A spooky short story about love, loss, and a dark end to a bright night.
I wrote it in 2014 for my English 9 Halloween short story contest.
“Clarence!” greeted Sydney, opening the door wide as the comforting heat from the house embraced me. I stomped on the doormat to get the snow off my boots, and she ushered me in quickly in a failed attempt at keeping the cold out. “I’m so glad you showed up!”
“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world, Sydney. Happy Birthday!” I said, grinning ear to ear. She closed the door and thanked me, giving me a big smile in return. It was one of her special smiles, where her flushed dimples and nice lips combined for the simplest distraction. I couldn’t stop myself from blushing as if she’d kissed me on the cheek. I handed her my gift; a small, hand-wrapped box with her name written on the side. Sydney shrieked and embraced me, but the moment was over just as quick as it started, and she pulled away to put the gift upstairs with the others.
I took my winter coat off and hung it with the others. “Clarence!” shouted a voice, and I turned to see her twin brother Elijah gesturing for me to come and sit with him. I nodded and nervously walked into the living room. I hadn’t been in a party environment in a while, but I was surprised to find no one else in the room besides him.
“Hey Elijah,” I said, reaching out to shake his hand. He laughed and dapped me up, shaking his head.
“You gotta loosen up, man. You’re not networking; you’re at a party,” he said jokingly.
“Trust me,” I began, “I’m trying my best. Are we the only ones here?”
Elijah nodded and laughed again. I couldn’t help but feel like he was laughing at me. “You do realize you’re like forty-five minutes early right?” He looked at me incredulously.
“Huh?” I said, genuinely confused. “I thought the party time was –”
“I know what the invite said,” interrupted Elijah, obviously amused at my ignorance. “It’s a party. Nobody shows up to parties on time, not even small ones like this one; I wasn’t expecting anyone else here for at least another twenty minutes. But you showin’ up this early is actually a good thing for the both of us.”
I stared blankly, obviously not understanding.
“Well,” he continued, a clever glimmer in his eye, “It’s good for me because I get some help stocking the coolers with drinks and shit.” He looked over his shoulder at Sydney in the kitchen making snacks and significantly lowered his voice. “And it’s good for you because you get to spend some quality down time with your crush and her brother.”
I tried my best not to react visibly, but I could feel the heat on the sides of my face as I slowly turned the color of a ripe strawberry. Elijah stifled a laugh but, before I could respond, Sydney called for me to come to the kitchen. I sighed and proceeded to oblige. If he knew how I really felt about his sister, he would realize the term ‘crush’ is a huge understatement.
Their house was massive. They lived on Mansion Hills, a neighborhood strictly reserved for the wealthiest members of the upper-middle class in our sector. It had three floors, and every room was at least as big as the largest room of my apartment. There was expensive art on every wall; creative family photos and pottery in the many corners. To call Sydney’s family rich would be putting it lightly. My favorite part of the house was equipped with a rather large pool table: the basement. Her father was currently trying to turn it into a fifty-three-year-old spinoff of a man cave. I hadn’t been here in years, but I remember what the basement looked like vividly. That was where Sydney and I had shared our first kiss, when we were only fourteen at Elijah’s birthday party. But that was almost eight years ago and now there was James…
I walked into the kitchen and was instantly reminded of exactly why I’m not over her yet. I smiled at Sydney, appreciating every inch of her. She was so beautiful; her short black hair draping over her neck and curling at the ends. Her skin was the perfect shade of brown, and glasses were perched quite comfortably onto her nose. Her eyes were an incredible mix of brown and grey that were so soft and inviting, they could literally put me into a trance. She was wearing these tight white jeans coupled with a very not-ugly Christmas sweater that fit her just right, and on her neck was a beautiful pearl necklace that no doubt was worth enough to pay off at least a third of my college education.
“What kind of drinks do you like?” she asked, interrupting my train of thought. “I know I told Eli to ask all my guests about their favorite drink before they arrived, but for some reason he assumed you didn’t drink and didn’t bother to ask.”
Elijah’s hunch was of course right, I hadn’t even bothered to taste alcohol on my twenty-first birthday. I just didn’t have the urge or the time. But of course, I can’t let Sydney know that. I quickly scanned my memories for the name of a party drink that wasn’t something generic like ‘beer’ or ‘wine’, and it came to me.
“I’m probably more of a fireball kind of guy,” I admitted, praying I had the name right.
Sydney grinned and nodded in acceptance, and I internally let out a gust of air. “Well, you’re in luck,” she laughed, “That happens to be James’ favorite too, so you guys can share the bottle.” My smile disappeared almost instantly when I heard his name, and Sydney frowned. I silently cursed myself for making my resentment so obvious, but my worries were short lived. “Don’t worry,” she continued, “He’s surprisingly a light-weight. There will be enough for the both of you.” My smile returned as I realized she was unaware of my real issue.
The door bell rang, and Sydney went into the foyer to open the door. I begrudgingly followed, annoyed that someone else had arrived early and had disrupted our alone time. There was a split second of mystery as the door opened, due to whoever standing outside being so tall that you couldn’t see above their neck. However, the unnatural height coupled with the terrible combination of sweat pants and varsity jacket immediately clicked – of course, it was none other than James himself. He ducked into the room and was embraced by Sydney, her legs hovering off of the floor as he pulled her close. My stomach flipped and I tried not to vomit as the embrace turned into kissing.
James was tall, about 6’5 and he was ripped as well. Just my luck, right? He had the trending low cut with waves (and only because it’s what’s trending) and happens to double as the starting quarterback at State. However, that might be the only good thing about him. He was a conceited idiot with this goofy smile that made him resemble a seductive racoon. I didn’t know what someone as honest and amazing as Sydney could see in such a Neanderthal, but whenever he was home for winter break, I felt like boiling over in frustration and anger.
“I really missed you, babe,” he said, in that stupid sounding voice of his. Behind them walked three more guests; Emma (an annoying redhead), Gerald (James’ best friend), and another girl, a friend of Emma’s. I recognized her as someone I’ve seen with Emma before, but not someone I knew personally.
“Get a room,” Gerald mumbled as he slid past the two and took his jacket off. “It’s cold as hell out there and you thought the best place to make out was in front of the door before the two of us had even entered the house? But if I slap both ya’ dumbasses you gone be mad –”
“Oh, stop whining,” interrupted Emma, giving Elijah a hug. “You’re the one who forgot to start the car up; had us sittin’ in that icicle with wheels for thirty minutes before we could even leave!”
Sydney pulled away from the kissing to laugh and the six of them began to jokingly bicker as everyone got comfy and settled in. Elijah hooked his phone up to the speaker and the small get-together began. I sat down awkwardly on the couch as the friends began to drink and celebrate Sydney’s birthday.
I stared as a now tipsy Elijah walked over and sat down next to me on the sofa. “Brooo,” he started, the clever glimmer in his eye returning, “Why are you sittin’ here all bored and boring, and lonely and shit?”
I shrugged. I watched as Sydney and James made out in the corner of the room, and it physically pained me to see her so happy with someone that wasn’t me. Elijah traced my line of sight to the drunk couple and sighed. “Here man. Drink up,” he commanded, handing me a red solo cup filled to the rim with what I assumed to be his beloved Fireball. I hesitated for a second and then grabbed the cup and began to drink it. It tasted remotely like cinnamon and had a weird taste, but I’m guessing he mixed it with some sort of soda because it wasn’t as unbearable as I imagined it would be.
“Clarence,” began Elijah. “You gotta calm down man, like, you’re really getting outta pocket with this crush thing. You’re not even attempting to hide it anymore,” he said, laughing to himself. I didn’t understand the joke. “Honestly bro, they are probably gonna break up soon anyways.”
Huh?
That got my attention immediately, and I looked up to see a very drunk and sincere Elijah staring back at me. “What are you talking about?” I asked him.
“Bro,” he whispered, “I’ve been talking with James and my sister individually and they both are getting pretty tired of the long distance. My sister deserves better anyways, so if I was you, I wouldn’t give up just yet. I been rooting for you two since like eighth grade bro. ” He patted me on the shoulder and walked over to the others playing beer pong. I nodded slowly, but as James’ hand began to creep up Sydney’s thigh, I realized I couldn’t sit in this environment any longer. Having Elijah for support was great, but it wasn’t enough. I needed to be alone. I hopped up, walked through the kitchen, and went downstairs to the basement.
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
I was tired of it. Tired of waiting, tired of hoping, and tired of hurting. I had a headache… It hurt so bad, but not as bad as the thought; as the sight of James and Sydney together. James and my love together… hugging… kissing… cuddling… and doing whatever that son-of-a-bitch wanted. I coughed and could physically feel the tightness and pain inside of my chest. I coughed again and this one felt solid as I doubled over and began to throw up. I puked over and over into the corner of the basement… again… and again… until I was empty of everything but my extreme need for Sydney and my resentment for James.
I punched the cement wall over and over until I had somewhat quenched the fire of my rage for him and I noticed my knuckles had begun to bleed. I took a deep breath and sat down, my headache worsening. It isn’t fair that he gets to live that superstar-on-campus-life, and still walk away with the girl of my dreams. It just isn’t fair. I heard footsteps and looked up as Sydney began to walk down the steps.
“You okay?” she asked, her hair a bit messy, which only made my stomach hurt even more. “You seemed a bit out of it upstairs and I’m worried about you.”
Well don’t. “I’m fine,” I said, rubbing my now aching knuckles.
“Everyone’s headed to the second floor for some cake and ice cream. You know I…” she trailed off and began to cover her nose with her shirt. “It smells like something fuckin’ died down here,” she said, visibly disgusted. I didn’t know what she was referring to until I remembered I threw up down here. I had to think quick.
“Yeah, I noticed that smell when I first came down. I don’t know what your dad does down here, but it worries me if it smells like this,” I started. I laughed as she stared at me confused. “Maybe it’s your old hamster from middle school,” I offered, hoping she’d take the bait.
Sydney giggled and sat down on the stairs, almost slipping and rolling down the entire thing. “Honestly it might be. To this day I haven’t found out what happened to her,” she said, smiling, obviously a little drunk. “The fact that you remember my dead hamster from sixth fuckin’ grade is proof we’ve been friends for way too long.”
You have no idea.
“Yeah,” I agreed, “A lot of good times between the two of us.”
Sydney stared, her smile starting to fade. “Mhm.”
I pushed further. “Like our first kiss a few years back.” I looked for some sort of sign, but I was surprised to see a frown on Sydney’s face. She shook her head slowly.
“Nah, I-I don’t remember that…” She began to try to stand up, struggling to stay balanced.
My heart began to beat faster. There was no way she didn’t remember that. She had to be lying to me. “You know,” I pushed, “during Elijah’s B-day party? When we were like fourteen?”
She stood up finally, and I noticed her smile had completely dissipated. In place of it was a look of regret. “No, I’m sure I would remember if that had happened,” she said as firmly as she could while drunk.
I got angry. “Why is it that pieces of shit like James always get the girl? What is it about me that makes you not see what I see?” I realized I may be treading on some dangerous waters, but I didn’t care. Maybe it was the alcohol in my system (or what was left it, that wasn’t on her garage floor), or maybe it was frustration. But I needed an answer.
She glared at me, slowly shaking her head. “I love James. He’s not perfect. But he’s like…” She trailed off, and blinked hard, a tear coming out of her right eye and falling down her cheek slowly. “James is like a breath of fresh air. When he isn’t here, I feel like I’m suffocating and when he gets here and I see him, I-I can finally breathe again. And… and you’re drunk, Clarence. You don’t even know what you’re saying.”
“Sydney…” I began, trailing off. “Please…” Elijah’s words came back to me, and I silently cursed myself for making this a topic of conversation so soon. I should have played the long game, waited for things to shake up a bit more.
She shook her head again, turning to the top of the stairs. “James is probably looking for me; I should go. Just come up when you are feelin’ better, okay?”
And she left. And that was it.
I stood up; my heart beat pounding and pounding. I couldn’t stop it. It felt as if everything was falling apart. Sydney and I… Bad timing or not, she chose him. She picked that worthless slime-ball over me before I even had a chance to show her I could be the one. I wiped away the tears that had begun to rush to my eyes, and my head flooded with a realization. She doesn’t and probably will never love me.
I did my best to gather my bearings and headed to the first floor. I paused at the top of the basement staircase and noticed everyone had headed further upstairs to the second floor except for James and Sydney. I listened as she asked him to find a good knife for the cake, and then they kissed again. I held my breath and stifled the scream of betrayal and pain that wanted to be heard. Then she headed upstairs, and James grabbed another drink and leaned against the counter. I heard the music resume above as I approached him.
“What’s up?” James asked as I walked up to him. He was oblivious to just how much I loathed his existence.
“Do you love her?” I demanded.
“Who,” he laughed. “Syd?”
No, Barney… “Yes, Sydney. Do you really love her?”
“Of course. We’ve been together for a while, man.” His bloodshot eyes zoned out as he reminisced. “You know long distance can be hard – especially for a guy like me. Hell, there’s a lot of distractions and bad influences.” He paused and winked at me before continuing, and I wanted to deck him in the face more in that moment than ever. “But none of that other stuff is more important to me than Syd. It’s like sometimes…” His voice trailed off. He looked confused for a second and then slowly started to smile.
“Dude…” He started laughing. ” Your breath fucking stinks. Like I’ve been trying to figure out what that nasty ass smell was, I thought it was the trash can in here. My guy, did you throw up?” James started laughing louder, and my anger began boiling over. “Please tell me you didn’t vomit. You had like what, one drink?”
I could feel myself blushing from the embarrassment. I did throw up – and it wasn’t until this asshole pointed out my bad breath that I remembered I left that putrid mess in the basement. If Sydney didn’t hate me before, she was really going to hate me once her dad saw that and flipped out.
At the same time, I hated how easy all this shit came to James. Even disrespecting me seemed like such an easy task for him. He has what I want most – and there was almost nothing I could do about it. Almost nothing. My fist clenched.
“Anyways,” I said through clenched teeth, “So if long distance is so hard, why keep trying? Why not just do your own thing at college?”
“You know, I used to wonder the same thing,” James replied, as he continued his search. He picked up a butter knife, scoffed, and continued rummaging through the kitchen drawer. “It was Elijah that really changed my outlook on things. Now, I think I wanna marry her.”
NO…
WHAT?
ELIJAH’S BEEN LYING??
“I wasn’t sure if I was ready or not,” James continued, “but Elijah reassured me that she’s perfect for me, and that I make her happy.” James nodded slowly, rummaging through a drawer with steak knives in it. I simply stared, unable to comprehend what he had just told me. Why would Eli be lying to me about having a chance this whole time? Was he just fucking with my head?
….Was Sydney?
“What did you just say?” I asked, positive I had heard him wrong.
“Eli and I were talkin’, and now I think I’m gonna propose to her in a few weeks or so. Don’t worry – I’ll make sure to bring some Capri Suns for you to drink at the engagement party. Can’t have you vomiting there too now, can we?” He laughed again and pulled out a long steak knife from the drawer.
My fists curled up. My eyes burned. My heart felt like it split in two. I’d been betrayed.
“Why the sudden interest?” James asked, sitting the knife on the counter. He picked up his solo cup and took a sip.
I never answered.
I punched him in the nose. He stumbled backwards, dropping his drink to the floor and clutching his face. “What the fuck, man?” he yelled.
I swung again, but this time he was prepared. He weaved away from it and punched me in the chest, and I admit it hurt badly. But I wanted him to hurt more. At that moment I wanted him to die. My eyes flickered to the knife on the counter as he stood to his full height, angry and ready to pummel me the way I’ve wanted to hurt him for years now. Before I could react, he kicked me in the chest, and I hit the counter hard. He stumbled over to me and swung another punch, but I rolled to the left and got behind him, sliding my bicep around his throat. I tightened what muscles I had, and I heard him struggling for breath. Suddenly he shrugged his shoulders and ran backwards into the fridge door over and over. But I didn’t let go. I didn’t care if he broke my spine in two, if he died it would all be worth it. Then he reached for my hands, pulled, and flipped me onto the floor in front of him. I grimaced as my head hit the tile, but I couldn’t stay down for long or I’d lose. I jumped to my feet and glared, ignoring the ensuing dizziness.
“Sydney!” he tried to yell, but he was out of breath. And it angered me even more that in this moment, he was calling out for a woman that didn’t even belong to him. It angered me that he had the nerve to call her in my face. He can’t have her.
No one can.
I ran at him and hit him in his face once, twice, and then punched him in the stomach as hard as I could. He groaned and doubled over, and I jammed my knee into his face. He fell to the floor clutching his nose, and I reached over and grabbed the knife off the counter; my hands shaking as I decided in a split second exactly what I’d do with it.
I dove onto him and stabbed him in the chest. Again. And again. And again. Over and Over until all I could see was red. The blood splattered on my face and it pissed me off even further that this guy… this imbecile stole the woman I love from me. The audacity of it gave me more energy to keep going.
The last bit of his life sputtered out of his mouth and he died, along with any sick thoughts of him and Sydney. I stood up slowly, bathing in this feeling of power and superiority; the adrenaline from the battle still pumping through my veins. I felt invincible. I had defeated him, and it felt so good. It felt good to pry hope and life from his body. It felt good to know that I can overpower anyone I choose. I gripped the knife tighter.
It felt good to kill him.
I heard footsteps and turned to see Sydney and Elijah walking down the stairs towards the kitchen. I quickly pondered trying to hide what I’d done… But I didn’t feel finished yet. There were five other living people in this house, and I had to change that. Sydney and Elijah stopped in their tracks with a look of pure horror on their faces, once they saw the scene in the kitchen . Sydney dropped to her knees, overwhelmed.
“JAMES?” She called out. His inability to answer was obviously still registering. I ignored her and turned to her brother.
“So, you were lying to me this whole time?” I asked Elijah. He stared, unable to open his mouth, and began to slowly back up.
I threw the knife at him as hard as I could, flicking the end of my wrist slightly just as my father had shown me all those years ago. The knife covered the distance between my target and I in milliseconds, plunging into Elijah’s neck. He dropped, blood sputtering from his throat in every direction.
Sydney screamed and sprinted towards the living room, phone in hand, but she tripped over Elijah’s leg and fell. I walked up to her slowly as she tried to dial 911, tears and Elijah’s blood streamed down her face as she shook in fear and anguish.
“Clarence…” she pleaded, “Please…”
I smiled.