Simon Death High (13 page)

“And you said you don't drink,” Michael
nagged.

“That isn't the point. I’m saying that after
the first day of camp she was so different. Meaner than
usual—quieter too. I guess she hated being a cheerleader.”

“I still don't understand how she became a
cheerleader before me!” Hannah whined. “I wanted to make the team
so bad, but they...never mind.”

“I have no idea because like I said...I
remember hardly nothing from that summer. I was high on
everything.”

Hannah sighed and flipped her hair, “Okay,
so what about Dr. Smith?”

Linda sighed as if she were annoyed. “He is
a suspect. I’ve been suspecting him since day one and him quitting
just puts the icing on the cake.”

“Trust me, he is not a suspect. Dr. Smith is
one-hundred percent innocent. He's dealing with family issues,”
Hannah said. “Can you just drop it?”

“How do you know so much about him?” Linda
snapped. “Were you guys dating?”

“No, for the millionth time! Ew!”

“Then, speak!”

She bit her nail and stared at Michael.
“Well, after school one day I saw him crying in his office. Let's
just say we bonded over how screwed up our family situation was.
It's nothing serious like us dating. We just bonded.”

“Is that why he helped out the dance
team?”

“Yes. He felt bad because he put so much
into the school but yet he was labeled a failure by the district.
He has a hard life and I listened.”

“Hmm...so should I cross him off the list?”
Linda said as she sipped her coffee.

“YES!” Hannah said. “I swear, he's a good
guy.”

“So, all we have on our list is Adam and
Lucy...ew, how lame,” Linda said. “It was better with Dr. Smith on
it.”

“And what about that site?” Michael
added.

Linda handed Hannah the printed papers. “Do
you know about this site?”

“Oh yeah, the girls from the cheer team
would always talk about that. Lot's of the jocks used it, but they
would usually use it to talk trash to each other. Mainly trash
about other girls from school because you can post comments
anonymously if you wanted to.”

“And this once again gets me nowhere,” Linda
said.

“What about the comment that Adam posted?”
Michael said.

“What about it? Hannah just answered my
question. They all talked trash.”

“But, there were anonymous comments on
there. Someone obviously didn't like her much,” Michael said as he
bit into his bagel.

“Obviously! No one liked that bitch!” Linda
snapped. “We are just at a dead end now.”

Michael’s eyes narrowed as he stared across
the street. “I think that person in that car is watching us. We
should split up now. This doesn't look good with us talking to each
other. He probably can read lips.”

“If he can read lips, he's reading it
now..and now...and now—”

Linda smacked Hannah to shut up, “Be quiet
then. We should all just go home then.”

“Yeah, I agree,” Hannah said.

“Drive me home, Linda?” Michael asked.

“Of course, sweetie.”

The ride to Michael’s home was silent as
their thoughts were in the air. The only thing on Michael’s mind
was that he could possibly go to prison—he had to figure out the
real murderer because the police were obviously doing nothing.

“Do you really think Dr. Smith had something
to do with the murders?” Michael asked Linda.

“Um, I’m not sure. But, I’m starting to
think it's very unlikely.”

“I just feel like the person is right
underneath us. I can like feel him...or her...or it.”

“Like Adam?”

“Or Lucy.”

Linda giggled, “Lucy is a wimp...a geeky
wimp. If it weren't for me, you, and Hannah, she would be a
loner.”

“Loners make the best killers.”

“If you want, I can talk to her in the
morning. Lucy is just obsessed with Adam. He is her first love—I
understand. So, she may have told a lie about being pregnant to
keep him around.”

Michael nervously bit his lip, “I'm not sure
anymore. I can't trust anyone.”

“Well, true.”

“Did you talk to Cassidy?”

“Um, yeah...she didn't know much. I kept her
number to keep in touch with her. She's still with Jordan.”

“Aw, Jordan was a cutie.”

“He's bald now...he's going to the
army...sucks for her,” Linda paused to sing her favorite song.
“Also, she said that site wasn't an adult site. It was a dating
site. And I guess rich men would pay some of the women.”

“Like...women who need money?”

“Well, yes.”

“Like women who have no income and are
emancipated.”

Linda lifted her eyebrow, “YES!”

Michael kissed Linda on the cheek and got
out the car. He ran to his home, trying not to get wet from the
rain. It would be common sense for someone to own an umbrella—but,
no one seemed to.

Linda laughed as he struggled to unlock his
home door. He did it every time, it just seemed more amusing every
time. As she continued to laugh, her phone rang. She usually turned
her phone off when she was driving so she wouldn't have any
distractions. So, she turned her car off because the text was a
hefty one—it took five minutes to be delivered fully.

Nervously, she opened the text message that
was from an unknown caller. She hated unknown calls, because it was
either a prank or bill collectors. She looked out her foggy window
and saw Michael peaking out his front window, wondering why she was
still parked there.

She rolled her eyes and saved the video that
was sent to her. She opened the untitled video and screamed in
disbelief as the first seconds played.

She looked around her as if someone were
watching her and stopped the video. She scrolled down to the text
at the bottom of the video that said:
watch until the last
second. You'll be surprised.

Not wanting to watch the gruesome video
until the end, she fast forwarded the video and surprise
surprise—her heart probably skipped a beat.

12 | Liar Liar

Lucy had her things packed and enough money
for her to travel out the country. She made sure her passport was
new and that all her windows were locked. She smiled at herself in
the mirror as she was unrecognizable with slick long straight hair
and pink lipstick. Quickly, she tugged on her v-neck white shirt to
even out the wrinkles and fixed her pink hair flower.

As she placed her hand on the doorknob to
leave, Linda slammed her door open. “You're leaving?”

“Um, Linda?” Lucy said as she dropped her
suitcase. “My family is sending for me to come visit them in
Rome.”

“Liar!” she snapped. “You don't have a
family—you're emancipated.”

Lucy laughed anxiously, wondering how she
knew that. “How'd you know that?”

“As what you would say,
don't worry about
it
...”

“Linda, I don't have time for your games. My
plane will be leaving in an hour and I need to make it to the
airport.”

“Why are you leaving during the middle of
the school year? Are you hiding something?”

“I told you I’m going to see my family in
Rome.”

“I find it odd that you're leaving the day
the detectives are planning to come to the school for more
questioning.”

“You really don't understand—”

“Are you leaving because of this—” Linda
threw the printed papers from the dating site. “We know about
it.”

“What?”

“We know about it, so explain it! Why is
Mandy on there and from a little research, a few other girls
including three out of four who were murdered are featured on this
site.”

“That site is a joke—it was Mandy’s idea.
Well, less of a joke and more of a money thing. I had asked a few
of the girls how they made money and they told me about the
site—it's nothing bad though—I promise.”

“If it's not bad then why are you
leaving?”

Lucy grabbed her suitcase and shoved Linda
back with it. “Leave me alone, you bitch!” she screamed as she
smack her with the back of her hand.

In shock, Linda grabbed her face in pain.
“Ouch, you hit me!”

“I told you to leave me alone, and I swear
if you tell the police I left the country, you will be so over,”
she threatened.

“But, why?”

“Because I know things I shouldn't
know.”

“Then, tell the police, don't run away.
Running away just makes you look more guilty. Then, we all look
guilty.”

“What I know can hurt all of us. It's better
if I leave now before it's too late.”

“But...”

“Linda, you're smart. You have the answers
with you, Hannah, and Michael. You're so close that it's scary. I
don't want to be around when you find out and I can't tell you. I’m
way too ashamed.”

“So, are you admitting to being
involved?”

“I'm not admitting to anything, but if you
know what's best, you would avoid the police as much as possible.
Well, until I’m gone,” she whispered. “I have to go—good luck.”

Linda grabbed Lucy's shoulders and pulled
her back. “You can't leave without telling me the truth.”

Lucy threw her suitcase to the ground and
grabbed Linda’s petite wrist. She twisted them as hard as she could
and threw her back onto the lawn with all her force. Linda screamed
in pain and began to cry as Lucy jumped into her car and drove
away.

As Lucy was long gone, an expensive sports
car pulled up to the curb. Linda stood up, as she wiped her tears
away, not realizing she had been crying on the lawn for ten
minutes.

“Hello?” said a woman with long dark black
hair from the window. “You're not Lucy—it's been so long since I’ve
seen her. I can barely see though.”

“Um, and you are?” Linda said as she walked
toward the window. “I'm not trying to be rude, but I’m just
wondering why you're looking for her?”

“I'm her mother, Vanessa.”

“But, she said she is emancipated.”

“Emancipated? Why would she say that?”

A man who was driving, got out the car and
greeted Linda. He looked as if he just got off vacation in his
Hawaiian shirt. He pulled out a wheelchair from the backseat and
easily moved Lucy's mother from the car to the chair.

She was an older looking woman. She was
beautiful though, with long black hair to her waist—almost Indian
like. She had smooth skin with fine lines.

“Are you Lucy's friend?” Vanessa said as the
gentleman pushed her toward the house door. “This is my nurse,
Josh.”

“Um hello and yes I am her friend,” Linda
waved. “Uh, Lucy just left.”

“By herself?” she gasped. “Alone? But, how?
Why?”

“She drove.”

“Oh my gosh! Please tell me you're kidding.
Why on earth would Bailey let her drive?” she said. “She isn't
capable of doing such things!”

“Excuse me, but who is Bailey? I think we
are talking about different people. You are talking about Lucy
Jackson, right?”

“Bailey, her aunt—her caregiver. She lives
with Lucy. You see, I’m in a rehab convalescent in California
because of my illness. I gave my youngest sister custody of Lucy
six years ago because I couldn't care for her anymore. They used to
visit me all the time but then, they stopped about four years ago.
I don't have family, so I had no way of contacting them.”

“I've never seen or heard of Bailey and I’m
one of Lucy's best friends.”

“When I heard on the news about what was
going on here, I made it my duty for me to come see her. She
doesn't answer her phone and I have no one else to contact. I know
my sister hates me, but she can't just abandoned Lucy with her
mental disorder and all. I hope she's been taking her
medication.”

“Mental disorder?”

“Yes, Lucy has severe chronic
schizophrenia.”

“WHAT?” she gasped and then she paused and
remembered coming across boxes of medication. Then she remembered
the daily visits to her house—the smell. “Oh my GOSH!”

“What is it?”

“You said Bailey hasn't called you in about
four years? Well, that's when I started to become close to Lucy and
she was never around. We come to her home every day and I hate to
say it...but...there is a smell—”

“What type of smell?” Josh said.

“Like rotten...animal...death—”

Vanessa screamed as if she were being
murdered and neighbors ran out their home to see what was going on.
Of course they stared in fear, noticing Linda was standing in front
of her. As if she did something wrong, Linda walked to the curb and
dialed 911. Josh was insisting for Linda to go down to the basement
but, she didn't have the stomach for it.

Instead she hyperventilated over the phone,
hoping she were dreaming. But, even the scariest dream couldn't
have been that real.

13 | Ha Ha

Michael turned off the radio with Lucy
Jackson as headline news. She was now on the most wanted list and
what frightened them even more was that she knew where they
were.

“What if she comes back for me?” Michael
said. “I mean, us.”

“Don't talk like that,” Hannah said as she
stuffed ten tiny cookies in her mouth. “I'm so scared right now.
Can you tell I eat when I’m nervous. I would have never guessed
it.”

Linda rubbed her wrist, which Lucy had
bruised when she grabbed them—the bruises looked more like the
murder victims rather the ones the jocks did. “Can you imagine how
I felt when I found out. I think I peed my pants,” she said as she
peaked through the window of her jeep. “It's going to be awkward
from now on. Everyone will hate us even more. Now, they're really
going to think we were involved.”

The gang grabbed their papers, ready to
leave school for good. Detective's thought it was best if they all
joined some sort of protection program—sort of like a witness
protection program, until Lucy was found. That meant, they would
have to split up and live a different life for a while. Since no
one knew Lucy's intentions, they didn't want to risk her coming
back for them.