"Okay, that's new."

***

To the rest of the world, Beacon Hills was a "beacon of hope". Anyone who was depressed or lonely would look to their little town and be glad that they weren't in the same situation. Outsiders' perspectives of their home had been transformed. 

They were famous, saints even. Beacon Hills is the only town to have a bar burn down and a cannibalistic murder of the lacrosse team's captain. It's still unbelievable to think that someone chose Jackson to be their snack for the day. You'd think that a tough guy like him would be able to fight off their attacker. 

Something just wasn't right with all this.

That stupid Lance & Griffin song was on the radio every day. It was stuck in people's heads and became a national anthem of sorts. During the memorial, a choir sang the song and people actually applauded for them. The world had turned upside down and, for once, everyone shared the same emotion. Grief knew no bounds. Everyone was mourning someone.

Lydia was mainly confused. Her emotions were conflicting with each other. She didn't know how to think or feel. This had never happened to her before. Usually, Lydia had her life under control. Now, her life seemed to be spiralling into complete madness. There had to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Things had to get better soon.

She leaned against her locker, despondent and distracted. Time seamlessly passed around her. She was ignored in a crowd of many. No one thought to ask the beautiful Lydia Martin how she felt during these recent events. Perhaps they were too scared, or maybe they didn't want to worry her.

"Hi, Lydia." Allison had snuck upon the preoccupied girl, almost making her jump. Her warm smile managed to perk Lydia up again. "I just wanted to check that you were doing okay."

"Yeah, I'm doing fine." She lied.

"Really?"

"Really, really."

Allison guessed that she was lying. For a girl like Lydia, she was very good at it. She spoke again. "Hey, I was thinking that maybe we could have a double date."

Lydia furrowed her brows. "A double date?"

"Yeah. You, Stiles, Scott and me." Allison suggested. "I think it will be fun."

She softly smiled, nodding. "I'll think about it..."

Her words trailed off when, in a crowd of dark colours and sadness, a girl in bright pink emerged at the other end of the hallway. She wore a red tank top underneath a cropped pink hoodie with a heart pattern. Her jeans were slightly low, revealing some skin. On her ears were heart-shaped earrings, matching the heart theme. 

"Okay, that's new." She uttered, watching as the girl strutted down the hallway.

Allison turned, peering down the hallway in bewilderment. Her eyes widened, recognising who the girl was. "Oh, my God. Is that Jennifer?"

Jennifer smirked as she strolled past the despairing students, knowing something they didn't. Lydia sighed. "The one and only."

As the confident teenager approached them, she flicked her hair back to reveal her BFF necklace. She smiled. "Hey, Di, we should go shopping later. I really need some new clothes." Her eyes wandered towards Allison, her smile dimming a little. "Hi, Allison."

"Hey, Jen-"

"So," Jennifer interrupted her, focusing on Lydia again. "Are you up for it?"

Lydia was a little stunned. Her cheery attitude put her off, considering that she was the only one not in mourning. "Um... isn't that the Gap Kids hoodie your cousin handed down to you?"

"Yep. It still fits." Jennifer affirmed.

"Kinda," uttered Lydia.

"It looks very nice on you," Allison said as Jennifer revealed some lipgloss and a pocket mirror from her hoodie.

Jennifer gazed into her reflection, applying her lipgloss. With a neutral tone, she replied. "Yeah, thanks."

Upon hearing her response, Allison knew that she wasn't wanted. She frowned a little before glancing at Lydia. "I'm going to go find Scott. I'll see you later."

"Bye." She said, bidding her farewell. As Allison walked away, Lydia peered back at Jennifer with a scowl. "You didn't have to be so rude. Allison's always been nice to you, why are you treating her like she's nothing?"

She glared at her. "Don't be so dramatic. I just wasn't interested in making conversation with her."

"Do you have no shame?" she asked.

"Do you?" returned Jennifer.

It was a question neither could answer. They did not linger on it though. The only thing to linger upon was the reason behind Jennifer's questionable attitude.

"Anyway, shopping later?" Jennifer questioned, wanting her best friend to join her.

"I'm not really sure that it's a good time to go shopping. Especially since the bar fire and my ex-boyfriend's murder." She answered.

Jennifer raised her eyebrows. "So, that's what they're calling it."

"Look, I'm just saying-"

"You really need some more fun in your life, Di. Shopping is fun, and it will take your mind off things." She stated.

Lydia hesitated, unsure whether to accept her offer or not. "I don't know. I was thinking of studying later."

She gave her an infuriated glare. "Boo! Cross out, Lydia." Jennifer did a little cross with her finger, making her feel guilty. "Look, I'm tired of fishing for good clothes in my closet, and I don't want to go on my own."

With a heavy sigh, Lydia finally caved in. "Fine. I'll meet you by the entrance at 3:30."

Jennifer squealed a little. "Thanks, Di! I'll see you later then."

As she walked away with a pep in her step, Lydia watched her vanish into the crowd. She seemed so happy. Perhaps too happy.

How come she was enjoying life whilst everyone else was too numb to enjoy their own?

***

After school ended, the girls went straight to the local mall. Usually, Lydia would be excited to go shopping, but it seemed Jennifer was the more ecstatic one. It was strange since she didn't really have a taste for fashion. Whenever they went shopping, Jennifer would always buy knitted sweaters, plain t-shirts, and high-waisted jeans that were on sale. 

This time, however, Jennifer was selecting expensive clothing that she wouldn't normally wear. The numerous amounts of hangers in her hands seemed to weigh her down. Although, she didn't even care as she added more to her collection.

Nearby, Lydia curiously observed her. "Jen, aren't your parents really strict about your outfits? How are you going to get away with wearing all that?"

"I have my ways." Jennifer vaguely asserted as she flicked through a rack of cropped tops.

She squinted, acknowledging the price tags on all of her items. They appeared to range from twenty dollars to fifty dollars. "Are you sure that you have enough money for all of that?"

"Yeah, of course." She scoffed. "I've been saving up for college since I was twelve, but I don't care about that anymore."

"You should do. It's your future." Lydia commented.

"I don't care about the future. I'm loving my life right now. I'm on fire!" she brightly grinned, elated for all the wrong reasons.

She sighed in disappointment. "Well, try not to get burnout when it's exam season."

Lydia only selected a few items since she was more focused on her friend than buying clothes. Jennifer's taste in fashion had changed so dramatically that it was almost scary. It only made her question further about what happened that night.

"Ooh, what do you think? Should I get red or yellow?" Jennifer held up two tank tops, judging which one was better. Lydia did not give her opinion, silently staring at the items. "Actually, red would make me look sexier. Don't you agree?"

The yellow top was placed back on the clothing rack as Lydia folded her arms. "Okay, what happened that night?"

Jennifer furrowed her eyebrows, confused. "What night?"

"The night of the fire? You know, when you got a ride with those creeps." There was a slight shift in Jennifer's demeanour. She tightly clutched at the hangers in her hands in frustration. Nevertheless, Lydia failed to notice. "Tell me what happened."

She slyly turned away, pretending to look at some other items. "They just took me home."

"That's impossible. I drove back to your house, then I walked home. I would have seen you." Lydia responded.

"Well, we drove around for a bit. Had a little smoke. Then, they took me home." She told her.

Lydia raised her voice. "If that's true then how did you end up at my house with blood all over you?"

She shrugged. "Shit happens. I was probably high."

"Stop lying to me!" pleaded Lydia.

"I'm not!" Jennifer protested. "Look, we were both tired, so you might have imagined that I was in your house."

"Are you saying that I'm crazy?" she asked.

Jennifer shrugged again as she smugly smirked. "No, I'm just implying it."

At this point, Lydia was ready to rip out Jennifer's tongue, wanting to cease her sassy remarks. "Just tell me what happened-"

"Can you just knock it off for once, Lydia?!" she yelled, startling the strawberry-blonde. The shoppers around them stood and stared for a moment, observing the calamity occurring. "Get it through your thick skull! I don't want to talk about it!"

She froze as Jennifer furiously glared at her. Lydia stammered, soon feeling guilty for asking in the first place. "I'm sorry, I-"

"What did you do that night? Huh?" questioned Jennifer. "You just stood there and watched me go. You practically abandoned me! You didn't even do anything to stop them!"

"I tried!" she opposed.

"Well, you obviously didn't try hard enough." She hissed. There was a sharp pause. Jennifer's eyes pierced through her. Her words had cut right through Lydia's spirit; the teenager was slowly losing her power. 

Abruptly, as if a switch had been flicked, Jennifer became bubbly once more. "Come on, let's pay for these. I'm going to look amazing."

It was like nothing had happened, Jennifer didn't care that she hurt Lydia's feelings. She just brushed it off, believing their argument to be insignificant. Her friend watched from a distance as Jennifer strolled over to a cashier and paid for her items.

Lydia sighed, glanced at the clothing in her hands. Instantly, she put them back, feeling discouraged. In the corner of her eye, she could see people looking at her with interest. Of course, they had to fight in a shopping mall; that was the worst way to get attention. In embarrassment, she speedily joined Jennifer at the till as her items were being bagged.

It seemed that she was no longer Queen Bee in this town.

***

As you can see, Jennifer partly blames Lydia for what happened. She's growing in power and it won't be long before she kills again.

Okay, so this book has been out for three months and I'm still very surprised by how many views, comments and votes it has within a short timespan. I didn't even think I'd reach 100 votes until next year. I literally started writing this book on a whim. I had no idea it was going to grow this fast. Thank you so much for your everlasting support, it means so much to me.

See you for the next chapter!

- Alice ❤