Jessica

Jessica was my best friend in the world, I'd known her since I was 5 years old. I moved here with my mom when my parents got divorced and Jessica was the first and only friend I made at kindergarten. We did everything together, ended up at the same schools and in the same classes. Then everything changed when we were 15, she got her first boyfriend. His name was Will, he was about 6' 1 and had blonde hair, he was 2 years older than us but it wasn't a big deal.

All Jessica would talk about was Will, and how amazing and dreamy he was. There's something you have to understand, we always used to hang out after school or at least bike home together and if she missed my call then she would always call me straight back.

Then one day all of that stopped, no more hanging out and no more returning my calls. I started to get pretty pissed off, she couldn't just forget about me like this! She was supposed to be my friend! A few days passed and I still hadn't heard anything from her, she wasn't even turning up to class. I tried going to her house to see if her parents knew where she was, but there was no answer. I looked through the windows but still, no luck.

One day after school, I saw Will's car, waiting on the street. I know I shouldn't have done this but she's my best friend and god knows what's happened to her, so I grabbed my bike and followed him, I stayed quite far behind so he couldn't recognise me. I'm not sure what I was going to say to him when I caught up but I needed answers. After what seemed like miles of frantic cycling and hundreds of scenarios playing out in my head, we arrived at a small farmhouse. I'd seen plenty of horror movies where the victim was always kept prisoner in creepy shacks or derelict farmhouses such as this. All this thinking wasn't helping me focus so I decided to get a closer look at the house. It didn't look like anyone had lived there for a long time. All of the windows were broken, tiles were falling off the roof, the grass was pale and overgrown and weeds towered over the decrepit picket fence. I couldn't help but think that 20 years ago this would have been a gorgeous place for a picnic.

I couldn't see Jessica through the windows, but then I heard a voice, Wills voice. He was using his phone. "Yeah, Jessica's gone and she isn't coming back." That bastard killed her! He killed my best friend! I was seething with rage, sadness and a million other feelings. I had to swallow hard to keep myself from throwing up. I waited silently for him to finish his phone call, not taking my eyes off him, not even blinking. As soon as he hung up I charged in and swung at him with the crowbar.

He screamed in pain and I hit him over and over again, pure anger had taken over me and I lost count of how many times I struck him with that crowbar. He stopped screaming a while before I finally finished, I think, I can't remember. I put the bar down, making sure to wipe my fingerprints off. Will was lying motionless on the rotting floorboards. His once blonde hair soaked in crimson blood, a metallic smell clung to the air and took over my sense of smell.

Still in shock I left the farmhouse, cycled home, making sure that I took the back roads to avoid being seen covered in blood. I got home and ran up the stairs to wash up and hide my clothes and scrub the dried blood off of my skin. Finally changed and clean, I sat on my bed, coming to terms with the fact that I would never see my best friend ever again. I lied there, justifying my murderous actions, "I needed to do it, he killed Jessica, he deserved it." I told myself this over and over until finally I fell asleep. I awoke to a knock at my bedroom door.

"Who is it?" I asked, trying to keep my tone calm and controlled. "It's me sweetie." Phew, mom's voice. "I have someone here who needs to see you urgently." I bolted upright, cold sweats and adrenaline instantly kicked in. Who could it be? The police? Jessica's parents? Maybe they've come to see if I knew where she was? But before I could speculate anymore the door opened some more and right there, stood behind my mum was Jessica. My best friend. My best friend who I thought was dead. The very same best friend who's boyfriend I brutally and mercilessly killed the night before, for her.

She took a seat on the edge of my bed and explained that she left town for a family emergency and how she broke up with Will because he didn't understand why she would leave and not say anything to him. And while she was talking, I sat there staring at nothing. Thinking. Grinning because I got away with it.

Will was found later that week, in the farmhouse with major head wounds. I went to the funeral with Jessica for emotional support. They never found out it was me. But none of that matters now, he's gone. He can't take my her away from me. And neither will Jessica's new boyfriend. I love her too much.