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Description
Brr. The brisk December air bit into Kate’s exposed thighs as her wheeled her friend Ashlyn down the driveway of the Delta Delta Phi sorority house. The short shorts probably weren’t the best choice for this weather, but hey, you gotta represent the DDP ladies when you’re out. Plus, the boys usually love the show…well, maybe not this time of year.

The campus and housing areas were all but deserted, everyone having left for home after finals. No one left but the scraps. Kate had left her family back in California to go to university up in New England for a pre-med scholarship. Flights were inordinately expensive, especially on her restricted budget, so she decided to hole up at her sorority house for the holidays. But what she wouldn’t give for a SoCal December now.

Bump. Ashlyn whimpered through her wired jaw. The wheelchair had hit an errant root, jostling her broken body. Whoops.

“I’m sorry, honey, it’s getting a little dark. I’ll be more careful,” promised Kate. The morphine from the hospital had long worn off since the morning, and now every movement was a potential source of pain for Ashlyn.

“Iss umgay,” she mumbled.

They pulled up to the steps leading to the front door. The Greek letters for Delta Delta Phi ran across the top of the white door, while friendly yellow light streamed out from the windows on the side. Muted dance thumped through the threshold. Damn, if only Connor were here to help her with Ash.

“Can you walk, hun?” Kate asked. She held her hands under Ashlyn’s armpits, supporting her as she stood from the wheelchair. The hard white fiberglass was itchy as Ash swung her arms about for momentum. “There we go, up the steps.” Kate directed her slowly, as the neck brace hindered her friend’s ability to look down where she was going.

Kate reassured her. “One more step, and then we’re—“
Ashlyn stumbled. A brief flash of recollection hit her, falling again. Not again. No, please… She shrieked.
The steady hands of Kate grabbed underneath her arms, keeping her from tumbling over. Safe. She began sobbing through her wired mouth, her broken arms and jaw throbbing in pain again. She slowly knelt and sat on the ground, tears streaming down her face.

“You’re all right, I’ve got you.” Shit, I forgot my keys.
Kate knocked on the door. “Hey guys, let me in! Bella? Julia?” She looked down at her friend, distraught and disheveled. Her casted arms waved uselessly. A deep chord of pity struck Kate.
The poor girl can’t even wipe away her tears, she thought.
“Bella, come on, I know you’re in there!” She pounded on the door. A muffled response shouted back. “Coming!”

Kate helped her broken friend to her feet just as the door opened. “Jeez, no need to yell, I got you, Kate!”
She turned her eyes to the casted blonde girl. “Ohmygod Ash! I knew it was bad, but what—”
“Let’s just get her inside, Julia.”
“But—“
“Please.”

—

“The cauliflower risotto’s not done yet, but the chicken’s done if you want some, it’s just resting,” said Julia. An open bottle of chardonnay sat alongside two half-filled glasses in the middle of their kitchen island. “Thanks, don’t worry about me. I can serve myself,” replied Kate, a little too late.
Julia was an absolute whirlwind around the kitchen, setting up plates and cutlery for the both of them. Typical Julia, very Type-A. She wasn’t the only one who used the sorority’s kitchen, and she definitely wasn’t going to win any Michelin stars, but she was definitely The Chef. She was the president of their chapter, so she had an official title somewhere in the rulebook, Miss something-other-the-other. But all the girls called her Chef. She loved it.
“Here you are, love.” Julia placed a full plate in front of Kate.
“Thanks, Chef.”
“Did Ash want any dinner?”
“No, she seemed content with just sleep,” Kate replied.
“And the Vicodin,” Julia added, sitting next to Kate with a measly serving of chicken.
“Yeah, I guess. I don’t blame her; I’d want 3 if I were broken and stuffed up in casts, too.”
Julia cocked her head. “You don’t think she has a problem?”
“I mean, nobody’s perfect. She—“
“Girl, I don’t mean to be an uncaring bitch, but she kind of did it to herself.”
Kate stopped. “Did she though? I was talking to her on the way back here and—”
“You know she has a problem.”
“Julia, she said someone pushed her.”
“Hah!” Julia scoffed. “Sure, ‘someone.’ The booze pushed her. She was drunk out of her mind. Hell, this morning, I could smell her even before I found her. Girl’s got a problem.”
Kate pushed some half-cooked vegetarian risotto around her plate. “Yeah, I guess so.”
She drained her wine glass.
“By the way, have you seen Bella? I thought she’d be here for the Chef’s dinner.”
“That girl? No way, she avoids my food like it came from Chernobyl. But she did say she was going on a run, and not to wait up for dinner. She should be back by now, though,” she paused. “I’ll leave something out for her for when she gets back. Make her clean up the dishes, too.” She winked at Kate.
“Okay. I’m going to check up on Ash and then get my Netflix on. Thanks for dinner, Chef.” Kate smiled.

—

The sun was already past setting as Bella rounded the last mile of her run. Shit, I keep forgetting it gets dark earlier, she thought. She changed songs on her phone and quickened her pace, the music blaring a louder crescendo.

Bella always prided herself on her weight. She wasn’t the best looking (that was Liz), but she’d be damned if she was going to end up like her mother. She was a voracious runner and kept to a strict diet every day. Thin at 110ish pounds to her 5’6” frame, she had always enjoyed shopping with the other girls, if just to prove that she could fit into a size 0 in front of them.

Her long black hair flew behind as she pushed forward, the sweat glistening off her pale skin in the dim moonlight. The raven spread its wings.

Her steps matched the beat of her personalized running soundtrack. Thump thump thump thump.
She rounded another corner, the final stretch. She could see the Delta Delta Phi house some ways away. Thump thump thump thump.
A lone car made its way down the street towards her. Thump thump thump thump.
The song changed, a faster tempo, the final push. Thumpthumpthumpthump. But something was off; there was another rhythm. She looked down at her phone, confused. Were there two songs playing at once? Just beyond the illumination of her phone— another figure, running beside her, footfalls playing a cacophonous beat against her rhythm. Before she knew what happened, she felt a strong push in the path of the oncoming car.
Then blackness.

Description
Brr. The brisk December air bit into Kate’s exposed thighs as her wheeled her friend Ashlyn down the driveway of the Delta Delta Phi sorority house. The short shorts probably weren’t the best choice for this weather, but hey, you gotta represent the DDP ladies when you’re out. Plus, the boys usually love the show…well, maybe not this time of year.

The campus and housing areas were all but deserted, everyone having left for home after finals. No one left but the scraps. Kate had left her family back in California to go to university up in New England for a pre-med scholarship. Flights were inordinately expensive, especially on her restricted budget, so she decided to hole up at her sorority house for the holidays. But what she wouldn’t give for a SoCal December now.

Bump. Ashlyn whimpered through her wired jaw. The wheelchair had hit an errant root, jostling her broken body. Whoops.

“I’m sorry, honey, it’s getting a little dark. I’ll be more careful,” promised Kate. The morphine from the hospital had long worn off since the morning, and now every movement was a potential source of pain for Ashlyn.

“Iss umgay,” she mumbled.

They pulled up to the steps leading to the front door. The Greek letters for Delta Delta Phi ran across the top of the white door, while friendly yellow light streamed out from the windows on the side. Muted dance thumped through the threshold. Damn, if only Connor were here to help her with Ash.

“Can you walk, hun?” Kate asked. She held her hands under Ashlyn’s armpits, supporting her as she stood from the wheelchair. The hard white fiberglass was itchy as Ash swung her arms about for momentum. “There we go, up the steps.” Kate directed her slowly, as the neck brace hindered her friend’s ability to look down where she was going.

Kate reassured her. “One more step, and then we’re—“
Ashlyn stumbled. A brief flash of recollection hit her, falling again. Not again. No, please… She shrieked.
The steady hands of Kate grabbed underneath her arms, keeping her from tumbling over. Safe. She began sobbing through her wired mouth, her broken arms and jaw throbbing in pain again. She slowly knelt and sat on the ground, tears streaming down her face.

“You’re all right, I’ve got you.” Shit, I forgot my keys.
Kate knocked on the door. “Hey guys, let me in! Bella? Julia?” She looked down at her friend, distraught and disheveled. Her casted arms waved uselessly. A deep chord of pity struck Kate.
The poor girl can’t even wipe away her tears, she thought.
“Bella, come on, I know you’re in there!” She pounded on the door. A muffled response shouted back. “Coming!”

Kate helped her broken friend to her feet just as the door opened. “Jeez, no need to yell, I got you, Kate!”
She turned her eyes to the casted blonde girl. “Ohmygod Ash! I knew it was bad, but what—”
“Let’s just get her inside, Julia.”
“But—“
“Please.”

—

“The cauliflower risotto’s not done yet, but the chicken’s done if you want some, it’s just resting,” said Julia. An open bottle of chardonnay sat alongside two half-filled glasses in the middle of their kitchen island. “Thanks, don’t worry about me. I can serve myself,” replied Kate, a little too late.
Julia was an absolute whirlwind around the kitchen, setting up plates and cutlery for the both of them. Typical Julia, very Type-A. She wasn’t the only one who used the sorority’s kitchen, and she definitely wasn’t going to win any Michelin stars, but she was definitely The Chef. She was the president of their chapter, so she had an official title somewhere in the rulebook, Miss something-other-the-other. But all the girls called her Chef. She loved it.
“Here you are, love.” Julia placed a full plate in front of Kate.
“Thanks, Chef.”
“Did Ash want any dinner?”
“No, she seemed content with just sleep,” Kate replied.
“And the Vicodin,” Julia added, sitting next to Kate with a measly serving of chicken.
“Yeah, I guess. I don’t blame her; I’d want 3 if I were broken and stuffed up in casts, too.”
Julia cocked her head. “You don’t think she has a problem?”
“I mean, nobody’s perfect. She—“
“Girl, I don’t mean to be an uncaring bitch, but she kind of did it to herself.”
Kate stopped. “Did she though? I was talking to her on the way back here and—”
“You know she has a problem.”
“Julia, she said someone pushed her.”
“Hah!” Julia scoffed. “Sure, ‘someone.’ The booze pushed her. She was drunk out of her mind. Hell, this morning, I could smell her even before I found her. Girl’s got a problem.”
Kate pushed some half-cooked vegetarian risotto around her plate. “Yeah, I guess so.”
She drained her wine glass.
“By the way, have you seen Bella? I thought she’d be here for the Chef’s dinner.”
“That girl? No way, she avoids my food like it came from Chernobyl. But she did say she was going on a run, and not to wait up for dinner. She should be back by now, though,” she paused. “I’ll leave something out for her for when she gets back. Make her clean up the dishes, too.” She winked at Kate.
“Okay. I’m going to check up on Ash and then get my Netflix on. Thanks for dinner, Chef.” Kate smiled.

—

The sun was already past setting as Bella rounded the last mile of her run. Shit, I keep forgetting it gets dark earlier, she thought. She changed songs on her phone and quickened her pace, the music blaring a louder crescendo.

Bella always prided herself on her weight. She wasn’t the best looking (that was Liz), but she’d be damned if she was going to end up like her mother. She was a voracious runner and kept to a strict diet every day. Thin at 110ish pounds to her 5’6” frame, she had always enjoyed shopping with the other girls, if just to prove that she could fit into a size 0 in front of them.

Her long black hair flew behind as she pushed forward, the sweat glistening off her pale skin in the dim moonlight. The raven spread its wings.

Her steps matched the beat of her personalized running soundtrack. Thump thump thump thump.
She rounded another corner, the final stretch. She could see the Delta Delta Phi house some ways away. Thump thump thump thump.
A lone car made its way down the street towards her. Thump thump thump thump.
The song changed, a faster tempo, the final push. Thumpthumpthumpthump. But something was off; there was another rhythm. She looked down at her phone, confused. Were there two songs playing at once? Just beyond the illumination of her phone— another figure, running beside her, footfalls playing a cacophonous beat against her rhythm. Before she knew what happened, she felt a strong push in the path of the oncoming car.
Then blackness.