Stanley"How could you let this happen!?" I roar at Victor."Me? What the hell are you talking about, Stan?" Victor glares at me. "Are you blaming me?""Yes, I am blaming you. Your enemies nearly killed Frida and Madison. And my nephews!" I cry out."What the fuck, Stanley. You are acting like I don't care or something. Madison is my wife and those are my children. Don't you think I was just as worried?" Victor frowns.I sigh. "Alright, yes. I am not being fair. We call came into your life knowing the risks. But, did you find out who attacked them?"Victor's expression softens as he nods. "Yeah, I did. It was the Crimson Serpents. They wanted to send a message and take me out of the game."My heart sinks at the news. "Now, what will happen?"Victor's eyes meet mine, determined. "We strike back. Harder and faster than they ever expected. We will show them that we are not to be messed with.""Let me know if you need my help," I say.Victor looks at me with surprise. "Stanley, I let you
StanleyI am nervous about meeting Frida's parents. What if they hate me?No, that's crazy. Why would they hate me for no reason? I am worried about this for nothing.Today is the day I am supposed to meet them for dinner, and my heart is pounding against my chest. As I arrive at Frida's parent's house, I can feel the sweat starting to bead on my forehead. I take a deep breath and try to compose myself before ringing the doorbell.Frida answers the door and smiles at me. "You are here," she says.I chuckle nervously. "Why wouldn't I be?""For a moment, I thought you wouldn't show up," Frida says, grabbing my hand and pulling me inside."That's crazy," I laugh again. "I am looking forward to this."I step inside the house, and my nerves heighten. I look around, taking in my surroundings. Their house is nice and cozy.There's a warm fire in the fireplace and the table is set up for four."My mom is in the kitchen. I'll go get her. Why don't you have a seat?" Frida tells me.I sit down a
Stanley"I wanted to be sure."I whip my head toward Frida, who is standing by the door. She walks over to us slowly, her gaze cold."Frida," I whisper, my voice trembling.She nods, her lips set in a grim line. "I knew about Molly all along, Stanley. What did you do with her body?""What do you mean you knew about her?" I say. My head is spinning. What the hell is going on?Frida takes a deep breath and looks me in the eye. "I'm Molly's younger sister," she says finally, her eyes filling with tears.For a moment, I just stand there, too stunned to say anything. Frida and Molly were related? How had I not noticed before? "When you and Molly started dating," Frida continues, her voice shaking with emotion. "I was only six years old so I never got to know her before...before she was gone." "Six years old?" I raise my hand to stop her. "I knew you were younger, but I didn't know you were twelve years younger than me!" I groan. "Our age difference is the least of your problem now, Stan
FridaI had always been a person of action. I had never been one to shy away from a fight. And this, I have decided, is a fight I am willing to wage. I want to make Stanley pay. Stanley had betrayed Molly, the girl he claimed to have cared about. Her only sibling. And now, I am hellbent on retribution, and nothing can stop me.After recognizing him at Madison's house, I tried my best to pretend that I had a crush on him. It was easy to do. I adopted the guise of a vulnerable, unsuspecting girl who had recently caught Stanley's attention. I understood that in order to win his trust, I had to make him believe that I was enamored by him.My friendship with Madison isn't fake. I truly like her. But deep inside, I felt rage against Stanley. Every time I saw him, I wanted to rip his heart out.My act of pretending to fall for Stanley was a calculated risk, but in the end, the truth came out. There were times when I was truly attracted to him and it distracted me, but I have managed to ov
StanleyI should be mad.There I was, slowly falling in love with this amazing girl, and now, the girl is holding me hostage. This whole thing is absolutely insane.But I don't feel angry at all. Instead, I feel sad knowing that Frida hates me now. Or did she hate me from the beginning? Was there anything about our relationship real?After sitting in this chair for what felt like hours, I hear footsteps coming down the wooden stairs. I quickly shift in my chair, hoping it's Frida. I smile as I see her. Her hair looks messy and dark circles are prominent under her eyes."Hey," I say softly. Frida doesn't say anything and simply stands in front of me. Silence fills the room."Frida," I begin. "I know you must hate me now. But I know that we had something. Something real."Frida's expression hardens. "I was only pretending to like you."My heart drops at her words. I feel a lump in my throat. How could she say that? How could everything we had just be a lie to her?"I don't believe you,
FridaI stare at Stanley dumbfounded as blood spills out of his mouth. He doesn't even look like he is in pain more as he still stares at me with a smug expression on his face."Are you crazy?" I snarl."No, just in love," Stan replies. More blood spills out of his mouth.Love?No, he is just trying to charm me now. He is not in love with me!I quickly run upstairs and grab a roll of paper towels, then run back to Stanley. I rip out a few pieces and shove them inside his mouth to stop the bleeding. "This was insane. Don't do it again," I say.Stanley mumbles something, but I can't understand him with his mouth full of paper towels. I grow frustrated as he keeps bleeding. Why won't he stop bleeding?I go back upstairs to find the first aid kit. When I reach the bathroom, I hastily open the cabinet, searching for the first aid supplies.My hands shake as I grab the first aid kit and carry it back downstairs.I carefully remove the soaked paper towels from his mouth and replace them with
Frida"Where are you going?" I ask my parents as I see them hurry out with bags in their hands."We are going to stay at our cabin in the mountain until you sort this mess out. I don't know what the hell you plan on doing with Stanley, Frida. Keep him or let him go, but your mom and I had enough of this nonsense," Dad says sternly."And how do I know you won't call the police on me, Dad," I ask him."We don't want to lose another daughter, Frida. We just want to go away for a while," Mom says.I look at them both, torn between my trust for them and my fear of being alone with Stanley."Listen Frida, we won't call the police on you. We want to believe that you are old enough to make your own decisions now," Dad says earnestly. "It's just that things have become too complicated for us and we need some time away from this place."My parents walk towards me and give me a firm hug. I can feel their love, so strong against my body. It's true; they love me no matter what happens."Go ahead t
FridaI drive like a mad woman to my parent's house, racing through my neighborhood with my heart pounding in my chest. The neighbors glare daggers at me for driving like an idiot when I jump out of the car, but I don't care. I left Stan in the goddamn basement without his insulin, and now I'm terrified I might have accidentally killed him. Shit. He better not be dead; he cannot be dead! I rush towards the door, fumbling with the keys in a frenzy. The neighbor's dog is barking at me, and I yell, "Shut up, Buster!" before finally managing to open the door. I throw off my shoes in the hallway, lock the door and run toward the staircase with my pulse flaring against my neck."Stan?" I ask. "Are you alive?"There is no answer.Guilt pierces my chest, and for the first time, I question what the hell I'm even doing. Stan might be to blame for Molly's death, but I never meant to kill him. I just wanted to punish him for not trying harder to save her life, but now I might accidentally have k