Post date: October31, 2025

By Rebecca Mills

It was just any other Tuesday morning. I was half asleep in homeroom, running on two hours of sleep and an energy drink. I had worked a double the night before, and my head was killing me. I buried my head into my arms on my desk since the fluorescent classroom lights were adding to my migraine. That's when I heard it, Brielle’s obnoxious voice.  I immediately braced myself, thinking she was going to give me one of her passive-aggressive comments like usual, but surprisingly, Brielle invited me to her boyfriend's party that weekend. For a second, I just stared at her. I was never one to be invited to parties, so this was so unusual. I kept to myself, and I was invisible. I liked it that way. This must be a prank, I thought to myself, but she seemed weirdly genuine. I told her I’d think about it, and she walked off. I fought with myself the entire rest of the week on whether to go or not. I liked my quiet life; there was no drama other than the occasional snicker from Brielle and her friends while passing me in the halls. That is what made it so strange. Brielle and I do not like each other. She lives in the house right next to mine, and our moms are best friends, but Brielle and I are enemies. 

I ultimately decided that I would go, curious about what this was all about. I figured if I didn’t like it then I would just leave. I got dressed in an outfit my mom and I picked out while shopping, and I headed to the party. I remember my hands shaking a little on the steering wheel as I drove there, my stomach twisting with nerves. I kept telling myself it wasn’t a big deal, that I could just make an appearance and leave, but I couldn’t help feeling like something about all of this was off. When I got to the party, Brielle wasn’t there. I walked around a little, but again, I didn’t have any friends, so it was pretty awkward. The music was loud, people were laughing, and there were red solo cups everywhere. I stood near the kitchen for a while pretending to check my phone, just waiting for her to show up, but she never did. 

That was when Lucas, Brielle's boyfriend, made a loud commotion. I heard him yelling from the living room, and people started to gather around. I walked over with everyone else, and that was when I heard that somebody had been killed in an accident that night on the way to the party.  Immediately, Lucas started to panic. He was worried Brielle might have been in that accident, and she wasn’t picking up her phone. People started murmuring. Some pulled out their phones, trying to find out anything they could about the accident. I just stood there, trying to make sense of what was going on. I could feel my heart start to race, but I didn’t even know why. I didn’t like Brielle, but I didn’t want her dead. The air in the room felt heavy, and I could see the color drain from Lucas’s face as he called her over and over again.

I slipped outside to catch a breath, and I started to really get worried about Brielle. As children, we were extremely close, but as we got older, she grew more popular and ultimately left me behind. I hoped she was okay, but I had this horrible feeling in my stomach. As I walked back into the party, everyone there was staring at me, and I could hear people whispering about me as well. I was so confused and uncomfortable that I grabbed my stuff and walked out the door. I could feel my face getting hot, and I didn’t even understand what I’d done for them to look at me that way. It was like they all knew something I didn’t. I decided to call Brielle and see if she was okay. To my surprise, she picked up the phone. The phone connection wasn’t working, and all I could hear was sobbing. I then heard Brielle yell, “This isn’t funny!” and she hung up abruptly. I stood there frozen, staring at my phone, trying to understand what she meant. What wasn’t funny? I hadn’t done anything. I called her again, but this time it went straight to voicemail.

I found her reaction so strange, so I decided to head back to the house to talk to her and see what was going on. The drive home felt longer than it should have been. I ran into a lot of traffic, and then there it was. I saw Brielle's car, and a second later, Brielle sobbing on the ground. My stomach dropped, and my heart was pounding. I pulled over and immediately ran over to her to see if she was okay. People were standing around, flashing red and blue lights. As I got closer, I realized that Brielle wasn't the one who people were crowded around. That was when I saw my car there as well, crumpled, smoke still curling up from the hood. For a second, my brain couldn’t even process what I was looking at. 

It was at that moment that I saw my lifeless body there on the ground.