Dad, I have that feeling. It’s the same one I used to get whenever you told me I needed to take responsibility. I do. I need to take responsibility.

I have been trying to make Charlie into the villain ever since her attitude toward me changed. I don’t think I’m imagining that. There was a difference in how she treated me when you were with us and when you weren’t. But she’s not the villain.

I kind of feel like the villain now. I just almost made her fall out of a moving car, and I’m sitting over here writing about it. I need to do something to make it right. But what?

“I need to confess something… I did it. Now, can you pass the wine?” Ellie said, looking at her BFF, Linda. “Gurl. Whatschu do? Plus that ain’t no wine. That’s a Starbucks latte macchiato.” Linda responded. “What did I do?” Ellie said. “You said you did somethin’”Linda said, suspicious of Ellie. “Ok. Fine. I’ll tell you. I killed Brandon.” Ellie responded. “GURL U CANT JUST KILL UR EX LIKE THAT!” Linda shouted. “Not my ex. The fish! GURL. What were you thinking?!” Ellie snapped. “Oof-“. -Linda

“ I need to confess something, I did it. Now, can you pass the wine.”

Lucinda paused mid chew, hand already halfway to grabbing the requested beverage when her Brain finally caught up to what she had heard. Every instinct going on high alert as she slowly let her handful back to the table. Her mind going into overdrive, thoughts frantic as she thought back on their day. searching for any reason Gerald would be confessing to something he did.

And apologizing for it too.

She came up blank.

With a suspicious squint, lucinda raised her gaze to look at her wayward husband. Noting with trepidation that he looked like he was trying way too hard to appeer innocent. He was even wearing those God awful cat ears a friend of theirs had gotten for him as a gag gift last Christmas. Further encouraging his new found obsession with the little fluffballs.

Gerald’s head tilted, his eyes seeming to get even wider.

She glared, hands clasping together under her chin and elbows resting on the table. Long since having pushed her plate away, her appetite vanished.

“ What. Did. You. Do?”

Gerald shifted nervously, gaze darting away bashfully as he idly scratched at one of his human ears. Obviously contemplating something. After a moment, mouth pressing into a firm line, he seemed to nod to himself and encouragement before blurrting out.

“ I may have adopted six kittens.”

Lucinda froze, eyes widening in shock as her mouth sagged.

“ What do you mean you adopted?-“

Gerald quickly cut her off.

“ I also farted.”

The smell hit.

“ oh my God! Why does it smell like that?”

(I haven’t written for like a week, so just letting you know this could suck like big time)

I tap my pen multiple times agaisnt the edge of my desk. Math and homework are two things that I think should never be said in the same sentance. They shouldn’t be said at all period.

My phone vibrates in the pocket of my shorts. I throw my pen across the desk, digging in my pocket for my ticket to escape math.

The screen of my phone lights up with a text from Maisie.

Maisie: Need a break? I do.

I smile, getting ready to type back to Maisie. I love how she can read my mind, even when we’re not in the same room.

Me: Read my mind

The three little dots pop up in the corner.

Maisie: Feel like talking

I stand up, stretching my arms above my head as I head towards my bed. I fall down, resting my head the two white pillows.

I lift my phone to my face, texting back: Always

Before I can type anything else my phone starts playing a short set of chimes and Maisie’s name takes over the screen.

I press the green button, laying my phone on the pillow next to my ear.

“Doing math?” Maisie asks on the other line.

I nod, even though she’s not physically with me. “Yeah, but I haven’t even gotten past the first problem.”

“Your name or the actual math?” Maisie asks, her voice swimming with laughter.

I roll my eyes. “Ha, ha, very funny.”

I can see Maisie smiling in my head as she laughs. Last weeek in math, I got grilled for my mistake, and it wasn’t even that bad. It’s not like I forgot my name . . . Well not entirely.

“And to begin I’d like to give a shout out to Davian.” My teacher shifted his green eyes to me. “Or as your last homework assingment read. Cavian Dhase.”

My teachers words are still taughting me every second. He could have at least made it seem more . . . I don’t know. Not about me.

“I was tired,” I say, almost like I’m trying to convice Maisie that it was a mistake. Which maybe I am. “I did that homework at like six in the morning.”

“And who’s fault is that?” Maisie accuses. “You could have done it after school.”

I shake my head. “No, I was with you.”

“Right,” Maisie mumbles. “Then it’s my fault.”

I laugh, playing with the strings on my hoodie. “Good answer.”

We sit in silence for a few minutes. My favorite thing about it is that I don’t feel like I need to talk, and I’m pretty sure that Maisie doesn’t either. If she did she’d keep the converstation going and when we have these moments she never hurries to save any akwardness from entering the room.

Maisie sighs on the other side, “Can I ask you something?”

I twist the hoodie string around my finger, “Shoot.”

Maisie takes a long, deep breath. “Do you like me?”

I let the string unravel as her words enter my brain. Is this a quiz? To see if I’m worthy of her friendship?

I start pulling at the string, “What?” I ask nervously, maybe I just heard wrong.

“I mean I like you,” Maisie tells me.

I feel a small smile pull at the edges of my mouth. I’ve been waiting to hear these words since the day we first met.

“I do,” I blurt out, tighting my grip on the string. What am I doing? I killed her mom, I can’t—

“You do?” Maisie asks, her voice soft.

I nod, “I always have.”

Maisie smiles on the other end, I can’t see her but I know.

Somewhere in the background I hear someone calling for Maisie.

“Oh, I have to go,” Maisie tells me, disappointment surroding her voice. “See you later.”

I nod, sitting up. “Yeah, yeah . . . Talk to you—“

I stop after I’ve realized that Maisie already hung up, and suddenly I wish that I’d hung up before I told Maisie I liked her.

“Who broke the fridge?”

Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at Mrs. Broden.

“…somebody broke the fridge?”

“How does one even d o that??”

“It was probably Amber.”

“Nu uh. It was definitely Kyle.”

“Me?! I’ve been here in the living room the whole day!”

“You’re telling me you didn’t get snacks?”

“Chips! From the cupboard! It was probably Cody.”

“Me? Dude I just got back.”

“He did, I saw him.”

“Sasha..?”

“She’s literally not even here.”

They all went quiet, staring at eachother.

Duke stood up from where he was leaning against the wall, “I need to confess, I did it. Amber, could you pass me the wine?”

They all stared at him, mouths open. He was the quietest, most well behaved one out of all of them.

Mrs. Broden even seemed shocked, “Duke? Well I can’t say I was expecting that. How did that happen?”

Duke rubbed the back of his neck, “sledding?”

“…what do you m e a n sledding???” Cody sounded absolutely baffled.

“Me and my friends went sledding in it at 04:00 this morning.”

“Like… in the fridge?” Amber asked.

“Yeah…”

“Huh.”

Everyone seemed to share the same sediment.

“We ran into a tree.”

“Ow.”

“Yeah I was in the back though so at least I didn’t go face first into it.”

They stared at him again, seeming like everything they knew was a lie.

“Wait did you ask for wine earlier?”

“It was a joke! One of my friends dared me.”

“Suuuuurrrre.”

P.S. The may or may not be based on a story my dad told me of when him and his friends took my grandmas fridge and sledded in it down the hill at my grandparents house. It’s a literal mountain with telephone poles all the way down. (They didn’t run into anything besides a small-ish rock somehow. How does one steer a fridge??) The fridge actually still works too, it’s used for sodas (and beer) in my father’s garage now. I didn’t realize the sledding thing was supposed to be a secret until I mentioned it to my grandmother and she was very confused. I also got a “you weren’t suppossed to tell her that!” Oops.

We both sat there for a while, so much so it started to verge onto awkward if it wasn’t already. I couldn’t understand why he would just randomly turn up at my door after all that shit that happened before, he knew that I wasn’t in the mood, surely. From what I’ve learned from all forms of media, this could go two ways:

• A Love Confession — not preferable • Some Stupid Apology — also not preferable

Next thing I know, he might say he’s my long lost brother.

“I need to confess something..“ He sighed, resting his head on the counter. “I did it.”

Anger built up in the back of my throat.

“You motherfu—“ He forcibly shut my mouth with the palm of his hand, I almost wanted to bite it just so I can relish his pain. Only after shooting me a glare did he let go.

“Save the cursing for later, just hand me the goddamn wine,” he held his hand out as if expecting me to just slide the damn glass over. Because he was right.

“You do know how much bullshit you could’ve saved me from if you just fucking admitted it, right?”

“I’m aware.”

“So you’re saying you just like seeing me miserable then?”

“Partly,” he seemed more interested in drinking his wine than telling me the actual reason. “but also because it was too dangerous to admit it before.”

The muscles in my arms tensed. “Kash. What the actual fuck did you do this time?”

“Ehhhhh—“

My fist slammed on the wooden surface, and I didn’t bother wincing from the pain. “What is that supposed to mean!?”

He shot me that same look as before but didn’t say anything of it. Instead he just went back to sipping his drink. “You ever heard of Clovis?”

Of course… That dipshit. Both of them.

“He turned on you, didn’t he.”

“Yep.”

Goddamnit. I knew he was bad news from the start, I just wished he wasn’t as gullible. “Kash—have you ever heard of thinking?”

“Nope. Never.”

“You know what, whatever. But how did that lead you into doing that stupid crap back there? That was practically suicide, you know that right?”

“Well, the other choice was definitely suicide.”

“Better have been.”

“Look Zoa, I don’t really give a shit what you think about me. But we’ve gotta get along for a while, this is pretty fucking serious.”

I would’ve loved punching him in the face, but according to ‘Bounty Hunting for Dummies,’ that unfortunately wasn’t allowed. I let my hands fall to my sides and leaned back. “Fine. Enlighten me.”

I think, A long time ago, I was what you needed. But now you need something else, Something more. You need more than I am, More than I will ever be. And that kills me.

The tension in the room was palpable. Every one sat silently around the long table that stretched across the hall the family had hired for their daughters eighteenth. Everyone was excited to come, with her becoming an adult. They all wanted to celebrate and decided to make it a big celebration, though not a surprise, she never liked surprises.

Her parents let her plan the whole thing and sat there writing down every small thing she requested. She was adamant that everything had to be white even though her brother, Luke, wanted red. It was his eighteenth as well after all, he should get a say in it, no?

No.

He sat in the other corner of their small living room sketching his own vision of their party in an old bullet journal he found in the desk drawer. He didnt dare show it to anyone though, not because he knew the idea would get turned down but because he was proud of the drawing and knowing his parents they wouldn’t just turn it down but also tear it. “Its you sisters day as much as it is yours.” His parents would say. As though she hadn’t made every decision that existed.

And now everyone sat in silence, sick to their stomachs. Some poked around at the cold food on their plates, others just sat there twiddling their thumbs. Their parents had their eyes trained on the police blocking the kitchen as well as the ones stood by all exits, holding the building in lockdown.

The hall was decorated white in the end, everyone at the table wearing white, only their accessories in colour. Other than Luke who sat at one end of the table In a red suit. An empty chair facing him at the other end.

One room was decorated red as he wished, not as others wished, but birthday wishes are different. The kitchen. Red decorated the kitchen, patterns and splatters covered the floor like confetti. The body of his sister being the topper. Her dress once white was now soaked in thick red.

Luke stared at that empty seat across from him, the place card stating his sisters name in beautiful cursive. He blinked and turned his head to his mother who sat beside him.

“Pass the wine?” He croaked quietly, heaitant to break the silence.

She only nudged him in response hoping to make him shut up.

“Please, Mum.” He persisted and she shot him a glare.

He sighed and pushed himself up from the seat.

“I need to confess something… I did it. Now, can you pass the wine.”

As Christina enter the restaurant, she looks around trying to find a certain person that In one of these tables. “Excuse me miss but are you wanting a seat?.” A hostess said popping in front of her. Christina jolted back in surprise. “No, my friend already had reservation here.” Christina said gathering herself from the unexpected scare. “Ok! What’s the table name under?” The hostess voice sounded cheerful. Too, cheerful that Christina wonder if this woman was faking this persona, but she knew it wasn’t time to think about it. “ It’s under Jackson.” The hostess checks for the name on the paper list of reservations. She looks up from her paper and smiles. “Jackson is on the list let take you to your table.” She follows the hostess. She sees Jack sitting at the table. The table has white cloth, two wine glass and a big wine bottle. Christina sits down in on the table and hostess puts the menu on the table. “Do you need anything miss?” Hostess said smile, almost to wide. “Nothing for right now thank you.” “Ok then! Have a nice dinner!” The hostess walks off. Jackson drink’s his wine. “So, how are you feeling about yesterday?” Christina stays silent for a while and she speaks. “I feel a sense of relief and worry, but I feel happy that he’s gone.” Jackson nods in knowledgement. Jackson whispers “Look we hid burned the body and we change our name and we’re in disguise there not going to find us.” “Jackson I’m not worried about being found, it’s that I’m worried what I’m going to tell you.” Jackson has a surprise shock on his face. I need to confess something.. I did it. I actually killed my boss. Now can you pass me the wine?”

“I need to confess something.. I did it. Now, can you pass the wine?” A good portion of the air left the room and an unknown toxin suddenly began to seep from the outside in. All eyes darted in one direction. The wine was passed intrinsically without hesitation. “What? It’s true. You’re surprised?” “Barbara, what do you mean you did it?” “What do you think I mean? What else could I mean? Thank you!” exclaimed Barbara now gripping the Chardonnay. Tina’s arm didn’t move an inch once the bottle left her hands. They all sat and watched as Barbara poured herself another full glass. All of their eyes glared at her face or watched the yellow liquid slowly fill the shape of Barbara’s glass. “Now by it—“ “Uh huh.” Barbara swiftly brought the glass to her lips and took what could only be described as a gulp. They continued to stare dumbstruck as some wine dribbled out of the corner of her lips. Eyes wide, she wiped the spillage across her cheek and unleashed a historically wide smile that brought a disturbed chill to the bones and connecting sinews of her gathered peers. “I did it.” Another gulp. “I fucking did it! Okay!?” Her relief quickly turned to rage and she raised the glass as if she could hide behind it. They could see how she did it. She didn’t have to tell them, but she did. This was their friend. This was a night to discuss the latest Lisa Gardner. This was a night to drink and this was a night to gossip for sure. This was now something else, something much more sinister. “Barbara…” Her face reddened and the pulsating vein in her forehead thickened as her lips pursed and tears began to form. She knew what she did. They knew it too. Her husband was gone and now it was her turn. This was going to be the start of a new life for Barbara, a long, lonely life where the only remaining moment that would mean something was its end.