Jessica’s POV

I shoved her and ran for my life, laughing loudly as I barreled down the hallway of the high school. I heard the grumbles and complaints of my peers behind me, as I shouldered through the usual crowd that always formed after school was out. I could hear her footsteps, gradually closing in on me. Sure, I was on the track team with a mile time of 5:09 minutes. But Taeyeon was the captain of the track team with a mile time of 4:58. 

Curse my short legs. God could’ve at the very least gifted me with slighter longer legs than Taeyeon, as she was only 5’2. But of course, I was the same height. 

I finally made it out the door and proceeded to sprint to the baseball field where there was thankfully no practice today. As I was just about to reach for the baseball bat that was carelessly left beside the home base, someone plowed into me and I ended up with my back on the ground, with her on top of me. I started to struggle, pushing her shoulders with both hands but she easily pinned them down on the dirt with her own. 

I grinned. “God, why are you so fat, Taeyeon, I can’t even get up.”

She laughed with me. “What the hell were you going to do with that bat, you idiot, smack me with it?”

“You never know. Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

“You could go to jail for that.”

“And then you’ll bail me out.”

“With whose money?”

“Your own.”

“Money doesn’t grow on trees, Sica.”

“Technically, yes they do. Paper comes from the wood of the trees right? So-”

She huffed and rolled off of me. “Shut up.”

I chuckled. “D’you wanna come over to study?”

She turned her head to look me in the eyes. We stayed like that for a few seconds.

Then we both snorted and started to laugh. “That’s really funny,” she said wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. 

“Okay, fine,” I said, still snickering. “Do you still wanna come over though? Pweaseee,” I pouted, using my cuteness that was reserved only for her.

“Ugh,” she groaned, pushing my face away. “If you stop.”

“YES,” I shouted with joy, and jumped to my feet. I started to walk back to the school, pulling her hand and dragging her through the dirt.

“JESSICA I’M WEARING WHITE,” she yelled as she scrambled to her feet.

“Whoops,” I said happily, letting go of her hand as she brushed the filth off her clothes. Then I dashed towards the school, yelling behind me, “RACE YOU TO THE FRONT!”

----

We both sat on the couch, staring intently at the TV in front and eating our popsicles that I had been forced to pay for due to my lost bet of racing to the front of the school.

Taeyeon grimaced as she saw me bite down on the frozen treat, saying in disgust, “How do you even do that, it makes my teeth hurt just looking at you.”

“It’s hot,” I managed to say with my mouth full, looking at her innocently. 

“Because I’m here, right?” Taeyeon smirked.

My expression of happiness disappeared into a groan. “Taeyeon, please, I’m eating.”

Her offended expression was hilarious enough to make me choke on my popsicle and I dashed to the kitchen, my face hovering above the sink as I coughed. Taeyeon followed me in with a look of amusement as she patted my back, muttering the word “Karma”. 

----

Taeyeon left a few hours later, saying she had to take care of something, and I reluctantly waved goodbye to her as she got into the driver’s seat of her Mercedes Benz. I gazed after the car in envy as I watched her pull out of my driveway, before going upstairs back to my room.

Flashback-

“What do you need to take care of that’s not even me,” I complained.

“I need to go somewhere,” she chuckled.

“Where,” I persisted.

“It’s a secret,” she said mysteriously. “Bye Sica.” 

I frowned and opened the door, allowing her to go outside.

“Bye~”

I suddenly spotted her phone laying on my bed. 

I chortled, picking it up. That forgetful idiot. I swiped right at the lock screen, frowning thoughtfully as the phone asked for a six letter password. Six letter password. Birthday? I typed in 030999. Click. I grinned. She was always so predictable. 

A virtual notepad took place instead of the password locked screen. An address was typed on the note. 

130 Oak Ridge Ave.
Los Angeles, CA

A small grin started to play on my lips. Was this the place that Taeyeon was going?

Guess there was only one way to find out.

----

The place was only 30 minutes away if I walked, so I saw no reason to pay for more gas just to drive over. Plus, if Taeyeon was actually there, I could give her back her phone and ask for a ride back as well.

Following the GPS app I downloaded on my phone just an hour ago, I turned left onto Oak Ridge. It led me to an abandoned warehouse. 

I knit my brows as I walked cautiously toward it. Why would Taeyeon be here? I tried to open the massive door, but it wouldn’t budge.

Then I spotted a window. With a tree conveniently planted right beside it.

Brilliant.

I only wore a black t-shirt and skinny jeans with tennis shoes, which were more than comfortable enough to climb the tree. Placing my foot firmly at the crack where the tree branched off into two parts, I lifted my other foot onto a nearby branch. Slowly and steadily, I climbed and eventually made it to the branch beside the window. I peeked through.

I muffled a scream.

There was a man sitting in a chair, with his chest bound to the back of it. His hands were also bound behind his back, legs tied to the legs of the chair. His clothes were ripped, and there were several deep gashes covering his body from head to toe. 

And in front of him.

No.

It couldn’t be.

It couldn’t be my best friend standing with a knife in her right hand.

It couldn’t be the person who ate a popsicle with me on the couch who was currently carefully carving the knife through the man’s skin around the collarbone. 

It couldn’t be the girl who I had known for 10 years who was standing there watching the man struggle from his bonds on the chair.

But it was. 

Even though it was dark out, and only a quarter moon was shining tonight, I could see. I could see the similar way she carried herself, the way she liked to tie her ponytail high when she was focused. The way her pale, white skin seemed to glow in the darkness of the night, the way she stood, with one thumb of her hand in a pocket and the other...well, it had a knife right now. 

Suddenly, she stabbed the man in the heart. 

I couldn’t hold in my gasp, and she turned. My eyes widened, and I stood still, not even breathing. How did she hear me? We were several, several feet apart. She wouldn’t, no, she couldn’t possibly see me either. It was too dark out. There was no way. There weren’t any streetlights on this avenue either, for whatever reason. She stared intently at me, and I could see her trying to discern a figure against the dark night.

She started to walk towards the