The seconds dragged on as I waited for the clock to show 12:15. I promised my friend, Carina, to meet her at the bathroom at that time so we could talk about some rumors going around the school claiming that I made her boyfriend break up with her. She sent death glares at me all lunch but after the bell rang I told her that she had better meet me in the bathroom at 12:15 so I could explain.

Steven, Carina's now "ex"-boyfriend, and I had hung out once during lunch while Carina was retaking a math test. I wanted to throw Carina a surprise birthday party and I wanted his help. But, sadly, Steven was planning to break up with her the next time he saw her. Stupid Tracy, the girl in my English class, overheard Steven and I talking and she thought I was persuading him to break up with Carina. Now almost all of the senior class thinks I am a terrible friend.

Finally. The clock revealed my cue to leave. I got up out of my desk in the back corner of my English class and signed out to go to the bathroom.

While walking a little slower than I usually do to the bathroom I noticed how dreary my school was on a rainy day. The beautiful rod iron entrance gates looked more like prison bars today. The grand oak tree in the center of the quad, the place where every student hung out and ate lunch, looked sad and almost tilted, as if the rain was crushing it. Even the brilliant purple and pink flowers that surrounded the once proud oak tree looked dull and buried in fog. When the students entered the gates, they ended up in the quad, and surrounding the quad was two levels of all the classrooms. Ripple Water High School is small, but I love it. Everyone knows everyone and we have great school spirit. Go Manatees!

The rain came down hard. My jeans were uncomfortably soaking and my brand new light brown fur boots sloshed in the puddles. The hood was up on my puffy white jacket, protecting my curly brown hair from frizzing too much. I tried to shield my face to defend the makeup that surrounded my green eyes. I was coming up on the corridor with a dead end that contained the bathrooms. I would be safe from rain under there.

I hadn't seen Carina on my way to the bathroom. We meet in the bathroom after lunch often and we normally see each other from at least a distance. Maybe she wasn't coming. Or maybe she was already there.

Now I was in the corridor. Even though it had a roof, it was outside so there was quite a bit of water piled up on the floors from the wind blowing in the rain. I passed the boy's restroom and approached the ladies restroom on my left. The corridor was dark but I knew once I reached the bathroom door that I would soon be in a very illuminated room. I opened the door and walked into the bathroom and removed my hood. I moved towards the full length mirror to check myself and repair the damages done to my face and hair if necessary. I was content with what I saw and noticed Carina wasn't in the bathroom. I'm ditched. But I thought I should wait a few minutes for her and I looked down to see how my new boots were dealing with the rain. What the hell. I took a really close look at what I thought I was seeing.

My eyes misted up and a lung gathered in my throat. A radiant red stained the rim of my boots. Is that blood? Where could this have come from? Art class? No. I can't trick myself. I knew this was blood and I knew which part of the school it came from- the dark and ominous corridor.

I slowly walked towards the door. My hand was shaking as it patted the handle. I turned it I allowed the illumination to spill out and fill the gloomy hallway with a glow. I reached for the kickstand on the bottom corner of the door so that the hallway would stay lit. I took a baby step into the hallway and looked to my left and then again to my right. Wait. I looked back again to my left and saw a corner that was not completely touched by the light. But it was enough to see an outline.

God, no, please. The mist that was trapped in my eyes slowly turned to streams racing down my cheeks. The lump in my throat was now choking me and the only way I could get air was by hyperventilating. The puddle in front of the bathroom door was pink now but as I went further left to the dangerous corner the shades of color changed. Pink to red. Red to scarlet. That's my name. Scarlet. I am named after blood staining my shoes and the blood that was most likely spilling out of the thing in the corner.

The outline in the left corner wasn't moving. I don't know why I got closer, but I did. I grabbed my cell phone out of my pocket to illuminate the figure. It was curled up on the floor. The second I turned the light on, I hiccuped. Then the baby streams of fear rolling down my cheeks turned to raging rapids of horror.

My best friend, Carina, was lying dead in the corner of a bathroom hallway with her head cracked open. Her once gorgeous caramel skin was now white and drenched in blood and her lusciously long, wavy, black hair was wet, sticky, and red. I dropped my phone at the sight of her. My whole body trembled and I felt my skin turn pale. I was folded over with my hands over my stomach. It was the most atrocious thing I had ever seen.

What happened? Did someone do this on purpose or did she slip? Could Carina have done this herself? Was the pain of having Steven break up with her too much for her to handle? Or was the rumor too much to handle?

I had no clue what to do. Should I run and tell someone? No one would believe me. Everyone knew we were in a fight. It would be possible for some idiots to think I killed Carina just because of some guy. But I knew the truth! Even though no one else did.