Deception

thirteen*

// curiosity has its own reason for existence //

I am on Brian's profile again, trying to see if I can find the slightest detail about him that can help me determine whether I should keep talking to him. I look at our mutual friends and note that Paula is friends with him.

Maybe he was a student at our school? That's probably the reason that Paula knows him.

An idea pops into my head. Why not check the yearbook? There is a possibility that he can be in it. I am a bit hesitant, knowing I really don't have to and that the smartest course of action is to probably stop all contact with him.

After all, curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.

My fingertips flip through the pages with ease, my mind set on what to find. I need to see the class photos. I need to see the names. My eyes sweep past the pages like an expert. My fingers rest on the corners of the page, and just as I was about to flip, my eyes stop.

Nathaniel Quinn wins state championships!

The king of chess.

A photo of Nate, standing tall with a trophy is printed on the page beside his article. A bright smile fit onto his face, his eyes gleaming with pride. My chest heaves heavily, as I look at the photo longer than I should. A feeling erupts and my eyes stay on Nate, as I think back on the time it was announced they had found Nate's body.

"Get the phone! Someone, anyone! I'm busy here," yells my mother from the laundry room. The repetitive ringing from the phone is getting annoying now, and I know Kris will not get it. I feel reluctant but go down to answer the phone anyway. I can't stand the ringing any longer.

"Hello," I answer with forced politeness. Hysterics are the first thing I hear from the other side of the line. "Cass - Cassidy, is that y - you?" I faintly recognize the voice of Mrs. Quinn. "Yes, what's wrong?" I immediately ask, worry rising. She stumbles with her words, but I make out that something is wrong with Nate, and that it'd be better if Kris hears it first.

I pray that nothing is wrong and I run up the stairs frantically. I don't even bother to knock on Kris' door, who is surprised at my sudden entrance. "Kris, Nate-" I thrust the phone towards her and she grasps it quickly. Her face shows that she's confused with what's going on, but somehow know that it's an emergency.

I leave the room, feeling like I may be interrupting a private conversation. When I hear a loud wail coming from Kris' room, my heart almost skips a beat. Something is wrong. Something is terribly wrong.

The urge of wanting to run to her room and see what's wrong is strong, but I will myself not to. Upon hearing another cry from Kris, I allow myself to go see her. When I get to her room, I see her on the ground with tears streaming down as a violent sob escapes with the phone an arm's length away from her. I rush towards her. "What is it? What happened?" The words come out in a rush, my heart breaking as I see my sister breaking down.

She fails to form words from crying but soon she manages to speak. The whole room is silent except for her words. "He's dead! He's dead!"

I shake silently, remembering how I found out about the news. How Nate was all of a sudden dead.

Before I allow my mind to wander any further, I turn the page. Carefully, I look through the names that are listed, one by one. Looking for anyone who can be Brian. I frown as I spot a name, Brian Macoy. The photo beside is a boy who has a huge smile on his face, showing off his braces and he's wearing glasses that are way too big for him. Can this be him?