Prologue

The cloudy, cold morning perfectly summed up the mood of the people gathered at the cemetery. At least she thought, as the car slowed down a safe distance away from the small crowd gathered beside the grave.

The passenger lowered the fogged car window to allow her to get a better view of the people.

Four? She scoffed.

Only four people cared enough to show up for the young girl's funeral? She wondered.

But the mood of the people surrounding the grave wasn't sober. More like relief.

She couldn't help but feel a little hurt, but she couldn't judge them. All in all, it had been eight years.

Eight years ago

A group of six students are seated outside the town's local high school. Their faces couldn't hide their joy.

“I can't believe tomorrow we are graduating from high school.” The tall, handsome, brown-haired boy said excitedly.

“I didn't think you cared about graduating.” Another boy chimed in with a chuckle.

The brown-haired boy turned to look at his friend with a smirk on his face and said, “I don't. I'm just looking forward to meeting new babes in college.” He winked at him.

“Had your fill of these high school girls already, Adrian?” A beautiful brunette chimed in, mocking the brown-haired boy.

Adrian smirked, “We all know you have already had a piece of this ass, Giana.” He retorted proudly, “You weren't complaining then.” He grabbed his genitals, and he bit his lip.

“Ugh, disgusting.” Another raven-haired girl commented.

Adrian walked up to her, tucking her hair behind her ear, and said, “You are just tense because you have yet to lose it to anyone, Bianca. I can help you with that.”

Bianca pushed him away with a finger in disgust and said, “No thank you.”

Adrian shrugged.  “Your loss,” he said, winking at Bianca's friend, who blushed at the slight flirtation Adrian was doing with her.

“I don't see what you see in him.” Bianca whispered to her friend, who was just daydreaming about Adrian.

“Of course you wouldn't understand.” The girl replied.

Bianca sighed. “Anna, you even dyed your hair blonde just to get him to notice you, and he still didn't.”

Anna turned to look at Bianca with a frown. “Could you just leave me be with my thoughts?” She asked irritably, “I don't judge you for your choices.”

Anna had a crush on Adrian from the moment they met on their first day as freshmen. Bianca and Anna were best friends, and Anna made sure to be part of any click Adrian was in.

“What are your plans for graduation night?” Brian asked the group excitedly.

“Probably just get wasted.” Adrian stated.

Matteo chimed in, “We could go to my father's cabin and raid his liquor cabinet.” He suggested.

Adrian threw a hand over his friend’s shoulder, gripping it tightly. “Now you're talking.” He chuckled loudly.

The other people in the group agreed with the plan.

“Whose car are we taking?” Bianca asked.

Bianca would have preferred to be the one driving, she was the most responsible in the group by far, but she didn’t want to be responsible for a bunch of drunk teens.

“Adrian's Jeep, of course.” Anna quickly replied with a huge smile plastered on her face.

“Sure.”  Adrian agreed with a huge smile.

“All of you will be at Beth's party tonight, though, right?” Brian asked as he looked around the table.

“You know it.” Adrian quickly replied. “You can’t miss the last party of high school.”

“I don't think…” Bianca started, but Anna cut her off.

“We'll be there at nine.” She said.

Bianca didn't like what her friend had turned into. She was going to great lengths just to get Adrian to notice her, while also completely ignoring all the sleeping around he was doing.

Bianca was sure Adrian would hook up with someone at the party who was definitely not going to be her best friend, Anna.

But Bianca had come to accept that her role in her friend's life was to be the mommy friend. Always making sure Anna didn’t make any choices she’d regret. But she could only do so much.

At the end of the day, Bianca's sister, Sophia, came to pick them up. 

They had grown up together, living opposite each other, and that's how they had become best friends to begin with. A friendship Bianca doubted would last once they all went to college.

“How was the last day in school?” Sophia asked the girls seated at the back.

“Amazing,” Anna said dreamily, in her mind she was relishing the fact that Adrian had agreed to something she had said.

While Bianca just rolled her eyes at the mention of the school she was happy to be leaving by tomorrow.

“Any parties tonight?” Sophia asked as they drove home, looking at the girls from the rearview mirror.

“You know there is always a party,” Bianca replied sarcastically.

Sophia had stepped up to be her younger sister's guardian when their parents died in an accident a few years back.

It was not what Sophia wanted to do with her life, but she never complained. As a matter of fact, people praised her for being such a great sister to have stuck around to be there for Bianca.

“Bee, you need to try and have fun at this party tonight.” Sophia stated, “You only get to finish high school once, so live it up.”

“That is exactly what I keep telling her.” Anna joined in.

Bianca sighed, if you can't beat them, join them, she thought.

“Fine.” She agreed, knowing full well that she wasn't going to be doing anything like drinking. She needed to be there to hold her friend's hand when she got too drunk. As always. Bianca sometimes wondered if that was why Anna invited and/or insisted she tagged along.

Anna came to Bianca's house to get ready. She wanted to look her best at the party, and her idea of the best was a very short dress and boots.

Bianca frowned.  “That is what you are wearing?”

Anna, who was touching up her makeup, turned her attention to her friend.

She frowned in disgust. “That's what you're wearing?”

Bianca looked down at her ripped fishnet tights, jean shorts, and a cropped sweater.

“What is wrong with this?” She was confused.

Anna turned her attention back to her make-up as she replied, “It is just so basic.”

Anna had a tendency to put down everything Bianca did. At first, Bianca disliked it, but she had learned that was their friendship dynamic, so she just ignored her and did what she wanted to anyway.

Anna, on the other hand, made sure to look her best. The short, gray dress she was wearing left very little hidden. She was sure this was the night she finally got Adrian to notice her.

“This, on the other hand, is very classy.” Anna pointed at herself as she flipped her blonde hair back.

Bianca shrugged.  “Can we go now? We are already late.”

Anna snickered, “A beautiful girl is never late; everyone else is just early.”

She walked out of the room, and Bianca rolled her eyes as she grabbed her phone and followed her.

Bianca drove them to the party, which was raging on with a few people already passed out on the front lawn.

So much for being fashionably late, Bianca thought to herself as they made their way to the party. Passing the drunk people puking out in the yard.

As usual, Anna wandered off to look for Adrian, leaving Bianca alone.

Bianca would just find a corner where she would just sip her drink while occasionally scrolling through her phone to pass time.

She would also try to find Anna, from time to time, and make sure she was fine.

It was almost midnight, people were starting to leave and Bianca wanted to go home too. She was looking for Anna when she found her making out with Adrian at the corner.

“I'm going home, Anna,” she stated, but she was too busy to even notice her. So she spoke a little louder.

“God, just go!” Anna barked back at her.

Bianca, who agreed to come to this party to be her mommy friend, was pissed off, so she left her there. Hoping that maybe by morning she would be in a clearer state of mind to talk some sense into her, though she doubted it.

The next morning, Bianca was up and ready for graduation.

She hated the monotonous life of the small town, and she couldn't get out of there fast enough, in her opinion.

“Look at you,” Sophia said when she saw her coming down the stairs.

Bianca smiled as she did a little twirl to show off her dress. Sophia smiled and said, “Mom and Dad would have been so proud.”

Bianca gave her a sad smile and said, “I know.”

Sophia cleared her throat, “happy thoughts,” she said with a chuckle, “I thought we would go for breakfast on our way to your graduation?”

Bianca smiled as she nodded in agreement.

Anna, on the other hand, was waking up with a terrible hangover in some random person's room.

She groaned as she looked around in confusion.

The door opened.

“Who are you?” The girl asked.

Anna sat up, looked out the window, and started cursing as the realization hit her that it was her graduation day, and if she didn’t leave soon she as going to be late.

“What time is it?” Anna asked as she gathered her things.

“A few minutes to nine.” The confused girl replied, as her eyes followed the frantic girl running around in her room.

“I am so late,” Anna said as she scrambled to get out of bed and out of this house.

How she was able to get to her home, take a shower, get changed, and be in school before her name was called was a mystery to her.

“Look who decided to show up.” Adrian stated with a smirk.

“I can't believe you left me there!” Anna whispered angrily at him.

But he just shrugged nonchalantly. Clearly showing her that he didn’t care.

Anna turned to Bianca and asked, “Why did you leave me there?”

Bianca wasn't ready to deal with another one of Anna's fits where she thought her life revolved around everyone else's. She just ignored her.

Anna was about to speak when Bianca’s name was called, and she went to get her degree.

Photos were taken. People congratulated each other. And Anna decided to behave but not apologize. Why should she be the one to apologize when she was the one who woke up in a random person’s bed and had to race around to get to her graduation? She thought.

Bianca should have had her back, but she didn’t and Anna was angry at her, but not angry enough to not pose seductively for her graduation photo.

“Guys, are we still on for tonight?” Matteo inquired.

Adrian rolled his eyes and said, “The plan should already be in motion.”

Matteo smirked as he showed them a key and proudly said, “It is.”

Sophia took the group of friends out for a celebratory lunch, and their parents joined. And by the evening, everyone's parents had given them permission to stay at Bianca's house for the night.

An excuse so they could sneak off to the cabin and Sophia covered for them and let them go where they wanted. She was, after all, the cool sister.

Bianca came down the stairs to see Sophia and Anna whispering in the corner.

“You guys look like you are planning something.” Bianca commented.

Anna smiled and said, “It is a surprise for you. You are going to die when you know what it is.”

Bianca smiled, glad that her best friend was planning a surprise for her, maybe there was hope for their friendship she thought as they rushed out when Adrian kept honking and yelling at them to hurry up.

They started their journey to the cabin.

“Pregame?” Giana asked as she brought out a bottle of vodka from her bag pack.

“Hell yeah!” Adrian said as he grabbed the bottle.

“I don't think the driver should be drinking.” Bianca started.

“I also thought we left our parents back at home, yet here you are.” Adrian mocked, everyone laughed, as he took a drink handed the bottle to Matteo, who was sitting shotgun.

The group was drinking, smoking weed, yelling, and laughing. Even the uptight Bianca had let loose, but only a little.

“See how fun it can be when you live a little,” Anna stated.

Bianca shrugged.

Adrian turned to grab the vodka bottle from Giana, who taunted her by moving it further and further away from him.

Bianca was about to scream at him to look at the road when the car hit something hard that went tumbling over the car. Adrian screeched to a halt, and everyone got out of the car.

Adrian's first instinct was to check his car, while the rest went to check what they had hit, praying it was just an animal.

But they heard groaning, and a man lay in the middle of the road, stretching his arm out in an attempt to ask for help.

Everyone gasped while Bianca, who was a trained lifeguard, jumped into action.

“Someone call an ambulance now!” She screamed as she performed CPR on the man, but the intoxicated group could barely even understand what to do.

“Let us move him to the side of the road.” Anna suggested.

“I will call for help.” Brian offers, but Adrian snatches his phone from him.

“Guys, let's think about it carefully. We are underage and we are drunk; if we call for an ambulance, they will bring the police, and we aren't sure if the man could wait that long.” Adrian tried to reason.

“This is a human being; we can't just let him die.” Bianca retorted, but the other members of the group were considering what Adrian was saying.

“So we might just end up in jail for murder?” Matteo asked.

“Then we would have ruined the future of seven people with nothing to show for it.” Adrian replied, “You can all forget about your bright futures when you have a criminal record.”

Bianca couldn't believe what she was hearing: “I can't believe you guys.” She said as she felt around for her phone. It was in her pocket.

She was about to call for an ambulance when a loud sound rang out in the night.

She felt weak.

She felt for her neck, she was bleeding. She stumbled around to look at the group, but she tripped on the man she had been trying to save and fell back, down the embankment, and to the road below.

She lay there, in the dirt, in the darkness. In pain, hurt and bleeding.

She looked up to see Adrian pointing the gun at her again, clearly trying to make sure to kill her. But a car’s lights seemed to be coming down the road towards her. 

The group panicked and rushed back to the car and drove off, leaving both Bianca and the man for dead.

Present Day

The lady in the car sighed, “It only took eight years for them to find her.” She muttered as she asked her driver to get her out of there.