fractures

the boss' daughter

Layne

The memory leaves me cold and guilty and still without the reason Marlene jumped. Well, at least now I remember what problems Marlene was facing. And how I hurt her.

Abbey's looking at me curiously. "You okay? You spaced out for a bit there."

"I'm fine," I reply. "Just remembered something."

Abbey's curiosity piques. "About Marlene?"

"Yeah."

I close Marlene's diary and slip it back into the cupboard where I found it. There's no use trying to search for more answers here. Whatever happened after Marlene told me her problems won't reveal themselves in her room.

Marlene's mother still isn't home and we leave the house silently.

As we walk down the sidewalk, Abbey asks, "Care to tell me what you remembered?"

I almost say no, because what I've just remembered feels personal. But then again, maybe Abbey can help figure out some kind of reason as to why Marlene jumped.

"Well, Marlene and I were at the cliff edge-"

"You were there?"

I nearly freeze right there and then on the sidewalk.

"I-I never told you?" I reply, trying and failing to keep the fear out of my voice.

Is she going to suspect me now?

"No," Abbey says, taking in my fearful tone with a raised eyebrow. "Why so scared? It's not like I'm gonna suspect you of pushing her off or something."

Really? Wow, thanks.

I decide to be truthful. "I thought you would." 

Abbey laughs, as though I've told a joke. It isn't one to me. So much for all those time taken up wondering what would happen if Abbey suspected me.  "Yeah, just get on with it already. What happened at the cliff edge?"

I give her a basic summary on Marlene telling me about her family. Guiltily, I add that Marlene was upset that I was ignoring her and that she just needed to know whether I don't hate her before she jumps off the cliff. 

Abbey is silent.

I am terrified. 

Will she pin the blame to me now? After what I've said? But, even if I really, really don't want to admit it, part of the reason Marlene stood at that cliff edge is because of my ignorance. But it wasn't that big a part, right? Because even if I apologised and said I didn't hate her, she still  jumped. Right?

But that doesn't change the fact that I've already hurt her.

"The boss' daughter wants her entire family dead?" Abbey finally asks.

This isn't the question I'm expecting. "Um..yeah. I mean, isn't that, like, acceptable? Like, I don't know, I guess I'll be angry too if someone did something to my parent's company."

"Who is the boss' daughter?" Abbey asks, more to herself than to me. Then she directs her other question at me. "Do you know who she is?"

"No, but why are you asking?" I reply, confused. Abbey's going pretty off topic. 

Sure, the boss' daughter wants Marlene's family dead. But surely she doesn't mean it literally? 

"Don't you think that the boss' daughter might've done something to Marlene? Maybe she's the one who instigated more bullying on Marlene?" Abbey says and I can literally see the wheels in her head turning. 

It's a wild guess. But it's possible. And it's the only thing we've got now.

"Okay...so...how do we find out who she is?" 

Abbey grins. "By doing what I do best: research."

"Now?"

"Obviously," Abbey says, grabbing my hand and pulling me forward. "Let's go to my place!"

I let myself get dragged and dragged and dragged. 

Let the hunt begin.