Natalie's Diary

[09] Ignorance

IGNORANCE

The bell jarred me up, my head smacking into the bookshelf beside me and my propped up textbook slammed flat onto my desk as I knocked it over.

"Come on, Sleeping Beauty," Rhys whispered from his seat, directly in front of me.

While I rubbed the heel of my hand into my eye, he gathered my textbook and binder off of my desk.

"How long was I out?" I mumbled, the head rush kicking in soon as I stood up. My vision blurred for a moment and Rhys' hand was suddenly on my shoulder.

"You alright there?"

"Hmm. Yeah. Just tired," I replied, but didn't attempt to brush him off or refuse his help. I did sling my backpack over my shoulder and shuffling out of the classroom behind everyone else. The general pace was a lot quicker than my snail crawl of an exit.

"You might want to check you phone," Rhys suggested, still carrying my books under his arm.

Of course he couldn't just tell me why. He had to inject an ounce of mystery in it, but I wasn't conscious enough for comebacks or cynicism right now. I was barely conscious enough to pull my phone out of my pocket and squint at the message from Dean.

How did Dean get my number, anyway?

Cancel your plans tonight.

"How courteous." I sighed, letting Rhys trail me to my locker.

"Did you have big Friday night plans?" Rhys tossed my books into my locker haphazardly as I cracked it open.

"I was half-hoping he'd take his sweet time about this. Apparently not."

"I'm surprised he didn't, actually, with the way he's been after the damn thing." Rhys shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I would've thought he'd hang onto it a little longer."

I only half-paid attention to that, but in the back of my head, I knew Rhys was right. Dean wanted the recaps. He wanted to know exactly what was in that diary.

"Do you think he's flipped through the whole thing?" I shut my locker, realizing that meant I would run of reasons to linger in the hallway. What next? Walk out to Rhys' truck on my way home?

"Even if he did, he wouldn't understand it all."

There was something in his face for half a second and I couldn't tell what it meant. So, Rhys' assigned reading led to the Greyview Inn, but Dean wouldn't understand? That was what Rhys implied. I remembered his face the day after he read his bit and it said something that brought out shadows under his eyes and had him running his hands through his hair. Something put him off and by the time we got through the ghost tour, he had his edginess back.

Don't trust anyone in Cullfield.

But Kate... the visit to Mrs. Wood made me think that Rhys could be right.

"What would make you say that? I asked.

"I..." he hesitated.

"Did Natalie write you a nice little riddle that you cleverly solved? I think Dean might be smart enough for that," I replied.

"You're just Natalie's neighbor, right? That's all you are?" he asked.

I thought so. Maybe I was wrong.

Before I could find my voice, tell him I knew nothing and I didn't belong in this secret keeping club Natalie formed, a body caught my peripheral vision.

"Jane, do you have a moment?"

Caught between a rock and a hard place, I glanced at the guidance counselor. The dread didn't come. He served as a perfectly good excuse to make an exit.