Sarah was scrolling through her social media feed during her lunch break, as she often did. It was a usual Monday afternoon, and her feed was filled with the regular mix of vacation photos, political rants, and memes. Her best friend, Jessica, had just posted a picture of her new haircut—a bold, bright purple bob. Sarah’s fingers hovered over the “like” button for a moment before she typed a quick comment:

“Wow, that’s a big change! Bold choice 😅”

It was meant to be light-hearted and supportive, but as soon as she posted it, Sarah had a nagging feeling. She wondered if the emoji came across as sarcastic. "Whatever," she thought, dismissing the idea. Jessica would know she didn't mean anything by it.

A few hours later, her phone buzzed with a notification. Jessica had replied:
“Bold, huh? Didn’t realize it was so shocking to you.”

Sarah blinked at the screen. Did Jessica really take her comment the wrong way? Trying to fix it, she quickly responded:

“No, no! I love it. Just different from what you usually do, that’s all!”

Another buzz:
“Wow, thanks. You really know how to make someone feel great about themselves 😒.”

Now Sarah was worried. She didn't want to upset her friend. She thought about calling Jessica to clear things up but decided it was best to give her some space.

Over the next few days, Sarah noticed Jessica wasn’t liking or commenting on any of her posts. Whenever they messaged in their group chat with other friends, Jessica's responses to Sarah were short and terse. Their mutual friends even began messaging Sarah, asking if something was wrong between them. The more Sarah tried to reach out, the more Jessica seemed to pull away.

The situation snowballed. A mutual friend, Claire, posted a vague status about how some people don’t appreciate others’ efforts to be unique. This prompted a flood of comments about how important it is to be supportive of your friends. Sarah couldn't shake the feeling that this was about her.

Feeling overwhelmed, Sarah decided to take a break from social media for a few days. However, it didn't stop there. In their next group hangout, things were awkward. Jessica barely spoke to her, and there was a tension in the air that everyone could feel.

Finally, Sarah decided she had to do something to fix this. She invited Jessica out for coffee, hoping they could talk things over face-to-face. Jessica hesitated but agreed to meet.

As they sat down with their coffees, Sarah took a deep breath. "Jess, I’m really sorry if my comment upset you. I didn’t mean it that way at all. I think your hair looks amazing, truly.”

Jessica looked at her coffee, stirring it absentmindedly. “It’s just... when I saw your comment, it felt like you were making fun of me. I wanted to do something different, and I thought you didn’t like it.”

Sarah shook her head vehemently. “No, not at all! I was just surprised because it was different, but I really love it. I guess I just chose my words poorly.”

Jessica sighed, finally looking up at Sarah. “I’m sorry, too. I guess I overreacted. I’ve just been feeling insecure about it, and I took it out on you.”

They talked for a while longer, slowly easing back into their usual banter. By the end of the coffee date, things felt almost normal again.

Afterward, Jessica posted a photo of the two of them on social media, smiling with their coffees. The caption read, “Nothing like coffee with your bestie to make everything better ❤️.”

Sarah commented, “Absolutely! So glad we talked it out 😊.”

This time, there was no misunderstanding. The likes and supportive comments rolled in, and both Sarah and Jessica felt a sense of relief. It was a lesson learned for both: words, even on social media, can have unintended consequences. But with a little effort and understanding, even the most casual of remarks could be smoothed over.

As Sarah scrolled through the comments, she smiled, feeling a warmth of contentment. It was good to have her friend back.

me and my friends like to post memes on the internet. we don’t really care about it going viral or anything, we just do it for fun. today i posted a video of daddy pig twerking. when i woke up the next morning it had 70 billion views!! one of my friends named bobinny said “what the flip. erm actually there’s only 8 billion people in the world.” but i don’t care about what bobinny thinks. my video went viral!!!!! of daddy pig twerking!!!!! them i hear a knock on the door. “knock knock” the door said. i opened the door and it was daddy pig!! but, he looked supa angry. “WHAT THE FLIP.” daddy pig said with a humph. “YOU POSTED THAT VIDEO WITHOUT MY CONSENT!!!” “broskerito, calm down. we can talk about this and figure something out.” “NO. I’M HUMILIATED. I DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW YOU GOT THAT VIDEO. I ONLY TWERK WHEN I’M ALONE.” “i was just havin some fun” i say!!! “well you made me supa sad.” daddy pig started to cry. “aw sorry.” i reply. “that’s okay” he said. then he started to twerk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

la fin

A slideshow of a relationship. I can’t believe it’s over now. And…..post. I guess I’ll go to sleep.

_And I love you _ How could you Tear me apart? It isn’t fair __

Dear god someone help this girl, a comment reads. An old lady. Religious like. Publicly sad, privately dying.

When I was younger I used to be the life of the party. I was always so happy, and I was never scared of anything. I visited my best friend every day. She was the yin to my yang, the Yang to my yin, she was perfect…

But as years went by, my best friend started getting sick. Even so she never let me worry about her. Next thing I knew… she was gone. It hurts to much to even say her name. I broke in that moment, the moment she took her last breath. It hurt, it hurt so much that hurt doesn’t even describe it.

After that, my Mom decided that we should move away, to ‘get a fresh start’. I know she was just trying to help, but instead she made it worse. Know not only did I have to move on without my best friend, but I had to do it in a completely different place.

I became a new person. Who I was before died with her. I was quiet, barely saying a word all day. I worry that if my family knew what was going on in my head, they might not realize what I really mean. I grew angry, I screamed myself to sleep at night, wishing I could just vanish.

Loving people has consequences. So I chose not to love. Don’t let anyone in my fragile shell of a heart, I couldn’t let it be broken. Not again. Never again, even if it means not speaking to anyone ever again. So go ahead ask me if I’m okay. It will always be the same answer. I’m fine. Never was there a bigger lie.

———————————————-

I had this in my drafts for I don’t know how long and thought I should post it. It’s not a true story just so you know. 🙇🏼‍♀️🙇🏼‍♀️ I bow down to Shadow Queen, and hope she comes back soon. 👑🖤

. That’s what I said but It’s not what I mean

                            I wanted to share but 

I’m not feeling seen

                          I put myself out there

But I want to go back

            Because the more visible I am

The more I’m attacked

I have so much inside me I still want to share

               But the judgement of others 

Is too much to bear

                              I want to be known 

But only for good

Oh how it stings
To be misunderstood

“You should look at your texts.”

Pippa stares confusedly. Salen never texted a complete sentence. There’s even punctuation. Something is wrong.

She quickly pulls up her messages. There are social media notifications that show she has been tagged in a lot of posts.

Clicking on one, she is brought to an Instagram post from an account she recognizes. It is for her school newspaper which is run by this girl named Tandy.

“Beacon, Lavender High’s very own teenage superhero, is closer than we think?” She reads the caption out loud.

Her own account is tagged.

No. No, no, no, no, no.

This canNOT be happening.

“Click the link to learn more about who Beacon actually is.”

Her thumb hovers over the link, shaking so much she actually misses it the first time. She feels rattled. A thousand thoughts are racing through her mind.

She taps it on her second try.

“Beacon may be a student at our very high school. I did an in-depth investigation and here’s what I found,” she stops to breathe. Her lungs are seizing up.

“As we all knew, Beacon is a teenage superhero. Black hair, brown eyes, olive skin, and around 5’1. With her frequency around the jewelry store and other sites of crime, she lives in the area. Then I cross referenced those characteristics with everyone in the school. That’s how I narrowed it down to Pippa Folly.”

Her identity is out. That means everyone knows. The villains could know. Find her name and where she lives. Her family.

“Pippa is both shocking and not so when you think about it. She is nice enough. Quiet. A perfect low profile for a masked hero. She is smart. Fourth in our class. And now she can add superhero to her college applications.”

She goes back to the Instagram post and looks at the comments.

“There’s no way it’s her!”

“I knew it!”

“It’s always the quiet ones!”

“Wow she’s Beacon? I expected her to be prettier.”

As a stream of texts come in from Salen and others that she never even knew she had the numbers of, Cotton’s name pops out to her.

Without even thinking, she clicks on his contact and calls him.

It takes about two seconds for him to pick up.

“Tink! What do you need?” He asks. Her heart melts a little. He knows her so well. He could have asked her how she was, but he knows that she’s not doing well. Using that inquiry would just make her annoyed, so he chose to ask her what she needed instead.

“I don’t know, Cotton. I don’t know. What can I do?” She rambles, her voice quivering.

“Do you have an idea of what would be best?” There is a silence following her question.

“I think you have two main options. Either refute it or own it.”

She mulls over the words like tasteless gum in her mouth.

“Refruting would mean somehow proving it isn’t you. Even if people didn’t believe her, with no proof either way, people are going to believe what they want.”

“And owning it?” Her voice timid but more even now. “That would mean you declaring that you are Beacon to everyone. Proudly. Unbashedly.”

“Cotton, what about my mom? Or Salen? They can’t get hurt because people know who I am.” The possibilities are running in her mind. There can’t just be these two.

“I’m sorry, Tink.”

But he’s right. If she rebukes it, people are going to demand evidence. If only there was someone else who could take her place. Long enough to appease the school.

An idea creeps its way into her thoughts. It’s so sudden that she almost forgets she’s on the phone.

“There is another option, but you’re not going to like it.”

It takes a moment before he catches on. When he does, he is not happy. “No. You are not going to ask a favor of him! Morph is a psycho!”

“But he can morph into Beacon! I can provide the light from afar and no one will be none the wiser! It’s a solution,” Pippa insists, almost begging for his approval.

“He’s venomous. You don’t want to owe him.”

She shook her head even though he can’t see it. “I don’t have a choice. I can’t say I’m not Beacon. Not with Tandy’s eyes on me. I can’t own it without putting those around me in danger. This is the best option.”

“Not for you,” he says in a last ditch attempt.

“Exactly. I can’t do what’s best for me. It’s not about me.”

There is a sigh in the other line. He knows there’s no changing her mind anymore. “If that’s your choice. I can’t stop you, but I’m begging you. Take me with you when you meet with him.”

“Ok.”

“Let’s go call up Morph.”

*opens up X

What’s happening? The election is coming fast and all these candidates absolutely suck! Why should we vote if we’re not convinced? We should boycot and just not vote. What’s the worst that can happen? If its already all shit. 🤷‍♂️

*post

“I should go to bed instead of endlessly scrolling through instagram and tiktoks. I have my 8am class tomorrow and it’s already 11:46. Not to mention finals are approaching. Let me set my alarm before I forget.”

*alarm rings

“Ugh… 6:40am its so early. I wish I could sleep a little more but with traffic I wont make it in time.”

“Wait… what the fuck… thats a whole lot of retweets. What the hell is going on? No fucking way! My tweet is trending right now But I mean… I guess that proves me right that people agree. Damn! this is a trip! Boycot Elections is actually trending #1 in the United States. I’m fucking dead bro. No wonder my shit is blowing up right now.

*turns car on Bzzzzzzzzbzzzzzzzbzzzzzzz

“Damn! My phone is still blowing up this is crazy they keep inturpting my song. Let me put it on DND.”

*a few moments later

“Finally! I arrived and i’m early the classroom hasnt even opened yet. But what a way to start a crazy ass morning.”

“Chris!! Whats up chris?”

“Whats up Frank! You’re here early you’re usually late hahaha.”

“Yea but I seen your tweet bro that shit is crazy how it blew up. It became a whole movement online haha. I tried to call you this morning but I seen you were on DND when you didn’t answer i tried to text you.”

“Nah yea dude my phone was blowing up shit was mad annoying. Like bruh it’s 6 in the morning i’m like half asleep still. And my shit was just beeping and buzzing non-stop. Which is crazy because its not like it was the first time i’ve posted shit about the government sucking major balls. Like everyone knows they suck. And I don’t even have a large following so I never expected this.”

“Yea bro it’s crazy you never know what will happen with the internet. Stuff just sticks sometimes. Do you think people will actually follow through with it?”

“Not voting? I mean what’s the worst that can happen? Its never happened before.”

“True! You think the media will come after you? If they can pinpoint the start of the movement? Haha”

“Hmmm… what are they going to do? I didn’t do anything wrong but they better not. Because that sounds so annoying. I don’t even want to start thinking about it. But hey maybe since im famous now we won’t have to take the final haha there’s bigger issues in hand haha because we’re forsure not ready.

“Look check this out! Hands the phone to Chris.

“People are burning and destroying the voting stations that’s wild. That answers my question people are actually taking it serious.” Says, Frank

“Ohh shit!! That’s crazy as fuck. I would have never imagined my dumbass tweet would cause something like this. But at the same time it’s about time. Something needs to change let’s see what they do about it. Dude imagine a civil war breaks out ? Over a fucking tweet? Just imagine the history books talking about it. I don’t know if thats a diss to how stupid we are or how woke we have become haha.

“It sure seems like a possibility now. I wonder if the professor has seen it maybe that’s why she’s running a little late.”

“Probably at this point I wouldn’t know who hasn’t seen it. It’s possible the whole class has seen it.”

My friend Casey and I have been on the outs now for about a week now. I am starting to get tired of her pettiness and not wanting to apologize for what she did, its not like it was my doing. She should have never said those things about me, it was stupid of her to think i wouldnt find out as if we dont have the same group of friends. Yesterday Leah- one of our other friends in our group invited me to brunch, fine- dandy but what i didnt know what she invited the both of us, knowingly- trying to set us up to work things out as if i had any point shared any reasoning to want to fix things- perhaps some days i think about it but until she acknowledges how i feel and takes initiative to apologize to me i will not- be even in the same room as her, and it may seem childish but what she did really hurt me.

   She went to our friend jessica and had shared with her that my actions- really arent the smartest which is fine, ive been told this and frankly i can admit- some of my choices aren’t realistically the smartest but it is my life at the end if the day, and thats not what hurt me what hurt me was she confided in jessica that she began to have feelings for a guy she openly knew i liked. Loved- would have flown miles for and this was no secret but her feelings towards him was. She was telling jessica of the conversations her and the guy i liked- openly- Kane and we had hung out many times and hit it off, we talked everyday, and even went out on dates- she, casey even tagged along. She noted how loving i was towards him and how he  would be around me. But when i come to learn that she was talking to him and trying to start a conversation with him even as far as hanging out- it hurt me. I did some digging on my own to find that jessica wasnt the only one she confided this too and i confronted Kane who continued to show me the messaged exchanged between them both- which wasnt anything to bad but that wasnt the point, and i was mad. 

I confronted casey for her to play pity me- not my fault- shes sorry- and all this bull about not wanting our friendship to end. Needless to say, it did and i felt more then hurt- i felt betrayed.

Today- i sat scrolling on facebook when i come across a post- a picture, one that stood out. It was casey…. And Kane. 

  I was floored. Typically i would cry and devour ice cream in bed but i felt revegful. I didnt care to cry or soap- but my phone was blowing up with omg’s- im sorrys- and how could she do this. 

All of which i didnt care for- i was mad.

I scrolled up to the top of my page.

‘Whats on your mind’

 I thought for a second. Did i want to be this petty? Did i want to do this? 

Yes. Yes i did.

Casey dared to hurt me like this, i was going to hurt her. I went to our conversations- i remembered something we had talked about- about kane that would cost them their now newly starting relationship and i was quick to screenshot it- and post it to facebook- captioning

“ casey, if you want to treat me dirty- ill Play dirty” I didnt bat an eye when i hit ‘post’.

I turned my phone off and went to bed.

The next morning my morher barged in my room- her expression looked angry- perhaps more disapproving. “ Your facebook!” She said as she took my phone from the nightstand turning it on throwing in on my bed before my as i wiped the tiredness from my eyes now sitting- looking at the endless notifications on my homescreen.

I unlocked my phone- taking me instantly to my post i had made the night prior.

10.5k shares, 8k comments i couldnt even read the number of likes my head went buzzing- quickly i read some of the comments.

They were calling casey down- back stabbing b**ch, ungrateful, bad friend- and more then i could possibly keep up with. Instantly i regressed the post- it was too late to take back.

Quickly i deleted the post- knowing it wouldnt go away even with it deleted i went to check the texts from my friends. Each agreeing i shouldnt have made the post- no mattee how casey hurt me. I was upset- floored- i was angry but she didnt deserve what was said about her.

I went to my Facebook again and quickly wrote an apology.

It was supposed to be a casual post on a normal Saturday day, but what everyone came to realize, was that there was someone or something in the background of this picture. Aji's picture.

After she posted it, comments started coming in, asking her if she knew what or who was in the background. Aji had responded in confusion and said 'no' to all of them.

Then she decided to look closer at her picture. And she saw what everyone else was seeing, something in the background, with blood running down its face and white blank eyes. It was standing right behind Aji and looking like it was going to attack.

Suddenly, a silent screaming came from behind her. Aji looked up slowly and gulped. She slowly turned around and looked up. The blood and eyes stared down at her. She screamed and began backing away. It followed her. She grabbed a broom and held it up at it. When it got too close, she smacked its head. It groaned in pain and lifted its hands to place them on its head. Aji watched in horror as it takes it's head off, revealing brown hair.

"What did you do that for?" The guy behind the mask asked.

"You're in my house and you fucking scared me, Ken!" Aji growled.

"Good point. I guess I deserved it." He shrugged.

"Yeah, you fucking did! And you deserve more!" Aji proceeds to beat Ken with the broom until he exits the house.

Danni’s phone vibrated. She checked her texts. Have you seen this, the message from Jen read. Danni clicked on the link and her world changed.

The Facebook video was of a strange man with big dark eyes desperately looking for his wife Danielle “Danni” Marie Faith. That was close to her own name Danielle Mae Faith. The stranger described his wife holding a blurry photo of woman that could be Danni’s twin. A chill creeped up Danni’s spine.

Danni checked out the guy’s Facebook page. He seemed like a weirdo out in Arkansas. His posts rambling and twisted knots of conspiracies. The guy was sure aliens in league with a shadowy government department had taken his wife away. Shaking her head in disbelief, Danni assumed it was an odd coincidence and forgot about it all.

Late at night in the quiet after her kids and Luis had gone to sleep, Danni scrolled through TikTok looking at random videos. Suddenly those big dark eyes made Danni stop. The strange man holding a picture of Danni on a missing poster ranting on how he would rescue his wife from the aliens. There were funny memes based off this video.

Guys using the audio, a lady looking for her glasses parodying the video, the strange guy’s video was a big joke to everyone except her. Sitting upright in bed, Danni felt her heart pumping faster. All night she thought about her face on that poster.

Few days later, Danni was loading groceries into her trunk in the market parking lot. Holding her daughter’s hand, Danni returned the cart back and there it was. A wanted poster with the words Have You Seen Danni was taped to the cart return pole.

“Mommy look it’s you!” Amber her daughter said pointing to the sign.

Heart pounding, Danni whipped around in the parking lot as if hidden eyes were on her. She snatched up her daughter and ran to her car.

“Honey calm down, calm down. You’re okay. I’m heading back home now.”

Shaking, holding herself tight, Danni was waiting for her husband. A notification came up on he phone from the front door camera. She clicked on the app. Big dark eyes looked directly into her camera. The strange man stood on her front porch smiling.