Clashing Cliques

Lauren's POV

We were sitting in my room when Jess kept staring outside and zoning out. I figured it meant the stalker was watching us, since I did have a weird feeling I was being watched as well. I just couldn't make it obvious since the stalker isn't supposed to know that I know.

Jess still acts different, but she's slowly coming back to her old self, at least around me.

Her parents also told us about something they saw in the newspaper and I'm a little worried. Knowing that Henry is missing right after talking to Jess is shaking me to my core. I can only imagine how Jess is feeling.

How did he go missing like an hour after us talking to him? It's like he was there. What if he was?

The only other person that was there was Joe. Could he have seen something? Then again, he's a half-wit. He can't see that Nick is head over heels for him. Maybe I should talk to him about it.

I go to mention it to Jess, then I get a bad feeling that I should just keep this to myself. I know he's my brother, but he has been strange recently.

He's been hanging around more than he used to, spending more time with us, talking to Jess more, staring at her.

Oh my god.

What if the stalker is him? No, that can't be. It's not possible. He loves Jess, but I don't think he loves her enough to stalk her like this. I don't think he's in love with her.

I shake these thoughts away as I look at my best friend.

Maybe I should tell her. She's the one being threatened, after all. I look at her and second guess my decisions. She doesn't deserve this. She doesn't deserve any of this.

For some reason, the thought of Joe stalking her won't leave my mind. The idea of it freaks me out, but it's fermented in my brain. It could be possible, but also scary if it is him.

If it is him, why won't he just tell Jess? Is he scared that she'll reject him?

All of my thoughts become too much and I end up staying quiet. So quiet that even the formerly quiet Jess picks up on it.

"Lauren. Are you okay?" She asks me.

"Did you feel him staring too?" She quietly nods at me. God, I can't bare to look at her like this. I need to tell her what's going on in my head. "Jess, I think we should talk to Joe. He was the only person that we knew was in the area when Henry went missing."

"I agree." She says. I go to my bedroom door and yell Joe's name. He doesn't come, so Jess and I get up and go look for him.

When we make it downstairs, we see him in the living room sitting on the couch. "Hey, we want to talk to you about something." I say as we sit in the love seat beside the couch.

"What's up?" He asks.

"The day that Henry went missing, did you see anything weird?" His whole demeanor changes when I ask this. He looks panicked. I don't know why, but it leads me believe even more that it's him.

"No, I didn't see anything. I have no idea what happened. I think it happened like right after I left the school." He replies.

"I think we should go to the police and tell them we were the last people to see him."

"No. I don't think that's a smart move." His reluctance caught me off guard. I stare at him, trying to see his emotions, but he keeps his composure. He's back to his nonchalant ways. He adopted that way when the divorce was finalized.

"I feel like it is, since it's true. It could help the cops find him and bring him home."

"How do you even know he's alive?" That comment sent shivers down my spine. I shook the feeling away, trying to keep the conversation.

"Why wouldn't he be alive?" Jess perks in. I turn to her. She has a valid point.