow song came on, he held me like I was something precious.
"This is the happiest I've seen you in days," he whispered.
"It's because I'm with you."
But happiness never lasts long for people like me.
It started when Naomi went missing.
She'd gone to the bathroom and never came back. I waited for fifteen minutes before worry set in. I borrowed a teacher's pass and went looking for her. The bathroom? Empty. The hall? Quiet.
Then I saw it her phone on the ground near the back exit.
My stomach dropped.
I rushed back inside, found Ethan, and pulled him aside.
"Naomi's missing. Her phone's outside."
His brows furrowed. "Are you sure she's not just with someone?"
"She would've texted me."
We both moved fast, slipping out the back exit. The air was crisp, the night eerily still. We followed the path behind the gym, past the lot, into the trees where students sometimes snuck off to drink.
There was no one.
Just Naomi's shoe was half-buried in the dirt.
Then my phone buzzed.
You should've stayed away.
Attached was a grainy photo, but clear enough.
Naomi. Tied to a chair. Duct tape over her mouth. Terrified eyes.
I gasped. Ethan grabbed the phone, his face paling.
"This is insane," he whispered. "We have to call the cops."
But my phone buzzed again before he could.
Call the cops, and she dies.
I felt like the air had been sucked out of my lungs. My knees buckled, and Ethan caught me.
"What do we do?" I whispered.
"We find her ourselves. Whoever this is, they're watching. They know our every move."
I stared at the woods, heart hammering. "Then we play by their rules. For now."
We followed the clues, Ethan and I, side by side like soldiers. Another text led us to the old maintenance shed behind the football field. We circled it slowly, peering through dusty windows.
Then I saw her.
Naomi.
Tied to a chair inside, just like the photo. Her eyes widened as she saw me. She shook her head violently.
"No," I whispered, turning to Ethan. "It's a trap."
But it was too late.
The door slammed shut behind us with a deafening clang.
I spun around, heart thudding, and there, standing in the doorway with a wicked smile, was Cassidy.
"Well," she said, clapping slowly, "you figured it out. Congratulations."
"Where's Alexis?" Ethan demanded.
Cassidy tilted her head. "Still thinking she's the villain of this story? Cute."
"You sent the texts," I said, my voice low.
"Oh, not just me. This was a group project," she smirked. "But I was the brains."
Naomi whimpered behind her gag.
"Why?" I asked, tears pricking my eyes. "What did I ever do to you?"
Cassidy's smile faded. "You existed. You took the spotlight that wasn't yours. Do you have any idea how long I've lived in Alexis's shadow? In Ethan's shadow? Then you show up quite little, Scarlet, and suddenly everyone sees you."
"You're insane," Ethan growled.
"I'm smart," she hissed. "And this? This is just the beginning."
She took a step forward. "You think this was about you two falling in love? About jealousy? Please. This is about control. About power. And now?"
She raised a small remote.
"You lose."
The last thing I saw was her finger pressing the button.
The floor beneath us shifted, something released.
A sharp hissing sound filled the room.
Gas.
Naomi screamed against the tape.
"Scarlet!" Ethan pulled me close.
The world began to blur. My lungs burned. My knees buckled.
Cassidy's laugh echoed through the haze, sharp and victorious.
And just before everything went black, I heard her whisper:
"Let's see how far you're willing to go to save them."
To Be Continued…