The coroner said it had to have been around midnight when she died. Our mom was gone for the weekend. The paramedic said it was an overdose, but I didn’t believe it. Five of the six girls there survived. They all took the pills, they all blacked out, yet somehow, only one girl died. Lexi, my younger sister, wasn’t innocent; I was well aware of it. She had her perfect boyfriend and her perfect grades. I knew it hadn’t been the first time she took drugs. She knew her limit and she was always cautious about what she did.

I wish I was there that night. I wish I hadn’t been the one to find her. Lexi’s friend Annie was passed out right next to her and didn’t even notice her corpse. The other girls were scattered everywhere from what I could see. They all had puke and makeup smothered into their faces and clothes. Even Lexi looked like a hot mess, but Annie was untouched. I suppose she probably had to play mom for the night by being the sober one. My mom and dad went to high school with Annie’s parents. My dad and her dad were best friends a few years back, but my dad passed away.

My sister and I used to eat breakfast together at the kitchen counter, but now I’m sitting alone. My mom was still sleeping upstairs probably from a long night of crying. When the phone rang, I heard footsteps shuffling upstairs.
“Scott? It’s your principal. He says you don’t have to go to school today if you don’t want,” my mom yelled. I barely understood her through her sniffling.
“Mom, I’ve gotta get out of the house!” I yelled back. I walked into the living room towards the front door. Everything was untouched. Empty bottles and pillows were thrown around. There was something wedged under one of the couch cushions. What is that? I grabbed it just as my mom yelled for me to get going before I was late. I shoved it in my pocked and bolted out the door.

I felt eyes digging under my skin when I walked through the parking lot. My ears tried drowning out the whispers, but it was so hard. I went inside the school’s back door to avoid everyone. When I got to class, I saw jaws dropped. It felt like Everyone seemed surprised that I was the one alive. I suppose my reputation could give that illusion. People consider me as a “stoner”. I decided that the best thing to do is to pretend nothing happened. When lunch rolled around, I left school to check up on my mom. I got inside my car and felt the something in my pocket. I pulled it out and it was a note. This must be what was under the couch cushion.
It said:
“”My dearest family,

I’m sorry for what I have done. I love you all very, very much. I promise I’ll be watching over you, or most likely, I’ll be looking up to you. Please don’t be sad.

Love,

Lexi”

She committed suicide. I felt my heart drop down to my anus. I took another look at the note. She didn’t even mention me or mom in her note. She didn’t even mention her precious boyfriend, Alex. She never wrote in cursive. Maybe I’m just being paranoid. Should I show mom? No. She’d be ten times more depressed than she already is. I can’t do that to her. I started heading home to check on her. I kept seeing pictures of mom crying in her bed curled up in a ball. It was a pitiful vision, but I had to be prepared for the worst. When I got there, I walked inside and the house was clean. The living room looked perfect. My mom was gone. She didn’t leave me a note or text me or anything. It worried me a little, but then again, I didn’t tell her I was coming.
I heated up some leftovers from last night and watched a little TV. When I finished and headed back to school, I noticed one of the guys who knew Lexi walking down the sidewalk. I didn’t remember his name, but I pulled over anyway. “Need a ride?” I asked.
“Uh, no thanks,” He answered uneasy.
“You sure?”

“Yeah, I’m okay.”

“Do you know who I am?”

“No...”

“You used to hang out with my sister, Lexi..”

“Oh, yeah.”

“You sure you don’t want a ride?”

“I guess I can take one.”

“Sorry about this, but I totally forgot your name.”

“Charles Ackster.”

Suddenly, all the memories flowed into my head. I remember her talking about how he was obsessed with her, but she was creeped out beyond belief. As we came closer to his house he apologized about my sister and he said he hoped my family does well with the loss. I bet he killed her.

A few days later, I had still been going home for lunch not only to check on my mom, but to also look for Charles. As I was walking down the hall, I passed Annie. She was walking with Lexi’s boyfriend, Alex. I wanted to pull Alex over to the side and curb stomp him. I ignored my out-of-body experience and kept moving.
Farther down the hall I saw Charles Ackster. I waited until class was over. I sat down the hall a little bit waiting. Did he kill her? I pulled the note out of my pocket and read it over and over again. Not my sister- she didn’t kill herself. Suddenly the bell rang. I quickly got up to go to Charles’s class, but he was already gone. I went to the cafeteria to look for him and saw him just leaving school out of the cafeteria’s back door. I dashed out after him. He slowed his pace to a regular walk then ducked into some woods on the right of the sidewalk.
He must have seen me go in and turned around to face me. “Scott, are you following me?” he asked.
“Maybe I am, maybe I’m not. You seem nervous, Charles.”

“I’m not,” he said quickly.

“I just want to know the truth. Tell me where you were last Friday.”

“I was at home. Why?” He snapped.

“Prove it.”

“I didn’t kill your sister, Scott. That’s what this is about, isn’t it?”

I felt my ears go hot. Charles was a dead man in my book.
“I didn’t kill her.” He kept repeating, over, and over again. I heard twigs crack and snap. I turned to see ten to twenty other guys arrive in tights and armor. They had swords and shields too.
“Uhh, King Charles? Who is this peasant?” One of them said.
“My men, my soldiers, this is Lord Scott of Burkingside,” Charles answered. “Welcome Lord Scott,” they said in unison and bowed.
This is weird.

“This is where I, King Charles, was on the Friday beforth,” Charles said.
“Ah, yes! The great battle of Chew!” one of them shouted.

”Seriously? You were larping when my sister died?”

“Lord Scott, please forgive me for not being there to save Princess Lexi.”

Well there goes my main suspect. “Alright, I’m out of here. Sorry for the accusation, Charles.” “It’s KING Charles to you,” he said.

After my false accusation, I went home to check on my mom. I opened the front door to all of the lights off and one of my sister’s baby videos playing on the TV. My mom was sleeping on the couch. I turned the TV off and grabbed a blanket to drape over her. I needed to find out what happened to Lexi-before her funeral. I owe it to her and I owe it to my mom. I pulled the note out of my pocked again and read it out loud. It’s not how Lexi used to talk. My mom woke up.

“Scott?” She said with a shaky voice.
I walked over to hold her.
“Sweetie, I have something to tell you,” she said.
“Mom, what is it?” I asked.

“I still don’t know how exactly your father died. Everyon told me he killed himself, but I don’t believe it. He was so happy. He had two beautiful children to take care of. It doesn’t make sense.”

“I don’t remember him ever being sad. He always was smiling. What do you mean though? Like what do you think really happened?”

“I think he was killed, Scott.”
I felt my throat tighten. “Mom, I think Lexi was too.”

“I know, honey,” she answered with a shaky voice.

“Why is this happening to us?” I asked.
“Josh Stewart,” she answered with confidence.

Annie Stewart’s dad. Annie, my sister’s friend. The one passed out by Lexi. The one untouched. “Is he the one? How can you be sure?”

“Josh loved me, but I didn’t love him back. I loved your father very much. I think he did it out of jealousy. I tried proving it, but I never could.
It dawned on me. “Mom, I know what happened to Lexi, I’ve got to go.” I bolted out the door back to school. When I got there, the homecoming pep rally was going on. Cr**. Annie had to be around here somewhere. I turned around and saw Alex, Lexi’s boyfriend. “Alex! Alex!” I shouted.

He turned around looking for whoever was shouting his name. “Oh! Hey what’s up Scott?” he said.
“Have you seen Annie Stewart?” I asked breathlessly.
“Yeah she’s in the art room making a poster or something. Why?”
“Thanks,” I was being short with him.
“Oh, okay. Look, how’s your mom? I’m really sorry-“
“It’s too late for ‘sorry’s’ Alex,” I glared at him.
I turned away and ran to the art room. When I got in the art room, the lights were off, but the door was unlocked. I walked inside and heard someone’s feet shuffling. “Hello? Is anyone there?” I asked. Then the lights turned on and Annie was standing by the drawer full of exact-o knives. She had a tiny grin on her face and evil set inside her eyes. “Why’d you do it, Annie?” I asked.
“You’re worthless!” she yelled. She picked up a knife and threw it across the room next to my left ear, but I ducked.
“You’re going to have to do better than that, Annie,” I said.
“I couldn’t live with knowing her life was so much better than mine. I had to kill her. There was no other way. I made a few mistakes in the murder though. I couldn’t bear living with the guilt of knowing that I killed poor, innocent Lexi though. Is that a good enough suicide note for you, Scott? I think it fits your personality perfectly. You were always jealous of her,” She said trying to get to me.
“You’re crazy! You’re psycho!”
Then the door swung open and I thought I was saved. It was Annie’s father, Josh. He was carrying a piece of paper and a gun. “Hello, Scott. You’re looking more and more like your father everyday,” he said.
“What are you doing here? You both are murderers!”
“So we’re murderers, but we haven’t gotten caught. Therefore, we’re still everyday normal people, but with a few secrets,” Josh said.
“Rot in he**! Both of you!” I yelled.
“Well, when I do, I’ll be sure to tell your father you said hello,” Josh said with a grin.
I lunged at him with one of the knives Annie threw at me and went straight for his throat. He held the gun up, ready to shoot and I quickly jolted back holding my hands up and dropped the knife. “Obedient. I have a favor to ask, Scott. I have a piece of paper and a pen in my right hand. I have a gun in my left. Write me a little note admitting to the murders of your family members, and we’ll go on our way.”
“Clear your name? No way in he** am I going to do that!”
“I guess I’ll just have to kill you too.”
He cocked the gun when suddenly, ten to twenty guys dressed in silver armor busted into the room. They held foam swords and began beating Josh with them. They knocked the gun out of his hand and held him down long enough to duct tape his arms to his body. Annie was cornered with no where else to go. She bursted into tears and admitted to everything. Killing my sister, her father killing my dad, her jealousy, the pills, everything.
“King Charles?” I asked.
“Lord Scott. I have a gift for you. Tis of modern technology, but I think it shall suit to your needs.”
He pulled a recorder out of his pocket. He recorded the whole thing. I grabbed my cell phone and called the police. When they got there and heard the recording they took Annie and her father, Josh, away to face charges for the murders of my father and sister.. When we buried Lexi, she wore a beautiful white dress. It was her favorite. She looked at peace.