"What do you think? I didn't know you knew about this place since you never informed me—and you never told me you now have a gun." He paused and snapped his fingers, causing me to flinch. "Oh, I should never forget that you are also skilled at leaving things behind, which is probably why you never told me about this and that—maybe they aren't significant enough to tell someone." He spits back and holds his handkerchief between his both hands as he stares at me solemnly.I averted my gaze and sighed. I dragged the thrashing wooden chair at the far end of the room as I looked around the library. It's just a few books left on the shelf, and they've all been infested by termites, along with practically every other wooden element in the room. Various scribbles and doodles have ruined the photographs that made my jaw tighten in annoyance. Although I didn't mind if those people found out about our pla
July 01, 2016We're in the theater room, where students from various strands of the twelfth grade will watch films created by each section of the Arts and Designs strand. Sierra informed me that their movie would compete with other sections of the same genre as theirs, and the winner will receive an award for the best film and, of course, will give them high credits that can help them in college. Their film's theme is romance, and Sierra is one of the key stars as well as one of the people that covered a song for their background music, which she just told me earlier this morning that I didn't have much time to react and congratulate her for having the lead part when the bell suddenly rang and the teachers lead as to the theater room.Sierra and I only had a little time to spend together during the weekdays and even on weekends following that confession because
July 04, 2016"Did something happen that you didn't attend church yesterday?" Sierra began our conversation when she banged on the door of her locker. I leaned against the locker next to her, watching her every move. It's only our second class; we didn't meet earlier since I was late. I dozed and didn't see my alarm clock buzzing; if it hadn't been for Mildred, I'm not sure I'd be here."Nah, I just had to do some of my activities that I forgot to accomplish," I said with a wide grin. I took the books from Sierra's hands without asking, and we strolled along the corridor, where everyone was whispering at each other and staring at us—mostly at Sierra. I believe they're referring to her since the crowd is buzzing about their film, which premiered last Friday."Really? I thought Archer Leviticus was such a nerd."
September 07, 2021"I spotted you and your new girl in that hidden library, and you seemed to be having a serious conversation, so I didn't bother going in. But maybe tomorrow? No, not at all. I've changed my mind, Archer; I don't want to meet up anymore, and I can't promise anything either. You know what I mean."I stared at the letter flashing on my computer screen, reading and remembering every word from the username @iamthepersonwhokilled.sierra's alias. I'm not sure why his final letter kept playing with my head. He gave me this letter when I returned home after driving Kinsey to her condo, and that was the last time I heard from him after he ditched me in the library. Or maybe he was telling the truth and had been watching me talk to Kinsey the whole time. But what caused him to change his mind so abruptly? The longer I stare at his letter; the m
July 07, 2016"I can promise you that she looks considerably better today than she was before. She gets to our courses on time and no longer bothers me as she used to. She kind of respects our boundaries with each other; if I told her I needed to do something, she'd let me and never complain afterward." Sierra raised her hands and gave me thumbs up to reassure me about Maevis' acts and how Maevis treats her. "Also, Ms. Perez, our homeroom teacher, constantly observes her, and the school's psychologist counsels her daily." I gave her a hesitant smile and shrugged in response to her replies.It's break time, and we're enjoying yogurt in the school's garden. Some students are chilling here who don't make loud noises, so we decided the garden would be a good place to sit and talk. We're sitting on a bench in the middle of a field of daisies. Maevis has returned aft
"Uh... Hello." I spoke flatly while chewing the side of my cheek. I put my hands in my jeans pockets and attempted to smile at her, but I couldn't because I was still angry over what she had done to me."Hey, Maevis. Do you need anything?" Sierra stepped into our talk. Maybe she can sense my anxiety growing beneath me; I'm not sure why, but I didn't like this Maevis girl even before the first time I first met her. Even though our first meeting was such a disaster, she left me with a poor impression of her for the rest of my life.Maevis barely looked at Sierra before shrugging shyly and saying, "Not really, I really just want to apologize to him—to you, Archer." She stated it abruptly and fixed her gaze on mine, which threw me off guard. My eyes twitched in reaction, and I felt as if my tongue had been removed. She spoke again when I couldn't say a word.
"Five days suspension, Archer! Five days!" When Dad slammed the Principal's office door, he raised his hands and yelled at me.As we strolled down the corridor, I ran my fingers through my hair while holding an ice pack to calm the bruise around my eye. It's a good thing everyone has classes because if they don't, they'll undoubtedly witness me being chastised by my dad, which would be a massive humiliation for me.Owen is still inside the office, most likely being lectured by his uncle. He was only suspended for three days because, of course, he lied and persuaded the Principal that he was the victim here, even though I told the Principal that Owen hit Maevis with a ball on the head first and that I was simply standing up for that poor girl. But Owen insisted that it was all an accident. The way he delivered his lies was quite convincing. During my reaso
'You'll die soon.'"What is it?" Sierra expressed interest in my reaction. She widened the door of my locker, and I heard her gasp as she read what was written inside. "Do you know, or even have any idea who did this?""No," I muttered. "No," I grumbled. I couldn't believe what I'd just read, but then I discovered my locker wasn't locked at all, but I always locked it, just from the start. I opened it. I began raising and looking around my locker, but I couldn't find my key or the padlock to it."Here!" Sierra exclaimed. When I returned her gaze, she straightened up and handed me my key and the shattered padlock.My brow wrinkled even more as I wondered how these things ended up outside my locker. But when I returned my gaze to my locker's door and examine