Chapter 51: MURDER

A few minutes passed, the room filled with the smoke and my simmering anger.

I grabbed my phone from the desk, stubbed out the cigarette, and walked out of the office, letting the door shut softly behind me.

Tabitha stood between the front entrance and where I stood , talking to one of the attendants—the only one still visible. The rest of the staff had apparently scattered, along with every customers. She turned her head slightly as I approached, but kept speaking until I was close enough to hear her words.

“...double-check every corner next time. Understood? Have a goodnight, be here early tomorrow” Tabitha said to the girl.

The moment I stepped within range, she waved the attendant off. “Go.”

The girl nodded, scurrying away without another glance. Tabitha turned to face me fully, a faint smile forming on her lips, but it didn’t last long.

Before she could say anything, I raised my hand and slapped her. Hard.

The sound echoed in the empty space, sharp and brutal, leaving Tabitha clutching her cheek in shock.

“Do you think I like being kept waiting?” I yelled, my voice trembling with frustration. “I don’t care what excuse you have, Tabitha! If I wasn’t so—” I stopped, my chest heaving as I fought to steady my breathing. “If I wasn’t so distraught and dealing with something bigger than your incompetence, I swear I’d tear you apart right now.”

She quickly straightened herself, though the red imprint of my hand was glaringly obvious on her face. She bowed deeply, sounding apologetic. “I’m sorry, Miss Blakely. I only wanted to make sure no customers were hiding around. You know how these people can be sometimes.”

I exhaled sharply, running a hand through my hair. “Fine. You’re forgiven,” I muttered, waving dismissively.

She looked up slowly, her brow furrowed in concern. “You look… upset. Distraught, even. What’s the matter? What requires such an urgent shutdown?”

I avoided her gaze, biting my lip as I played with my nails.m to stop myself why scratching the person itch along with my sking off my neck.

She tilted her head slightly. “Miss? Surely, it’s not that big of a problem, right? Even if it is, just say it. Let’s figure out what to do. We’ll find a solution.”

She sounded almost reassuring, but it didn’t ease the storm raging in my head. I hesitated for a second longer before the words tumbled out.

“Uh…” I started. “I think I killed someone.”

Her entire posture stiffened, her head snapping around as if she were scanning the room for eavesdroppers. She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a murmur. “What? You think you killed someone?”

I nodded slightly, my fingers still fidgeting. “She’d already be dead by now. I mean, she was bleeding really bad when I left her,” I said, my voice faltering like she'd snapped any second.

The sudden sound of the door slamming shut jolted us both, freezing the words on my tongue. My head whipped toward the source, my heart plummeting into a tight coil in my chest.

Standing at the entrance was Frankie, her hand still resting on the doorframe as if she hadn’t yet processed her own actions. Her face was pale, her lips parted in a silent gasp, her eyes was wide and disbelieving, shifting between me and Tabitha.

She took two slow, hesitant steps forward, the soft click of her heels on the tile breaking the heavy silence. “What,” she began, her voice low and uneven, “did you just say?”

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. My mind scrambled for something—anything—that would make this moment less catastrophic.

Tabitha didn’t move, she just stared at Frankie as if her presence had single-handedly thrown everything out of balance, and she was thinking of a way to deal with it.

“Blakely,” Frankie said again, louder this time. Her voice cracked slightly, betraying her usual bubbly demeanor. “What did you just say?”

I clenched my fists to keep them from shaking, forcing myself to meet her gaze.

“You heard nothing,” I said finally,

She let out a sharp, humorless laugh, crossing her arms. “Oh? Then please, enlighten me. Because it sure as hell sounded like you said you killed someone.”

I swallowed hard, stealing a glance at Tabitha, who looked as though she was about to bolt but kept her ground. She had the decency not to interrupt, though her gaze flickered between us like she was weighing her options.

“You heard nothing Franki,” I muttered, dragging a hand through my hair. “I'd rather you act the same way you do at school. Ignore this, ignore me. The store is close, fucking leave.”

She took another step forward instead, her arms tightening across her chest. “Ignore you? Don't bring that into this okay? And I clearly heard you confess to murder, who is it? Is this why I and my friends got a text being asked to come super early to school tomorrow?” she repeated, her voice dripping with disbelief. “What the hell did you do this time?"

Uh… what!

"This time?" Her questions hit me like a barrage, I could feel the sweat gathering on the back of my neck, and the anger I've been trying to reel in slipping out

“This time? What do you mean by that?!,” I snapped, louder than I intended.

Frankie’s eyes narrowed, her hands falling to her sides. “I meant what you heard, now WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

Tabitha finally stirred, stepping slightly closer but not enough to intrude. “Miss Frankie, I don't think…"

“No,” Frankie cut her off sharply, not even sparing her a glance. Her focus was solely on me. “I want answers. Now, you fucking disappeared after the test and I had to leave my friends to come look for you because our parents wouldn't stop blasting my phone with calls, only to come here and hear this?!.”

I let out a frustrated sigh, "Can you shut it? Really? I don't care why you're here, just leave. Send her out Tabitha before I do something stupid, she's pissing me off"

Her face twisted in anger, and she took another step closer. “Send me out?” she repeated, her voice rising. “You’re seriously asking her to send me out? What kind of human are you?”

“The kind that stays out of things that don’t concern her, the kind that know when to shut up and leave, the kind that ignores whoever ignores her” I shot back.

She recoiled slightly, her expression shifting from anger to something that looked dangerously close to hurt. But it was fleeting, replaced almost immediately by a anger again.

“You’re unbelievable,” she said, her voice quiet but laced with venom. “Fine. Don’t tell me. But don’t think for a second that I’m letting this go, see you at home, you have a whole lot to tell the family about who you killed, and then to the cops.”

What that threat? Because I hope it isn't.

She turned on her heel, and stormed out, leaving the door swinging shut behind her.