Landon filled his plastic red cup for the third time, and maneuvered his way back to the rickety couch he had camped out on thus far.

He liked to people watch. Just watching people crash and burn in the mystical world of cutthroat social hierarchy satisfied him more than joining in on the chaos ever would. There was little more in the world he enjoyed than seeing the look on someone’s face after receiving bad news, and at a high school party laced with hormones, there was plenty of it.
Landon sipped his light beer as he focused in on an obvious couple, on the verge of a split. The brunette with bad highlights stomped her size four flats furiously on the sticky, alcohol covered wooden floor. While the tall red headed boy stared at her for awhile before laughing, his freckled face turning the color of his hair. Landon couldn’t help but wonder what the argument was about. It was like a fuse of curiosity inside him was lit, and burned so quickly, so desperately, that he needed to move closer to the raging pair.
Landon rose from his seat quickly, relocated to an arm chair with large rips in the velvet fabric, musty stuffing peeking out, and carefully sat down. He was entirely too caught up in the heated conversation before him, that when he came too close to spilling his drink all over a deliciously beautiful blonde; he barely registered the recognition in her sapphire eyes.
“Uh, sorry,” Landon mumbled, not giving her a second glance.
“No problem. I can see you have more important things to attend to than watch where you’re going.” Her eyes raked over the situation in front of her.
The venomous tone was sudden, while it caught Landon off guard, it was all too familiar. He knew that quick-to-attack attitude; he had run from that very same attitude less than a year ago when the snarkiness almost killed him.
“Brooke,” Landon cringed when the name left his mouth, a cruel aftertaste taking it’s place below his tongue. “Why are you here?”
“I don’t know if you recall, but we do still go to the same school. You may have abandoned me, but that doesn’t mean the whole world did, Lan.” Brooke smiled a sarcastic grin, taking a seat on the arm of the chair Landon staked out.
Landon noticed the argument he was before listening in on had dissipated, and the redheaded boy now held the small brunette in his arms. The two were locked in the type of kiss that made you want to leave the room. Landon couldn’t leave now though, he was much too intrigued by the blue eyed demon sitting far too close to his jean clad thigh.
“You still didn’t answer my question.” Landon pointed out, his face stone cold.
“Look, this is my good friend.... Kayleigh’s party.”
“You mean Katelyn, right?” Landon shook his head and laughed. “So, why are you here?”
Brooke shifted in her perch on the arm of Landon’s chair, made herself comfortable, and cleared her throat. Landon found her loquaciousness deceiving.  “Okay, fine, truth is, I heard from a little birdy, that you would be here.”
“I thought I made it very clear that I never wanted to see you again.”

He watched as Brooke placed a few beers in the mini fridge, and gently closed the door.
“Refresh my mind again, why do you hate her?” Landon rubbed his left temple, sighing.
“You know exactly why. She was all over you at Zach’s party last night,” she walked over towards Landon, running her hand over his chest. “Look, nothing is actually going to happen. I just want to get her drunk and get her to spill a few secrets, okay?”
“I don’t know why you’re so jealous, I barely spoke to her.  You know I only have eyes for you, Brooke,” Landon knew how much romantic stuff like that bothered her. “Be careful. I want you in one piece after this is over.”
“You look especially delectable tonight, Lan. It almost makes me want to cancel on Britney.” She smirked lasciviously, over dramatically batting her eyelashes.
“Why don’t you? You can ruin her life another night, can’t you?” Landon wasn’t phased by her unctuous comment.
“No, it has to be tonight. I need her out of the way as soon as possible. I hope it’s okay, I texted her off your phone to come over instead of mine. Mine’s dead.” Brooke kissed his cheek passionately.
“Fine. ”  Landon didn’t mention the biggest secret Britney and him had hidden for over three months while he had been with Brooke.
The one night he had regretted for the entirety of his relationship after with Brooke.  He had to make sure that Britney never told his girlfriend about that drunken mistake when Brooke had been out of town. Somehow he needed to get rid of Britney.
The doorbell rang, and Landon said, “Got it,” as he raced up the stairs.
He opened the bright red door, and put on his best smile, “Hey, Britney.”
“Hi Landon, I gotta say, I was surprised when you texted me to come over.” Britney tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, and walked inside the house.
“”Um, yeah, I just couldn’t help but see you.” Images of that night flashed in his head.
“Hi, Britney,” Brooke appeared in the doorway of the basement. “Didn’t Landon mention I’d be here too?”
“Oh, um, no. But, the more the merrier.” Britney took a step backwards, looking awkwardly at Landon.
“We’re just gonna get wasted and watch a movie or something. C’mon, everything’s downstairs.” Landon’s eyebrows furrowed.
“I saw the way you touched him every chance you got.” Brooke stepped In Britney’s way.  
“What are you talking about?” Britney looked confused, and held her hands up defensively.
“Last night. You were all over my boyfriend. Why would you do that when you knew we were together? You knew, Britney, you knew!”
“Oh, please! Your amazing boyfriend isn’t as perfect as you think he is!” Britney shouted, raising an eyebrow in triumph as Brooke’s expression turned quizzical.
Landon panicked, realizing how close Britney might have been to exposing their secret he had worked so hard to try and forget.
“Britney! Let’s go to the kitchen and get some snacks ready.” Landon intervened.
“What? No thank-” Britney was interrupted by Landon’s fingernails digging into her skin. 
Once in the kitchen, Landon realized there was only one thing to do. Landon had already clasped a kitchen commodity and brought Britney’s body in close to him, his lips brushing her ear when Brooke appeared. Britney wobbled in front of Landon, her back to Brooke, when Brooke grabbed a skillet and smashed it over Britney’s head. The girl’s limp body collapsed to the tiled floor, facedown, before Brooke even saw Britney’s face. Landon checked her pulse, and felt no beat beneath his fingers.

“Can we go somewhere quieter to talk?” Brooke whispered in his ear.
“Why would I go anywhere with you?”
“Because the police are close to finding out what we did.” Brooke’s tone changed, her voice becoming threatening.
“We?” Landon cried. “I didn’t do anything!”
“Landon, we both know what happened that night.” Brooke’s fingernails dug into Landon’s bare skin.
“Let go of me!” Landon ripped his arm from her grasp.
“Come with me, now.”
She rose from the arm of the chair and grabbed his hand, her face threatening him not to mess with her. Suddenly something overcame him; Brooke’s blonde hair shined, pale skin glowed, her big blue eyes begging him to follow her.  She beguiled him time and time again, he was unable to resist her charm. Landon rose from the soft seat and trailed Brooke as she made her way up the stairs, and to a bedroom with an open door.  Brooke led him inside, closed the door, and sat down on the quilted blanket spread across the bed.
“Why would the cops dig up something that happened so long ago? What is there to find?” Landon’s voice rose an octave as he became more nervous.
“Are you stupid? The body, Lan.” Brooke shook her head, rubbing her face with tiny hands.
“But we got rid of that.”
“My uncle died a few weeks ago, and my family put his storage locker on the market, and it’s up for grabs,” Brooke explained. “So today, someone purchased it, but I haven’t heard any news about the new owner finding a dead body. Maybe she decomposed.”
“Brooke, it’s been less than a year since she died. The body is not decomposed, the owner probably just hasn’t opened it yet.”
“I’m not going to jail for this. That’s why I came to find you. You have to turn yourself in.” Brooke said.
“Me? Why would I do that?” The thought of her in a bright orange jumpsuit crossed his mind.
“She died when I hit her with the skillet, but you helped me get rid of her. That makes you an accomplice.” Brooke grabbed one of Landon’s hands and held it between both of hers lovingly.
“So if you admit you killed her, why shouldn’t you go to jail?” he shouted, becoming more enraged.
“Please Lan, I can’t spend my life away from my family,” Brooke said, rhapsodically.
And once again, as Landon thought about Brooke’s insane family, the picture shifted. Her blonde hair looked as though a light was shining down on it, round blue eyes got larger, becoming the same color as the ocean, and her skin was like snow. Suddenly, she became everything in the room. There was nothing but her; she was impossibly beautiful, amazingly idyllic. He forced the picturesque scene away, revealing the truth of a short girl in a ratty sweater and ripped jeans.
“Give me your phone.” Landon stretched out his hand, palm facing up, waiting for Brooke to hand him the device.
“Here,” she gave it up. “Why? What are you doing?”
“I’m giving you what you need.” Landon began dialling three numbers.
“Landon, thank you, thank you.” Brooke kissed his cheek, making Landon blush.
As his cheeks were colored with a rosy pigment, his eyes resembled black holes beneath his eyebrows. With the angle of the light hitting his face, his cheekbones seemed even more hollow than usual, and a dark shadow casted across a side of his face.
Someone answered the phone, “Hello, what is your emergency?”
“I need help, I’m trapped in a room with a psychopath. I think she’s killed someone, and she might do it again!.” Landon said, and hung up.
“What the hell? Landon! You set me up!”
“I didn’t set you up. You approached me. I just knew you’d be here. I knew the body would be found at some point. I knew you had to take responsibility for what you did.” He calmly told her as he walked towards the door..
“How could you do this to someone you love?” Brooke cried, standing up from the bed.
Landon moved for the door, and locked it. “Loved. You’re staying here. Don’t even think about trying to leave.”
Landon leaned his body against the door, watching the frightened look on her face as the sound of sirens could be heard, causing the party to disperse below them. He chuckled thinking of how the blade slid into Britney’s body all that time ago, and how the body collapsed before Brooke even saw the wound in her chest when she hit her with the skillet. He knew Britney was dead before the skillet even touched her head. Landon grinned as he thought of Brooke in jail for the crime he committed.