Nate Leipert was of the privileged class. His father, a descendant of powerful German-Jewish bankers, was CEO of a major financial institution; mother, a long-ago debutante, was the founder of a social media giant. The family`s main residence was a huge, elegant brownstone in the Columbia Heights section of Brooklyn Heights. Of course, the estate in Marin County, California and the mansion in Kensington Palace Gardens, London were no less impressive than the Brooklyn abode.

Nate, a handsome, arrogant young man of 16, was an honor roll senior athe best private school in New York City. This was a simple accomplishment for an individual with an IQ that easily surpassed the level of "genius." He had already been accepted by Harvard, the school of his choice and would attend next fall. He planned to major in business law; he had a more exciting project to complete, however, before beginning college.

"Excellent work, Nat," Mr. Barrow, Nates teacher of Honors European Literature gushed as he returned the boy`s essay on Nietzche`s Also Sprach Zarathustra. "I`m quite positive that no other student at this school understands Nietzche`s philosophy as well as you do. I`m especially impressed by your analysis of his description of the �bermensch."

Nate merely shrugged as he accepted his A+ paper along with his teacher`s ardent admiration. "Anything would impress this boob," he said to himself, ruefully. "Imagine how impressed he would be if he knew that I had read the book in the original German."

As the boy silently turned and walked out the door, Barrow felt an inexplicable pang of disappointment that his young student had not even acknowledged his compliments.

Upon leaving school for the day, Nate was, as a matter of fact, still thinking about Mr. Barrow`s enthusiastic response to the essay. Allowing himself a touch of pride, he admitted that the teacher`s satisfaction with his analysis of Nietzsche`s "�bermensch" or "Superman" meant a lot. To Nate, the �bermensch, a being who is socially and intellectually superior to others, was the most important piece of Nietzsche`s work. Since Nate believed that he was, in fact, a Superman, to whom, according to the philosopher, society`s laws did not apply, it confirmed his belief in the legitimacy of his plan. He would start the ball rolling tomorrow morning.

He was so high with anticipation of his project that on his walk home, his usual sneer transformed into an uncharacteristic smile. He hardly even noticed the customary derisive looks that he received from the jocks standing in front of the school or the middle finger that the slut, Dora, held up for him to see.

He awoke early the following morning and dressed carefully, choosing his nicest clothes. The nervousness that he felt was an unfamiliar emotion. The first part of his plan would be the hardest part for him. He had to secure a date with Barbie Franklin. Barbie, he believed, was the most popular girl in the school. She was beautiful, intelligent and captain of the cheerleaders. She had recently been informed that she`d received a scholarship to Bryn Mawr College.

Nate had rarely spoken to her, for despite his overall arrogance, he was terribly girl-shy. This was probably because he was a couple of years younger and less mature than most of his classmates and had little experience with the opposite sex...and he was sure that Barbie had her choice of any boy in the school; some of the boys who flocked to her were so handsome that Nate often found himself gawking at them admiringly. He didn`t realize that most of those boys wanted her for only one thing and that, in reality, they thought that she was pretty weird; many of her girlfriends also felt that she was a little off.

Whatever optimism he possessed about his possible success came from his knowledge that Barbie had recently been staring at him during class. He had also overheard her telling her friends that she thinks he is cute.

His musings about the girl completed for the time being, Nate finished combing his hair, threw on his navy blue blazer and, before rushing out the door, took a quick look at the photo he had secretly taken of Barbie several weeks before. He always felt a little thrill when looking at that photo and thinking about the adventure ahead.

"You will?," a sweat-soaked Nate asked in disbelief when she responded positively to his clumsy plea for a date. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I`m sure, silly," she replied with a laugh. "I`d love to go out with you, although I`m surprised that you asked; I thought you were gay."

Nate`s face turned redder than a fire truck after that remark but he quickly regained his composure. He would need all his wits to sell Barbie on his next request, although if she didn`t buy it he had a few other schemes in reserve.

"This may sound like a strange request, Barbie," he said, "But I really need for you not to tell your parents or any of your friends that we are going out. We can meet at Starbucks or someplace before we begin the evening. I can`t tell you the reason now but you`ll find out soon enough. Strange as it may seem, any inconvenience that this may cause will be worth the excitement that will result." If Barbie was paying attention she would undoubtedly have felt the evil vibrations emanating from his brain. Perhaps she did feel them but didn`t care.

"Yes," she replied. "That does sound weird." But a dreamy smile crept over her face and her eyes kind of glazed over. "Excitement is the magic word, though. It`s the spark that lights my life. Will you give me a hint of what to expect?"

"No," he replied. "I want it to be a surprise."

"Oh," she groaned, her voice dripping with mock disappointment. She immediately perked up and said, "I`ll be wondering bout it all night; I can`t wait! See you at Starbucks at 8:00 tomorrow evening." She quickly kissed his cheek then turned and trotted towards her home.

"This may be easier than I expected," he thought.

Nate was feeling good as he approached Starbucks. The awareness that he would be spending time with Barbie no longer made him nervous and the thought of having sex with the girl was not really what was sending that persistent tingle through his loins; it was, rather, the entire plan and the knowledge of what would occur after the lovemaking was done. He put his right hand into his pocket and smiled as he reverently stroked the little case that contained the pill that he`d secretly concocted during chemistry lab. He hesitated for a second and then moved his hand to his groin, squeezing it gently. He gasped and his entire body shook as he pictured a naked young body lying, lifeless on a rumpled bed.

As he neared the cafe he quickly went over his plans. "How much ransom should I demand?," was the first thing that he thought. "It really doesn`t matter. I don`t need the money and since she`ll be dead I`m not even sure if I`ll manage to collect.." He barely stifled a laugh. "I`m not really doing this for the money, anyway. It`s the thrill of the kill and the satisfaction of knowing that I`ll get away with it. This will be the crime of the century!"

Barbie graced him with a brilliant smile as he entered the cafe. "Wow," he thought. "She is really beautiful." His eyes traveled slowly from her gorgeous face down her long, swan-like neck all the way through a curved highway that ended at her dainty feet. They worked their way back up until they fastened upon her barely concealed, shapely breasts. "It`s too bad that I have to kill this incredible creature," he thought. "I have nothing against her and, unfortunately, when she is gone there will be less beauty in the world...oh, well."

She rushed to kiss him and he blushed the moment her lips touched his.

They stayed at Starbucks for about an hour, each nursing a venti latte and each doubling up on the delicious brownies.

"Well," she said as they finally finished their coffee and pastry. "Where are we going and what are we doing?"

"It`s still a secret. Just relax and come with me."

"Oh, boy," she said breathlessly. "I just love a surprise."

A chilly drizzle was falling as they stepped outside. She snuggled against hi for warmth, turning her beautiful face towards his and smiling, He did not return the smile and hustled her into the �ber car that was already waiting at the curb. He gave the driver an adress in Williamsburg that Barbie recognized as a nice block in a hipster neighborhood.

"What`s there?," she inquired.

"Oh, just a nice little house to which I have access. I thought we could warm up a bit and have a drink."

"Sounds good," she replied, flashing a coquettish smile.

The driver let them off in front of a handsome little row house in a quiet block and they entered through a street-level door.

"Take off that damp jacket and make yourself comfortable," he told her. "Take a look around. In the meantime, I`ll get us something to drink."

"Oh," she replied quietly, "I don`t know if we should. We are both underage, you know."

She laughed when she saw his puzzled expression. "Just kidding," she said. "I`ll have vodka, please."

He escorted her to the plush sofa in the living room and said, "I`ll meet you back here in a few minutes."

He returned with two glasses and a bottle of Gray Goose and filled both glasses nearly to the top. "To us," he proclaimed and clinked her glass with his own.

"Oh, that`s corny," she giggled, "but cute. Bottoms up," she cried, and surprised him by gulping down nearly half the contents of the glass. She giggled again when she saw the expression on his face. "Why so shocked," she asked. "Aren`t you going to join me?"

"Of course," he replied as he took a much smaller taste of his drink. "But first, I brought some goodies that will really help us to feel good." He handed her the pill that could only be described as a date rape drug with lethal after-effects. He ostentatiously swallowed a pill of his own which he had also made in the lab but which contained nothing more potent than sugar.

"I don`t know," she said as she rolled the pill between her fingers. "I don`t really like to take drugs...what is it?"

"Oh, please," he responded i, impatiently."It`s just a little treat from your personal Dr. Feelgood. You just saw me take mine so you know it won`t harm you. Don`t you trust me?"

"I...I guess so," she stammered as she raised her pill-filled hand uncertainly towards her mouth. She closed her eyes and continued to guide her hand.

"There," she said. "Mission accomplished."

"That`s a good girl," he said, his confidence at an all-time high. "Now wash it down with a swig of vodka."

The girl obeyed.

They sat on the sofa sipping their vodka, neither drinking too much. Despite the fact that she was hardly drinking, Barbie appeared to be getting more drunk by the minute.

"Oh, m` goodness, s`so hot in here," she declared in a voice so muffled and words so slurred that Nate could barely understand what she had said.

"What?," he asked. "I can`t hear you."

The girl came closer and whispered in his ear. "I said I am hot...I`m sooo, sooo hot." Her tongue darted into his ear and, like a snake, she flicked it in and out a few times. "I just don`t know how to cool off." She let go a loud, buffoonish bellow that was similar to laughter.

"Ohh, I know," she declared, then proceeded to stand unsteadily and inelegantly move her hips. Suddenly she seemed to regain her balance and nimbly slide out of her dress. Nate was surprised at how gracefully she was able to perform that sexy little act while in her present state and he became more than a little excited when he discovered that she had been wearing nothing beneath the dress.

Her grace disappeared as quickly as it had appeared and she stumbled, clumsily, luckily able to grab on to his shirt while falling. She dug her nails into the fabric and pulled herself up like a cat climbing a curtain, finally steadying herself by locking her arms around his neck.

"Nope," she drawled. "That didn`t work. I`m hotter than ever." Her arms still attached to his neck, she broke into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. When finally she calmed down, she stared dead into his eyes and inquired, "what can you do to relieve this burning, Nick...I mean, Ned...I mean, uh, whatever the fuck your name is," and arms still clinging to his neck, she commenced to rub her naked body against his clothed one, grinding where he could feel it most.

"Oh, Nate," she moaned. "Take me...take me now. Bring me the excitement that you promised."

Nate was getting pretty horny, as well. "I may as well get this over with," he thought. I`ll fuck her and then the pill will finish her off. This is so much easier than I thought it would be."

He walked her into the bedroom and threw her onto the king size bed, hurriedly removing his clothes and throwing them every which way. His pants landed on the bedpost and the knife that he`d brought with him, just in case, fell from the pocket, landing almost by the girl`s head. "I don`t know why I brought that along; I won`t need it...the pill is going to kill her. Anyway, she is so out of it that she doesn`t even see the damn thing."

Finally undressed, he lowered himself onto the bed.

"Bring it on, baby," the girl screamed, drunkenly.

In a hurry now, he rolled on top of her and wrapped her in a clumsy embrace. Before he could attempt to part her legs, he discovered that they were already wrapped around him. She moaned deeply as she guided him inside her. He was immediately overcome by ecstasy as he thrusted arrhythmically and then suddenly groaned.

"Is that it?," she demanded, suddenly sounding sober. "I knew it...I knew you were gay or something. That`s the excitement that you promised? What a joke! Oh, well, I`ll get myself off after I`m finished with you."

At least he had gotten his rocks off but Nate didn`t know whether to be embarrassed or confused. "How the hell did she sober up?," he wondered. "She should be dying by now." He reached for the knife but was surprised once again when she beat him to it.

"Didn`t you think that I`d seen that knife, you dumb-ass? Of course I saw it; and what made you think that I would actually swallow that pill? I never put it in my mouth. I saw through your stupid scheme a long time ago. In fact, my plan was to seduce you and kill you...like a black widow spider. You made it so easy." She broke into a maniacal laugh but composed herself when he reached for the knife in her hand. She jabbed at him, slicing his finger as he attempted to retreat.

"Ow," he squealed and she chuckled.

"You know, I`ve hated you since I first laid eyes on you. I can`t stand your conceited, egotistical guts. You think that your money makes you special...but it doesn`t. You think that you`re smarter than everybody...but you`re not. In fact, you`re pretty dumb. I saw through your idiotic scheme right from the beginning because, you see, I`m smarter than you.

"It was all good, though. Your plan gave me the opportunity for which I`d been waiting for ages. I let you see me staring at you in class and I let you overhear me raving to my friends about your looks; I wasn`t sure if you would actually think me capable of such infantile behavior...but, there you go.

"I couldn`t believe that you expected me to fall for that ridiculous idea of not telling anybody that we would be together tonight but you gave me a cover, you simpleton.

"I must admit, though, that I was a bit interested in having sex with you because you are sort of cute; but that turned out pretty much the way I was afraid it might. The excitement that you promised is still to come, as expected. That will happen when I kill you."

His naked young body was discovered later that week, lying, lifeless on the rumpled bed but the identity of his killer was never determined.