Sweet Revenge

Chapter 16

"I have to go, guys. Look at what my mom just texted me." I flip my phone screen around to display it to the girls. Having the same reaction that I did when I read the message, their jaws drop to the ground.

"Oh my god, go right now, girl," Kelsey urges me. "And tell us what it's about when you find out."

"I will, of course." Ashley, Kelsey, Samara, and I are a team now, meaning I must tell them any new information immediately.

"Also, I'll make sure to text more of the details of our plan when I get home." I add and they all nod as I take off running into the distance.

I'm filled with both thrill and nerves over Mom's cryptic message. The anticipation is slowly killing me as I wait patiently outside the mall for her car to pull up.

After what feels like an excruciatingly painful hour, I finally hear the screeching of the tires of my mom's polished white vehicle. I rush over and hop in the front seat as quick as possible.

"What is it?" I ask, immense fear evident in my voice. I turn toward the front seat, where my mom has her hands folded in her lap.

"Just look at the Denver News issue that was just delivered." My mom says in a shaky voice and I grab the newspaper gingerly. I am scared out of my mind for whatever it is that I'm about to view.

My eyes scan the top headline of the lengthy article and I immediately wish they hadn't. In a large, bold font, it reads, How Did Poppy Reinhart Really Die?

"What do they mean how did Poppy Reinhart really die? Is this article about me?" I ask my mom frantically, begging her for answers as to what is going on.

"Just keep reading." She replies with a sympathetic expression on her face, almost as if she feels sorry for me for what I will find.

Hesitantly, I look down and read silently, my eyes roving across the words on each page. When I feel completely light-headed and nauseated, I stop.

"Ryan?" Is the only word I can say.

To sum it up, the article explained how police have reinvestigated an old case, the death of Poppy, and came to a new conclusion. Ryan was the one that murdered Poppy and not me. I cannot believe my eyes.

"How do they even know I killed her? We made sure the police never heard about this." I remind her of the past precautions we had to take after the incident.

Two years ago, once I told her what happened, Mom was the one who wanted to keep it a secret from the police. I had suggested that we do what's morally right and allow me to go to jail since I deserved to be locked up for life. I couldn't even stand to look at my criminal self at that time.

However, my mom had assured me, "A 16 year old girl shouldn't have to be in prison just for a terrible mistake." It took a buttload of convincing to get me to agree and I still felt a massive amount of guilt afterward.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out." Mom tells me, snapping me out of my thoughts and back to reality.

Almost as bad as the words that the article contains are the photos printed below every other paragraph. They are far too familiar, revealing a few pieces of evidence that I have been finding recently.

One photo shows the note from Poppy addressed to Ryan and another displays the cryptic message on the inside tag of her black dress. The two word message is said to have been addressed to me as an attempt for Poppy to beg for help to stop Ryan from "attacking her."

The last photo, one that I have seen numerous times, is Poppy's handwriting on the white wall at Burton's Coffee Shop, said to be Ryan's handwriting instead.