Fifty fifty, is it water?

Alissa walks through the crowded corridor of her university faculty, clutching her books close to her chest. She scans the crowd, looking for Jessica, her friend with whom she planned to study at the library before class. Both young women are studying similar fields, so it's not uncommon for them to share classes. Suddenly, an arm wraps around Alissa's shoulders, breaking her concentration.

"Good morning!" Jessica greets loudly, flashing a broad smile as she embraces her friend.

"Good morning, Jess," Alissa replies softly.

The two have been friends for a while now. Despite their contrasting personalities, their bond is powerful, almost like soulmates. They continue towards the library, Jessica keeping her arm around Alissa's shoulder in a gesture of affection, while Alissa responds with a gentle smile.

"Do you think we'll finish that chapter today?" Jessica complains.

"I admit it is quite lengthy. Let's review last week's material to stay on track and skim through the rest so we can take it easy during class," Alissa suggests, chuckling at her friend's impatience.

"That's a wonderful idea!" exclaims Jessica. "My friend is the most intelligent person on the planet!" she brags before beginning one of her endless monologues: "That teacher is so boring. Reviewing the next part with you will be a hundred times more fun and interesting. During class, I'll just continue my research for my essay and..."

A horrific scream cuts her off. Jessica quickly turns towards the women's bathroom door, where the distressed shouts are coming from. In the corridor, everyone freezes, the heavy silence broken by the echoing shrieks. The students stand still, alert for any quick action that might be needed.

The violent sound of the door slamming against the wall startles the nearby students, who instantly back away in fear. A crying woman, drenched with water, bursts from the room in a panic, bumping into students in her path. The crowd remains silent, utterly confused by the situation. Everyone looks at each other with a puzzled expression.

"You got everything?" a voice calls from inside the restroom, followed by muffled laughter.

"Yeah, I got it all on video," another voice responds.

Four women emerge from the restroom, giggling as they watch a video on a phone. Some students resume their activities, realizing there's no immediate danger, while others linger in curiosity.

"What's their deal?" Alyssa grimaces in contempt.

"I'm not sure, I think they were bullying her..." her friend replies, lost in thought.

"She was soaked in water... It's hard to believe they just threw water at her. She was screaming like she was locked in the restroom with a lion." Alyssa's curiosity is getting the best of her.

"I think I have an idea about what happened!" says Jessica, snapping her fingers with an enlightened expression.

Alyssa watches impatiently, eager to see what her friend is up to, as Jessica opens an app on her phone. She searches for "fifty-fifty, is it water?" and then taps one of the results.

"This is a forum where people interact in various ways, and I think those malicious jerks were doing the 'fifty-fifty water' trending prank to that poor girl," Jessica explains, handing her phone with the open server to Alyssa so she can see for herself.

"I can't figure it out just by looking..." murmurs Alyssa, scrolling through the posts with a puzzled expression.

"I'm not sure how it started, but there's a highly inflammable liquid looking exactly like water. People pour it on different objects, upload a picture, and then ask if it's water or combustible. They post the result after the poll to show if the users' guess was correct or not," elaborates Jessica.

"But I can only see objects on here, they made it on a human...." points out Alyssa, still scrolling through the forum.

"That's because it's not a popular platform. On PikPok, people are making videos of them pranking their friends and acquaintances by asking if it's water, splashing them with water, and then chasing them with matches or other activants," answers Jessica.

"But that's a threat, no?!" blurts Alyssa, at a loss for words to express her disapproval of such wrongdoing.

"I know, it's awful. Some victims have come forward to call out the prank as cruel and tasteless, emphasizing the psychological shock it caused them, but everyone, including the police, takes it as a joke. It's like when someone disguises as a horror movie character and chases a random person on the street," sighs Jessica.

"THAT'S ALSO AWFUL!" shouts Alyssa in disbelief.

"There are also viral videos of people pushing it further by lighting up public property or small living creatures like slugs, mice, frogs..."

"I'm okay, Jessica. Let's discuss something else, please," interrupts Alyssa, gesturing for her to stop, with a hand on her forehead, suddenly feeling sick.

They finally make it to the library, but the commotion has cost them valuable time.

"Let's focus on the material for our next lecture now and review everything later today," suggests Alyssa, opening her manual.

Her friend nods and retrieves her textbook from her bag, preparing her notebook and pen. Together, they conscientiously go through the upcoming class topics before heading to their lecture.

Later in the week, Alyssa heads to the counsellor's office after receiving an appointment through the faculty's mail portal. The reason for the meeting hasn't been disclosed, leaving her apprehensive as she arrives at the designated office. Jessica is already seated next to an empty chair, facing the counsellor and a lady Alyssa doesn't recognize sitting side by side. The counsellor gestures for Alyssa to take the empty seat, his expression attempting to remain soft, though Alyssa senses something troubling as she sits down. After a brief silence, the man clears his throat and begins to speak.

"I apologize for calling you here despite your busy schedules, Miss," he says, trying to lighten the atmosphere. Alyssa shakes her head to indicate it's not an issue, prompting him to continue without worrying about her.

"Earlier this week, we had an unfortunate incident resulting in a student being hospitalized due to severe emotional distress, requiring further treatment in the future. The woman beside me is her mother," he introduces, gesturing towards the lady.

Awkward greetings follow before everyone refocuses on the counsellor's words.

"Mrs. Jones is understandably upset and intends to pursue legal action. As a campus representative, I have assured her of our full support. We've gathered some evidence that could potentially assist with her case, although the CCTV footage isn't clear enough to definitively identify the perpetrators involved in the incident. During our investigation, several students were approached to testify on Mrs. Jones's behalf as eyewitnesses. Two of them mentioned overhearing a conversation between you and Jessica that might provide insight into the motives behind the incident," he explains, his tone serious.

The room falls silent as Alyssa signals to her friend with eye contact to explain.

'The 50/50 trend on social media?' Jessica stutters, afraid of stirring up trouble with her presumptions.

'It's just what I suspect, but I'm really not sure...' she mumbles anxiously.

'It's alright, sweetheart. We'll get to the bottom of this, and if your suspicions are wrong, we'll brush everything aside and you won't get into trouble. We just want to take the appropriate action and make sure this doesn't happen again,' Mrs. Jones reassures her with a soft, warm voice.

Jessica instantly calms down, nods, and pulls out her phone to show and explain everything to Mrs. Jones. The mother's delicate facial features slowly twist into a horrified expression. Jessica, holding the phone towards the woman, turns it back to see what she was watching that triggered such an intense reaction. Alyssa, equally curious, leans in for a look. Instantly, both girls' eyes widen in shock at the sight on the screen. Mrs. Jones can't help but break down, sobbing uncontrollably.

''I can't believe this!!'' sputters the mother, her voice filled with fury.

The two friends peer at the screen, witnessing the entire event from the perpetrators' perspective. The video has gone viral, amassing 4.5 million views, thousands of shares, and downloads within 72 hours.

It starts with one of the bullies filming Mrs. Jones's daughter touching herself up in the restroom, another swiftly yanking her makeup purse from the counter, and a third moving to lock the door, their faces blurred to conceal their identity. The perpetrator who took the purse opens it and extracts a small cotton swab. The camera zooms in as liquid is sprayed onto it from a bottle.

''50/50, is it water?'' we hear as the camera captures a close-up of the soaked cotton swab.

The confused victim remains silent, clearly unaware of what is happening. A faint chipping noise is audible before the tip of an ignited match appears in the scene, bursting the cotton swab into flames. The burning object is immediately tossed into a running sink to avoid triggering the fire alarm.

Next, the camera focuses on another item from the purse: a container of foundation powder.

''50/50, is it water?'' we hear again as a liquid is poured into the open container.

The same process as with the cotton swab follows; the sound of a scratching match in the background, the burning tip showing up in the camera's frame, but nothing happens.

"That's sad, it was water," a malicious voice comments before the ruined product is discarded into the same sink.

The video continues in this manner with several more items from the purse.

As the camera zooms out, the young woman's face is seen tearing up in frustration. Suddenly, a large amount of liquid splashes, soaking her upper body completely. She instinctively tries to shield herself, putting her arm in front of her face and closing her eyes.

''50/50, is it water?'' asks a mocking voice.

Panicked, the girl attempts to flee. The bully who locked the door blocks her path, forcing the drenched student to scream in desperation. She yells, trying to reach the door lock as a hand holding a lighter appears on the screen. The camera slowly advances, capturing the terror in the victim's eyes and voice.

The bully at the door nods, as if receiving a signal from someone behind the scenes, unlocks the door, and steps aside to let the distressed victim out, accidentally slamming the door in her haste to escape the restroom.

The counselor can't bear to watch the three women's reactions and quickly takes the phone from Jessica to see the video for himself. The distress on Mrs. Jones's face is evident, and the two young women rush to her side, offering comfort.

The counsellor's face flushes red with frustration as he watches the video. He takes a deep breath and puts the phone down, visibly disturbed. "Mrs. Jones, this is serious. We need to handle this carefully."

He picks up his office phone and calls the principal. "We have an urgent situation involving a student. We need to convene an emergency meeting with the involved parties and their parents."

After hanging up, he instructs his secretary to notify the parents of the students involved and to arrange a meeting room. "Please also contact campus security to ensure the safety of everyone involved."

He turns to Alyssa and Jessica. "Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We will need your written statements about what you saw and heard. This will be crucial for our investigation."

As the counselor, Alyssa, Jessica, and Mrs. Jones move to a waiting area, the principal arrives to join the counselor. They briefly discuss the situation and review the footage together.

The principal then addresses Mrs. Jones. "We need to conduct a thorough internal investigation before contacting the authorities. This will help us gather all necessary evidence."

About an hour later, the parents of the students involved, along with the students themselves, arrive at the school. They are escorted to the conference room by campus security staff.

In the conference room, the counselor, the principal, and Mrs. Jones sit on one side of the table. facing them are the four students involved, accompanied by their parents. Campus security stands by the door to ensure order.

The principal begins. "Thank you all for coming on such short notice. We have a serious incident that requires immediate attention. A video has surfaced showing an act of bullying that has caused significant harm to a student."

He plays the video, and the room falls silent. The parents of the accused students look shocked and uneasy.

One of the students, clearly agitated, speaks up. "This was just a prank. We didn't mean any harm. Emily was trying to join our sorority and refused to participate in the party. It was just part of the initiation ritual, nothing more."

Her friend sitting next to her adds, "We only wanted to scare her a little, not cause any real harm. Why is everyone making such a big deal out of it?"

The principal and the counselor exchange a glance, then the principal addresses the parents firmly. "Regardless of the intent, the actions taken by your children have caused significant distress and harm to Emily. This is not a matter we take lightly.", ignoring the two students trying to give excuses for their wrongdoing.

The principal continues, "We are conducting a thorough internal investigation and will take appropriate disciplinary actions. The students involved will be temporarily suspended pending the outcome of our investigation."

The parents of the accused students protest, but the principal remains firm. "Our primary concern is the safety and well-being of our students. We will also provide support and counseling services to Emily and her family."

The meeting continues with the parents of the accused students reluctantly agreeing to cooperate with the investigation, though they remain defensive and dismissive of the severity of the incident.

The principal signals to the counselor to wrap up the meeting.

"I believe we've covered everything necessary for now. The security staff will escort you to the parking lot, and we will contact you with any updates," he says, standing and moving toward the door. The counselor opens the door and gestures for the small crowd to leave.

Once the room is empty, the two men remain behind to discuss the matter further in private.