Dear Diary

19. CONFRONTATIONS

G I O V A N N I

Three things according to Marcos: Derek never left the party. Brandan had a fight with Sid. Derek's jacket was gone around the same time Brandan was.

It's damn irritating having this information not knowing where it fits in the overall picture.

I walk by the locker that was once Tori's, a picture of her on display in the middle, with taped up flowers surrounding it. Large words above the photo written in pink marker read: In Loving Memory of Tori Lockehart.  I can't help but appreciate the memorial. Rome would love to see this. It's a testament to the reputation Tori had in life, despite her biggest fuck up now being public. In general she was adored. Nothing like that was done for Sid's locker. Not even by us.

It probably would've been destroyed anyway.

I go on scoping the corridors, hoping to find Samara and relay the information I learned. Instead, I find Cassie. She's walking in my direction and notices me, but has clear intentions to ignore me. I approach her anyway.

"Get out of my way," she says.

"Please let me say something," I say. "I'm sorry, but if you're hurting yourself—"

"I don't do it anymore. They're from the past."

"Okay. Good."

"Like you care."

"You don't have to act like this. I'm not your enemy."

"Gio!" Samara calls me. She walks over and stops when she sees who I'm speaking with. "Oh . . . hi."

"Can we talk later?" I say to Cassie.

She shoves past Samara and I without a response.

"She's a joy as always," Samara says. "What were you talking about?"

"Work stuff. I need to talk to you, though." I pull her to the side of the hallway. "I spoke to Marcos."

"Oh, right. How'd that go?"

"He said Derek never left the party. But get this: Sid apparently was speaking to Pablo, and Brandan was upset about it. They had a fight."

"Brandan didn't seem upset when we were at Sidney's house. Actually, they were all touchy-feely."

"You don't know what could've happened between the party and then," I say. "Marcos thinks Brandan stole Derek's jacket, the one with the rip in it that he got from the basketball team, and when Logan saw Brandan leave and someone else go in, it was Brandan returning with the jacket on."

"You think because Derek happens to own a leather jacket that it was his the killer wore?"

"Marcos says the jacket went missing soon after Sid and Brandan's fight."

"It's circumstantial evidence, Giovanni," she says. "And not enough to convince me that Brandan wanted to kill her."

"I know you and Brandan are buddy-buddy now, but you know I make sense."

Her face tells me my words aren't sitting well with her. "I thought you were over accusing Brandan."

"I was . . . Now I'm not so sure."

***

K E L L Y

I head to the locker room early, likely before anyone else will since the final bell only rang a minute ago. I don't mind it. I prefer dressing out of my day clothes into my sportswear in solitude. Today I'm going to push myself. Run longer. Run faster. Distract myself from the ever growing stress of my life.