"What did you just call me?"

We just stared at each other. After a few seconds it became clear that she was trying to hide her expression, although failing. She just slipped up and she knew it. I swung the door open, not really caring if she was in the way or not. I didn't hear anything else from her when I left. Maybe because she actually didn't say anything or because I just didn't listen. Either way it didn't matter. It felt like the whole night went wrong. My head was spinning as I took a step onto the road, not really sure if I should have waited for Philip or not. I decided to just take a short walk first and decide afterwards.

My walk was pretty much immediately cut short when I stumbled on something poking out of a bush, a foot. I peered in and it was Rudoslav laying on the ground, not unconscious, just laying there.

"Ow.", he whispered.

"You alright?", I scratched my neck, not really sure what to do.

He just smiled and gave me a thumbs up before reaching his hand out. I quickly took it and helped him get up. Although still drunk at least he seemed to stop drinking.

I slightly laughed: "At least someone had a good night."

"Sorry about Lola. I-"

Suddenly I was on the ground. Rudsolav pulled me in behind the bush, just as I was about to ask why the hell he decided to throw me onto the ground out of nowhere I heard voices coming closer. I looked over at Rudoslav, his expression a bit confused.

"What the hell, Rudsolav.", I whispered, not really sure why I was whispering.

"Sorry, I panicked.", he whispered back.

I knew some people got really random and confusing while drunk but he was on a totally different level of confusion. I peaked out of the bush to see Clara walking with Tobias into the forest, clearly trying to sneak their way away. They weren't supposed to be out there and they knew it. The fact that he seemingly seemed to leave Lola behind was even stranger, these two couldn't get their hands off each other a few moments prior.

Rudoslav looked over at me with a face that I could just describe as being drunk with confusion: "Is he cheating on Lola with Clara?"

He did have a point. Why else would he sneak out with her? Finding out he was cheating and telling Lola seemed like a good way to get back at her for insulting Nathalie a bunch... and also calling me a weirdo and a freak.

So, I grabbed Rudoslav by the arm and basically dragged him out.

"Come on, let's follow them.", I muttered.

Rudoslav immediately stood up straight as I uttered the words "follow them". His imitate composure made me take a step back, thinking now he would probably call me out as being weird for wanting to follow them into the forest.

"Do you want me to take pictures?"

So we walked, following them far enough for them to not notice us. It seemed like we walked for about 10 minutes before they finally stopped. In the middle of the forest. I pulled Rudoslav with me behind a bush. At first I thought they were going to maybe make out or something, but as the rest of the popular kids arrived that theory got quickly shattered. Seemed like we were watching something different happening, something that now we really shouldn't see.

"You got it?"

One of the popular kids pulls out a long stick that was broken in half. It looked just like the spears I found with Nathalie at the old factory... just broken. Clara and Tobias looked over at each other, I was too far away to read their exact expression but it was clear by their silence that they weren't too pleased.

Tobias crossed his arms, tilting his head slightly as he looked at the broken spear: "You found all of them like that?"

The kid nodded. The silence from the group spoke so many words, but somehow still left me with many questions. Were they the ones to leave the spears there? Clara, with the level of confidence that would rival that of Nathalie's, scoffed: "It was Fifi."

"Fifi?", Tobias turned to her. Clearly sharing the same confusion I was. He added: "Why would she do that?"

Clara shrugged: "She seems a bit unhinged, I wouldn't put it past her."

True... but still, rude. Surprisingly, Tobias didn't seem convinced. I would have thought he would immediately jump on the opportunity to blame me, but he didn't. 

He even believed me enough to say: "She said they only found the teeth in there."

Clara quickly chuckled: "You believe that?"

Although a bit rude I couldn't blame her for not trusting me, I did lie, she was right about that and it seemed like she was more steps ahead of me than I originally thought.

All of a sudden a loud, long, screechy howl came from the darkness of the forest. It echoes through the trees, looking over at Rudoslav I could tell he was just as creeped out as I was. More surprisingly one of the kids pulled out a crossbow and handed it to Clara, she quickly loaded it, almost like she had done so a hundred times before. Rudoslav swiftly turned to me, phone in hand. I nodded to him to take a picture. No one would believe us without having some sort of proof of what we saw.

Clara continued: "If it wasn't them they probably know more than they let on. We should-"

Suddenly, Rudoslav’s flash turned on. In a split second I managed to pull him down with me behind the bush, I could have sworn I saw Clara noticing us.

"What the hell?!", I whispered to him.

He fumbled with his phone in his hands: "Sorry!"

I quickly shushed him and before we could see any consequences from what we just did a familiar voice came from the way we came from.

"What are you two doing?!"

We looked back, Nathalie was standing a few meters behind us. I was about to shush her too but Rudoslav was quicker than me: "They're gone."

My head immediately snapped back just to see that Rudoslav wasn't drunkenly hallucinating, the group along with Clara and Tobias had disappeared. Nothing else was left than just some footsteps in the dirt they once stood on.

I looked back at Nathalie: "Clara and Tobias were just here."

She looked behind me, obviously with nothing being there anymore she gave me a suspicious glance. I gestured to Rudoslav to show her the picture he snapped, but when he handed me the phone the regret hit me. The picture he took might have been useful if he hadn't covered it with his finger. It may have been a bad idea to let a drunk person take a picture.

I immediately realised there was no use trying to convince her there, so I quickly tried changing the topic: "What are you even doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at your party?"

Philip quickly came from behind Nathalie, a bit out of breath. Nathalie seemed unfazed: "I don't really care for parties that much."

"I do."

We looked over at Rudoslav, leaning on a tree trying to keep his balance. He was totally out of it. It wasn't surprising I wasn't the only one to notice: "...Don't tell me you snuck in alcohol at my party again."

"I'm not going to tell you that then.", he mumbled as he walked over to Philip and held his shoulder, once again trying to stay on his feet.

Philip sighed: "I'm going to get him home. Nellie, can you walk with Fifi?"

"Sure."

"Wait, why does she have to take me home? I can go by myself."

Philip just stared at me, he thought about it for a moment, a really short moment before replying: "Don't make this difficult."

He turned with Rudoslav and started walking off with him in the opposite direction. It felt like another punch in the gut. He didn't trust me to walk to his house alone? Really?

All I could think to do at that moment was yell out: "You're making it difficult!"

I turned to Nathalie, the realisation hitting me that I would have to be with her alone after what happened at the party. I didn't want to talk about it at the time and I tried making it clear to her, by just walking ahead of her, trying to keep a speedy pace so she couldn't catch up to me.

"Fifi.", her voice sent shivers down my spine.

The cold air around us felt crisp enough that when I took a breath it felt like I was breathing in mint. Hearing her say my name again made something snap in me.

"Oh, so now you know my name?", I blurted out without thinking.

Damn, now I brought it up. I kept walking, hoping she would leave it at that, she didn't, and I had only myself to blame.

"I didn't know you would react like that, if I did, I wouldn't have called you-"

"How did you even find out about it?"

I could hear her sigh behind me, probably regretting she almost did it again.

"Principal Lamb handed me your information the day you arrived."

"Well, don't call me that.", I added.

I could feel her looking at me, the confusion in the air was overwhelming. I knew where the conversation was headed and I didn't want any part in it.

"It's a pretty name."

"It's not my name."

She chuckled: "Who's it then?"

I stopped walking and slightly turned to her, not fully. I didn't really want to look someone in the eyes at that moment. "My mom's. She named me after herself because she thought it would be cute. Now when I hear it I just think of her."

Damnit, did my voice have to crack like that? Who cares! It's just a stupid mother, why can't I talk normally about her? I turned away, kind of embarrassed that I couldn't keep it together in front of her for one second. It was kind of her fault for always bringing these topics up. I heard her heels stepping in the gravel towards me. She gently touched my shoulder and leaned over a bit to look at me:

"Okay, Fifi. What do we do now?"

"What do you mean?"

"About your article. You wanted to write about the factory."

It's always about articles with this girl. She wanted to talk about my stupid article? fine: "Okay, well, what am I supposed to even write about? With the pine needle I found in the shop I thought the factory and robbery were connected."

She quickly cut me off: "How did you find that? Isn't the candle shop taped off?"

"... Detective work."

"Gosh, Fifi. You can't just break into a crime scene."

I looked at her, now getting annoyed. Surprisingly, not at her but at the fact that my break-in seemed useless at the time: "I just found this stupid pine needle anyway! And that abandoned factory? Some wax, a piece of paper and teeth!" I quickly added, my tone more heated: "I think it's time for detective Fifi to retire."

All I could do was stand there, waiting for her to make a snarky remark, or once again scoff at my outburst, like she usually did. 

But instead, she elegantly and confidently reassured me: "Although your theory seems a bit out there, I have to say there is definitely something going on... I could show you those books if that helps and ask Officer Molly if she found anything."

Her flipping her hair back suggested she was on her way to start walking again, hinting for me to do so as well. Her effortless confidence and leader-like presence just hit different for some reason. We started walking again, slower than before.

"Is it weird that I want to marry you sometimes?", I joked.

That scoff I knew all too well immediately came out right before she smiled: "Now, with any other person that comment would surprise me."

We continued walking and minutes passed quickly. As we reached the town center there was still one thing on my mind that I wanted answered before we parted ways.

As we walked on the canal bridge I forced myself to ask: "What were you doing in your room before?"

She looked over at me: "Nothing."

Nothing. Sure, maybe if I hadn't just opened up to her I might have let her go with that, but I didn't.

"Is crying nothing to you?"

Silence. The only thing that interrupted the awkward silence was our own footsteps and the fall breeze. The leaves have almost completely fallen off the trees at that point. I haven't even realised how much time had already passed since I got there.

"I talked with Philip.", she whispered, I barely even heard her. Maybe she was hoping I wouldn't hear it.

"Oh."

I already knew what it meant. If it was some sort of happy fairy tale romance ending she probably wouldn't have gone to her room to cry. There was another moment of silence before she spoke again.

"He said he wanted to wait after we both graduated.", her cheeks that blush pink again. I didn't get her embarrassment.

"Isn't that... good?"

She glanced at me: "I doubt he will wait for me to graduate."

"A maybe is better than a straight up rejection.", I shrugged.

She seemed to think about something. Maybe my words have finally gotten to her. Although rarely, I sometimes did manage to say something smart, but like I said, rarely.

Suddenly, Philip's house came into view. I stopped. It felt like the whole world had stopped. I didn't feel anything, I didn't hear anything. 

Not even when Nathalie said something to me, I didn't hear it.

I couldn't focus on anything else.

Just that sliver cabriolet parked on the street, right in front of Philip's house.