The Social Media Murders Read online

  The blonde continued, “Anyway, we were just saying: Melanie supposedly saw everything. She's at home because she's 'traumatized' about it. She's scared, I guess.”

  “Scared?” Britney repeated in an uncertain tone.

  “Yeah, scared. If it's true, Tiffany's killer saw Melanie's face. Plus, the killer supposedly stole Tiffany's laptop and cell phone. That psycho definitely knows where she lives. Shit, he might have everyone's information by now.”

  Britney clarified, “Everyone who talked to her. If your number's not in her phone, then you're safe, right? I mean, I barely knew her.” She glanced over at Charlene and asked, “What about you?”

  Charlene did not respond. Her phone number was on Tiffany's phone—that fact was irrefutable. She wondered if the killer had access to her home address, too. Her mind was addled as she tried to remember every message she ever sent to Tiffany. Did I send her my address? Is my address on the internet? Can he find me?—the questions ran through her mind.

  “I need you to be quiet back there,” Wilson said as he tapped the board with his marker. “I know there's a lot going on today, but this is also important. It's going to be on the next test and I won't be grading on a curve. You know that. So, pay attention. Thank you.”

  Wilson turned his back on the class and continued to scribble on the board. He babbled about the equations, but his students weren't listening.

  Unable to keep her mouth shut, Britney asked, “What happened, Wilson?”

  The teacher glanced back with a furrowed brow. He asked, “What are you talking about?”

  “What's happening out there? There are all these rumors going around, but no one is telling us the truth. There was a news van outside this morning. There are police outside and inside our school. And, we're going to have an 'emergency' assembly. What's this all about? Did something really happen? Are we safe?”

  Wilson placed his hands on his hips and sighed. It wasn't his role to discuss the crime with the students, it wasn't his job to inform them of the lurking dangers. He frowned and nodded as his students began to chatter. He could hear them talking about their safety while referencing the rumors: am I next? Is the killer in our school?

  The teacher tapped his marker on the white board, as if the writing utensil were a judge's gavel. He called for silence.

  “Quiet down, quiet down,” Wilson said, irked. As the student chatter dwindled, he explained, “There was an incident last night. You will be told everything you need to know at the assembly. Okay? Principal Lopez will give you as much information as possible. I know there will be counseling available throughout the week, too, so you don't have to worry about anything.”

  “There wouldn't be any counseling if it wasn't serious,” Britney remarked, adding fuel to the fire.

  Again, Wilson sighed and lowered his head. He couldn't control his students. Rumors were prone to the snowball effect. Unfortunately, rumors were also part of the high school social life. And, the high school social life was comprised of susceptible teenagers who would believe anything.

  Over the gossip, Wilson said, “Everything is under control. Even if it was serious, we're going to take care of you. Don't let fear take control of your lives like this. Don't let rumors interfere with your education. We have–”

  The bell disrupted his speech. As if the bell had broken a trance, the concern in the room vanished. The students grabbed their bags and stood from their seats, ready to continue the monotonous day.

  Wilson shouted, “All seniors are going to the gym! Tell your friends if they don't know!”

  Chapter Four

  The Assembly

  “Cheer up, Charles,” Britney said as she gently pushed Charlene. She said, “We're going to get more 'juicy' details at this assembly. It won't be much, but it should make you feel better, right? Come on, give me a smile.”

  Charlene kept her head down as she walked down the hall with her friend. She contemplated the rumors, thinking about all of the possible outcomes. Britney's optimistic outlook could not whisk away her negative thoughts. An assembly couldn't take her contact information out of Tiffany's phone. She needed a bigger distraction—and it was right around the corner.

  Charlene and Britney hopped and gasped as they clashed with Adam Allen in the hallway. Britney fell to her knees to pick up her textbook and worksheets, muttering about the young man's negligence—watch where you're going, idiot. Charlene stepped in reverse and stared at Adam, shocked by his sudden appearance.

  Adam cracked a smile as he stared back at her. He wasn't like Michael or Stephen. He wasn't a jock or a dealer—he was somewhere in between. He was a fit and handsome young man with wavy black hair who happened to enjoy recreational drugs. His style was simple, too. He wore an opened button-up shirt with a white t-shirt underneath, blue jeans, and sneakers.

  Like his girlfriend, Charlene, he didn't draw attention to himself. He liked to fly under the radar to avoid drama and trouble.

  Adam asked, “Where are you guys going? Aren't your classes the other way?”

  As she marched forward, Charlene responded, “We have an assembly today.”

  Britney shoved Adam with a swing of her hips, then she followed her friend. She said, “We have to go to the gym. Come on, asshole.” She glanced back at Adam and said, “You have a lot of catching up to do if you haven't heard all of the rumors.”

  Adam sighed in disappointment, then he jogged to catch up to the girls. He asked, “Charlene, are you mad at me?”

  “Why are you late today?” Charlene asked without slowing her pace.

  “Why was I late? I slept in. Is there a problem with that?”

  “Why haven't you been answering my calls or texts?”

  Adam chuckled, then he said, “I don't have service right now, Charles. I can't call you or answer hundreds of your text messages if I don't have service.”

  Charlene asked, “Why don't you have service? Hmm?”

  Adam furrowed his brow and shook his head, baffled by the questions. He slowed down and carefully analyzed his girlfriend's passive-aggressive demeanor. The couple hit a rough patch in their relationship, but Charlene was unusually hostile. He felt as if he were being interrogated by a cop who was out of leads and frustrated.

  Adam pulled on Charlene's shoulder, stopping her from moving forward. He asked, “What's up with you? Did someone die or something?” He chuckled and shrugged, then he said, “I mean, someone other than Anna.”

  Her lip curling in disgust, Charlene responded, “Yeah, someone else died, Adam. Tiffany was killed last night.”

  Chiming in, Britney said, “And they said she died the same way Anna did.”

  Adam gazed into Charlene's glistening eyes, then he glanced over at Britney. He waited for the punchline to a joke, but the young women remained quiet and serious.

  Adam nodded and said, “Shit. I saw the cops outside before I got here. I thought I missed a fight or something. That's... That's too bad.”

  “Yeah. Let's just go to the gym before they lock us out,” Charlene said.

  The group continued walking down the hall, dodging the freshman running to class and waving at the juniors who would miss the assembly. Stephen, for example, nodded and waved at the group as he strolled into his video production class. Arms around each other, Michael and Dominique joined the group. Michael and Adam shook hands while Dominique waved at Charlene and Britney.

  Adam asked, “You think Stephen is holding right now? I wanna smoke during lunch if he's down.”

  Dominique rolled her eyes and said, “Someone just died, man.”

  “I know, but it's not like I knew her. I think I had her for one class in the last four years. Besides, you remember the dead better when you're high. Weed makes everything better, so, you know, it'll help me remember Tiffany. I know it.”

  Charlene said, “She just died last night and you're acting like she died years ago. If you can't remember her from last week, then maybe weed is the problem.”

  The group wa
lked into the gym. They squeezed past their classmates and sat at the top of the bleachers.

  ***

  From the top of the bleachers, Charlene examined the gym. Senior students filled the benches—some gossiped about the rumors, others spoke about their dull lives. The seniors sat in cliché cliques, including the jocks, the cheerleaders, the freaks, and the geeks. She was bothered by the selfish cliques, worried about the inevitable outcasts.

  Yet, she found some relief in knowing she would be escaping the toxic high school environment soon. Graduation was right around the corner and most of the cliques would crumble in the college environment—fraternities and sororities were a different story. She turned her attention to the center of the gym.

  The center circle of the basketball court was turned into a makeshift stage. Two microphone stands sat in the circle while two cameras were aimed at the stage. The cameras live-streamed the assembly to the classes that could not attend. The vice principal and a few counselors sat near the makeshift stage, sweat spurting from their glands like water from a sprinkler.

  Principal Andrew Lopez and Sheriff Cameron Jackson entered the center circle. Jackson grabbed a microphone. He coughed and grunted to clear his throat, preparing himself for a difficult speech.

  He paced back-and-forth on the stage and said, “Listen up, ladies and gentlemen. We've been here before. I understand this school is still reeling from the tragic loss of a classmate, Anna Lee. We told you everything we could about that case. Rest assured, we are still investigating her death. I also understand that there have been some rumors circulating over the past twelve hours. Well, let's set a few things straight.”

  He lowered the microphone down to his chest as he examined the quiet audience. The students looked to him for reassurance. Unfortunately, he couldn't offer them the guaranteed security they sought.

  He said, “Last night, Tiffany Anderson passed away. Some of you may have known her, some of you may have never heard of her. The fact remains: a classmate, a young girl, passed away. Furthermore, we're fairly certain she was murdered. Was it the same suspect from Anna's murder? Do we know who is committing these disgusting crimes? Well, I can't answer all of your questions at this assembly. I can't and I won't. We don't want to frighten you and we don't want to encourage any copycat crimes. We will have a talk with your parents, though. We'll be contacting all of your parents and guardians throughout the day so they can come speak to me this afternoon at a conference here at school. Your parents will take care of everything. You have my word on that. That's all I have for you now, unfortunately.”

  Jackson clenched his jaw and shook his head as the audience bickered and booed. He didn't shout for silence, though. He allowed them to vent for a moment. He felt responsible for the death in the city after all.

  As the shouting dwindled to a few whispers, Jackson said, “Thank you for your patience, ladies and gentlemen. Principal Lopez has a few words for you now.”

  Lopez grabbed the other microphone and said, “I never thought I'd have to talk to you about something like this two times in one week. It's hard for me, so I can only imagine how hard it is for you. I know it's scary out there these days. With all your other problems, it's probably really hard to get out of bed in the morning. But, you have to get up. You have to go out into the world and live your lives. You have to be safe and vigilant, but you can't let something like this control your lives. I want you to remember that. You're strong and we're here to help you find your strength if you can't find it on your own.”

  He lowered the microphone and watched his students with glistening eyes. The students were not perfect, but he was proud of them. He vowed to protect and help them during high school and beyond. He could see his speech was working, too. The students were still frightened, but he could see the determination in their eyes.

  Lopez continued, “There's a lot we can talk about. I know how tragedy can affect people, especially young adults like yourselves. Believe me, I've been there before. I just want you to know that your feelings are normal and you can talk to us about anything. Counseling will be available before, during, and after school for the rest of the week. We're giving you our full support, okay? Okay?”

  Unsynchronized, the students said: Yeah, okay, great.

  Lopez nodded and said, “Good, good. Thank you for your patience and understanding. That goes for all you seniors and everyone else at our great school. We're here for you. Now, go to your second period and please resume your day as–”

  “Wait!” Charlene shouted as she stood from her seat. She grimaced as the students and faculty turned towards her. Teary-eyed, she said, “You can't just end it like... like that. We can't wait until nighttime to find out what's going on from our parents. Just tell us: did he really steal Tiffany's phone? Does he have our numbers? Our addresses?”

  Jackson and Lopez glanced at each other, disappointed. The look in their eyes said: shit.

  Jackson said, “I'm advising everyone in this school to avoid the rumors. Don't talk about 'em, don't spread 'em.”

  “Please, just answer the questions. Did he steal Tiffany's phone? Does he have our information?”

  “Nothing is certain right now. A phone and a laptop were stolen from the crime scene. However, we recovered the stolen property this morning. We're trying to find out if the suspect extracted any information from the devices. Like I said, nothing is certain.”

  “So, how do we know if we're safe?” Britney asked.

  Jackson responded, “We've taken steps to ensure your safety. For the next few weeks, or until the suspect is captured, we will be actively watching the school. We will monitor all of your school events. And, we will be patrolling your neighborhoods more frequently. No one is going to get hurt. You have my word.”

  Lopez said, “If you have any other questions, you can talk to any faculty member between classes, during lunch, and after school. Please, try to resume your day normally. Your teachers are waiting to continue your second period classes. Thank you for your time.”

  Charlene did not move. The seniors, including her friends, walked away from the bleachers as if nothing were wrong. The young woman was tormented by the mystery, though. She needed answers to her questions—and she planned on finding them.

  Chapter Five

  Lunch and Gossip

  Lunch was available in the cafeteria for all students. Seniors and juniors were allowed to leave campus for lunch, though. Several small restaurants and convenience stores surrounded the school, vying for the students' lunch money. The group of friends found themselves outside of a local burger place—Big's Burgers.

  Charlene, Britney, Dominique, and Michael sat at a table, shielded from the sun by a large umbrella. Adam and Stephen stood around the corner of the building, smoking weed in the shadows.

  As she absently stared at the neighboring intersection, counting the passing cars, Charlene said, “I just can't believe this is happening. Anna just died last week. Tiffany died last night... Anyone could be next, right?”

  Dominique tossed a French fry into her mouth, then she said, “Don't think like that, Charles. As far as we know, Anna and Tiffany just got in with the wrong crowd. Both of them had big, nasty mouths. All of this... It could all blow over by the end of the week.”

  “She's right,” Britney added. She took a sip of her soda, then she said, “They didn't say it was a serial killer or anything like that. We're just making that assumption. You know what they say about assumptions. They make you look like an ass... or something like that.”

  Charlene sighed in disappointment. She was bothered by her friends' negligence. Michael was too busy fiddling with his phone to even participate in the conversation. She didn't expect Stephen or Adam to add any helpful input, either. She leaned back in her seat and glanced back at the pass-through window on the restaurant.

  A group of junior girls ordered their food while gossiping about Tiffany's murder. They appeared to know more about Tiffany's death. Like cancer cells, the ru
mors were growing. She recognized a red-haired girl in the group—Melody.

  Charlene wasn't the type to gossip or eavesdrop, but her curiosity got the best of her. She scooted back in her seat and listened to the group. Britney, knowing her friend well, smiled and scooted closer to the girls, too. She wasn't worried about her safety like Charlene, but she was curious. Who didn't want to hear about the dead?

  Melody said, “I heard Kyle and Hailey also saw her die.”

  A brunette girl responded, “Kyle? Kyle Webb?”

  “Yeah. Melanie, Kyle, Hailey, and Tiffany were having a Skype chat or something like that. They saw her die. When the cops find out, there's going to be a big scene. I bet you Kyle's going to try to run. He always does.”

  Interrupting the conversation, Charlene asked, “Is that true?”

  Melody held her hand over her chest and hopped, startled by Charlene's soft voice. She nervously smiled upon spotting Charlene.

  She said, “Hey, Charles. You scared me. Were... Were you just listening to us?”

  “You're talking out loud right next to us and in front of a cashier. Does it really matter? Was all of that true? About Kyle and all of them?”

  “Yeah... Well, that's what I heard. I'm not making it up or anything like that.”

  Charlene turned in her seat and asked, “Who did you hear it from? Huh? How do you know all of this?”

  Melody sighed, then she explained, “One of my friends is dating Kyle. He told her everything and she told me. Listen, if she didn't want anyone to know, she shouldn't be telling people. I'm not starting any rumors, I'm just talking about what I heard.”

  Just talking about what I heard—in other words, she was gossiping and spreading rumors.

  Charlene asked, “You said it was Kyle Webb, right?” Melody nodded—yep. Charlene said, “Okay, thanks. And, don't worry: I won't tell anyone about your gossiping. I don't really care about any of that. See you around.”