The Trees Smell Like Lemons

21. Too lovely to explore

After school, Bea waited with Adam at the front gates. She checked her phone impatiently. "School finished twenty minutes ago. He should be here by now," she muttered.

"He probably got held up after class. Don't worry he'll turn up, and if he doesn't we'll just have to track him down ourselves," said Adam.

Bea let go of a breath she didn't realise she was holding. "You're right." They sat down on the front steps and waited. Bea tried to surreptitiously watch Adam, she liked looking at people when they weren't paying attention. She thought it was the only time people let their guard down. Her gaze lingered on his cheek. She remembered when they first met, and she'd asked him how he got the bruise. I fell off my bike. At the time she wasn't convinced he was telling her the truth. She wanted to ask him again, but she was scared he'd react angrily. Still she decided to try anyway.

"Adam I was wondering..." 

Bea felt a prickle on the back of her neck, the feeling of being watched. She trailed off and turned to her left and saw a boy watching them. Max. Bea nudged Adam and together they stood up and walked towards Max.

Before she could say anything Max pulled Bea into a hug. She was stunned, when Max and Sara were dating he didn't have the time of day for Bea. The furthest their conversations had stretched was if it was going to rain or not. They certainly never hugged.

Just as Bea was beginning to feel awkward, Max released her. "Bea, I never got a chance to tell you how sorry I was to hear about Sara. I wanted to say something to you at the funeral, but there never seemed to be the right moment. How are you holding up?"

"I'm doing okay thanks," Bea smiled. Someone coughed loudly.

Bea turned around. Adam was standing just behind her; he made a small motion with his hands. Let's hurry this along.

"Max this is Adam. We're... friends."

Adam and Max acknowledged each other with that Bea liked to refer to as the what's-up-bro head nod.

"Hey dude, have we met before?" Max asked.

"I don't think so, I just transferred here. We might have run into each other in the hallway," Adam replied.

Max frowned at Adam for a moment then shook his head. "Yeah that's probably it. Anyway Bea, you said you wanted to talk about something important?"

"It's about Sara. I think there's more to her death than the police told us."

"What do you mean? That it wasn't an accident?"

"I don't know, maybe. See, I've found out some things since she died. Things she never told me."

"What kind of things?"

"Did you know she was pregnant?"

"Pregnant?" Max looked shocked. "Wait is that why you wanted to talk? You think I'm the father?" Max's voice got louder with each question. "I'm not, I swear. Nothing's happened between Sara and me since we broke up."

"Max I know you're not the father." Bea pulled the letters from A.H out of her bag and handed them to Max. "I found these hidden in Sara's room. I think she was seeing someone in secret and for some reason she didn't want anyone to know who it was. I think he's the father of the baby."

Bea and Adam watched as Max opened one of the letters and quickly scanned it.

"Wow. I don't know who this guy is but he's one hell of a writer," Max whistled.

"Do the initials A.H mean anything to you? One of your friends that Sara used to hang out with maybe?"

Max shook his head. "Sorry Bea. One thing I can tell you for sure is that no one I know is writing girls love letters."