"Lola" - The Ink Well Fiction Prompt #107

Lola was a weird girl, even pushing the limits of weirdness. I met her in freshman year when she came on exchange from another country, sat right next to me in our biology class and turned to look at me with a very pronounced smile with clenched teeth.

• Hello! - he greeted me.
• Hi - I answered quietly.

I was a shy and reserved girl who was nervous about the new school year, but she seemed the opposite.

• My name is Lola, nice to meet you.
• Oh, right, my name is Becky. - I said.
• Nice name, we're going to be best friends!
• Yes, of course we will.

But Lola and I didn't exactly become friends. Sometimes I would see her in the hallway at school and say hello, or she would ask me a few questions about classes, but something inside me kept me from having a real connection with her, it was so strange.

Something about that girl seemed peculiar to me, and that was that she never stopped smiling. When she was sitting alone in the dining room, in the middle of the hallways or in class, she was always smiling, always in a good mood. It was creepy because it wasn't just her smile, no, her whole facial expression reflected a bit of madness.

https://pixabay.com/es/photos/adolescente-retrato-modelo-contento-775053/

In the school hallways, there were rumors that she was an orphan, since her parents died in a very violent way. Some said she was sent on exchange because she had murdered her parents and had to be taken out of the country. Others simply said she was a very strange girl.

But they were just rumors, or so I hoped.

As the days went by, little by little I felt a very strong sensation, as if someone was watching me, but I always stopped to look everywhere and never found anyone.

One day after school, I was walking home when I heard footsteps behind me. I instantly stopped and turned around to scan the lonely street behind me, but it seemed I was alone. I continued on my way, not avoiding the tingling sensation of being watched, when again I heard the footsteps, turning around to face this stranger I discover that behind a bush Lola is hiding, watching me very carefully and without hiding her peculiar smile.

I ran as fast as I could until I got home and complained to my parents that Lola was following me, but none of them believed me, they just told me that she was probably on her way home. I was not very convinced, but I let it go.

That same day, at nightfall, I was about to start reading a little, at the moment I was about to sit at the edge of the window to enjoy my book, I managed to see someone on the other side of the road, but it was not just anyone, it was the silhouette of Lola watching me from that distance and of course, smiling at me.

Quickly, I closed the window, ran to my bed and hid under the covers wishing she wasn't there, that it was all a dream.

But it wasn't.

This kept happening day after day. Lola was no longer attending school, but she continued her routine of following me home and on the nights I saw through the window, she was out there, what had changed was that she was no longer on the other side of the street, but was getting closer and closer to the house.
I was terrified with fear, I had told my parents what was happening, but they didn't believe me.

• Mom, but I'm scared! That girl won't stop following me, and now she's out there stalking me. - I told my parents.
• Becky, honey, maybe that girl just wants to be your friend. Besides, I don't think she's out there in this cold. - said my mother.
• Sure she is! I'll show you. - I told her approaching very fast to the door, but when I opened it there was no one on the other side, the street was completely alone.
• I told you, daughter. That girl just wants your attention, you should be her friend.

Full of frustration, I ran to my room and went straight to sleep. I was sick of this situation, I was sick of Lola.

The days and nights passed, and I had decided to completely ignore Lola, her routine of following me and watching my house was still going on, but I was so tired of this whole situation, that I didn't care anymore.

Big mistake.

Without realizing it, Lola was getting closer and closer to the house, but I was oblivious to everything.

Until one night I simply got curious and decided to look out the window. What I didn't expect to find right below it was this girl staring at me and smiling, of course, but she was also waving at me.

This gesture seemed extremely strange to me, but I didn't think anything of it, I went straight to bed and quickly fell into the arms of Morpheus.

A few hours after falling into a deep sleep, I feel a very intense heat wave, as well as an extremely strange and penetrating smell. When I woke up, I saw the situation I was in.

My house was on fire!

My whole room was on fire. Petrified by everything that was going on, I just lay there in bed, but as I looked around the room, I discovered something that puzzled me.

Lola was in the corner of the room surrounded by all the fire, apparently unharmed.

He looked me straight in the eyes... smiling.

I tried to get out of bed, but I felt very weak because of the smoke in my lungs. She was getting closer and closer to me. All I could do was look at her, panicking.

When she reached the edge of my bed, without wiping off her smile, she simply said:

• Nice to meet you... friend.

Then everything went black...

.

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The image comes from Pixabay.
I hope you can appreciate my story.