𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄, original story

fourteen, the re-read

Harry had left sometime after ten, my parents had came back half an hour later. I stayed in my room, rage flooding my veins. I hadn't known Poppy, she was just that girl in maths class who sat next to me and got on with her work, occasionally helping me out when I sat there stuck on a question.

It was now the morning, and I laid in bed not wanting to get up. The sky outside was still dark, I'm pretty sure it wasn't any later than six.

I groaned and rolled over, dragging the covers with me, I clicked the power button on my phone and saw I was right about the time. A few notifications from my friends came through, I had told Lily on FaceTime about Callum and Poppy and she had said it was her mission to make me better.

And so, she told Anna and Hope.

I clicked on the messages, opening up Hope's ones first.

hope: how r u??
hope: i'm worried mads

maddie: i'm fine, don't worry hope

I then checked on Anna's messages.

anna: i don't usually text, i know
anna: lily said what happened with callum and poppy, i really am sorry maddie <3

maddie: it's ok, it's not ur fault <3

Anna never really texted, she was usually doing something else like reading or studying. She preferred video calls, as then she knew you weren't actually mocking her and showing it to other friends. I'm not entirely sure what happened in Primary with her friends, only Hope knows and according to her it's best to not bring it up.

Lily had sent me an array of texts, the only one of the guys who had texted was Will. That was just the awkward 'how r u?' message he sent each day, I think he didn't know how to start a conversation but was trying to reach out.

I think Callum's death fucked with him a bit, but I wouldn't go back and undo it. Will didn't deserve that pain, but it was only a fraction of what his best mate felt as he died.

I put my phone down on the nightstand, letting it charge. The letter still sat there, Harry had said I should keep it. When I asked if he wanted to give it to his Dad or keep it due to it being evidence, he had told me, "Maddie, it belongs to you. It might've not been written by you, but it's your responsibility, you deserved better." and then some crap about how if he could take away my pain ensued.

And the butterflies, too.

I picked it up. It was just a plain piece of paper, it had a few rips as though it had been torn out of one of the art books. I think Poppy was friends with a lot of the girls who took art, so it's possible she asked one of them to rip it out for her. It could've been Serena for all I know.

Dear, Callum,

I left this in this book for you to see. Only your eyes, not Rob, not Will. And most importantly, not Maddie. If she found out about us... I can't even imagine the bruises we'd be sporting.

When we first met we were at an arcade by the seaside, Maddie was busy on the 2p machines trying to win some key ring with Penny. My family had dragged me along with the triplets. And you were there, you showed me how to rig the claw machine and won me a small, brown bear.

I didn't think I'd ever see you again, the cute stranger who made my heart all gooey and my cheeks red. And yet, when I started my new school there you were, riding your bike into school.

I was so excited to see you, I didn't think it was you at first, actually. That was when you saw me in the library, reading this book. You asked me what it was about and I told you that you'd have to read it in order to find out. Then you asked me if I liked reading and I told you that I did.

And so you listened to all the books I wanted to buy and bought me one, that was when I knew you cared about me. I knew again when you brought me here, not so I could read. This time we kissed for the first time, I saw stars and felt fireworks in my stomach.

It was euphoric... at least it WAS.

You tore out my heart, telling me that you only wanted me as some fuck doll. I'm going to tell Maddie, today.

By Monday she will be raging, she will probably kill you. With kindness, and politeness, of course.

And I know about the drugs too, tell Will to watch his back.

Goodbye, asshole.

— Poppy x.
6/3/22

I scrunched up my eyebrows up in confusion, had Harry read this letter in its entirety? Or did he just read half of it like I had before.

I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and dialled his number, not caring enough that it was ten past six in the morning.

I heard a few beeps before his adorable, sleepy voice answered, "Maddie, is something wrong?"

"I read the whole letter," I said quietly to him, not wanting to wake my parents in the other room, "Did you know Poppy was going to tell me the day Callum was murdered?"

"No, why?" I heard Harry shuffling about, almost as though he were getting out of bed.

"It says that in the letter. And she said something about," I scanned the page, finding Poppy's exact words, "She said, 'And I know about the drugs too, tell Will to watch his back', which means we were right about Callum being involved with the County Lines,"

"Wait, really?" Harry sounded like a kid at Christmas when they finally get to unwrap their presents under the tree and are jumping with joy.

"Yes, and if we were right about that then what else could be true?" I wanted to list the endless things, but it would be stupid.

"Is it teacher training today or next week?" They were doing that this close to GCSE's?

Ardsey High has always been a shitty school to be fair, teachers leave randomly and most of the students don't always attend lessons.

"I'd have to check Mums diary," I clicked my tongue, before texting Anna to ask. Weirdly, she texted back immediately confirming, "Anna says it is today, and she always knows the dates, so..."

"Great, my Dad's out solving some murder in Norwich so meet me at mine at eight?"

"Yeah, sounds good," i said as the line went dead, before standing up and getting a bag out to put my things into.

Worst comes to worst I'll pretend I'm at Hope's for the day instead.