In Danger

School had just closed, Laura and Cathy were on their way to the swimming pool area for their daily practice. They once used to be four, but one was no longer friends with them, while the other was not at school.

'Today seems different.' Laura thought to herself as she walked alongside Cathy who was busy with her phone.

'On a normal day, Cathy is usually a chatterbox, but she's hardly spoken much today. Is it because of Penelope's absence? Oh well, I mean, the two of them seem pretty close, they even live together, what's their deal anyway? Not like I care, but I wouldn't want Cathy getting hurt by Penny. That girl seems brutal, I wonder how Cathy endured being friends with her since childhood.'

Her phone vibrated, informing her of a new message. She looked at her screen and saw a message from Penelope. She was just about to tell Cathy that it seemed like Penny had repaired her phone or gotten a new one, when she saw the details of the notification.

Where are you? Are you with Cathy? If you are going anywhere with Cathy, leave right now, you are in for big trouble. I can't call you, she will recognize my voice, or you might look panicked. Just come up with an excuse and leave there, right now. I'll advice you to leave the school as soon as possible.

After reading it, she remained silent. As what Anna told her the night before played in her memory.

*****

"What is it?" Laura asked as soon as she closed the door behind her.

"You are in danger." Anna said calmly as she sat on the bed.

"Excuse me!"

"Your friend realized she could not hurt me the way she would love to, so she decided to go for you."

"What nonsense are you saying?" Laura chuckled nervously.

"Remember the rumor about that group?"

"That group? All students in the school has heard the rumor, it's nothing new."

"Well, it's real, and I'm a member of the group."

"Are you kidding me with these made up stories?"

Anna looked at Laura with a very serious face.

"Does it look like I'm kidding?"

Laura was beginning to feel scared. Just what did the group have to do with her?

"Anyway, your friend reported you to the group, and they've agreed to deal with you."

"Deal with me? How?" she shivered, as she couldn't bring herself to imagine what would be done.

"What do you think? Get a naked picture of you and send it to the school group? Send a hottie your way to pretend he loves you, but then after he sleeps with you he dumps you? Are these the kind of things you are thinking?"

"I don't know what to think, why don't you just tell me."

Anna took a deep sigh, but instead of that serious face she managed to put on she now looked really worried.

"It is a group created with one sole aim, to rape Riley. What else do you think they would do to you other than to rape you, which has already been decided. I just do not know when nor where it will be carried out, since I was not chosen, only the chosen know. And just so you know, we don't know who is who in the group, all we know is that we all are seniors."

Laura collapsed on the floor, looking lost.

"All I can tell you is to avoid Penny as best as you can."

*****

Laura was not even aware of the fact that she had stopped moving.

"Laura."

The voice was faint, but she heard it, she recognized it, but she was worried, not knowing who to believe. Was it Anna she was to trust or Cathy or Penny? Anna asked her to stay away from Penny. Penny asked her to stay away from Cathy. Cathy claimed some things stopped Penny from coming to school. Was it a coincidence, or was it Cathy who planned it all? Was this some gang up against her, or a game? To see who she trusts the most? What if Penny was out there, waiting for her? What if there were people in there, waiting for her? What if Anna was just playing pranks on her?

Her phone rang, drawing her out of her thoughts, the caller was Anna.

"Tell me you are not with Cathy?"

This was the very first thing she heard as she picked the call. Luckily for her, Cathy had walked ahead of her before stopping when she noticed that Laura was standing still in shock, and she had yet to approach her, if she had, she could have heard Anna's panicked voice.

"If you are, leave, right now. Hello, Laura. Please say something, let me know you are safe."

Laura was torn. Cathy did not seem like she was gonna hurt her. But not trusting her best friend was something she was never planning to try.

"I'm coming dad, I'll be there with you very soon." she screamed as a response to Anna. Didn't Penny tell her to come up with an excuse, she couldn't find a better one than the one she had in mind.

She put an end to the call, looking panicked cause she really was panicked. She looked at Cathy who was looking a bit confused.

"What's wrong?"

"Cathy, I just got a message informing me of my mom's involvement in an accident, and my dad just called me to tell me to come over, my mom is asking of me. I gotta go now, this might be the last time I might see her."

Saying this, she didn't wait to hear a response from Cathy. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, even though she could hear Cathy asking her to wait, she refused. She ran past the seniors' building, glad she was with her bag and didn't have to go back to class for it.