How to Catch a Cheater By: Rebecca Miller

In my room, I sat alone doing my homework until my sister's FaceTime rang. She was at a friend house, so she obviously wasn't going to answer it. I got up slowly, my bad tailbone slowing me down. I stumbled to her room across the hall.

It was Christian, her boyfriend. Although he was a smart and nice kid, I didn’t like him that much. He put me through rigorous expectations of how to act “normal” in front of him. So, I have some grudges against him, and whenever he was over, I have a bone to pick with him.

I accepted the call reluctantly, “Hey Christian. What’s up?,” I said.

“Since Rachel isn’t here, wanna go get some ice cream? I was going to go with her-” he said before getting interrupted.

“Of course! Hold on, let me ask my mom,”I say.

Being me, I took any chance to get free ice cream. Of course she lets me so I turn off FaceTime and I grab my coat and dash up the stairs. Minutes go by as I wait for him. Soon enough, a car door shut and footsteps were heard from my porch. Knock, knock. I open the door and say to my parents, “See you in half an hour!” I fake smile at Christian.

A blue rag is coming straight for my noise and I try to push him straight down the cement stairs, but before I knew it, everything was black.

I woke up, disorientated, in a different house, not an ice cream shop. Where am I? I thought to myself as I took in the room. Who’s room is this. Blue walls, white bed sheets, and one desk, that’s very minimalistic. I think to myself. Next thing I know, I’m laughing at my own “joke” in my head, but I go back to my original state, confused.

Let’s see, the bed has a shirt that says, “My Favorite Color is Christmas.” Rachel got that for Christian during Christmas! That could just be a coincidence. There's something on the wall, it’s written in cursive and it says, Christian, with Christmas lights on it. I made that for him. I think to myself. This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening.

A dog barked, Ginger. Three girls fought over petty things. The rest just talked. Muffled noise filled my ears as I tried to untie myself from the chair.

What felt like ages later, Christian came up stairs holding a glass of water and a bowl of pasta.

“I brought this for you. I knew you would be hungry.” I looked at him with the most hatred of a thousand souls.

“Why did you do this?” I ask him loudly.

“That doesn’t matter at the moment. The real question is, where is your sister.”

“I- I don’t know. She said she was going to her friends house,” I say stuttering scared of what's going to happen next.

“I know you love sneaking around her phone and her iPad. Have you seen anything lately?” he said in a low voice. He slowly took a step closer.

Getting nervous, I managed to stammered the words, "I've never had the chance to go on her iPad and she changed her phone password. So-so, I don't know. I'm sorry.”

Tears start streaming down my face. Why me. This is my life? How did I end up here? I thought to myself.“Let me snap call her. She’ll pick up. Right? So can you hand me my phone.” I said nervously. “Wait! Why did you do this to me? How did I end up here? Answer me this time!” I snapped.

“Not to make this uncomfortable, but I think your sister is cheating on me. With Henry- you know who Henry is right?” he questions me “Well,since I took you, she’ll have totell me she’s cheating on me before she get’s you back,” he stated. “I know that you two don’t know that you love each other, but family comes first. So she will only get you back when she tells me that she has been cheating on me.”

He handed me phone over to my shaky hands. I entered my passcode slowly, looking at my phone’s background thinking that this might be the last time I get to lay my hands on my white, smooth phone. I opened the Snapchat app and hit the call button. The elevator like music played as tears were drying on my face.

“Oh my god, Rebecca! What now? I’m hanging out with a friend give me some space,” she says annoyed. Christian starts mouthing words I have to say and I need to follow along. Quickly.

"Who are you hanging out with?” I spit out with muffled cries at the end.

“Woah. Are you okay? Were you just crying? Tell me what’s wrong.” Christian motioned at me to say whatever I wanted, so I did.

“I’m at Christian’s house, tied in a chair while he is yelling questions at me and demanding answers that all relate to you. I just need to get away from him. Away from here. Away from this whole situation. I beg you. Come to Christian's house and save me,” I say with sobs at the end.

“On my way,” she says and then hangs up the call.

A door opened and then slammed shut, followed by heavy marching up the stairs. Christian's door flew open and my sister barged in.

“Stand up!” she shouted a him. He rose from his bed and stood there with no emotion.

“Hold on!” he says once he grabs Rachel’s wrist, “did you cheat on me with Henry?” With Anger in his eyes, he stared at her for what felt like a thousand years.

“Yes,” she said looking him straight in his eyes. He let go of her hand and turned away from her. She began untying me as he talked.

“Don’t talk to me ever again. You’re just a rose waiting to wilt. Goodbye.” The rope had been taken away from my hands and feet and I felt as free as a bird. I walked down the stairs, into the hall, and out the door.

With one last look, I turned back to see the old Christmas lights watching me walk away.

Never be around someone you hate. I thought to myself as I made the last step in the snow in front of the Tingle family house.

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