Deadly Obsessions

Chapter 7: Payback

Chapter 7:

Eventually I fell into a light, restless sleep, and woke up the next day with a crook in my neck. As I rubbed it I realised that today was Wednesday, a school day. I hadn't even thought about school since I ran away. I hadn't thought about Mum or Dad either. I instantly felt bad about that.

In Maths I sat next to Jayden.

"I heard you moved in with Nathan," he said.

"Yeah," I nodded.

"I don't like him. I heard he has a mental disorder or something."

"Where did you hear that?" I asked.

"Bianca." He pointed. She was sitting only three seats away from us. She looked anxious. But she was probably just faking it. I shook my head. That was just like Bianca to spread a big rumour about Nathan just because he broke up with her. Then I thought about what happened yesterday. Maybe it wasn't a rumour. Maybe he was crazy. No. No way. He couldn't be like that. It was probably just the stuff going on with his dad that caused the outburst.

I turned back to Jayden, shaking my head. "No if that was true he would've said something to me."

He frowned. "You really shouldn't move in with him, though. Even if it's not true," he said.

"Why?"

"He's just... I don't know. I just don't like him. He doesn't deserve you." And with that he turned away.

I frowned as I contemplated what he'd said. I guess I wasn't the only one who noticed Nathan was being a bit weird.

At lunch my friend, Kate came up to me. "Hey, I heard that you're parents are looking for you. They're waiting at the front gates. What happened? Did you run away or something?"

"Yeah," I admitted.

She frowned. "Why?"

"We were supposed to be moving to Sydney," I explained. "I couldn't leave, so Nathan said I could stay with him."

Her eyes widened. "You're living with him?"

I nodded. "We're getting an apartment together."

"No! Don't do that. Don't move in with him!"

"Why?" I asked, confused.

Kate looked around, and then said in a whisper, "Because he's the one that killed Jimmy."

"What!" No way. He might be acting weird, but Nathan was not a murderer. "No he didn't. Why would you think that?"

"I saw him put the poison in Jimmy's food," she cried in a hushed tone.

"No. That's stupid," I protested. "Why would Nathan want to kill Jimmy? They were friends."

"I don't know," she snapped. "All I know is that he killed Jimmy - and Amy too."

"Amy?"

"Someone drowned her. Tied bricks to her feet and threw her in the river."

Oh my god. Poor Amy. But I shook my head. "No! It wasn't Nathan! He wouldn't do something like that."

"It was him. I'm sorry Audrey, but I saw him poison Jimmy, and I saw him throw Amy in the river. He killed them Audrey!"Kate's voice was getting louder now. "He killed Kirsten and Carol too."

I was really angry now. "Why would I believe you? You probably just made it all up!"

She looked hurt. "I didn't make it up I swear. Just please be careful," she pleaded.