"Come on Barbie, let's go party!"

Kyle danced atop my mom's coffee table, using a hairbrush as a microphone as we listened to the music blaring from our clunky desktop computer.

"If you bust your head open, Priyanka better not say a damn thing to me!" my mom told him as she passed by, and we laughed.

The living room was pitch black, illuminated only by the light from the computer screen. It was 11 PM on a Friday night, and the world felt as carefree and whole as it ever would. It was only weeks before the laser tag arena.

"Can we put something else on? Seriously, I've lost track of how many times you've replayed this song!" I said, sorting the gummy bears in my pack by color, and Kyle sighed dramatically.

"If you insist, Mar," he smiled, turning on the SpongeBob SquarePants theme song.

"Goodness gracious, Kyle!"

He laughed, hearty and infectious, and then he nestled beside me on the couch.

"So," he began, a grin on his face.

"So?"

"Marnie, you know Holden has a crush on you, right?"

I nearly knocked over the bowl of popcorn in my lap.

"No he doesn't. We're friends, that's how he's always seen me."

Kyle smirked, "He's always trying to be close to you, always giving you little gifts. That's Holden for 'I'm hopelessly in love with you, please reciprocate or I'll literally perish'."

I rolled my eyes, "Don't be dramatic. A guy like him could never be into me."

"Why not? You're perfect! And you seem to be in denial about a ton of things, Mar."

"Pfft! Like what?"

Kyle stuck out his tongue, "Nothing, nothing."

I sensed his implication and instinctively changed the subject.

"How're things at home?" I asked, and his cheesy smile fell.

He seemed to withdraw within himself, rifling through his curly hair with his fingers.

"I caught my mom yelling at Sonia again...she told me she'd stop, but I think she's just getting better at hiding it."

I patted his shoulder, "What's going on between them?"

Kyle shrugged, "I wish I knew. It's like, Mom acts like she hates Sonia and Dad barely acknowledges her - he's not home enough to."

"That's really crappy, Kyle, I'm sorry."

I hugged him gently, and he rested his head against me.

"But on the bright side, I exist! I'll always be here to defend my twin's honor!"

I chuckled, ruffling his hair.

"Okay, Mr. Knight. Now come on, those Minecraft zombies aren't going to slay themselves."

"Hell yeah!"

I booted up the game, Kyle aggressively dancing to the "Baby Shark" trap remix in the background.

"Love you, bestie," he said after a time, and I beamed at him.

"Love you too, Kyle."

***

The sound of pebbles ricocheting off my bedroom window sounded faint in comparison to the whirlwind of information blaring through my head. My legs seemed to carry me towards the noise without my ever having consciously thought about it.

"Mar-bar! Open up!"

Holden smiled at me beside Cornelia, waving frantically.

I plastered on a grin, lifting the window to greet them.

"No school, Marnie!" Cornelia beamed, fiddling with the diamond studded clip in her hair, "Let's go to the mall or something!"

I looked off in the distance and saw Persephone and Sonia rounding the corner.

Holden noticed them and chuckled, "Looks like we all had the same idea."

Minutes later, we were all situated in my living room.

The computer that used to fill my silent nights with upbeat music had broken and gathered dust on its desk.

"So this is our base of operations, huh? Could use 100% less nerds if you ask me," Sonia joked teasingly, and Holden laughed.

"But I like it when you're with us, Sonia," he smiled, and giggled endlessly when Sonia descended on him with a feather pen from the coffee table, tickling his ears.

"Oh-em-goodness!" Cornelia cheered as she scrolled through her phone, "The pop up carnival is back in town! We have to go!"

"I love pop up carnivals! They used to come by Apricot Valley every summer," Persephone shared, to which Cornelia clapped with excitement.

"You're from Apricot Valley? Have you ever met the beauty guru Carmella Caramel who lives there?"

"Oh yeah," Persephone nodded, "Carmella actually used to babysit me!"

I looked on as my friend group chatted merrily. Even through the veils of the tumultuous times we were in, even despite the adversity, we had little happy moments like this. Moments of innocent teasing, connection, safety.

When did I cut in and ruin it?

When did I pull out the papers? When did I tell Cornelia and Holden that their dad had hired someone to kill mine? Should I have waited until we'd experienced an evening at the carnival? Would there ever be a perfect time to tear their worlds apart?

"Mar, why are you crying?"

Cornelia kneeled in front of me, concerned, wiping tears I wasn't aware had fallen with the sleeve of her cashmere cardigan. The rest of my friends' faces turned to me.

"I don't have any wheat, you silly Minecraft cows," I tried, but they all drew closer, their worried faces tormenting me.

"I'd love to appreciate your geek joke, Mar, but there's obviously something on your mind. What's going on?" Holden asked, then gently tucked my hair behind my ear.

Sonia cracked her knuckles, "I'll literally break the kneecaps of who or whatever hurt you."

Persephone perched on the side of my chair, "We can figure out whatever's happening together, Mar. You know that?"

Wordlessly, I broke away from them and left, returning with the papers. I gave them to Persephone, and she read them aloud.

Gradually, the faces of all my peers fell. I could only stare at the floor, wincing whenever I heard Persephone's voice waver.

"...Katerina. That's my dead grandmother..." Persephone said hoarsely, the new information zipping through her head in waves.

"What the f*ck does my dad have to do with anything? And why the f*ck was she so vague about Kyle?!" Sonia hissed under her breath, beginning to pace.

Holden and Cornelia were silent. We all looked up to stare at them, and they stared at me.

For a very long time, it was just that.

Silent staring.

Then, the pair stood, looked at each other, and nodded.

"We have to go. We'll come back later," Holden announced, to which Sonia held their hands.

"Wait a minute," Sonia said, "Where do you two think you're going?"

"The lake. To process," Holden answered, and Cornelia nodded, "See you at the carnival in two hours."

Persephone cut in, "Are you guys sure it's a good idea to go in the woods by yourselves?"

Sonia shook her head, "It's not and you'll both get killed!"

Cornelia sighed, "Plum Lake is our favorite place, okay? We could navigate out of the woods easily if someone tried to hurt us. And there's two of us."

Sonia glared at them for several moments, and then she produced a pocket knife and pepper spray from her bag.

"Take these," she insisted, and soon we stood on the front porch, watching them disappear into the horizon.

Before they could fade away completely, Holden bolted back towards us. He stopped in front of me and embraced me.

"See you soon, Mar," he whispered to me, then planted a lightning fast kiss on my forehead before running off again.

It made me shiver delightfully. Peering over, I could swear I saw Sonia glare and Persephone narrow her eyes before their neutral expressions returned.

Seph's phone pinged with a text and she sighed exasperatedly, "My parents are back in town and they want me to come home to check in with me. I've gotta blast."

She embraced me warmly, then turned to Sonia, hesitating.

"Just hug me, loser," Sonia told her, and they did, brief and amicable.

"I'll try to dig whatever I can up from them. See you guys at the carnival later!" Persephone shot us a pained smile, mounting the bike she'd rode in on and speeding off.

I beamed at Sonia.

"What?" she grinned, nudging me.

"You hugged Seph. Willingly. And you ironically called her a loser. Say it with me now-"

"I'm not saying anything."

"B!"

"What is this?"

"F!"

"What are you doing?"

"F's! BFF's!"

Sonia chuckled, rolling her eyes, "Whatever. Now come on," she slung her arm around my shoulders, "It's you and me, carnival time. Daytime events are lame, but you'll be there, so it'll be amazing regardless."

*

"Sonia. This rollercoaster was assembled in less than a few hours. We have to sign something to ride it. Are you absolutely sure this is the way you want to go out?"

We stood in line, the festively decorated carnival parking lot a buzz of energy around us. Rainbow lights flickered as far as the eye could see, and families, friends, and couples alike were all in attendance.

I could smell the popcorn and fried dough, feel the cool bursts of wind whisking past us. Looking harder, I could see the concerned faces of parents when their children strayed too far. The news from the morning had them vaguely shaken.

"Don't be dramatic, Marnie. Worst case scenario we both get to rock the wind swept hair look from our hospital beds," she smiled teasingly, and I folded my arms.

"If I vomit, I'm blaming you."

She winked at me, "I'll hold your beautiful hair back."

"Next," the admissions man groaned, and Sonia practically bounced with excitement.

"Come on!" she pulled me along, and I was happy to comply, indulging in her joy as if it were my own.

•

"I hate this. I hate you. I'm never doing that again."

Sonia cackled, trying (and failing) to pull the random piece of chewed gum that flew through the wind into my hair.

"It's not funny!" I protested, but was already cracking a smile.

"It just- haha! It made a nest!" Sonia laughed so hard that tears began to well in her eyes.

I couldn't help but chuckle, absolutely adoring the sight of her amusement.

"Screw you!" I playfully pushed her away, managing to dislodge most of it myself.

Through her laughter, she managed to say, "When and where?"

I began to laugh too.

What felt like hours passed as Sonia and I ran through the carnival, completing activities and watching them switch from day to night. We'd purchased bubble blowers, hot dogs, and funnel cake, and for several precious moments, we had the pleasure of forgetting our murder mystery.

"They opened the fun house maze, Mar!" Sonia cheered, and I happily let her lead me to it.

Inside the fun house, we played with our appearances.

"This is what I'd look like if I had Kim K.'s a*s," I said, looking back at my distorted reflection in the mirror, and Sonia laughed.

She hugged me from behind, reaching to tickle my stomach, and I squirmed.

"Hey! Haha! I'm gonna get you!" I said, and pressed the button on my dalmatian shaped bubble blower.

A cheery children's tune played from it as it lit up, circling Sonia in a flurry of bubbles big and small. She swatted at them and backed away, giggling until her cheeks were red.

"Oh my gosh, you win, you win! It tastes like plastic!" Sonia chortled, but I didn't cease my attacks, and instead focused them on her neck, "That tickles!"

She looked at me, smirking evilly before raising her own bubble blower, pouring an iridescent shower over my head.

"Ahh," I snorted, "I thought I won!"

"You've been bamboozled!" Sonia told me, and eventually the house of mirrors was so full of bubbles that we could barely see each other.

I used this to my advantage, hiding behind a corner in the disorientation.

"Where did you go, Mar?" Sonia asked after a few moments, "Come out, come out wherever you are!"

Just before she could discover me I jumped out, spinning and watching my bubbles land on every surface.

Sonia laughed, then wrapped her arms around me.

"Tag, you're it," she joked, and I looked up at her, adoring how her eyes seemed to shimmer more than the bubbles did.

Time slowed.

"You're stunning, Sonia," I told her, and she gradually let her hands fall to my waist.

I could feel her soft hair as it fell over my hands behind her neck. She beamed at me, looking completely content, like the mere sight of me would make her heart burst.

Quietly - oh so quietly - she leaned over and spoke against my ear, "Kiss me."

When she pulled back I was eager to comply.

At once, our lips pressed together, and the world became an inferno. A plume of devastating heat blossomed in my chest, spitting flames aimlessly every which way. Sonia pressed me closer, hotter, as if I was the only thing tethering her to our reality. It was desperate. It was molten.

Briefly, Sonia broke away, peppering passionate kisses all across my cheeks, my neck, my chest. And soon enough, she met my lips again, hard and insistent.

The sound of a ball bouncing to the floor snapped us out of our splendor. A little boy stared wide eyed at us, and we couldn't help but lose ourselves to the laughter once more.

•

Later, Sonia and I sat at the highest point of the ferris wheel, looking on at the bright carnival lights as dusk settled around us. I leaned against her, feeling warm and safe.

"Marnie," she addressed me, holding my hands.

"Yes?" I responded, turning my full attention to her.

"I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"For...for being who I've been. Mean, unapproachable, hot-headed."

"I just think all that's a defense mechanism, you don't have to apologize."

"Maybe it is that. But it's no excuse. I don't want to be the vicious girl everyone took a chance on and miraculously came to like. I don't want to be a stereotypical bad person who meets good people that somehow make her good."

"I don't think you're a bad person, Sonia. I never have. I think you're fierce and no-nonsense and a force of nature."

"That's because you're my favorite cinnamon roll, Mar. You're sweet and you see the good in everyone, even if they don't deserve it. I don't think I deserve it."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I'm trying to be better. To do better. All of this f*cked up stuff has me realizing that I don't want to be like the people who raised us. And it's stupid and cliche and you absolutely had no obligation to, but you made me realize I don't have to be the mean girl."

"No, you don't. But I'll always care about you, no matter who you turn out to be."

Sonia smiled softly, "You get me, Mar. You have since forever. You don't look at me and see a scary or tough person."

"I don't know, you can be pretty freakin' scary," I teased, and she giggled.

"Oh yeah? If everyone knew I love swimming and bubbles and have a pile of stuffed animals on my bed they wouldn't think so."

"The ever-edgy Sonia Moreno has plushies?!"

Sonia blushed, "I'm not edgy! Literally the most edgy thing I've probably ever done is learned to play 'The Hotel California' on my guitar."

"My bad, not edgy. Nerdy!"

I chuckled as she playfully shoved me. We were just about to get to the bottom of the ride when Sonia gazed at me intensely.

"Marnie. I have to tell you something."

My heart stopped, "Is it something bad?"

"Oh God, no! Well, at least I don't think so. Maybe?"

"What is it then?"

I watched her, and it suddenly seemed as though she were deflating, the words she was trying to form struggling to fall from her lips.

"I...it's just that I...well, I'm saying..."

"...yes?"

Finally, she took a breath and began, "I'm saying I lo-"

The door of our ride was opened, and we saw Persephone, panicked and wildly gesturing us towards her on the outside.

"Hold that thought, okay?" I addressed Sonia, and she sighed and nodded, helping me out before we walked to Seph.

•

Persephone led us to a secluded spot, pacing.

"What the hell happened?" Sonia asked, and Seph stopped in her tracks.

"Listen," Seph said with urgency, "After pressing for a little bit to my dad, I found out he helped a high school friend named Diego start a business here in Plum Creek. It was a diet pill business. He said he was deeply ashamed for feeding into that ideology."

"Okay?" I replied, gesturing for her to go on.

"I asked my mom and she let it slip that my grandma died after taking a diet pill from here. It was too much on her weak immune system and gave her a stroke."

Sonia took in the information, rubbing her temples, "...and then?"

"And then they noticed something was up at dinner and they locked me in my f*cking bedroom!"

"What?!" I exclaimed, and Persephone nodded.

"I had to jump out the window! The window!"

Seph crumpled to a pile of tears on the ground, hyperventilating. Swiftly, Sonia and I kneeled down beside her, patting her back.

"So Diego Moreno sold your grandma a diet pill that led to her death...then your parents sensed something was up and literally locked you in your bedroom," I clarified, and Persephone nodded, "That's extremely suspicious..."

Sonia clenched her fists, "All their a*ses are getting beat! This isn't f*cking Rapunzel!"

The clatter of swift steps nearby alarmed us, and we stood, taking defensive stances.

We relaxed when we saw that it was Cornelia and Holden, but tensed again at their expressions.

"Guys!" Holden wheezed, "Someone was stalking us in the woods! I think we shook them off, but God!"

Sonia snapped, "I told you dum-," she faltered, correcting herself, "...you two not to go!"

Cornelia caught her breath, looking shaken to the core.

"I need to tell you guys something," Cornelia said, tears pricking her eyes.

We looked at her, and she seemed to crumble.

"On the night...that night...when I checked on the marigold flowers..." she began, and Holden glared at her.

"You better not tell us you did anything stupid, Cornelia," he told her, and she flinched at her full first name.

We gazed at her curiously, and with great struggle, she went on, "I wasn't just checking on them. I was meeting someone..."

Sonia hissed, "What?! Why?!"

Cornelia answered, voice wavering, "A week before everything happened, I found a flyer in my locker at school. I guess I thought everyone got one. It said something about custom gift deliveries for straight A students. There was a number on it, and since it was at school I thought it'd be safe to get it for Kyle. I just wanted my gift to stand out, and he always loved weird surprises..."

"Holy f*ck, Cornelia," Sonia said, burying her face in her hands.

"Then what?" Persephone rasped, her own breaths barely steadying.

Cornelia continued, "Then I called the number. And it was under Schaefer's caller ID, but a distorted voice answered. Like it was high-pitched, like they were talking through a chipmunk microphone. They said they'd show up in a wacky costume and deliver whatever gift I requested to any location. I told myself it was Schaefer being weird, but...then it was that night, and I wanted to go home, but I also wanted to make sure Kyle got his gift. I met with someone wearing a super long robe with a hoodie that covered their face...they talked with the distorted voice..."

"And f*cking then?" Sonia asked.

Cornelia finished, "They held a present box. I thought it was all apart of their act. Like maybe they'd rip away the robe and it'd be Schaefer in a clown costume because she knew it was Kyle's birthday. And they gave me a thumbs up, and I think I dropped my bracelet, and everyone took me home..."

The cheerful laughter of the people at the carnival in the distance was like nails against a chalkboard.

"You didn't think that maybe any of that was just a little f*cking suspicious?!" Sonia berated.

"Why are you only just mentioning this now?!" Persephone pressed, and Holden answered.

"The person stalking us was wearing a robe!"

Bone chilling, horrifying, and sickeningly familiar, we heard a gunshot fire, and the crowd began to scatter and scream.

Glancing back at my friends, I saw Cornelia looking aghast, dark red liquid seeping through her shirt as she stood in front of Persephone.

"SH*T!" Holden cussed, and a dark figure in the very same aforementioned hoodie bounded towards us, armed to the teeth.

Sonia scooped up Cornelia, and we began to run through the blocks of Plum Creek, our pursuer never far behind.

Desperately, we sprinted, making sure none had left our sights. The adrenaline coursed through our veins, and the fear that Sonia would falter because of Cornelia's weight in her arms completely consumed me.

We winded through several streets, the hub of movement and the distant roar of honking car horns a soundtrack to our escape.

Finally, miraculously, the robed figure was out of sight. We halted in an eerily familiar parking lot.

"We have to go in and hide while I text my parents or Cornelia's going to pass the hell out!" Sonia told us, the blood spilling down even her arms.

"Alright," Persephone said, and took two pins from her hair to pick the door's lock.

One by one, rushed, we all filed into the Plum Creek Laser Tag Arena for a second time.