5...7...8
1096 Words
Liv didn’t speak on the way home.
No headphones.
No thoughts.
Just the steady drum of the street beneath her boots.
Once inside, she didn’t go to her room.
She walked straight to the kitchen, where her parents were quietly sorting through bills.
They looked up.
She looked at them—calm, but firm.
“Was Yara adopted?”
“She wasn’t adopted,” her mother repeated, softer this time.
Liv didn’t respond. She just stood there—staring at the kitchen tiles like they might rearrange themselves into answers.
“But…” her mother continued, choosing her words carefully, “she always acted like she was. Like she had to earn her place.”
Her dad nodded slowly. “She made every test result perfect. Every speech flawless. Every friend carefully chosen.”
“She smiled like a role she rehearsed,” her mom whispered.
Liv clenched her jaw.
“That’s what it was, then. The pressure. The pretending.”
“No, Liv,” her mom said gently. “She chose it. No one asked her to be perfect. She wanted that. Needed it.”
Liv turned to them fully now. “Was she ever… caught doing something wrong?”
The silence said more than either of them could.
Her dad finally sighed. “Once. School called. She was accused of buying pre-leaked papers for her finals. She swore it was a mistake—said someone was framing her. She cried, promised it wasn’t true.”
“And you believed her,” Liv said.
“She was our daughter,” her mom said. “We wanted to.”
Liv didn’t blame them.
Because she’d wanted to, too.
Wanted to believe in the version of Yara who left sticky notes in her notebooks and brought her coffee when she was sad.
But now—she realized that version wasn’t false.
It was just one of many.
And the one the world never got to meet… was the one who pushed people too far.
Liv stared at her reflection in the window.
Yara’s face was still there—quiet and flawless in the glass.
But Liv wasn’t chasing her anymore.
Now, she was hunting the person Yara hurt most.
Because that person never got to heal.
Liv sat on the floor, phone in one hand, pen in the other.
The group chat crackled with digital ghosts.
She read every line again—not as a sister grieving, but as an investigator tracking a pattern.
Insults.
Mockery.
A slow emotional crucifixion of one boy—Charles Justin (CJ).
She started making her list:
Riley Bowers – sent the first meme mocking CJ’s “radioactive science kit.”
Emma Fielding – screen-recorded his science presentation and added mocking subtitles.
Liam Granger – made a poll titled “Will CJ cry today?”
Britt Holloway – sent edited photos making CJ look like a “mad chemist.”
Dylan Hart – created a group story called “Nerd Infection: CJ’s Lab Leak.”
Zoe Patterson – constantly spammed laughing emojis under every insult.
Caleb Voss – encouraged CJ to quit science fair “for his own safety.”
Hayley Lane – messaged, “Bet he microwaves batteries for fun.”
1. Riley Bowers – The Meme Maker
Location: College campus, library café
Recorder On
Liv: “Do you remember CJ? Charles Justin?”
Riley: (smirking) “Of course. That science freak.”
Liv: “You made a meme of his project.”
Riley: “Yeah, and? It was funny. He made it too easy.”
Liv: “You do know he vanished after that year, right?”
Riley: (shrugs) “Not my problem. People need to grow thicker skin.”
---
2. Emma Fielding – The Silent Leaker
Location: Community college parking lot
Recorder On
Liv: “You leaked CJ’s personal texts.”
Emma: “They were pathetic. He thought someone actually liked him.”
Liv: “So you made sure the whole school laughed at him.”
Emma: (smiles faintly) “He wanted attention. We gave him some.”
---
3. Liam Granger – The Saboteur
Location: Gym parking lot
Recorder On
Liv: “You gave CJ fake info before the science fair.”
Liam: (laughs) “Yeah, I did. Thought he’d realize it was a joke.”
Liv: “He trusted you.”
Liam: “That’s on him.”
---
4. Britt Holloway – The Editor
Location: Art studio
Recorder On
Liv: “The photos you made of CJ—they were twisted.”
Britt: “And hilarious. You saw the one with the lab goggles? Iconic.”
Liv: “He was humiliated.”
Britt: (shrugs) “He was weird. People like that don’t belong in our school.”
---
5. Dylan Hart – The Archivist
Location: Tech repair shop
Recorder On
Liv: “You saved and spread everything.”
Dylan: “Yeah. I document stuff. That’s what I do.”
Liv: “You archived his breakdown.”
Dylan: (calmly) “Everyone loved those clips. I still have them backed up.”
---
6. Zoe Patterson – The Amplifier
Location: Clothing store
Recorder On
Liv: “You cheered every insult, every jab.”
Zoe: (rolling eyes) “He was boring. He existed like a filler episode.”
Liv: “You never even spoke to him.”
Zoe: “Didn’t need to. He made himself a target.”
---
7. Caleb Voss – The Enabler
Location: Science lab assistant office
Recorder On
Liv: “You helped submit CJ’s work under someone else’s name.”
Caleb: “Because it was easy. He never fought back.”
Liv: “You stole everything from him.”
Caleb: “He didn’t deserve it. Some people are built for failure.”
---
8. Hayley Lane – The Rumor Mill
Location: Campus café
Recorder On
Liv: “You told the teachers CJ was dangerous.”
Hayley: “Because he was weird. Staring at people. Always writing stuff.”
Liv: “You made that up.”
Hayley: (smirking) “Maybe. But it worked.”
---
End of Recordings
Liv stared at the eight audio files in her folder.
Labeled and saved.
None of them flinched.
None of them regretted it.
None of them cared.
But now—they were documented.
And CJ… might be listening.
And leading it all:
Yara Monroe.
The girl with perfect grades and flawless skin.
The girl everyone loved at home.
The girl who broke someone beyond repair.
Liv wrote down every single name.
But eight names stood out.
Some spoke.
Some watched.
Some laughed.
But they were all part of it.
- Writer
