I carefully followed Stevie's instructions, sat halfway across the old bridge, my legs dangling over the water, between metal bars. And yet again she was late, the sun had begun to set, it's warm rays reflecting off the water, my skin glowing a smooth shade of red.
I turned at the gentle pattering of Stevie's steps. She sat beside me, slipping her legs over the edge just as I had done. She pulled a bag from over her shoulder and began to rummage through its insides. I watched curiously, until she handed me a phone, Simon's phone.
"Stevie, you kept this? It could be a key piece of evidence in the investigation of the incident." I rushed, but she grabbed it from my grasp and flipped through pages of messages, then placed it back into my palm.
6:24 - TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT. EITHER YOU COOPERATE OR YOU GET YOURSELF OUT OF THE MESS YOU GOT YOURSELF INTO.
6: 43 - NOW'S THE TIME, STEVIE'S ON HER WAY. DO WHAT YOU'VE GOTTA DO. THE PILLS ARE IN YOUR MAILBOX IF THAT'S THE ROUTE YOU WANT TO TAKE.
I read through, threat after threat, and suddenly felt bad for all the assumptions I'd made about Simon's jealousy.
Out of nowhere, I felt a shove coming from behind me, and the phone went flying forward. I leaped after it, but I was caught by the barrier, the phone splashing into the river. I turned, to see where the shove had come from, a figure clothed all in green sprinted away.
"Shit!" I shouted "That was the only piece of evidence to show that he was threatened!"
Stevie stared, eyes wide, still trying to comprehend what had just happened.
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A week later was the funeral, and, feeling guilty, I decided to go along. The ironically sunny weather heated my black dress as they topped the coffin with flowers, priest speaking over the sniffles of friends and family. I tried to listen to eulogy after eulogy, but my thoughts began to drown out sound. Inside that large wooden box wasn't just a body, it was Simon, a person, who would soon be laying beneath the earth, and it was my fault.
I heard a familiar sob coming from behind me. I turned and there stood Stevie, diluted mascara trickling down her cheek. I stepped back, resting my arm over her shoulders. She dropped her head on my shoulder, weeping quietly.
At the end of the ceremony, everyone passed the grave to pay their respects, and once the others had left, Stevie and I knelt down and the freshly laid soil. Stevie gasped, pointing at one of the messages piled around a candle. She handed me a green note.
I read it over and over again, struggling to process it
'THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON'T COOPERATE'
Author's note: I hope you folks enjoyed this chapter, thanks for all of your reads, comments and votes, xxx
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Next door
RandomThe house across the street from Ally Hills had always been empty, until one mystical girl moves in.
