The police station's front door swooshed open, accompanied by a loud holler. “Guess who dropped by with snacks?!” Every head in the station turned to see who the noisy intruder was. Looking up from his cup of coffee, Thomas craned his neck over the corner of the pantry. A wide grin split his lips. “Alby! What are you doing here?” He sauntered over to the front desk, careful not to spill his coffee. A growing crowd of people surrounded Albert, so he had to elbow his way in. One hand covering the top of his cup, he edged to the front where Albert was handing out boxes of pizza. After many a slap on Albert’s back as an expression of thanks, the crowd thinned. “Wow, what’s the occasion, man?” Thomas laughed as his eyes drifted over the assortment of potato chips in Albert’s remaining bag. “My office had a celebration for the festival and some guy went overboard in ordering food. So I thought I would bring some over.” Grinning, Albert slung a meaty arm over Thomas’s shoulder. “I

Sandra's lips clamped shut as soon as the words left her lips. For years, the question had gnawed at her. What did Lynn have that she didn't? Why didn't Mark choose her? Why? Hidden underneath layers of conflicting emotions, her resentment grew. Were it not for the toxic amount of alcohol churning in her system, she would not have said it out loud. But now, the question hung in the air like a ticking bomb. She couldn't take it back. Her fearful eyes searched Mark’s expression for signs of repulsion and anger. As seconds passed, her brain kicked into overdrive, imagining the worst possible situation. A lump grew in her throat until she could barely breathe. The blank look on Mark's face shifted to one of nostalgia. A small smile flitted across his lips, dancing between bitterness, regret, and happiness. His voice dropped an octave. “You know at one point, I thought it was going to be the both of us that ended up together. Does that surprise you?” Rendered speechless, she stared at

By her third can of beer and a second pack of chips, it was clear that Sandra was more than a little tipsy. Her cheeks flushed red and her eyes drooped every minute. But the smile that spread across her lips never wavered. Sprawled out on the three-seater sofa with her legs tucked behind her, she leaned back into the soft leather. Her elbow rested on the top of the sofa, head cradled in her palm. In her other hand, she lazily swirled the can of beer. It was much more comfortable sitting here in the living room, which was why Mark had suggested they move from the dining room after he almost fell off his chair. Seated beside her with his legs propped up on the console table, Mark was equally stoned. His expression had loosened up and his booming laugh resonated with youth. Transfixed by his carefree attitude, Sandra was transported back to the old days when they were young and free of burdens. Her dreamy eyes stared at him as soothing pop music played in the background. “Mark

Sandra stared at the extra zeroes listed in the balance of her bank book. She counted the numbers over and over until it was imprinted in her mind. The corner of her lips tugged up into a wide grin and she almost whooped in the middle of the street. She clutched the bank book to her chest, feeling the euphoric beating of her heart through the thin pieces of paper. Oh, she could smell the sweet, sweet scent of money! Sure, she wasn’t holding paper notes but those black digits printed at the end of her balance were close enough. “I’m sorry, are you still using the ATM?” A gravelly voice cut through her thoughts. Sandra spun to see a middle-aged lady wearing a polite smile as she stood in line. Apologizing profusely, Sandra backed away to let the older woman take her turn. Book in hand, she sashayed down the sidewalk to the beat in her mind. Her loose blouse and tight pencil skirt turned a few heads but she was oblivious to the attention she was attracting. With a smile plastered on

June 5 202X 15:11 @ modthebod: What do you do if someone you know betrays you? @ sansan4ever: Omg who in the world betrayed you?? How dare they?! Umm I dunno.. Maybe you should like talk to them about your real feelings and stuff? 15:15 @ kai: ? Need to know the context first. 15:16 @ by123 has joined the server. 15:18 @ sansan4ever: Ahh welcome by123!! Do we call you By or something? @ by123: You can call me By, sweetie. I’m new, so I’m catching up on the messages. @ sansan4ever: Sure, take your time!! @ modthebod: Read the rules, By. Tell me how you found out about Sandra. Why you’re her fan. 15:20 @ by123: And why do I need to tell you that? @ modthebod: Because I will ban your motherfucking ass if you don’t. @ kai: ...Someone’s in a pissy mood. @ modthebod: Shut up, @ kai. 15:22 @ sansan4ever: Noo don’t do that, @ kai! *hugs* Someone did something mean to poor @ modthebod, so he’s just hurting. @ kai: Whatever. @ by123: I’m most likely way older than you guys, so

Leaning on the car bonnet, Thomas let out a long breath. This was not how he had planned for this evening to turn out. Even a boring normal would be better than this series of disasters. After hearing what Dina said about Sandra's nightly activities, he couldn't help dwelling on it. But he couldn’t muster the energy to sort through the information or his feelings for Sandra. He dragged a hand down his cheeks. For now, he would settle this vandalism issue and then go back to a warm bath and sleep. He angled his wrist to look at the old-fashioned, analog watch that sat snugly on his arm. The female culprit should be coming round the bend anytime. He pushed himself off the car and straightened up. Parked behind a few medium-height trees, the car couldn’t be seen from where the girl was likely to appear. He glanced towards the main road where a few cars zoomed past. Boy did he want to join them on the way home. A silhouette in the corner of his eyes snagged his attention. Turning

Cruising down the empty road, Thomas tapped his finger on the steering wheel to the beat of the music blaring from the radio. He glanced at the green digits displayed on the car dashboard. Ten more minutes to the end of his shift. A grin lit up his face. He straightened in his seat and stepped on the accelerator. Boy did he love it when a long, boring shift was over. Whistling along with the music, he ran through potential ideas about how he would spend the remaining night. Stay at home? Nah, too dull. Drinks with Alby? His friend had told him his hands were tied at work this week, so probably not. Tamm? She was busy at the restaurant today. As more names zoomed through his mind, the overhead signboard loomed in the distance. One of the words on the board snagged his attention. His heart skipped a beat at the name of Sandra’s neighborhood. He hadn’t seen her since the day he installed the surveillance cameras at her home. Would it be odd if he dropped by her home without notice

It was well into the night, yet the banter between old friends had not subsided. After much alcohol and snacks, Sandra felt like her body had melted into the couch. Curled up with her legs under her weight, she was completely at home in her friends’ apartment. Swirling the glass of beer in one hand, she propped her head up with the other. Her blurred vision cleared as she looked at Elise. She let out a chuckle that turned into a hiccup. “Being a school principal must be tough. Board meetings this week, exams upcoming.” “Yeah.” Elise huffed. A light shade of pink tinted her cheeks in comparison to the dark red splotches that covered Sandra’s. Her can of Carlsberg remained half-full. She had binged more on the chips, leaving the plate empty. “At least there hasn’t been much trouble so far.” Seated between the ladies on a big bean bag, Will tossed back his glass. Somewhere in the middle of the conversation, he had switched from his place on the couch to the bean bag. It was easier to

Raucous laughter boomed from the pub across the road as Sandra slid her car into the last parking spot. She glanced out her window. A steady trickle of people sauntered into the restaurants lining the street. Quite the opposite of the familiar city scene, with its unsavory crowd of drug dealers and prostitutes loitering near the night spots. She smiled to herself. She had forgotten how peaceful her hometown was. Peace and quiet was a double-edged sword. On one hand, it meant boredom - which was why she had left it for the city. But she missed the freedom of going out in the night and throwing caution to the wind. In the city, that kind of recklessness could have her mugged, raped, or killed and left in the streets for dead. She killed the engine and stepped out of the car. Dressed for comfort in a simple tee and jeans, she hadn’t bothered to take a bag with her. She slipped the car keys into her pocket and closed the door with a click. The pungent smell of perfume turned her head. A

June 3 202X 06:06 @ modthebod: To hell with everything. Fucking people should just die. 08:45 @ sansan4ever: Oh no!!! What happened @ modthebod?? Sorry, I like just got up and stuff. 10:12 @ kai: ? @ sansan4ever: Omg he still hasn’t answered??! Like is he ok?? I hope he’s fine, omg.. 10:14 @ kai: Calm down. He’s just having a fit. @ sansan4ever: But but it’s scary! Like maybe he- omg I don’t even wanna say it. @ kai: Meh. Just give him some time. @ sansan4ever: Okie. *prays everything is fine* 17:46 @ modthebod: I’m still here, you idiot. I’m not the one who should die. It’s *some* people who ought to DIE. Anyway, I’m gonna be inactive for a while. 18:00 @ kai: ...See, he’s fine. @ sansan4ever: Ahh phew~ Sorry @ modthebod! I was just like freaking out. Hope you feel ok after this!! Will pinched the bridge of his nose as he closed his fatigued eyes. What was wrong with this week? First, it was Kyler with her worrying insight about Ray who was allegedly a possessive guy.