My Personal Stalker

Chapter 18: Fury

There was not a single sound except for my footsteps on the floor as I approached the principal's office. I put on a scared expression before knocking once, twice... "Come in, please", Mr. Jenson said loudly.

Quickly, I turned the doorknob and entered his office. "Mr. Jenson, I'm really sorry to bother you but I heard screaming from Mrs. Gregory's classroom and I'm worried about what's going on there."

His face turned more serious in an instant. "Thank you for informing me." He pulled his keys out of a drawer underneath his desk and stood up from his chair. "I will go there immediately, no reason to worry. Just go back to your class."

"But I could help..." I needed to know what he was doing and if our plan would work.

"No, please return to your class. I will handle things.", Mr. Jenson said firmly. I knew I couldn't persuade him otherwise. So I just nodded and left his office.

After taking a quick look around I casually walked into the women's restroom and waited. Mr. Jenson's footsteps were loud and clear. Then he knocked once, twice... The same way I had just done in front of his office. And it was quiet again.

I peeked into the hallway right when Mr. Jenson turned his key in the lock. He took one step into the classroom. "What's going on here?" His voice sounded lividly.

"Mr. Jenson, I was just... We were just...", Mrs. Gregory stammered.

"That's enough!" He shouted so loudly, it wouldn't have surprised me if students came out of their classes to see what's going on. "This will have some serious consequences for the both of you."

I swallowed hard. Who was in there with her? Could it be him?

Finally, three figures appeared in front of the classroom, I ducked back into the restroom before they could see me. "Mr. Jenson, you have to believe me. I would never do something like that with a student.", Mrs. Gregory said again.

"You can explain all of this to the police." As their footsteps became more quiet, I dared to look into the hallway once more. I only saw them from behind as they left the building, but I could have sworn the third person's jet black hair looked familiar.

Completely struck by curiosity, I sprinted down the hall towards the door they had just left through. I had almost made it, when someone grabbed me. "Don't even think about it! The only thing that's worth is getting you in trouble. Just let him handle things by himself."

"You're in no position to tell me what to do!", I barked back at Joe.

"I know and I'm sorry, Chloe. I should have told you earlier. Can be we just sit down and talk about this?"

"What do you want to talk about? How you kept secrets from me while I was struggling to even think straight? Or how you pretended to be my friend when I really needed a real one?" I ripped my arm out of his grip and walked through the door. But it was too late, the others were long gone. "Are you happy now?", I asked when Joe placed his hand on my shoulder once again.

"Don't you see what's going on? Everything we do is to protect you... Mrs. Gregory finally has to justify herself in front of the police and you are safe."

"I will see you tomorrow."

I started walking away when Joe said, "Chloe..." His voice was only a whisper and it broke my heart. He was probably telling me the truth and deep down I believed him but I couldn't forgive him that easily.

"Goodbye, Joe..." I bit my lower lip to stop it from trembling and left.

-

As soon as I arrived at home, I texted him. I couldn't stop worrying about what he had done and what was happening to him at the police station.

Me: Please text me asap. I need to know what's going on. Are you okay?

I laid my phone down next to me and waited. My eyelids were getting heavier when my phone screen finally lit up.

Joe: Please let me explain, Chloe... I'm begging you.

I threw my phone onto the couch not caring were it landed and sat down with my back against the door. My feelings were slowly overwhelming me. More and more tears started filling my eyes but I didn't care. All I wanted was my old happy life back.

Then there was a knock on the door. I suppressed the sobs escaping my mouth immediately. "Chloe", he whispered. "I know you're there."

I shut my eyes drowning myself in self-pity. After a while Joe spoke up again. "It's fine. You don't have to talk to me. Just listen, okay?" He breathed heavily against the door before continuing. "It all started when I was in a relationship with this amazing girl. She was kind, clever, witty and beautiful but sadly she didn't want anyone to know about us. She knew what everyone thought about me, what they would think about her... seeing her as my next target. But most of all, she was worried what you might think..."

"Me?", I asked him. My voice was nothing more than a whisper.

"Yes, your opinion was more important to her than anything else in the world." I could practically hear him smiling while talking about her.

"Who was she?"

There was a small pause before he answered. "Aileen." My breathing became ragged. Why didn't she tell me? How could I have been so oblivious? I never suspected a thing.

Joe was still waiting for my reaction. So I stood up and opened the door, slowly, carefully. His eyes were burning into mine. Completely dazzled, I stepped to the side and let him in.

We sat down on the couch neither of us daring to say another word until the curiousness was killing me. "What happened?"

"Alright... one night, after another party, Mark forgot his phone at my place. I found it and meant to give it back to him but then I saw a message from Mrs. Gregory. It was a revealing picture of her with the text 'Come over in 5. I'll be waiting.' I had no idea what to do so I talked to a friend of mine. He said that you needed to find out about this but we were still friends with Mark and we knew even if we told you what happened, you wouldn't believe us anyway. Mark and you always looked so happy together. That's when we made a huge mistake and decided to keep this to ourselves. Of course, I didn't tell Aileen about it either otherwise you would have known about it within seconds." Joe chuckled but it was obvious that he really regretted lying to her.

"That's when Aileen and I started to drift apart. She figured out that I was hiding something from her. Meanwhile you seemed to get suspicious about Mark. Then, as you know, Aileen moved away. And the very same day I noticed how miserable Mark and you were together." I remembered the night he was talking about. Mark's team had won an important game and I decided to seduce him at Joe's party. I remembered Noah being there for me after Mark had left me alone.

"When I talked to my friend about it, he told me about the messages he had sent you. He let me in on all of his secrets and convinced me that you couldn't find out who he was. All he ever wanted was to help you, so I let him. You had to find out about the affair... and eventually you did. Then you met François and seemed to be happy. I didn't really care what was happening between you two as long as it helped you get over Mark. But then I saw how Mrs. Gregory was treating you and decided it was time to be there for you. I knew that you needed a friend. Now, I finally understand why Aileen cared about you that deeply. You're truly special, Chloe. Don't let anyone take that away from you." A tear was rolling down my face at Joe's words.

"And who is he? Why can't he just talk to me in person?"

—

Author's Note:
Hey loves, I hope you love this chapter as much as I do.

Do you think Chloe's 'stalker' was in the classroom with Mrs. Gregory?
What will the police do with them?
Was Joe right to stop Chloe from running after them?
What do you think about his story? Is it true? Was he really in a relationship with Aileen?
And last but not least, will Joe finally reveal the stalker's identity?

If you like this story so far please vote, comment, add it to a reading list or share it with your friends. It would mean a lot to me ♥️