Chapter 3 PARTY

The bell rang, buzzing into her ear. Even though she taught Mariah a lesson she would remember her whole life, still, Mariah's words couldn't find a way out of Sabrina's head.

"What are your plans for tonight?" Ryan hung his backpack. Sensing Brina was deep in her thoughts. She seemed sad but he could understand it had nothing to do with anything else but what Mariah said about her mother.

He has known her for so long and he knows how much Brina adores her mother in her memories and some stranger spoiling it for her wouldn't be the thing he wants to happen.

"I don't know. Probably, crack my bed." Brina flashed him a tight smile and grabbed her things before walking beside him.

"Well to let you know a thing. There is a party at Seb's around ten or something. I think you should come with me." He elbowed her. They have been to parties before but no one else to talk to there except for each other.

"Come on aren't we past that yet, Ryan," Brina whined. Her new year's resolution was not to enjoy the last year of her high school.

"What Brina? This is the last year we are together. Then I will be off to college and for you, I'm not so sure." He teased her limitlessly. He can do that all day long. Well, that's what a friendship is all about. Teasing each other and cheering each other.

Brina rolled her eyes, ignoring his stupid remarks, "Seb's party though?" She made a disgusted face, reaching the parking where Ryan parked his car.

"We all know Brina his parties are awesome than anyone here." Ryan gave her a look that says, "Really!".

"Fine. But my dad has this curfew thing for me and you know that. Can't be out after eleven." She whined, giving a trail of excuses not to go out and meet nonsensical humans.

"Don't worry. I'll explain to him later. But be ready by 9:30 with a dress, Brina." He told her seriously, opening the door for her to enter.

"I was thinking about maybe taking a long walk home today?" She hissed, tilting her head, shrinking her eyes.

"I understand. But stay safe, call me when you reach home., Alright?" He asked, pecking her forehead, like his little sister, and went into his car. He was gone with Brina nodding and waving goodbye to him.

She huffed, realizing a sigh, "Let's go then." She walked along with the barriers of the ground. Running her finger through the brushes with very few flowers in them.

Wait. This isn't her way home. Where was she off to now?

She opened a gate to the graveyard. It was already dawn. But who cares. She felt safe here rather than anywhere else. She stepped her foot inside, breaking the silence by stepping onto a thin branch.

She made her way to a very special grave. "It's dirty again. I wonder if the guards sleep rather than doing work here all the time." She muttered to herself and went to clean the headstone. Dusting away all the leaves and dust, she smiled.

"Hello there, Mom." She muttered and sat beside the grave of her mother.

"Oh, why am I here?" She was asking herself a question on behalf of her mom, "Well, I was missing you." and then she answered it all by herself.

"You know, I won three consecutive bets against the old man. He was all about I'm this and I'm going to take you down but guess what? Your daughter is stronger." She laughed talking to her mother and finding a strand of grass, ripping it into pieces, slowly.

"By the way, mom." Her smile now faded away taking the frown in position. "Do you also think I'm not enough? Huh?" She stared at the headstone for a while and nodded.

"I know I shouldn't let people think lowly of me but I can't help it sometimes you know. I don't know what's wrong with me. Am I not that beautiful like other girls? Or does it have to do something by the way I speak? I can't understand anything. Please help me out." She held back her sobs but her voice was clearly sobbing the cries she was hiding.

"Little girl! You are here again." One of the guards shouted from the crooked cabin at a distance from the graveyard. He was standing outside and shook his head while approaching Sabrina.

"The sky is getting pretty dark, kid. You should head back home now." He told her with a concerned look on his face.

"I know. I know. Stop nagging at me every time in front of my mom." Sabrina stood up, smoothing her clothes and cleaning all the specks of dust from the ground.

"Or what?" The guard dared her to say the punishment he will get if he does that.

"Or nothing. I just heard a lot of news these past few days that some people have encountered their loved one's souls. And they keep haunting the people who bully their loved ones." Sabrina calmly smiled at the guard as if she was an innocent kid.

The guard scoffed, "You are just making that up, right?" He asked, deep down he was too afraid of ghosts.

"Well, I just told you what I heard. The rest is on you, to believe it or not." She flashed a toothy smile at him and went on her way to her house.

"What is up with this kid? She is so weird sometimes." The guard muttered and unknowingly stepped onto a broken branch, crackling the sound in the silence. He let out a squeaky shriek, holding his heart.

"Good Lord. Protect us from evil spirits. We are thy men." He started reciting some random prayers, looking around, hastily.

Sabrina looked back at him and chuckled. How stupid this guard is. If he is that scared he shouldn't be guarding this area in the first place. She shook her head and went back home.

"Brina?" Andrew was already home. He heard her getting inside and came out rushing from the living room. "Why are you so late?"

"I just went to see mom." She casually said and noticed her dad's reaction like nothing but a blank face. Does he still love her mom?

She was stunned every time to see her dad was never that intimidated towards her mother. Come to think about it, he never even cried at her mother's funeral or ever after.

"By the way, Ryan told me about the party thing. You can go but remember the rules, no drinking, no smoking, no drugs, and no se.." Before he could finish Brina hissed, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Jezz! Dad. I know I know. Stop telling me that every single time." She shook her head, getting annoyed by this conversation already.

"But what if you do it the day I won't remind you? That would be my fault." Andrew argued childishly.

"Yeah, like at the birthday party of my best friend's eight years old sister?" She stated her facts. Unbelievably, he says the same thing every time she goes out with Ryan.

"Yeah well, there could be other guys. Like Ryan." His father still doesn't want to lose the debate.

"Dad, for the love of God. Even his parents were at the party. And how can you even think about me and Ryan? Ewww!!" She gave Andrew the disgusted look ever.

"Okay if his parents weren't here would you have done it?" Now Andrew was curious about his daughter's sex life like what the hell Papa Pitufu?

"Dad, it was an eight years old kid's birthday party. There were a lot of kids too." She shrank her fingers in position and popped every word clearly for him.

"What if there was no kid?" Andrew was going on stupidly.

"Oh! I don't wanna stick to this convo anymore." She grunted, frustratedly and ran to her room. He couldn't understand that if there won't be kids, how can it be a kid's birthday party?

Sabrina took out one of her dresses which she never wore. She grabbed the first dress that touched her hand. Without thinking much she put it on and went with whatever else she had except for makeup. She really didn't have it.

"Brina! Ryan is here!" Andrew shouted from downstairs. Looking at Ryan he was dressing way too casually and cool. Although he had his jeans on and a jacket he looked somewhat different tonight.

"In a minute!" Sabrina shouted, hiding the knives in her cuffs, she always carries them for emergencies at night. Who knows when she would be attacked since she now has attained too many enemies to live her entire life with.

"Let's go." Sabrina didn't even notice Ryan's outfit even though he specially and carefully picked it out to look good in front of her. But she doesn't care about people.

"Brina, remember what I told you!" Andrew shouted from behind letting them leave the house.

"Okay dad, love you too. Bye." Sabrina shouted back and they got in the car, taking off to the party house.