Because She Felt Betrayed

“I just don’t get why you’re so upset!”

“YOU DON’T GET WHY I’M UPSET?!” Liz’s tone of voice went up a few octaves as she heard my reply.

“Yes! What’s wrong with me dating your ex?” I tried to defend myself.

“WHAT’S WRONG?!?” her tone suddenly gets all shrilled up.

I raised my eyebrows challengingly. “Yes, what’s wrong with that? You were the one who broke up with him. It’s not like I took him away from you!” I took a defiant stand.

Liz looked at me with fire blazing in her eyes. Her chest was heaving, trying hard not to explode.

“HE WAS MY EX! AND YOU ARE MY BESTFRIEND!” she screamed hysterically.

“So what?” I still stood my ground, crossing my arms across my chest, challenging her with my eyes.

At my response, Liz looked at me with an incredulous look on her face.

“I can’t believe you just said that..” she continued to stare at me disbelievingly.

But I continued to look defiant, ignoring the hurt I thought I heard in her voice.

 “I can’t believe you would do this to me, Bell. You, of all people!” With that, she gave me one last stare and stormed out of the room.

I could never forget that look. It was filled with so much hurt and hatred that I thought I might pass out from the intensity of it.

Well, that was the day I lost my best friend.

That was also the fateful day that she decided to kill herself.

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I heard about it the next day.

Her face was all over the local news. Everywhere I go people were talking about it.

“Why did she jump? Was there a suicide note?” At the coffee shop.

“But she’s so beautiful! Why would she kill herself?”  In the hair-salon.

“Do you think it’s a murder? Do you think someone pushed her off that roof?” Joggers at the park.

It seems everywhere I go people were talking about her. They don’t seem to get enough of the news. But I knew better.

Because I see her every day.

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She started haunting me the very same day she jumped off her apartment’s building.

I went there right after I heard the news. I needed to see it for myself. Never in my wildest dream did I imagine Liz would kill herself. “Why Liz why?”

“Because I want to punish you.”

I spun around. And there she was, with patches of blood on her head, wearing the same white blouse she was wearing yesterday. One that was now stained with blood.

I gasped.

“You’re.. here..?”

“Yes. And I’ll forever haunt you.” She formed a slow crooked smile and stared directly into my eyes. There was so much evil and malice in there that I squirmed. She moved closer to me. Dancing in the wind it seemed, because her feet weren’t touching the ground.

I tried to scream, but no sound came out. She moved closer, looking at me with vengeance blazing in her eyes. She kept coming closer…

 And I fainted.

That was the start of all the tragedies that follows…

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It started with Kevin’s death. Nobody can explain the knife slash in his neck, the multiple stabs on the chest and stomach.

There was no sign of forced entry. No fingerprints, no traces of DNA. Nothing.

But I knew better.

Because she told me how she did it.

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“Why Liz why?”

“I told you I want to punish you. And him. ” And she laughed. A high shrilling laugh that chilled my spine.

“But why?! You were the one who broke up with him! It wasn’t his fault!” I tried to cover my ears to keep from hearing that evil laugh.

She didn’t answer, but keep on bellowing her evil laugh. The laugh echoed in my head as I tried to run from her.

“You can’t get rid of me Bell, I will forever haunt you..”

“ I will forever haunt you..”

“ I will forever haunt you..”

She kept chanting and keep on laughing.

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Next were her parents. Their house was suddenly caught in fire in the middle of the night and nobody was able to save them.

Nobody knows what happened…

But I know.

Because she told me how she did it.

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“Why Liz why?? You said you wanted to punish me and Kev! So why them?! Why them Liz?!”

“Because they deserved it.” And she laughed.

“Liz please… You’re scaring me…” I looked at her pleadingly.

“Ooohh~ Bell is scared of Liz~~ ” She was mocking me, dancing playfully around me while smiling her crooked taunting smile.

“I’m telling the cops.”

“Go ahead Bell… What do you think they would do? Arrest me?” She laughed that high shrill laugh of hers.

I stumbled for words.

“They will think you’re crazy Bell… Think about it. Your best friend had just killed herself. And then your boyfriend died. Ooohhh what a tragedy~ Poor girl~ She thinks her dead best friend killed her boyfriend~”

“Don’t you see Bell? They might even lock you up! In an asylum! Haa! Go ahead Bell, go tell the police.” She smiled wickedly, with evil dancing in her eyes.

I was at a loss for words. I knew she was right. I succumbed to the helplessness I felt inside.

“Why are you doing this Liz? Why?” I asked with defeat in my voice. Exasperated, because she never gave me an answer, even after countless times of asking the same question.

“You said you were my best friend Bell. But where were you when I needed you the most?” she was looking deeply into my eyes. And for a second there, I thought I see sadness in her eyes.

“What are you talking about? I was always there when you needed me!”

“NO, YOU WEREN’T, BELL!! YOU WERE FOOLING AROUND WITH KEV! LAUGHING AT ME BEHIND MY BACK!” and the malice were back in her eyes.

“I wasn’t!! What are you talking about Liz?!”

Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

“Bella, are you alright dear? Who are you talking to?”

Mum. And she kept knocking on the door.

Liz was getting restless.

“Tell her to go away or I’ll kill her too.”

“No!”

I ran straight to the door and opened it a few inches.

“I’m alright mom. I just need some time alone.”

“But I thought I heard you talking to someone.”

“It’s just the TV, mom… It’s ok, I’m alright. You and Dad go, have fun. Go ahead, do your thing.” I tried to sound casual, ushering her away.

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Yes mom.” I tried my best to smile.

“All right then. We’ll be back late. Don’t forget to lock everything before you go to asleep.”

“Yes ma’am!” I put on a bright smile and tried to sound jovial so Mom won’t suspect anything. I know it is hard for her to leave me alone by myself at times like these. But I insisted they go. I needed some time on my own.

I stared at her back as she disappeared down the stairs, and then locked the door behind me.

Liz was quiet, looking wistfully out the window.

“You’re lucky Bell…” she suddenly spoke up, knowing I was looking at her.

“Your parents love you…” she continued, with a quiver in her tone.

“What are you talking about Liz? Your parents loved you as well…” I tried to reason with her.

“NO, THEY DON’T!!” she was suddenly screaming again.

“Liz…” I tried to soothe her.

“THEY MADE ME KILLED MY BABY!!” her tone was raging with fury.

I was shocked. For a while I just stood there, looking at her. After a few seconds of deafening silence, I asked her slowly, “What baby, Liz?”

“I was two months pregnant Bell. I wanted to keep the baby, but they told me to get rid of it.” Liz started her story.

I was dumbfounded. Shocked beyond entire belief that my best friend had kept such a huge secret from me.

“When I refused, they pulled a trick on me! Kev sedated me…” she continued.

“Wait. Kev? Kev was in on this?!”

“Yes Bell, your boyfriend, Kev.” Liz said with a lot of conviction in her voice.

My head was spinning. “But why Kev…” I was at a loss for words.

“Because he’s the father, Bell! He didn’t want the baby, so he schemed with my parents to make me lose the baby.” Liz said tonelessly.

I was looking at her with my mouth wide open. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Oh Liz… Why didn’t you tell me?” I tried to reach out to her, realizing that I was only grasping thin air. My head was spinning. But Kev told me Liz broke up with him because she fell in love with some other guy.

“I tried to. That’s why I went to see you. Right after I found out what they did to me.” she said with a tad of sadness in her eyes.

“and that’s when I see you, fooling around with Kev.” The hatred was back in her voice as she looked at me menacingly.

I shuddered, and backed a couple of steps.

“Are you with them Bell? Did you kill my baby?” her tone was dangerously low as she kept creeping closer to me.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Liz! I don’t know anything about this!” I tried to reason with her.

“Oh, don’t you, Bell?” she raised her eyebrow.

“Or are you just saying that so I will spare your life, Miss Isabella?” she kept moving closer, and I kept moving back…

“Liz, please….. Don’t do this!” I pleaded as I backed onto the wall.

“Do what Bell? Do this?” She swung her hands, knocking down a few candles with the motion.

 The light from the candle caught the curtain and suddenly the whole room was on fire.

“NO!!!” I screamed. “Stop it Liz, stop it!!”

“I won’t stop until you admit you’re conspiring with them!” Liz was screaming with fury.

“I Didn’T!! I wasn’t! Please trust me Liz!!” I pleaded hysterically as the smoke started to fill my lungs.

“That’s the thing. I don’t trust you Bell. I just don’t.” She looked into my eyes one last time and then she disappeared.

“Lizzzz…!!” I screamed as my heart started to burn and my eyes got watery from the smoke. I heard a crack as the wall crumbled behind me and that was the last thing I remembered.

Then everything went black.

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That was the day I died.

That was also the day that I started to haunt people.

Together with Liz that is.

We became best friends again after I convinced her of my innocence.

Too bad we’re already dead.