"You have to tell your parents about this, Emma?" Blake said as he pulled up across the street from her house. They had just left Jason's house a few minutes ago, once it was clear that he didn't send her the letter.
"I know... I'll show it to them before they leave for their trips tonight. I just really hope they don't brush this off as nothing." Knowing her parents, that's probably exactly what they would do. They wouldn't cancel their business trips for her well-being. "I'll text you later, let you know how it turns out." She reached for the handle before he called her name.
She turned her head, looking up at him. He leaned down, kissing her lips softly before pulling away, leaning back in the driver's seat once again, facing forward.
"What was that for?" she grinned sheepishly, touching her lips.
He pushed some hair out of his eyes before meeting hers again. "To reassure you everything will be okay... I'm here." She couldn't help the dumb smile from making its way onto her lips before opening the door. She climbed out, walking across the street, looking back at him one last time, blowing him a kiss which he pretended to catch before driving off down the road.
She climbed back up into her room, unlocking her bedroom door. "Mother, Father, I need to show you something," she said while walking downstairs. She pulled the paper out of her pocket, seeing her parents downstairs in the living room. Her mother was reading, and her father was looking over some paperwork on the table, reading glasses sat on his nose.
Their eyes looked up to meet hers. "Well, it's nice of you to finally show your face. I haven't seen you all day," her father stated as she finally reached them.
She bit her lip, swallowing hard. "Sorry, Father, this letter came to me in the mail yesterday. And it scared me so much I stayed in my room all day." He raised an eyebrow before Emma passed the letter to him.
Her mother watched on while setting the book down. "What letter? I know I found an empty envelope with your name on it yesterday when I came home, but I didn't really think anything of it." Her father looked over the news clipping. Her father passed it over to her mother.
"This may be something serious. We should call the police and report this." Her mother looked over the paper, brow raised. She let out a snort before passing it back to Emma.
"I'm sure this is a harmless prank, Emma." Emma's eyes widened at her mother's comment; it sounded ridiculous "Even so, I think we should call the police about this. People should not be sending our daughter this," her father said, sounding mad at her mother's uncaring nature. He stood, pulling out his phone, dialing 911.
"Fine, if it will ease your nerves, go ahead. But I will not be canceling my business trip for something as simple as a prank," she said, rolling her eyes.
Emma had to admit it was nice to finally have one of her parents on her side for once. Maybe when the police came, they could look into this further and find out who left it.
"Your mother's probably right, Emma, this is probably a harmless joke," the Chief of Police said before handing her back the piece of paper. She knew as soon as his car was the one that pulled into their driveway, he wouldn't believe a word that she said. He filled her parents' heads with situations that had happened similar to this one before easing her father's worried mind.
At least this time he didn't come by himself; he brought his new lieutenant with him: a pale woman, face peppered with freckles, with long curly red hair and a thick Irish accent. Her name was Mona O'Connor. She stopped writing in her notes when she heard Mr. Gates comment.
"Sir, with all due respect, just because the situations are similar doesn't mean they are the same." She focused her green eyes on him. He crossed his arms.
Emma nodded her head, agreeing with Ms. O'Connor. "Well, Lieutenant, I'm the Chief of Police. I think I would know if there was a problem here, and I don't see any problems here. Just a teenager with an overactive imagination. We have more important problems in town than to follow this further." Emma could read Ms. O'Connor's expression easily; she wanted to say more but let it go. She gave him a sharp nod.
"Fair play, sir," she said simply, but clearly unhappy. "But if something else does happen, do call. We'll be here to assist you in any way we can. Let's go, Ms. O'Connor." He walked past her, followed by her parents escorting him to the door.
Ms. O'Connor looked down at her before scribbling something inside her notebook, pulling the page out, handing it to her. "Had to make sure he wasn't earwigging about before I told ya this. Right brutal fella he is, he acts like a holy joe, but I know he ain't. And if you find yourself needing me or some help, this is my personal cell. And I'll be takin' that, keep it in my personal records just in case." Emma smiled, passing her the news clipping. She tucked the paper into her notebook. She gave Emma a nod while sliding her notebook into her pocket, walking towards the front door.
It gave Emma a little comfort to know at least Ms. O'Connor was on her side. Hopefully, something like this wouldn't happen again, or hopefully, something a hell of a lot worse wasn't to come.
(Mia note: I had to at least post a chapter on my birthday!! 🎂 happy new year everyone.
YOU ARE READING
It Started With Hello
Romance***** Emma Pear knew she wasn't the most popular girl in high school. Her nose was usually buried in a textbook, and her grades were as spotless as her reputation for always following the rules. "Nerd" was a label she'd long since embraced. Her pare...
