CHAPTER 6
I WILL BE THE LAST
ARI
"At least they're not playing those stupid bands," Camila said, and I managed to see Ámbar roll her eyes when she heard her.
After the talk, they tried really hard to cheer me up.
They did my makeup quickly, but the result looked nice. I tied my hair into a high ponytail, curling it and letting a few loose strands fall along the sides of my face.
"Isn't Jeff coming?" Ámbar asked directly, standing beside me after waving at a group of girls walking by, chatting with drinks in hand.
"He told me he'd let me know, since he was with his father," I said.
Ámbar nodded, understanding that being with his father was reason enough.
"But I wouldn't be surprised if he shows up. You know he loves parties," I added, remembering how he never missed an opportunity to go out.
"I already saw someone suspicious," Camila said near us, just as the music ended, leaving only the hum of conversations. "Someone's staring at you, Ari."
"Who?" I asked, looking around, then turning back to her without understanding who she meant.
"He's at the bar with two guys, but he doesn't have tattoos and his hair is kind of long, though not too much. He's muscular, though, and he's staring at you very closely," Camila said. "Although I doubt he has anything to do with what we're looking for."
I knew those characteristics, and although they might seem common to some people, there was someone in particular I had gotten to know once, just a little.
I searched the drinks area without even trying to hide it; that was the least of my concerns.
When I saw someone wearing a white shirt unbuttoned at the top and loose black pants, I lifted my gaze to look at him.
Our eyes met, but he quickly looked away, pretending he hadn't seen me.
"Do you know him?" Ámbar asked.
I shook my head immediately.
"No, I don't know him," I answered, convincing myself as well. Even though I had known him in another time, I absolutely refused to associate him with my present. "It's not him."
"Of course it's not him, unless he erased his tattoos," Camila said, scanning him from head to toe.
I limited myself to looking at Ámbar, a bit embarrassed, knowing the guy would probably feel uncomfortable because of our lack of discretion.
"Stop staring at the guy like that, they'll think we're weirdos like you," Ámbar said, making Camila scowl. "Let's go see who we run into."
We started walking through the party. I greeted the few people I knew while feeling the guy's gaze following me.
That was when I saw Alexander, Dylan's best friend.
He approached drunk, with an obvious smile and a flushed face. He stepped forward to hug Camila, but she pushed him away.
I thought he would fall, but he managed to steady himself and, without hesitation, hugged me. I barely returned it.
"Don't even get near me, you smell horrible like alcohol," Ámbar told Alexander, who waved a hand at her as if she were being too harsh.
"Why is it that every time... every time I see you... you act like this?" Alexander asked, slurring his words.
He frowned at Ámbar, but suddenly changed his expression and smiled at Camila and me.
"How are you? How are my favorite girls?"
"Alexander, isn't it a little early to be this drunk?" I said, looking at him. He shook his head several times like a child denying something.
It was past ten at night, but there were still people arriving, and he already seemed to be the only drunk one at the party.
When it seemed like Alexander was about to answer me, Dylan came running down one of the hallways of the house. He sighed when he saw him and grabbed him by the arm.
"What did I tell you? Not to drink from that bottle," Dylan scolded him without noticing us. "You told your mom you'd get home safe, and you barely drank one bottle and you're already like this."
"One bottle? Seriously?" I asked, mostly to get his attention. I wanted him to look up, and he did, surprised to see me at the party.
"I didn't know you were invited... well, invited," Dylan said, glancing at my friends on either side of me.
Camila simply looked at him indifferently, without much emotion, while Ámbar greeted him kindly.
"Hi, Ámbar," Dylan said, then looked at Camila. "Hi, Cam."
"I've already told you not to call me that. You're not my friend," Camila replied coldly. "I'm going to get drinks," she told me before walking away.
"I'll never get along with her, right?" Dylan asked me.
I nodded. I never really understood why. She would only say, "He gives me bad vibes."
That was her only argument for treating him that way, even when he was my boyfriend.
"Don't take it personally, she's not very sociable," I said, trying not to make him feel bad. Ámbar shot me a look, clearly not believing my lie.
"Only with girls. And if she socializes with guys, it's just to flirt," I added.
"Then I think I'd rather she keep treating me like this," Dylan admitted, looking at Alexander, who stood quietly holding his glass, rocking it side to side like a toy. "I need to do something so he sobers up before taking him home."
He said it referring to Alexander, who looked like he was about to fall asleep. It amused me to see him taking care of him, but that was how they were.
They had always been close, although Dylan had never told me about having other friends.
Alexander did. Not that Dylan was like Camila, who avoids connecting with others.
Now that I think about it, it's strange, because Dylan is too kind. Maybe he's shy.
I stopped watching Dylan take Alexander away to sober him up.
My gaze drifted back to the guy I claimed not to know, the one from earlier.
From the moment I was talking, I noticed him stealing glances at me, even though he tried to hide it.
When I looked at him, he wasn't watching me; he was talking to his friends.
He laughed with them, and for some reason, his smile made me smile too. At that moment, he looked at me without losing his smile, and I felt it was meant for me. I immediately looked away and shook my head to myself.
The last thing I could do right now was flirt with someone, especially when I was sure my attacker was still out there.
"Did you know not everyone is bad?" Ámbar asked, smiling when she noticed my embarrassment. "There's nothing wrong with giving yourself a chance to meet someone, at least as a friend."
"Not with him," I said, remembering I hadn't done that in two years.
I knew I'd had two boyfriends. I started dating Liam when I was fifteen, and it ended when I was sixteen.
I didn't take long to be with Dylan after breaking up with Liam; only two months passed. But with Dylan, it only lasted three months.
I turned seventeen, and throughout that year I was with no one; I decided to give myself time. This year has been the same. Only three months left, and I'm about to be of legal age.
"What? You're not going to lock yourself in your house without socializing. If he talks to you, try it, even if it's just for today," Ámbar said, then looked away at someone else.
It was Camila who handed us the drinks.
"How much alcohol did you put in?"
"Not much. None of us should get drunk," Camila replied calmly. "Yours has even less."
I nodded. When I took a sip, I realized I could barely taste the alcohol.
"It's fine. I'm not good at drinking anyway," I said, denying myself, still with the idea of meeting someone else circling in my head.
"Excuse me," said the guy who had been watching me from afar for a while. Camila and Ámbar exchanged a smile, and I looked him in the eyes, noticing how they sparkled.
"Yes?" I asked, and he smiled when he saw I answered.
"Could you give me your Instagram?" he asked. I looked at my friends, who nodded happily.
"Yeah, sure."
He handed me his phone with the search bar open so I could type my username. I searched it and tapped my profile when it appeared first.
"I'll follow you back if you follow me," I said with a small smile.
"I'm glad you didn't ignore me," he said, clearly happy.
I laughed at his response, just as Camila grabbed Ámbar by the arm and pulled her away. I narrowed my eyes at her action.
"I made you laugh, I guess that's a good thing," he said, and I stopped smiling when I realized it wasn't just because of his comment, but because of someone who was watching us closely: Liam.
"Was he invited to this party too? Wasn't his group supposed to be limited?"
"It can't be," I said out loud, more to myself. The guy looked at me confused, as if he didn't understand my sudden change in mood. I looked him in the eyes.
"Sorry, I have to go say hi to someone."
He nodded immediately. Then I looked at Camila and Ámbar, who were watching me, confused.
I shot them an obvious look, as if they already knew I was heading toward Liam, who was yawning, making it clear he was already bored.
When I stood in front of him, I straightened up, arms crossed.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Do you think I don't get invited to parties?" he asked, glancing at the guy I'd been talking to. After I walked away, his friends approached him.
"Seriously? Him?"
"I just gave him my Instagram. It's not a big deal," I replied immediately, as if it didn't matter at that moment.
"For him it is. That smile he's wearing after talking to you isn't going away anytime soon."
"Why did you come?" I asked, ignoring his comment.
"We talked by message about the plan we have in mind," he answered.
"Here? Seriously?" I asked, as if I didn't believe him. I shook my head and looked at my friends, who were paying close attention.
Then they gave me a knowing look and separated, moving far apart from each other.
They greeted other people, but I knew that from time to time, they would be watching us.
"Yeah, I think it'd be perfect, but of course, you have to agree," Liam said, showing me his watch with the time: 11:11 p.m. "It's not like they're going to wait for him. Besides, they're idiots."
Of course, we were the only ones who knew the truth.
"Where do we start?" I asked, offering the question as a suggestion. He responded with a conspiratorial smile.
I watched Dylan fix his hair and wipe his shirt. As he passed by us, he touched the wall to steady himself and kept walking, ignoring us completely.
"You smell awful, man, go change," exclaimed a guy with short but well-defined curly hair. "Don't tell me Alex threw up on you."
Liam looked at me. I remembered that in another situation, that would have made him laugh, but now he was serious.
Neither of us turned to look at them; they were close enough to notice.
"Of course he did, the idiot drank two bottles of vodka," Dylan said with some irritation, and I felt his gaze, not directed at Liam, but at me. "But I guess resting will do him good."
"Don't look at him. Look at me," Liam said, surprising me and pulling my attention back to him. "I didn't expect it to work, but it definitely will make him angry."
"Asshole," I replied, and he laughed. I pushed him lightly, and he stepped aside, signaling for us to move away from Dylan's conversation.
"Getting angry has never suited you," he said, making me sigh.
"You say the same thing Jeff says," I told him, and he nodded as if agreeing with Jeff.
"He's not wrong."
"I do get angry, but when I do, it's usually temporary," I admitted, acknowledging that holding grudges wasn't something common for me.
Right?
But I knew very well that just because I don't hold grudges doesn't mean others don't hold them against me.
Yes, I was very aware of that, but in a particular way.
"Everyone's so distracted," Liam said, looking around as he approached the coffee table and grabbed some peanuts. "Do you think something will happen?"
We couldn't sit down, so we stood behind the couches; couples had taken all the seats.
"You mean like him showing up or trying to do something to us?" I asked, my stomach twisting just from thinking about it. "Let's not even think about that."
"But you should, especially you," Liam said seriously. "Are you going to ignore what's happening?"
"Do you really think I'm ignoring it? Do you want me to spend my time crying?"
"Instead of being here, you should be taking better care of yourself."
"Like what? Locking myself in my house?" I snapped. "I'm not safe anywhere anyway."
"Do you really think he would hurt you?" he asked.
I froze.
Did he really think my attacker and stalker wouldn't be capable of hurting me?
"Why would you ask me that?"
"He won't hurt you. He's obsessed with you. It's obvious he's in love with you."
I let out a breath, as if it were absurd, as if the words I'd just heard were unbelievably stupid.
"He won't hurt me? He tried to attack me outside my parents' apartment," I replied, reminding him that night I could have been injured, and Jeff too. The fact that he knew where I lived was far too dangerous.
"The attacker was there for Jeff. He wanted to hurt him, not you," Liam said as if it were obvious.
"Why are you so sure? Why do you say it with such certainty?"
"Great, now you don't trust me," Liam said with a bitter laugh. "I don't give a damn if you don't believe me, but I'm not behind this shit."
"No, Liam, that's not what this is about," I tried to say, but he shook his head. Just as he seemed about to answer, one of the couples on the couch looked at us, especially the guy.
"Everything okay?" he asked, noticing the tension between Liam and me.
"Mind your own business, Henry," Liam snapped, clearly annoyed.
"I asked her, you aggressive bastard," Henry replied, unfazed. "Go take your damn pills."
Did he just make a reference to that? He knew Liam took pills, but… how did he know? I was supposed to be the only one who knew.
No, wait… I had told someone.
"Are you friends with Dylan?" I asked Henry, who looked confused by my sudden interest in a completely different topic.
I avoided Liam's heavy gaze; he was judging me, probably disappointed.
"Of course. What kind of question is that?" he said, and my friendly expression disappeared, replaced with pure contempt. "Did you get mad because I told him the truth? Don't fuck around, he's a junkie."
"If you're going to talk shit about something you never lived through, you'd better shut your damn mouth," I shot back. The girl next to him couldn't help but gasp, and he simply turned away.
"I didn't know Dylan liked fucking bitches," he muttered just as I turned to go talk to Dylan.
I was about to turn back and answer him, but Liam, who was standing, yanked Henry up from the couch and shoved him to the floor.
Henry stood up, his face flushed, and moved toward Liam, ready to punch him. Liam's fist was faster, sending him crashing to the side. I rushed to pull Liam away, but when he felt my hand, he swatted it away.
"I enjoyed that more than you can imagine, idiot," Liam said, staring at Henry as his girlfriend helped him up.
Jeff's presence became noticeable. He stood in front of us, his eyes fixed on Liam's reddened hand.
He grabbed us both by the arm and dragged us into a bedroom, locking the door.
"What the hell are you doing? You said you wouldn't get into more trouble. Everyone was watching you!" Jeff shouted. "Weren't you supposed to not be aggressive anymore?"
"If you mean that I'm always angry, no, I'm not. Stop treating me like a fucking lunatic. I still feel anger, I'm not pure happiness incarnate," Liam replied.
"Henry insulted me and he defended me," I told Jeff. "You would've done the same, or worse."
"Violence isn't always the solution," Jeff replied.
Liam looked at him like he'd just heard the joke of the year.
I raised an eyebrow.
"I'm serious."
"And I'm the Tooth Fairy. Do you believe your own lies?" Liam mocked.
"Who do you think you are, my friend? I didn't give you permission to make fun of me," Jeff snapped. Liam raised his hands as if surrendering.
"Whatever you say."
I looked toward the window, startled, thinking someone was watching us, but Jeff only closed the blinds and turned on the light.
"Shut up and let me talk," Jeff said. "And you stay too, Liam. You need to know this."
"Are you sure?" Liam asked.
Jeff nodded.
"Don't make me say it again."
"Did you talk to Ian?" I asked.
Jeff nodded, though he seemed uneasy.
"That's part of it… and something else. But I'm not sure this is the right place," he said, pulling out his phone, typing something, and showing it to us.
"Someone is listening."
He raised a finger and pointed toward the closet, which was half open. Then he pointed at the door. Neither Liam nor I had noticed the shadow, nor the faint visibility of a pair of shoes on the other side.
We looked at him, and he held up two fingers. Two people were watching us.
Liam signaled for me to move closer to Jeff, who offered me his hand so I could take it and stay near him.
Liam slowly approached the closet and yanked it open. The person inside ran out immediately. It was a girl. Liam grabbed her by the blouse, pulling her back effortlessly to keep her from escaping.
He covered her mouth right away as she struggled to break free, and Jeff moved away from me, signaling for me not to speak.
He went to the door, removed the lock, and I could still see those shoes. He opened it, revealing how the girl ran down the hallway, her footsteps echoing. Jeff ran after her, and I lost sight of him immediately.
"Close the door, fast!" Liam shouted, struggling with the girl who tried to hit him.
He wasn't using too much force, which was why he was desperate for me to lock the door so he could let her go without her escaping.
I rushed to the door, shut it quickly, hoping no one was passing by, and locked it. When I turned back, I saw Liam release her. The girl fixed her hair, annoyed, staring at both of us. She had her phone in her hand.
"Did you record the conversation?" I asked. She ran a hand through her hair in frustration but didn't answer.
"We're calling the police."
"They won't do anything. He'll kill me anyway," she said, as if already resigned. She wasn't angry. She was sad. "It's nothing personal against you, but that idiot is forcing us."
"Who? Who are you talking about?" Liam asked, stepping closer. She shook her head, as if the words barely came out.
"Please. He should be in prison."
"But he won't be. If I tell you who he is, he'll hurt my family," she said sharply, clutching her head. I looked into her eyes. Was she drugged?
"I got myself into this fucking mess, but I didn't want anyone to get hurt," she added.
"Your family? Is he older or younger?" I asked, trying to find more clues about the stalker.
But this was no longer just a stalker. It was something else.
"Older, but not an adult. He's nineteen," she replied.
I nodded, understanding.
So I was wrong. He wasn't from high school. He must've already graduated.
"I can't tell you anything else. I don't know anything else."
"Don't lie. How can you not know more? You're supposed to talk to him," Liam snapped.
Then he looked at me, as if checking whether I was okay. Everything that was happening was starting to make me dizzy.
"He blackmails me through messages, and sometimes I see him, but he never takes off that damn hood or that disgusting mask. He uses that stupid voice distortion," she said, and her hands began to shake.
She was even sweating from her face, which was strange considering the cool weather, and even more so inside a house with the air conditioning on.
"Are you saying you've never seen his face?" I asked, unable to believe it. It felt impossible. We were so close to knowing who was behind all this.
No one knew his face, but we all agreed on one thing: he wasn't just screwing with us.
Always one step ahead.
"I'm sorry to say it, but it's going to be hard. The police didn't believe me, even when I showed them the conversations," she said, lowering her gaze. "They told me to block him, to ignore it, that fake threats were common… but after that, I didn't even know how this got into my body."
She rolled up her sleeve, showing her arm. Her veins were sharply defined, and around them there was a purplish color spreading in a sickly tone.
"Do you remember that color?" Liam asked me, looking uneasy. He seemed to be catching his breath and avoided looking directly at her arm.
He was scared. He rubbed his arms, as if the sensation were coming back, as if it were returning to him from two years ago.
Of course I remembered it.
When he was at his lowest… that aggressive boy who sometimes still haunted my mind. I looked at him, and he seemed to be fighting his own thoughts.
"He controls me and I can't stop it," the girl said, tears sliding down her cheeks. "My family kicked me out because I'm dangerous. I'm not! I'm not!"
"Easy, breathe. What do you need? I'll look for something so the pill wears off," I said, approaching her slowly.
She was completely shattered. I touched her arm, and although she didn't pull away, she didn't seem to notice me either.
"There's no pill to reverse the effect," Liam said, knowing exactly what he was talking about. He looked at her with sadness but kept his distance. "Get away from her."
"We have to help her! Do something! Tell me a medication… you were hospitalized to recover, there has to be a way," I begged, desperate.
But Liam stepped forward and grabbed my arm, pulling me back.
"No! Can't you see she's not okay?" I shouted, unable to control the panic.
"I'll call the hospital. We have to find a way to get her out without everyone staring at us," Liam said.
I nodded, agreeing.
I took a deep breath and let it out before approaching her again. Her legs no longer responded, and she slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor.
"You're going to be okay. Help is coming," I told her, walking toward the door and peeking into the hallway.
There was no one there. And no sign of Jeff.
Suddenly, a group of boys and girls ran past toward where we had been before: the main living room, where almost everyone was gathered.
"He'll kill us, he'll kill us…" the girl whispered. Her voice sent chills down my spine. I begged my mind not to store those words, to ignore them.
"I already called the ambulance and Officer García," Liam said.
I turned back and tried to help the girl up, but she kept repeating the same thing, completely lost in her own world.
"What's your name?" I asked, but she shook her head and pushed me. I lost my balance and fell. Liam rushed toward me, but I got up quickly.
"I'm fine."
She looked like she was about to rip her hair out, gripping it violently.
"We need to do something," Liam said. "She could hurt someone… or herself."
Suddenly, screams echoed through the house. We left the room to see what was happening. Everyone was gathered, recording something. I could barely see through the crowd, but I wished with all my strength that it wasn't Jeff.
I begged.
"Let's take her outside. They're distracted," Liam said, and we went back into the room. The girl could no longer support herself.
Liam grabbed her by the shoulder, helping her walk. I held her on the left side.
"My name is Nay," she whispered, almost inaudible. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay. It's not your fault," Liam replied gently, surprising me with his softness.
We walked outside. We were near the crowd, and at first, no one seemed to notice us… until I saw them.
The girl who had run out earlier and Jeff were in the center, face to face. My heart stopped when I saw her holding a knife.
Jeff was in a defensive stance, ready to use his self-defense skills. If he was doing that, it was because he knew she would act. Not like before, when he hesitated. This time, he knew she was willing.
"What the hell is going on?" a boy asked, recording just like everyone else.
"She's crazy," a girl commented, and her friends nodded, looking at the young woman with the knife, completely serious, not hesitating.
"I'm going viral, dude," I heard someone say, not knowing who among all the raised phones it was.
I sighed.
No one was helping Jeff.
"What?! Are you just going to stand there watching? Call the damn police, you idiots!!" I screamed, my voice breaking.
Everyone looked at me as if I had broken the spell holding them.
"They're just recording with their stupid phones! And if it was someone you knew, would you still just watch?"
I let go of Nay, my heart racing, and walked straight toward one of the boys. I snatched the phone from his hands and threw it with all my strength.
The solid thud against the floor echoed.
"What the hell is wrong with you?! That was brand new!" he yelled, but it didn't matter anymore. Because the girl with the knife… now she was looking at me.
And she didn't look away.
"Ari," she said. My name, like poison on her lips. I… I didn't recognize her, but she recognized me. "Because of you… this happened."
Everything froze. The murmurs. The nervous laughter. The sound of recording phones. Nothing existed except her… and the knife in her hand.
She began walking toward me. Slow, determined. Every step made everyone around her step back, as if her shadow scared them. But I didn't move. I couldn't.
The blade gleamed under the hallway lights. Her gaze was empty.
"Ari! Step back!" Jeff shouted, running desperately. But she took another step as if an invisible barrier had stopped him.
"Do you want me to kill her?" she asked, her voice broken but firm. "If I kill her… this ends."
And then, from behind, Nay's broken voice rose:
"You know very well, no."
Still barely supported by Liam, Nay took a step forward, trembling. He released her carefully.
"We're finished…"
"That's not true! Shut up, Nay!" the girl shouted, as if she were made of a thousand broken pieces. "He promised she would be the last!"
The last.
She was talking about me.
My entire body tensed. I could feel my heartbeat in my ears. Nay continued trembling, but her voice was firm:
"Leave them alone. They're not responsible for our decisions."
But it was already too late.
The girl's gaze clouded. Her lips trembled. She looked around, and all she found were eyes full of fear, contempt, rejection. Then… she looked at me again.
And raised the knife.
"No!" I screamed.
I stepped back, but she was already moving. Her arm rose, the edge pointing straight at my stomach.
Everything slowed. I felt the air break around me. Her face… was empty.
And just as the steel was about to touch me…
The shot was so loud that the world went silent. A buzzing filled my ears. I saw the blood before understanding what had happened. She brought a hand to her chest, staggered… and fell to the ground.
Her body hit the floor like a puppet without strings. The knife bounced, spun once, and stopped. Her eyes… remained open.
I covered my mouth with my hands. I screamed.
I screamed like I never had in my life.
My legs trembled. I wanted to run. I wanted to vomit. But my eyes couldn't look away from her body.
I looked for Nay. She was standing… holding a gun.
When had that happened?
She looked at me. She tried to smile.
"Take care, Ari… you deserve to live," she said, with a sweetness that shattered my soul.
And before I could move, before I could run to her…
The second shot was even more devastating. Nay collapsed like a wilted flower. The gun fell beside her body, her face still serene, her eyes already closed.
"No! Nay!" I ran to her, tears blurring my vision. I screamed, begged, fell to my knees beside her body. "It can't be, it can't be!"
But it was real.
Two girls.
Someone grabbed me from behind, pulling me away from their bodies.
"Let me go! Let me go!" I screamed, thrashing again and again.
The world was collapsing.
And this time… it didn't seem like it would stop.