Unlovable Things- Part 2

"Michael?" Andy whispered.

He was sitting at the table with his back towards her. Four orange plastic bottles were spread out in front of him. There were two more on the floor. Two of the bottles lay empty, and Michael was popping the top off a third.

"Michael?" Andy whispered again.

He didn't look at her. He emptied the bottle into his and lifted it to his mouth. He threw them back and swallowed without so much as a drop of water, his throat swollen with the little white pills. His moves seemed almost robotic as he focused on the task.

"Stop, Michael!" Andy shouted, running forward.

She knew she was too late. Nearly every bottle was empty. Finally, Michael looked at her with wide eyes. He looked like a boy who was finishing a chore he never wanted to do before he collapsed heavily onto the floor.

The morning was a blur of red lights and sirens as the police took statements. The girls stood on the sidewalk outside, their faces contorted into something ugly as tears poured from their faces.

"He was being bullied," Mia said. She was shaking. "The kids at school. They always said mean things to him because he was gay. That's why he did it."

"Exactly." Maya said, "The song had nothing to do with it. It was the bullying. It's just a coincidence."

"No!" Janae shouted. "He was fine last night! He was happy! Michael never let those assholes at school get to him. He was confident in who he was! He would never just do that!"

"Yeah," said Andy. "I agree. He was joking around. Being silly. He was happy."

"It's just a coincidence," Chloe repeated Maya's words. "It has to be. People just do things like this sometimes."

Monday seemed to come by way too fast. The girls looked awful as they waited at the bus stop. The big, yellow bus pulled loudly around the corner and moved toward them. Usually, the kids would be talking up a storm, having a great time, and fantasizing what the first day of a new grade would be like for them. Today, however, the weight of Michael's absence was hanging way too heavy in the air.

"Was it gross?" a boy's voice broke the silence.

"Shut up, Tim!" Another voice shouted out.

"Why should I?" the boy, Tim, chuckled. "That fucking queer did it for attention. He wanted us-"

Tim didn't get to finish his sentence. Andy had seemingly moved at the speed of light and punched him directly in the face. His nose was gushing blood, and everyone was freaking out.

"You crazy bitch!" Tim shouted out holding his nose with both hands as blood poured violently from both nostrils, covering his white t-shirt.

Girls were pulling out tiny packets of Kleenex trying to help as Tim pushed them away.

In the chaos, no one even noticed as Mia stepped forward off the curb, her eyes focused straight in front of her, shining like two glass marbles. The bus driver slammed on the brakes, but it was too late. The heavy tires skidded on the asphalt and the air filled with a loud screech. The enormous school bus offered no mercy as it slammed into Mia. Her body exploded, showering the other students with gore and whatever was left disappeared under the front bumper.

School was cancelled. The community was in shock. Two deaths in a row was too much for the small town of Barstow.

Andy, Janae, Maya, and Chloe sat quietly together in Maya's bedroom. Silent tears were sliding down their cheeks.

"We have to stop it." Maya said finally, her voice flat.

"You can't stop a song." Chloe rolled her eyes. "It's on the internet. It's everywhere. It's not like we can just delete it."

"Why not?" asked Janae.

"We have no idea where it came from, dummy," said Chloe. "Even if you erase one file, it still exists on the internet. The internet is forever, haven't you heard that?"

"We can still try and figure something out." Maya said.

So, they tried. They decided to research the best they could. The friends poked around every single dark inch of the internet they could navigate, including the forums where Michael had found the link. They came across a thread that had been deleted and archived.

"The song is a debt," Andy read out loud. "You have to pay it with your life. The only way to cancel it is to pass the bill to someone else. Share the song, move the burden to a new person. That's how you survive."

"Sounds like a chain letter from the beginning of the internet," said Maya.

"That's just insane!" Janae shouted, throwing her hands up in the air. "We can't make someone else listen. That's murder! We can't do that!"

"Well, I don't wanna die!" Chloe shouted. She was crying. "I can't get it out of my head! It's just getting louder and louder in my brain!"

Maya's brother, Leo, walked into the room with a giant ham sandwich in his hand.

"Why you guys crying?" He asked through a mouthful of bread. "Is this about Mia? Everyone's talking about it on Instagram. It's all over my feed."

"Get out, Leo!" Maya screamed.

"I heard you talking about a song," Leo said, ignoring Maya and walking towards her computer. He wiped the mustard from the corner of his mouth and sat at the chair.

"Is it that stupid trend? Unlovable Things?" He laughed and took another big bite.

"It's not funny," said Janae.

"It's a stupid hoax!" Leo shook his head, crumbs falling from his mouth. "You guys are just being dramatic. You're making yourselves sick and sad over nothing. It's a fake story."

"It's not a hoax!" Andy cried out. "Michael's dead. So is Mia!"

"Prove it then!" Leo said. He took another giant bite from his oversized sandwich and navigated the computer screen with his free hand. The link was still open in a tab. "Is this it?" I'm gonna listen right now and show you that nothing happens."

He brushed crumbs off his shirt and set his sandwich down.

"I'll brave it out and listen to the whole damn thing for you losers. Then we can go get burgers," he laughed. "I'll show you how stupid you guys look."

Before Maya could move, Leo put on her headphones and pressed play. He sat there and listened, grinning at them the whole time. When the song ended, he removed the headphones and set them down, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked at them with an arched eyebrow and a small, satisfied smirk on his face.

"See?" Leo said. "I feel great. I feel better than ever. You guys need to go touch grass. You're losing your minds. It's just synth and a drumbeat. Not a bad song actually."

He walked out of the room, shaking his head and laughing. Everyone sat in silence for a moment until they heard a loud thump.

"Leo?" Maya shouted. "Are you ok?"

"Oh, God!" Leo screamed, "Help me, Maya!"

The girls scrambled up at once, rushing towards the bedroom door, ready to offer Leo any help they could.

Leo was rolling around on the floor clenching his stomach. "Oh shit. Oh God! Maya help me. It hurts so bad!"

"Leo!" Maya cried, "What it is? What's happening?"

He stopped rolling around and laid still for a moment with his eyes closed in the fetal position, still clenching his stomach.

"Leo?" Maya whispered.

Silence.

Maya stared at her brother, terrified and unsure what to do.

Just then, his eyes shot open and he looked directly at Maya as he let out the biggest fart the girls ever heard, followed by obnoxious laughter.

Maya stood up and kicked him in his shin. "You're disgusting and I hate you!"

She stormed down the hallway back to her room.

"Maya!" Leo called out, laughing maniacally, "Bring me my sandwich!"

She slammed her bedroom door, locking it behind her.

Continue to part three: