They were living their very own version of:
'I Know What You Did Last Summer'...
Ever since the crime they committed when they were teens in boarding school, Wade Lancaster, Tatiana Petrov, Daniella White and Arthur Carlton have been paying for thei...
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May 2019 Seattle, Washington
9 hours earlier...
Didi took a bite of her spicy bean burger and slowly chewed. She couldn't taste the food, instead her mouth felt like sandpaper. She lifted a napkin up to her mouth and spat out the burger into it. When she looked back up, her eyes collided with Wade's across the table. His green eyes stared at her with intense scrutiny. With a shaky breath, she tore her gaze away from him and looked down at her plate of food.
The four friends were seated at a table at The Glided Leaf having dinner. Art had insisted that they eat and since none of them had the energy to cook, they decided to go to the vegan eatery. The restaurant was filled with diners, which wasn't shocking since it was a Saturday night. A slow tempo song played in the background, setting a relaxing mood in the room.
Didi looked to her left, where a couple sat, enjoying their meal. They both appeared to be in their early twenties. They were just a normal couple on a date. How Didi wished she could live a life where she could be carefree and worry about normal things like a boy breaking her heart or handing in a school assignment late. Instead she worried about the next move the blackmailer would make and how she could stop him.
The sound of her phone ringing, pulled her away from her thoughts. She took out the phone from her purse and was startled when she saw the caller ID. It was her father. The man never called, he sent emails from time to time, but he never called, and even though they lived in the same city, she hardly ever saw him or her mother. It must be an emergency if he's calling. Didi thought to herself.
"I have to take this," she said as she took to her feet.
She walked the short distance to the restroom and stepped inside the illuminated room. She entered a toilet stall and locked it behind her before answering the call.
"Dad," she murmured.
"Oh, thank God you answered." Mr. White's baritone voice came through the speaker.
He sounded out of breath.
"Why are you calling? Is everything okay?" Didi questioned.
"It's your mother. She's been admitted to the hospital."
"What? How? When?"
"She was involved in a car accident this morning, it was a hit and run."
Didi felt a tightness in her chest at those words and there was suddenly a pit in her stomach. Tears pooled in her eyes and she couldn't hear what else her father was saying, the words "mom is in the hospital" repeated in her head. She went on autopilot mode, she hung up the phone and left the restroom. As soon as she reappeared at the table, Art saw the expression of anguish on Didi's face. He rose from his seat and wrapped his strong arms around her, keeping her on her feet and preventing her from hitting the ground.
"What's the matter?" He asked after he helped her take a seat.
"M-my m-mom," she croaked out.
Tania reached across the table and took her best friend's hand. "What's wrong with her?"
She choked on a sob. "She's in hospital."
Suddenly she found it difficult to breathe and she felt like she couldn't catch her breath. It was clear that she was hyperventilating and already thinking the worst.
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Didi felt as though her heart would jump right out of her chest by the way it was beating so fast. She swallowed back the bile rising in her throat and didn't know whether she wanted to throw up or cry. She paced in the waiting room, not caring about the glances the hospital's staff threw her way. The doctor told her to stay calm but she couldn't, how could she possibly stay calm when her mother was in ICU, battling for her life.
Wade, Tania and Art, all sat at the vinyl chairs, each of them silently watching Didi. They knew how she was feeling, seeing as they had their fair share of losses in their lives, and that was exactly what Didi was afraid of, losing her mother. Although she didn't have a great relationship with the woman, she was still her mother and Didi didn't know what she'd do if the doctor walked in the room with bad news.
Everything will be okay. A voice in her head assured her, but as she turned around and saw Art standing beside her, she realized that it was his words. Suddenly she couldn't contain her emotions anymore and buried her face in his chest, tears coursing down her cheeks.
Art enveloped her in a warm hug and just for a minute she imagined that she was anywhere else but at the hospital, waiting to hear if her mother would make it or not. It was only for a minute because a nurse entered the room and called out her name. Didi lifted her head and looked at the middle-aged woman.
"Miss White, these are the flowers you ordered," said the woman, holding a bouquet of fresh red roses.
I didn't order any flowers.
"She didn't order any flowers."
Didi thought it, but Art said it.
"It came for you."
Art met Didi's gaze before taking the flowers from the nurse. The woman smiled at them and then left the four friends alone again.
"There's a note." Tania pointed out.
"What?" Art asked, confused.
She left her seat and walked up to him, she plucked a cream-colored sheet from inside the flower and handed it to Art. He gave her a questioning look.
"Flowers always have notes attached to them," she explained. "Or at least they do in books and movies."
Didi stood in the middle of the room, but her thoughts and mind weren't there anymore as she gazed out the large window.
"What does it say?" Wade asked from across the room.
Art unfolded the letter and read the words out loud. "Love me or hate me, both are in my favor. If you love me, I’ll always be in your heart. If you hate me, I’ll always be in your mind."
Art's posture stiffened and his muscles went rigid, while Wade jumped up from his seat and tore the piece of paper from Art's hands to read the letter for himself. And the feeling of disorientation washed over Tania. The three friends glanced at each other, although none of them spoke, their thoughts were loud and clear. Was the blackmailer the reason why Didi's mother was in hospital? Could he have gone to such extreme lengths to hurt them?
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A/N: Hope you enjoyed that chapter, if you did do vote, comment and share. Thank you :)
