Chapter 15

Rachel sprawled across the floral-patterned sofa, its faded fabric prickling her skin like a worn-out promise. The air hung heavy with the sharp sting of pine-sol, the greasy warmth of buttered popcorn, and the acetone bite of nail polish—a strange brew of teenage defiance and suburban decay. Glossy celebrity magazines spilled across the couch and coffee table, their edges curling like wilted flowers, while Gloom pills and a Marijuana ash-filled bowl perched precariously on the table's edge, tempting fate. A bulky television squatted on its wooden stand, its screen flickering with a teenage sitcom, the canned laughter buzzing like a distant swarm.

"I can't believe you haven't watched this show, Rache," Sara chuckled as she stuffed a handful of popcorn into her mouth. "This guy in the show called Chad is like so hot. I wish a guy like him transferred to our school."

Rachel chuckled, her eyes red as she stared absentmindedly at the television. "He probably just be another Mike," she replied as she munched on popcorn.

"I could put up with it. Speaking of which, I know Mike cheated on you, but like he is the hottest guy in school."

"And the dumbest," Rachel snickered.

Sara nodded and laughed."Yeah, that, too, but he got a guaranteed football scholarship to any college. I am just saying. There is not really any money playing women's basketball. Like, is there even a pro league for women yet?"

Rachel shrugged. "I heard they are trying to make one on the news, but it's whatever. If basketball doesn't work out, I can figure it out later."

"So what are you going to do about Em? I am sure she's going to get expelled.

Rachel rubbed her neck and reached for more popcorn. "I'm sure we will figure it out. Push comes to shove; I can always go to a college nearby."

Sara shook her head and then ate some more popcorn. "Don't let her bring you down, Rache. Trust me, once you get to college, you will forget about Corwood."

"You say that like you've already been?"

Sara smiled. "I've been to a couple college frat parties."

"Is it like what's on TV?"

"Kind of; they got these Gloom parties that get pretty wild. Oh, we should go out clubbing tonight!"

"On a school night?"

"They're just going to be retaking the ether tests tomorrow. Unless you plan on working at the reactor or joining the P.I.A., it's the perfect day to ditch school.

Rachel's eyes lowered as she stuffed some more popcorn in her mouth. She gazed at the Gloom on the coffee table. Static coming from the television redirected her attention as the sitcom fizzled in and out.

"Ugh, why do we even pay the cable company," Sara groaned as she got up and banged on the TV.

"Try changing the channel," Rachel insisted as she remained on the sofa, biting her lip nervously.

Sara jabbed at the remote, flipping channels until the screen settled on a local news broadcast. The reporter's voice cut through the static, sharp and urgent, as the camera panned across Mel's Diner. Yellow tape fluttered in the wind like a warning, boxing in a parking lot swarming with police cruisers, their lights flashing red and blue across the asphalt. Officers barked questions at shell-shocked customers while a rotund P.I.A. agent lounged against the tape, sipping a Coke like it was another Tuesday.

"What the hell?" Sara muttered out loud as she sat back down next to Rachel. 

"We were just there," Rachel said, her eyes narrowed as she watched the news broadcast.

"A violent altercation happened early today at Mel's Diner. Eyewitnesses recount Diego, CEO of Ether Tech, was shot by a P.I.A. agent after reaching for a weapon."

"Holy Shit!" Sara yelled with wide eyes. "That's the dude everybody getting Gloom off of. Word around town is he is the brother of a Mexican cartel leader."

"That P.I.A. agent was at our school, wasn't he?" Rachel asked as she pointed at the Rotund agent on television. 

"Yeah, I saw another one take Emily to the principal office after she pulled the fire alarm."

Rachel bit her nails. "My car is still there. What if they took Emily with them?" Rachel asked as she stood up. "We gotta go."

"I am high as fuck Rache. I don't feel comfortable driving, let alone going to a murder scene. Let's get your car in the morning."

Rachel paced back and forth as the hum slowly crept back into her mind. It buzzed around in her head like an angry wasp as her anxiety amplified. She rubbed her temples and frowned as reality quickly sobered her up. She gazed down at her pager, hoping for Emily's response.

"Where are you?" The pager flashed from her parents.

"I think my parents saw my car on TV," Rachel said as she showed Sara her pager.

'You can't go home looking like that. Just tell them you're here with me," Sara insisted as she cleaned the coffee table of illegal substances. 

Rachel sighed and responded to the page as Sara instructed. "Fuck, Em still hasn't replied."

Sara's grin flickered, her eyes darting to the Gloom pills for a split second before she forced it back into place. "Rachel, chill. If Em was in deep, it'd be plastered all over the news by now. She's fine." Her voice was too bright, and her fingers twitched as she grabbed another handful of popcorn.

Rachel let out a shaky breath, her shoulders loosening just a fraction. "Yeah, you're right. So… what now?"

"I guess we're having a sleepover, and if you want, we can still hit the club tonight, " Sara said as she held a Gloom pill in her hand. You look like you need another one."

Rachel glanced at the pill briefly before grabbing it and swallowing it. The hum faded away, and a content smile formed on Rachel's face. She stared at the television and then sat back down on the couch. Her eyelids were heavy as Sara returned to the sitcom they were watching.

As sleep took hold, Rachel sat at a mulberry booth in Mel's Diner. Emily sat across from her, wearing an oversized flannel shirt, ripped black jeans, and a leather jacket patched up with various metal band insignias. Her bright red highlights glowed underneath the fluorescent lighting. 

A popular grunge band played on the jukebox as Rachel stared out the window at her Red Miata. A streak of blue reflected off the hood, which came from the electric blue Mel Diner sign outside. As teenagers gossiped beside their parked cars, stars were speckled in the midnight sky. 

"Why did you pick the red one?" Emily asked as she cut into her pancakes. 

"Well, they didn't have Pink Miata at the dealership," Rachel responded as she turned her head back to Emily. She chuckled when she saw Emily's milk mustache.

Emily smirked. "You should have got the black one. Everything is better painted black."

"Keep talking, and you will be walking to your next show," Rachel replied as she stuck a fork in Emily's pancakes.

Emily chuckled. "Remember when we first met? You were out jogging and stumbled upon me practicing with my band in my garage."

Rachel took a sip of her orange juice. "And I said. You're loud, in a good way. Then you said. You're loud in a bad way. I haven't forgiven you for making fun of my clothes."

"Now we are dating. Was it the music or my sense of style?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Neither, it was your passion. Also, Static Veins is a horrible band name."

"I will convert you eventually, Rache. You like pop music, but that's not who you are on the inside."

"And what might that be?"

"You got a little darkness to you. You hide it very well as the volleyball captain and prom queen."

"Maybe that's just you rubbing off on me? Anyway, I got to use the bathroom," Rachel laughed as she got up and headed towards the bathroom. "Don't eat my pancakes!" She yelled as she glanced back at Emily.

The bathroom door groaned open, a low, guttural sound that echoed in the pit of Rachel's stomach as she stepped inside. The air was thick and sour, reeking of disinfectant and stale tobacco, coating her throat like a second skin. Above, a lone fluorescent light buzzed and sputtered, its pale glow pulsing with her racing pulse, throwing jagged shadows across the checkered floor that seemed to twist under her feet.

"₳ Ⱡł₮₮ⱠɆ Đ₳Ɽ₭₦Ɇ₴₴ ₴ⱧɆ ₴₳Ɏ₴," Rachel Static Doppelganger chuckled in the mirror. It grinned as Rachel's eyes widened. "₮Ⱨ₳₮₴ ₱Ʉ₮₮ł₦₲ ł₮ Ⱡł₲Ⱨ₮ⱠɎ."

"Leave me alone," Rachel replied as she stepped back from the mirror. Her eyes teared up as her heart raced. 

It crawled out of the mirror, grinning from ear to ear. "₴₮łⱠⱠ Đł₴₴Ø₵ł₳₮ł₦₲ ₩ł₮Ⱨ ɎØɄⱤ₴ɆⱠ₣ ⱧⱤ₥₥₥₥?" It asked as it trailed its sharp nails across Rachel's face. 

Rachel curled up into a ball in the corner of the bathroom. The flickering lights overhead began to pulsate an eerie red. A hum formed in her mind, making it hard for her to think. 

"ⱧØ₩ ⱠØ₦₲ ₳ⱤɆ ɎØɄ ₱Ⱡ₳₦₦ł₦₲ ₮Ø ₭ɆɆ₱ ₮Ⱨł₴ ₵Ⱨ₳Ɽ₳ĐɆ ₲Øł₦₲ Ɽ₳₵ⱧɆⱠ?" It asked as it gazed up at the flickering red light. 

"I don't know what you are talking about." 

It chuckled as it loomed over her. "₮Ⱨł₴ ₮ł₥ɆⱠł₦Ɇ, ₮ⱧɆ₴Ɇ ₱ɆØ₱ⱠɆ ₩ØɄⱠĐ ₳ⱠⱠ ₴₮łⱠⱠ ฿Ɇ ₳ⱠłVɆ ł₣ ɎØɄ Ⱡł₴₮Ɇ₦ɆĐ ₮Ø ₥Ɇ."

"I didn't know what would happen!" Rachel yelled as tears trickled down her face.

"Ⱡł₮₮ⱠɆ Ⱡł₳Ɽ," It hissed, its voice screeching like nails on a chalk board. ₮ⱧɆ₦ ɎØɄ ⱠØ₵₭ ₥Ɇ ₳₩₳Ɏ ₮Ø ⱤɆ₱Ɇ₳₮ ₮ⱧɆ ₴₳₥Ɇ ₥ł₴₮₳₭Ɇ₴ ØVɆⱤ ₳₦Đ ØVɆⱤ ₳₲₳ł₦!" It yelled as it picked Rachel up by the hair. 

"I just wanted to save Emily."

"₳₦Đ ₴ⱧɆ ł₴ ₮ⱧɆ Ø₦Ɇ ₵₳Ʉ₴ł₦₲ ₳ⱠⱠ Ø₣ ₮Ⱨł₴!"

Rachel's eyes snapped open as Sara nudged her awake. Her body was covered in sweat, and she yelped something incoherent. 

"Nightmare?" Sara asked as she grabbed some nail polish off the coffee table. 

Rachel's eyes darted across the living room, avoiding anything resembling her reflection. "Yeah....how long was I out?" She asked as she breathed deeply to collect herself. 

"Not long, but you really should stop sleeping on Gloom. Tends to give very lucid nightmares," Sara explained as she began to paint her fingernails. 

"Good to know," Rachel replied, forcing a weak smile on her face as she rubbed her neck.

"I had my fair share of Gloom trip nightmares myself. If you are not in a good mental space, you'll have a bad time sleeping on Gloom."

Rachel squinted her eyes as she rubbed her arms. "I can hardly remember what I was even dreaming about, but remember I was at Mel's Diner."

"Makes sense, just don't take any more gloom for now. You were muttering stuff in your sleep. Had me worried for a moment."

"What was I saying?"

Sara's brush slipped, streaking polish across her finger. She swore under her breath, then flashed a tight smile. "Nothing worth repeating, Rache. Just Gloom gibberish—crazy stuff." She fixed her eyes on her nails, avoiding Rachel's gaze as the silence stretched thin.