And I Fell

15 - The Populars

That's when I noticed it. It was slipped between the pages in my sketchbook. The next mysterious note from my stalker.

Erin -
Looks like Valerie got exactly what she wished for. Except you didn't act fast enough earlier. Now's your time to take her down for good. The truth is, she's a real thorn in my side too.

I shoved the note down into the bottom of my dresser along with Monica's letter. Because I had been receiving letters like crazy, I racked my brain trying to think of who could be sending me the messages. According to the last letter, it sounded like it was coming from someone who was annoyed by Valerie too. I didn't believe that Valerie could be the sender anymore since she genuinely seemed like she had no idea about the pictures in the powerpoint. She was also mentioned in the note too, and it didn't sound like Valerie would write her name in there just to throw me off.

I took out my list of suspects and a pen. The ink slashed through Valerie's name, officially marking her as innocent. I skimmed through the remaining names that were still left on the piece of paper.

List of Suspects:
Stefanie Cook.
Jake Tripp.
Zeke Spencer.
Monica Sawyer.
Damon Stone.

The only person on the list who didn't mind Valerie was Damon. Judging by the number of times the two disappeared at his party, it seemed like Damon was definitely a fan of hers. Still, I couldn't take him off the list just yet. I had to find proof that he wasn't guilty first.

I debated trying to seek out some evidence on Damon, but I knew that I had to put Valerie in her place first. Even if she hadn't put the pictures on the powerpoint, Monica warned me that she would have exposed my secret anyway. I couldn't afford to let anymore information get leaked out.

***

"Okay, so what was up with your presentation yesterday?" Stefanie asked me the next day at school.

I tried my best to keep eye contact with her but it was no use. I wasn't good enough at hiding my emotions. "Nothing. Valerie was just trying to humiliate me."

"It seemed like a lot more than just humiliation." Stefanie said. "I mean, she implied that you were a murderer. Or at least thinking about murder." She backed up a bit into her locker. "You're not actually thinking about murder, are you?" she joked.

I shook my head and managed a smile. "No, of course not."

Stefanie nudged my arm. "So tell me everything! Come on, when have we ever kept a secret from one another?"

"We only just became best friends these past few weeks!" I laughed.

"So you're saying that you have kept secrets?" she said, placing her hands on her hips.

"No," I said. I stopped laughing immediately. "Never."

"Good, so you should be able to clue me in on what's going on." Stefanie added. "I'm just asking because I care. What Valerie did to you seemed pretty awful and I don't want her to spread false rumors about you."

I sighed. "I know, thank you for looking out for me." I spied Valerie walking past us down the hallway with Monica trailing a few steps behind. "I'm sorry, I really can't talk about this right now." I ran off to catch up with the two girls.

"Wait, where are you going?" Stefanie tried to called out to me. I was too far away to hear.

My favorite pair of converse pounded against the tile floor as I sped down the hallway. I saw Valerie and Monica stop by Damon and Theo's lockers to talk to them. I didn't care if both boys heard what I was about to say. I needed to get everything off my chest.