Nyla Andrea

"Hey, mom," I said, running down the stairs.

"Nyla! No running in the house!" she called down, a hint of laughter in her voice.

"Sorry! Late for school!" I yelled.

I grabbed a blueberry muffin on my way out the door, the door slamming behind me. My car was sitting in the driveway, already warmed up for me (thank god for a remote start).

"Nyla, where is your coat?" my father asked, walking out to get into his car.

I rolled my eyes. "It's twenty degrees. It's a heatwave."


I pulled into our school's crowded parking lot ten minutes later, searching for a place to park before the bell rang. But, of course, the one I did find was in the back, which means I was stuck marching through the snow.

Fucking Minnesota.

"Ny. Finally. I have been dying to talk about the day's newest gossip."

Meet Selena, my best friend since pre-k. AKA: Gossip Queen.

"What's the big news now?" I asked, grabbing my English books.

"Well, Arthur and Francine broke up. Then, Mike Thompson and Maya Cert hooked up, and Max crashed his father's new convertible."

"Why did Arthur and Francine break up?"

"Arthur got drunk and started making out with Calvin Buch."

"Well, don't tell Jerome. You know he has a crush on Arthur."

She nodded, her bouncy curls springing.

"How are you doing with Mrs. Frezna's assignment?" she asked, flipping through her notebook.

"Good. I already have a topic picked out. What about you?"

She sighed dramatically. "I don't even know my topic yet. I can hardly comprehend that the report has to be three pages."

"You once ranted to me about how NARS Makeup tests on animals. For three hours."

"Well, that's true. I could write about animal cruelty." She sighed. "What's your topic on?"

"I was thinking of a serial killer, but I haven't decided which one."

"There's more than one serial killer in Minnesota?!" she asked, voice going all high and squeaky.

"Yes, there are."

She shuddered.

"How many serial killers or prolific murderers are from Minnesota?" asked our friend Jerome, popping up from behind Selena.

"Twenty-four, approximately."

Selena mimed puking into a trash can.

We chatted as we went to our classes. Jerome and I shared our first class of the day, which was advanced English focusing on writing. Unfortunately for Selena, her first class of the day was Advanced Algebra.

"Good morning. Since it's Friday, I have decided to let you work in the library today. By the end of class, I want you to choose a topic and have a clear thesis."

The entire class got up and headed towards the library; most students talked about the giant party tonight.

"So, what are your plans tonight? We all know you don't do parties."

I shrugged.

"I have nothing to do, so I'll probably go home and relax."

"Well, I'm coming over. Being home with my two older brothers is not my idea of fun."

"Not in the mood for an atomic wedgie tonight?" I teased.

Jerome's older brothers were nice guys, but they tended to mess with Jerome a lot, sometimes a little much.

Once at the library, I saw our friend Cameron sitting there, playing on his phone, obviously attempting to skip the first period.

"Hey. Why aren't you in science?" I asked, taking my laptop out of my shoulder bag.

"I decided to skip. Detention is worth it if I get to skip dissecting a worm."

"Yeah, but if you get detention, you can't hang out tonight."

He grabbed his phone and walked towards the science hall, Jerome's and I's laughter following him.

"Hey, kids," Mrs. Frezna said.

"Hey, Mrs. Frezna. What's up?"

"Well, I know you two, and I know you both already have a topic picked out."

Jerome spoke up before I could.

"I have decided to do mine on the Amelia Jener case. The girl who went missing sixteen years ago?"

"Oh, interesting. And you, Nyla?"

"I think I am going to do mine on the Weepy-Voice Killer."

Mrs. Frezna blinked in stunned silence.

"Ok! Well, you have fun with that."

Jerome shook his head as she was walking away, grinning.

"I'm one hundred percent sure that you are a psychopath."

I shrugged and opened my notebook, where my notes from the research I had already done were waiting for me.

"This case is fascinating. The child, Amelia Jener, was taken from right under her parent's nose. They had left her downstair's in their locked house. They came back down two minutes later, and she was gone. There was no evidence of her anywhere."

"Makes you feel a bit unsafe in your own home, doesn't it?" I said, leaning back into my chair.

"Are you sure you want to do your report on the Weepy-Voice Killer? Why don't you do it on the Smiley Face Killer Theory instead?" Jerome asked.

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye.

"Why?"

"Because you have a lot more freedom with it. The person you are doing your report on isn't going to change. Besides, he's dead. So the Smiley Face Killer theory is always adjusting, and you can be a lot more open-ended with your report."

I thought about it for a couple of minutes, weighing the pros and cons.

"Besides, what more could you possibly learn about serial killers?"

"Yeah, your right. I'll talk to Mrs. Frezna."

"I always am," Jerome mumbled, grinning.

"Mrs. Frezna?" I asked.

"Yes, Nyla?"

"I was wondering if I could switch my topic?"

"Long as the topic you want to switch to is still available," she pointed to the paper on the table, where my classmate's names were, with their topic right next to them.

Nobody had taken the Smiley Face Killer Theory (not that I had expected anyone to).

"Ok. Thanks. Mrs. Frezna."

She nodded absentmindedly.

"Can you call Jerome up here, please? I want to talk about his project topic."

I nodded and headed back to the table.

"Hey, Mrs. Frezna wants to talk about your project topic."

"Why?"

I shrugged and gestured over my shoulder. Jerome shook his head and got up.

"If I am not back in ten minutes, come look for my body."

I rolled my eyes and turned back to my computer.

"Ny. Thank god your class is in here too. I thought I would be here alone."

"Bullshit. You're friends with everyone in this school."

"No, you are incorrect. I tolerate everyone in this school. You and Jerome and sometimes Cameron are the only ones I like."

"Thanks, I think."

She rolled her eyes and opened her laptop, where I saw a very complicated math problem.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Oh, this? It's a problem Mr. Vertaj gave me to solve. He said it would be a challenge for me. but so far, it's been super easy."

I blinked, baffled, and shook my head incredulously.

"I can't even begin to comprehend that. I have a personal belief that numbers and letters should not mix."

"Satan invented algebra," Jerome said, sitting back down.

"True fucking statement," I said, looking at Selena with a raised eyebrow.

"Whatever."

"What did Mrs. Frezna say?"

"Something fucking odd. Told me to be careful because the police are relooking into the case."

"Well, you know, the police usually reinvestigate if there is new information or evidence."

Jerome stared at me for a second. "But that doesn't make sense. More evidence would have hit the news immediately."

"Huh," I said.

"Anyway, Selena, how do you feel about coming over tonight?"

"Why?"

"Well, Jerome is coming over, and I figured I'd invite you and Cameron, and we can hang out. Watch horror movies or something."

"Sure, sounds fun."

I jumped when I felt my phone vibrate.

Honey, your father and I have decided to go out for the night. So we will be out late. Love you.

"Well, it seems like we now have the house to ourselves."

"Your parents taking off for the night?"

"Yeah."

I sent a quick text to Cameron:
Hey babe. How do you feel about hanging at my house tonight? So we can finally tell them we are dating.

He responded pretty much immediately:
That sounds like a plan, babe. Love you.

Love you too.

"Texting Cameron?" teased Selena, glancing down at my phone and raising her eyebrows.

"Yes."

Selena pursed her lips and flipped her blue hair over her shoulder, eyeing me with a knowing look.

####

I put my long brown hair into a ponytail when I felt two strong arms wrap around my middle. I turned around to see Cameron smiling down at me.

"Hey, baby. You ready to tell all of our friends that we're dating?"

"Of course. We've been together for six months."

"Ok, but before everyone comes over, you and I need to shower. We smell like oil from my car."

"Together?" Cameron asked, hopeful.

"No, you dork. Our friends could come over early. But maybe if my parents are still gone after they leave..."

Cameron groaned and gave me a quick kiss, going downstairs, mumbling about creepy basements and serial killers. We both hurried our showers, so we would be ready by the time our friends got here.

"Baby?" Cam called from the kitchen.

"What's up?"

"Do you guys have pizza or something?"

"No, we ran out a couple of days ago."

"Damn. I'm ordering Domino's then. And before you say anything, I'm getting your cinnamon things."

"Thanks, baby!" I said, grinning.

He held up his phone to confirm that the orders went through.

"Good. Now get over here and make out with me before all of our knucklehead friends get here."

He grinned.

###

A knock interrupted our make-out, unfortunately. But the interruption was worth it, considering it was pizza. So Cam took four slices off the bat, and I helped myself with the cinnamon bites he had ordered for me.

"Are you going to have pizza? I ordered like four boxes."

"Yeah, I'll have some soon."

As we were laughing and eating, we heard a knock at the door. We shared a confused glance, knowing any of our friends would walk in.

I opened the door to find Arthur standing there.

"Arthur? Hey."

I gestured for him to come in, pleasantly surprised that he had decided to join us.

"Hey, man. What's up?"

"Well, nothing much. Jerome told me you guys were hanging out, and I thought maybe I could join? I don't want to go to the party with Francine there."

"That makes sense," Cameron said. "Come in. Want some pizza?"

Arthur nodded. We talked for a while about horror movies when we heard the front door open.

"Selena? Jerome?" I called.

"Selena!" she called back, voice echoing back from the entryway.

Selena entered the room, her blue hair reflecting the moonlight.

"Hey, boys and girls. Jerome is right behind me."

"Well, make yourself comfy. We got pizza."

"Dominos? Anything else isn't worth the carbs."

"Shut the fuck up and eat the stupid pizza," I said, following her into the kitchen.

She shot me a glare over her shoulder and stuck her tongue out. I wandered back out to the living room, where I found Jerome sitting on the loveseat next to Arthur.

I looked at Cameron and raised my eyebrow, and he shrugged with a smirk.

"So, what are we watching? My parents have like every streaming service known to man, so we have access to everything."

"We should watch a tv show. Something that we can have on in the background while we talk about how long Ny and Cam have been an item."

Everyone went silent and stared at Arthur, who was smiling in the direction of Cam and me.

"How the hell did you know?" Cameron asked.

"There's a hickey underneath Nyla's ear. I figured because you two were the only ones here, it was the logical conclusion."

Cam opened and closed his mouth like a fish before glancing at me.

"You gave me a fucking hickey?" I asked.

Jerome scoffed, drinking from his coffee cup.

"You never answered Arthur's question," Selena said, making herself comfy on the floor.

"Ok, since you all know now, we have been together for six months. We started dating in July. Over the fourth."

"I was with you. We were staying in a hotel with your parents." Confusion flashed over Selena's face.

I shrugged sheepishly, "He came up to surprise me because we had been talking back and forth the entire time I was gone. So we ended up talking for a while, which led to us making out."

I paused as Cameron grinned and reached over to take my hand.

"And, one thing led to another, and we agreed the attraction was too strong to ignore, so we agreed to give it a shot," Cameron finished for me.

"Where you ever planning on telling us?" Selena asked, a hint of hurt in her voice.

"Yes. We were planning on telling you all tonight, actually, but Arthur was too smart."

"Not smart, just observant."

We all laughed.

"Ok, since that is out of the way, what are we going to do tonight?"

"Play some party games? Watch a movie in the background?"

"Both?" Selena suggested.

I nodded in agreement, and so did everyone else.

"What are we playing?" Arthur asked, sliding microscopically closer to Jerome.

"Ny, I need your help real quick.," Selena said, getting up and heading towards the kitchen.

"Ok," I got up and left the room, following her silently to the kitchen.

"Where you ever going to tell me?" She asked, whirling around.

"I promise I was going to tell you, but I didn't want Cameron's and I's relationship under scrutiny."

"That makes sense, I guess. But I'm your best friend. So I wouldn't have said or done anything."

"I know. I'm sorry, Selena. But, honestly, I thought you knew. You always acted like you did when I texted him."

"I mean, I suspected something, but I never pressured you. I figured you would tell me when you were ready."

"Selena, you know I love you. I just wanted to make sure Cameron and I were serious."

Selena sighed, glancing at me with a smile.

"Ok, I forgive you. Now I get to ask you questions."

"Sure, anything."

"Have you done the deed yet?"

I choked on water.

"Um, I see you're not pulling any punches," I said, laughing and coughing at the same time. "Um, no. Not yet. We've done everything else, though."

"Everything else? What the hell does that mean?"

"It means we've done everything but sex."

"Oh," she said, raising her eyebrows. "How was that?"

"What we did do was incredible, but we agreed sex was better to wait. Neither of us was ready yet."

"Oh my gosh, Ny, that's so romantic,"

I shot her a look.

"It's not romantic. It's respectable. If Cam hadn't agreed to wait, I would've dumped him on the spot."

"Damn. My girls got some power."

I laughed and shook my head. "Not power, just self-respect."

She laughed again and practically danced out of the kitchen. I followed after her with a grin on my face, plopping down next to Cameron.

"What were you two talking about in there?" he asked, a smirk on his face.

"That's a secret," I whispered back.

He grinned and squeezed my hand and turned back to our friends, who were laughing at something Jerome had said.

"So, what are we doing?" Cam asked, leaning forward to take a swig from his drink.

"I thought we agreed on Truth or Dare?" Arthur said, leaning forward on his elbows.

Everyone agreed, and we spun a bottle on who gets to start.

"Jerome, I guess you're starting us off."

"Just a warning, compared to Ny's or Selena's questions, mine might seem a bit lame."

"That's ok. I'm scared of those two anyway," Cam responded, laughing as I gently hit him on the shoulder.

"Cam, truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you...to kiss Ny."

Cam looked at me with an eyebrow raised, and I nodded subtly. Then, he leaned forward and kissed me softly.

'Fuck that,' I thought as I leaned forward to press his lips harder against mine. 'If this is how my relationship is gonna be exposed, then we are doing it with a fucking bang.'

At first, Cameron stuttered with the rhythm but eventually kissed me hard and deep, pulling away with a dopey grin on his face.

"Well, damn. That was awesome," Cam said. "Quick, Jerome. dare us to go have sex."

I scoffed and shoved his shoulder.

"Ope, Cam, and Ny are getting freaky up in here," Arthur said with a grin.

"Shut up. Cam, it's your turn to ask a question," I said.

"Selena, Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

"Ok, um...Selena. How is it going with Ben Johnson? I know you've been talking."

"How the fuck did you know that? I haven't even told Ny that yet."

"S, I already knew. You may be the gossip queen of Lincoln High, but I'm the amateur detective. I've noticed how you guys talk and flirt in the hallways. and I've stopped through your Snapchat."

Selena opened her mouth in surprise before rolling her eyes.

"I know because Ben talks in the locker room. The boy is the worst secret keeper known to man," Cam said, grinning.

"Fine. It's going well; Ben asked me out on a date a couple of days ago. So we are going out tomorrow."

"Congratulations," Arthur said with a smile.

"Thank you," Selena said. "And now it is my turn to ask a question."

Selena paused and looked around the circle, finally settling on Jerome.

"Jerome. truth or dare?"

Jerome thought about it for a second before saying dare.

"Ok, I dare you to kiss Arthur."

Arthur's and Jerome's mouths dropped open, a blush spreading across both of their faces.

"I mean, I'll do it if Arthur is ok with it."

Jerome looked at Arthur with a question in his eyes, and Arthur nodded with a slight grin on his face. Jerome leaned forward slowly and pressed his lips to Arthur's.

We all watched as Arthur's and Jerome'sbody language completely changed. They both significantly relaxed into the kiss, and all of us could tell that the kiss was releasing at least a couple of months of pent-up attraction.

When Jerome's hand went from his lap to Arthur's hair, Selena, Cam, and I all whistled and cheered.

Jerome and Arthur pulled away with a smile, embarrassment flooding their cheeks.

"Ok, we have to continue that later," Arthur said with a smile.

"Aww, you guys are so cute," Selena said. "I now feel like a major fifth wheel."

"Invite Ben over. We can add one more to our posse here."

"Really? Ok," As she pulled out her phone, I grinned at her.

"Ok, Jerome, it's back to you. Your turn to ask."

"Ok, Arthur. Truth or Dare?"

"Dare."

"Kiss me again."

Arthur grinned and surged forward to kiss Jerome again, this time threading his hands through Jerome's curly hair. After Arthur pulled away, panting, Jerome was smiling brighter than last time.

"Ok then. You guys looked like you had fun with that," Cam said, teasing lit to his voice.

"I know I did," Arthur said.

"Arthurs suddenly getting freaky up in here," Selena said, laughing,

"Oh, honey, you haven't seen freaky."

"That sounds like a challenge," I said.

"Oh, yeah? Ny, truth or dare?"

I raised my eyebrow at the mischievous look on Arthur's face.

"Dare."

Arthur grinned.

"I dare you to make out with Cam."

"Ok," I looked at Cam with an eyebrow raise. And before I could grasp if it were a yes a no, Cam slammed his lips to mine.

I moaned into the kiss without thinking about it, reaching up to pull him closer to me. I laced my fingers behind his head, my fingernails gently scraping along the base of his neck. He pulled me into his lap, his hand grazing my small back and slipping underneath my bra and tracing the outside.

When I pulled away to breathe, Cam pulled me back in, tongue asking for entrance. When granted the access, I felt his hand slip down to the apex of my thighs, where I was debating to let him continue exploring.

I vaguely heard whoops and whistles from the others, which caused me to pull away, gasping against Cam's lips.

"Well. that was fun," I said.

"We are continuing that later," Cam said.

I nodded and rolled off him. meeting the shocked looks of all my friends.

"So, did I meet the requirements?"

"Um, I would say yes," Selena answered, fanning herself comically.

I laughed and took a swig of my water.

"Ok, who should I ask?" I wondered aloud, stopping to look at Arthur.

His gaze met mine, and I glanced at his hand, which was gripping Jeromes.

"Hey, S, who do you think is more dominant?" Cam asked, glancing between Arthur and me.

"Ny. She has periods."

Cam choked on his drink.

"S, truth ot dare?"

"Truth."

Selena and I had a deal that we would be nice to each other during truth ot dare. We tended to a bit rough with the questions and the dares.

"Is Ben coming over?"

"Yeah, he's on his way; he will be here in about a half-hour."

"Sounds good. It's your turn."

She nodded and glanced around the room before her gaze landed on Jerome.

"J, truth or dare?"

"Dare?"

"I dare you to pick the background tv show."

Jerome groaned. "Man, I don't want that kind of pressure."

"I'll do it," I said, grabbing the remote.

"Wait, why does Jerome get out of the dare?"

"Because it's my house, and I can pick the show. And Jerome doesn't want to do it?"

"She's right. I don't want to."