"No, I'm killing boys."

***

When class ended, Lydia made sure that only she and Jennifer would be the only girls in the locker room. Everyone was eager to leave, making it easier for her. She knew Jennifer would be the last one out and, being the good friend she was, she waited for her.

Once every girl had left, Lydia raced over to the door and immediately locked it. She turned back to Jennifer, who was tying her shoelaces. 

Upon hearing the lock click shut, the teenage girl peered over and smiled. "I knew there was a reason you were dawdling."

"We need to talk," stated Lydia, who then folded her arms. "About everything."

"Can't, sorry." Jennifer stood on her feet, her head blocking the sunlight through the window. She slung her bag over her shoulder and flicked her hair. "I've got Isaac for lunch."

She was about to leave but was forcibly prevented by Lydia. "Actually, I think you should stand him up today. I mean, you've already eaten one boy this month. In fact, you've already broken the record with three this year if you include Ahmet."

"And now I'm ready to eat my fourth. Now, unlock the door." She ordered.

"No. Not until we talk properly." Lydia argued.

"God, Lydia, make up your mind!" bellowed Jennifer, her anger rising. "First, you want nothing to do with me, and now you actually want to talk?"

"You're still my friend, Jennifer. I care about you." She insisted.

Jennifer stared her down, a rage blazing in her irises. "You didn't last night."

"I care when my best friend is acting like someone she's not." Lydia rephrased in a calm manner. "Can we please just talk? It will feel like old times again."

They both wanted their friendship to be amended, and Lydia knew how much she meant to Jennifer. "Ugh, fine!" With a huff, she tossed her bag onto the floor and sat down on a nearby bench. "What is it you want to talk about?"

"The curse."

"The curse?"

"Maybe there's a way we can reverse it. You're obviously in pain." Lydia reasoned.

She chortled. "Not at the moment, I'm not."

"But it's a continuous cycle of killing."  She added.

Once again, Jennifer practically blew her off. "No shit."

"There must be some way to stop all this." Lydia figured.

"You really think I want to give up all this?" she questioned rhetorically. "I am loving life right now, Di! Why can't you just be happy for me?"

Lydia's mouth widened in shock. "How can you say that?" asked Lydia, who was profoundly disgusted. "You're killing people."

"No, I'm killing boys." She responded. "Boys are just placeholders, they come and they go."

"You're my best friend, and I want to help you," Lydia emphasised, desiring to free Jennifer from this pain. "But I won't let you kill again."

"That's a lose-lose." Jennifer straightened up, approaching her best friend.

Lydia disagreed. "It doesn't have to be."

"Don't you get it, Lydia?" she charged with a tone of malice. "If I stop feeding, I lose me, and YOU lose me. Then, Di, you'll have nothing." 

Her words hit her hard, making Lydia feel inferior. "That's not true."

"But do you really want to risk it?" proposed Jennifer.

 She shivered, ignoring her worthless retorts. "What you're doing is wrong."

"Do you know why honeybees are predominantly female?" Lydia silently shook her head, slowly but surely losing her confidence. "It's because the males are only used to mate with the Queen Bee. Once they're done, the females kick them out of the colony and leave them to die. And that's exactly what I'm doing; Mother Nature's work."

Lydia let out a small gasp, sickened by her insinuations. "Killing boys isn't the same as kicking them out of a colony."

"Yeah, but it's twice as fun." Jennifer returned with a smug grin.

"Oh, my God." She uttered, finally realising why Jennifer wouldn't stop. "You like it, don't you?"

"That's kinda what I was insinuating, yeah." The malicious girl confirmed.

"You like killing." Lydia almost choked on her words, horrified by the monster Jennifer had turned into.

"It's what has to be done to keep me alive. You really are slow today, aren't you?" she mocked the defenceless teenager. "You must have used all that energy fucking Stiles last night."

Her eyes widened. "How do you know that?"

"I can just tell from Stiles' cheeky grin." She licked her lips playfully. "God, he is delectable."

Instantly, Lydia fought back. "You stay away from him."

"Or what?"

"Or I will finish you."

Jennifer scoffed in disbelief. "Okay, Lydia. You can barely finish the day without insulting someone."

"You know, I can't tell if being sacrificed made you a bitch, or you've always been one." Lydia pondered as if she were seeing her true colours for the first time.

"Look, I just got more confident. I'm done with people ignoring me and treating me like nothing." There was a flicker of sadness in her eyes, the real Jennifer returning to the surface. "Because that's what I've been my entire life, just another waste of space. But now look at me. I'm indestructible. What exactly are you, Lydia?" 

For years she had no purpose, but now she was the one on top. She was the Alpha. She was a Goddess. She was everything and more. To be truthful, Lydia was afraid of the possibilities. Never had she been more fearful of a person until now. 

Understanding that she had ultimately broken her, Jennifer smirked. "Can I go now?"

Lydia yielded, knowing now that she could not get through to her. "Yeah."

She picked up her bag, happily strolling over to the door. Lydia did not move, only staring out at the bench where she sat. With her right hand on the lock, she turned it. There was another click, softer this time around. Yet, Jennifer did not leave. 

"Hey, here's another little fact about honeybees." Lydia turned her head, confused. "Males don't have stingers; only females do."

"So, becoming a satanic sacrifice also makes you a bee expert then?" she remarked.

"I'm just stating a fact," Jennifer responded. Then, her smile fell, returning to a threatening expression. "Don't try anything, Lydia, because I sting." 

She hissed with an unnerving tone. Her eyes pierced Lydia's, the strawberry blonde's anxiety growing. 

Unexpectedly, her cheerful demeanour reappeared. "See you later!"

Jennifer walked out of the room without a care in the world. Once again, Lydia was left on her own. If her friend didn't want to be fixed, then she had to be stopped. Her life was being toyed with by something evil, and she wanted to end it for good. If only she knew how.

Although, there was one thing she knew for sure; Jennifer Check was a man-eating bitch, and it was time to put her down.

***

Okay, this chapter is really short and I was hoping that it was going to be longer, but I guess not. I was really excited to write this one as it's based on a deleted scene from the film. A clip of it was used in the trailer, but I guess that it was used to make the film seem more epic. It definitely did the trick.

Also, I learned about the bee thing from TikTok. Turns out it provides a better education than school ever did. That's my excuse for using those facts because I'm obsessed with them and I don't know why.

I hope you all liked this chapter.

- Alice ❤