Halloween Night, He Mistook My Death for a Prank Chapter 08

The Halloween Showcase video spread across campus.

The school shut down comments overnight, but they couldn’t stop a thousand witnesses.

The next day, Sienna was removed from the Campus Activities Board roster.

The school’s official disciplinary announcement cited her unauthorized use of a dangerous prop and tampering with a safety device.

Ethan, the student who had opened the prop storage vault for her, also received a disciplinary sanction.

Sienna’s parents came to campus, hoping to apologize to my parents privately.

My mother wouldn’t see them.

My father sent back one sentence.

“Let the courts decide.”

As for Nolan, he locked himself inside that auditorium.

When staff found him, he was kneeling in front of the guillotine, watching the footage over and over.

Every time he heard it, he paused.

Zoomed in on my eyes.

Zoomed in on my torn, broken nails.

Zoomed in on my mouth, blocked by blood, unable to make a sound.

He finally understood.

I hadn’t been throwing a fit. I’d been begging him to save me.

Chloe came to pick up her makeup kit and found him still sitting there. Her eyes went red.

“If I’d just pushed a little harder…”

Nolan shook his head.

“At least you suspected something.”

“I didn’t.”

“Her hands were so cold. I felt them.”

“She wasn’t moving. I saw that too.”

“But Sienna said she was just sulking, and I believed her.”

He stared down at his palms.

They’d been washed clean.

But he swore he could still feel the blood.

“Avery told me before. A lot of times.”

“She said Sienna had no boundaries. That she was uncomfortable.”

“Every time, I told her she was overthinking it.”

Chloe was quiet for a moment.

“It’s not that you didn’t know. You just thought she’d never leave.”

Nolan sat there for a long time. Then he pulled out his phone and opened our text thread.

The last message was still there.

[After tonight, I’m going to set things straight with Sienna in front of everyone.]

He typed and deleted. Typed and deleted.

Finally, he sent three words.

[I’m sorry.]

He held the phone and waited until dark.

For a reply that would never come.