She Should Have Stayed Home

Lana’s body involuntarily shakes as she watches Margie’s wet body unmoving on the floor.

How could everything have gone so wrong in such a short amount of time?

“I regret all of this, Margie. I’m so sorry,” she whispers under her breath.

Lana’s body is slightly shoved.

“Don’t just stand there like an idiot, Lana, go grab a blanket.”

Lana’s eyes go wide and a large lump forms in her throat.

“A blanket?”

Ricky rolls his eyes and scoffs, “Yes, Lana, a blanket. We have to wrap her in something so transport will be easier. I can’t have her DNA all over my house.”

He turns over to a girl hunched over, sobbing, on the floor, “Daniella, can you please shut the hell up before my neighbors call the cops and we all go to jail?”

Darrell rubs Daniella’s back soothingly as she quiets down. “I don’t think this is the right way to go, man. What if her body is found? We can’t just dump her body somewhere. I think we should just call the cops, Ricky. Tell them it was an accident.”

“I agree with Darrell,” Lana’s voice cracks as she speaks, “We can’t just dump Margie somewhere. She’s our friend.”

“Margie was our friend. She’s dead. I am not going to jail over this. Do you understand what this could do to me? To all of us? We’d be ruined. There is no way in hell that Margie is going to ruin my life. Or yours. Wake up. Now, do everyone a favor and grab a blanket.”

Lana reluctantly disappears into the house and Daniella begins to sob harshly into her hands again. Moments later, Lana reappears with a large blue blanket and shakily hands it to Ricky. He snatches it from her, laying it down on the floor. He slides a pair of gardening gloves on before carefully rolling her body into the blanket.

Daniella’s sobs grow louder as she watches Margie’s body disappear into the blue fabric. Margie is really gone.

Lana thinks back to the beginning of her day.

Everything could have been so different. How did this happen?

She ponders back to earlier today.

Margie sits at her vanity, staring at her clock.

5:00 PM, it flashes.

She is contemplating whether she wants to go to Ricky’s house later. All of her friends are going to be there, but she doesn’t have a good feeling about going. Especially after what happened with Ricky last time.

I can’t believe he-

Lana bursts into her room, holding two outfits.

“Okay! Which one do you think will impress Ricky?” she cheeses, shoving the two outfits into her friend’s face.

Margie sighs, “Honestly, Lana, I don’t get what you see in Ricky. He’s kind of off-putting…”

Lana scoffs, “You don’t know Ricky like I know him. There’s another side of him that you don’t see.”

“What, like the fact that he acts ashamed of your relationship and hides it from people?” Margie jabs.

“That’s not true. I really like him, Margie,” Lana takes a seat on the bed, “Now, will you please help me decide what to wear?”

Margie rolls her eyes and points to the purple dress that Lana is holding in one of her hands.

“Purple suits you.”

Lana squeals and runs out of the room.

“Thank you Margie!” She yells behind her.

30 minutes later, Lana barges back into Margie’s bedroom holding another dress. Margie groans, “Lana, don’t change again. Your outfit is nice. I don’t even know how you got ready so fast.”

Lana giggles and throws the dress at Margie. “This dress isn’t for me, it’s for you.”

Margie sighs, tossing the dress on her bed. “I don’t really feel like going. I think I’m just gonna stay home.”

“What?” Lana scoffs, “Margie, we just finished our second year of college! We have to celebrate!”

Margie rolls her eyes, “You just want to go because you have a thing for Ricky. Don’t drag me into it. Daniella is going, just hang out with her.”

“Come on, Margie,” Lana whines, “you’re my best friend. Please come with me. It’s only going to be like four or five of us. I’ll owe you big time. I even got ready quickly so I could help you. Please?”

Margie contemplates her friend’s words.

“Will you accept my choice if I say no?”

“No.”

Margie slumps down in her chair, “Fine, I’ll go.”

Lana squeals, “I’ll go get the curling iron!”

After what feels like forever, Lana chirps, “All done!”

Margie glances at her clock.

7:00 PM.

“Margie, you are so gorgeous! Why don’t you let me doll you up more often?”

Margie holds back from rolling her eyes at her friend. She watches Lana grab her purse, reluctantly doing the same a few moments later. As she grabs her bag, her stomach erupts with butterflies.

Why am I doing this? She thinks, disappointed with her inability to stand her ground.

Margie takes a deep breath in, letting out a shaky exhale. She grabs her bag and rushes out of the front door behind Lana.

They arrive at Ricky’s house shortly after 7:30. Margie’s leg is bouncing up and down, as it has been the whole drive.

“Margie, stop bouncing your leg. It’s shaking the car.”

“Lana, I really don’t want to go. I don’t have a good feeling about this tonight.”

“Oh my God, Marge. Stop being lame. Everything is going to be fine. You’re such a worrier.”

“Can we please just leave?”

Lana scoffs, opening her door. “Honestly, Margie, your dramatic worrying is getting on my nerves. Calm down, we’re going to have fun. Now get out of the car.”

Margie’s heart sinks as she opens the passenger side door.

The two girls head to the front door, Lana excitedly leading the way, with Margie moping behind her.

Lana bursts through the door, “Guess who’s here,” she sings.

“Hey! The life of the party is here everyone,” Ricky shouts, approaching the girls.

“Lana, I love that color on you.” He kisses her cheek, pulling her in for a hug. His eyes graze over Margie, behind Lana’s back. A lump forms in Margie’s throat, and she avoids his eyeline, going around them to her other friends.

“Hi guys,” Margie greets her two other friends, Daniella and Darnell.

“Hey Marge,” Darnell quips back.

“Hi Margie, how’s everything been?” Daniella smiles at Margie.

Margie sighs, looking at the floor.

“I’ve been better.”

Daniella’s eyebrows furrow at her friend’s sullen demeanor.

“Margie, is everything okay?”

Ricky jumps onto the couch next to Margie, “Yeah, Margie, is everything okay?”

Margie slightly scoots further down the couch, attempting to make room between her and Ricky.

“I’m fine.”

“Well,” Lana joins in, “to tell the truth, Margie didn’t really feel like coming today.”

Margie’s head shoots up to look at Lana. She purses her lips and shakes her head at Lana.

“Lana-”

“What? It’s true, Margie.”

Ricky grabs his chest, pretending to be offended.

“What, are we not a cool enough crowd for you?”

Margie subtly shoots a dirty look at Lana, then replies, “I just had a stomachache is all…”

Daniella smiles sympathetically at Margie then speaks up, “So, um, who wants to take a shot to celebrate summer?!”

“I’m down!’

“Pour me one!”

“Woohoo! Let’s get this party started!”

Many shots later, everyone’s moods are high and escalated. Daniella, Darrell, and Lana are dancing around the living room to the blasting music. Ricky is preparing another shot. He pours two and walks over to Margie, sitting on the couch.

“Here, Margie, loosen up.”

“I don’t want it. I’ve drunk enough.”

“You need to let loose, Margie. You’re so serious. Drink it.”

“I said I don’t want it!”

“Margie, if you don’t-”

Margie speaks up, for everyone to hear, “I’m going outside. I need some air.”

Everyone watches her walk out of the sliding door, then turn to look at Ricky who just shrugs.

After a few minutes, Ricky sneaks out the back door, approaching Margie.

“What the hell is the matter with you, Margie? Do you want Lana getting suspicious? You’ve moped around enough!”

“You can’t tell me what I’ve done enough of, Ricky,” she seethes at him. “What we did was a mistake. You forced yourself onto me while you’re dating my best friend. That is so screwed up. I won’t contribute to this anymore.”

Ricky looks at her furiously, “A mistake? How could you say that, Marge?”

“Don’t call me that.”

“What we did wasn’t a mistake. We did what had to be done.”

“What, stabbing my best friend in the back? Then listening to her gush on about you and how much she likes you? Helping her pick out outfits to impress you? What we did was wrong, Ricky. I regret ever letting you kiss me. I regret ever helping you betray my best friend. She’s been nothing but good to you.”

Ricky brushes her words off, “She is nothing to me, Margie. Nothing compared to you. Please, just hear me out. I'm here begging you.”

“No, Ricky. I have nothing for you. Please just stop it.”

Ricky grabs her arm roughly, “Margie, it could all be so simple if you just stopped resisting this.”

“Let me go.”

She starts pulling away from his grip, but his grip begins to tighten around her as he pulls her closer, attempting to kiss her.

“Ricky, stop it! Let me go!” She struggles against his grip, pulling away.

“Just give in, Margie.”

“No! Let me go!”

Margie pushes away from him once again, this time slipping out of his grip. She falls backward, hitting her head against the side of the pool, then falling into the deep end of it. The hit knocks her unconscious, making her unable to float back to the surface.

Ricky breathes heavily as he watches her sink to the bottom of his pool.

How am I going to explain this? He thinks, as his heart pounds in his chest. Ricky turns away from the pool, then slips into the house as sneakily as he can.

His heart is pounding as he approaches the kitchen. He pours another shot, and downs it before returning to his friends.

He grabs hold of Lana and begins dancing with her.

“Hey,” he smiles at her, “having fun?”

She smirks at him, “I’m having more fun now that you’re here dancing with me.”

Ricky laughs, trying to brush off what just happened.

Daniella turns the music down, and her eyebrows are furrowed as she begins to speak, “Maybe we should check on Margie. It’s been a while since she went outside. I’m getting worried now.”

Ricky gulps, “Yeah, um, we should make sure she’s okay.”

Lana rolls her eyes, “I guess. She’s been such a buzzkill today.”

Daniella squints at Lana’s attitude.

“I still think we should go and check on her.”

The four of them walk outside the sliding door to the backyard.

“Margie?” Daniella calls out to her.

Lana looks around confused, a bit of guilt poking at her chest.

“Did she leave? Margie?! Come out!”

Darnell walks over by the pool.

His voice is shaky, “O-Oh my god. Guys?

The group rushes over to the pool. There Margie floats, lifelessly.

Daniella lets out a loud shriek and Lana gasps as they see Margie in the water, upside-down.

“Margie,” Lana calls out to her, “Margie, are you okay?!”

“She doesn’t look like she’s breathing,” Darnell notes.

Panicking, Darnell begins pulling her closer to the edge of the pool.

“Ricky, help me out here, man!”

Ricky backs up.

“No way.”

Lana turns over to Ricky, appalled.

“No way?! Ricky, help him get her out of the pool! We have to make sure she’s okay.”

Ricky backs up further, “Do you think she’s okay, Lana? She’s dead. No way I’m getting my DNA on her body.”

“What? Ricky, we have to help her!”

Darnell grunts, pulling Margie’s body out of the water.

“Thanks for the help,” he quips at Ricky.

Everyone, but Ricky, rushes to her side. Darnell puts his fingers to the side of her neck.

His breath is shaky as he speaks, “She’s dead.”

Daniella begins to sob, “How did this happen?”

Ricky speaks up, “She must have fallen in. W-We have to get rid of her body.”

Lana stares at Margie’s body, laying lifelessly on the ground, soaked in water, a large lump on the side of her head. She snaps out of her prior thoughts, and watches as Ricky wraps her with the blanket.

“What are you going to do with her?”

Ricky stares up at her, “We are going to throw her in the lake. Everyone, get into the car, now.”

Ricky watches everyone reluctantly get into his car. He crams her body into his trunk, whispering in her ear, “Everything could have been so different, Margie.”

The car ride is silent to the bridge. When they get there, Darrell speaks up before anyone can get out of the car.

“It’s not too late, Ricky.”

“This is what has to happen.”

Ricky gets out of the car, walking to the trunk. He grabs Margie’s lifeless body and heads towards the railing of the bridge.

“Don’t do it, Ricky, please,” Lana pleads as the rest of the group gets out of the car.

“We have to, Lana. This is the only way we can move on.”

He throws Margie over the railing, and everyone watches as her body hits the water. The water swallows Margie’s body, and she slowly disappears into the dark lake.

Daniella and Lana begin sobbing over the railing. Darnell puts his head in his hands, murmuring to himself.

How did this all go so wrong?

Lana’s heart is overcome with guilt as she watches the water.

How could I let this happen?

The group gets back into the car and no one speaks as they drive back to the house. As soon as the car stops, Lana gets out of the car and immediately bolts to her own car, driving home as fast as she can. Her heart thuds in her chest as looks over at the empty seat next to her. When she makes it home, she breaks down in her car.

How could Margie be gone? How could I have let this happen to her?

Her thoughts race, and all of the guilt and regrets hit her like a ton of bricks. After several minutes of sobbing in her car, she gets out and heads towards the door.

I have to call the police when I get inside.

As she approaches her door, she sees a note stuck to it. Her heart sinks to the floor as she reads it.

It was Ricky.