Chapter 6 ANNIVERSARY

CHAPTER SIX | ANNIVERSARY

RILEY MOORE

It had been hours since I saw the letter, and I still couldn't get myself to think about anything else. Somehow, what had started as a harmful prank had gotten out of control, and I didn't know how far the person behind it was willing to go to bring me down. I also didn't understand why. Why would anyone hate me so much that they'd go to such great lengths to ruin my life?

“What do I do?” I asked myself, feeling tears gather in my eyes.

There was a possibility that the person behind this wasn't just a blackmailer and a bully but also dangerous. That was the only way to explain how they'd managed to sneak into my room more than once without leaving a trace or a clue about their identity. I gazed out my window again, feeling unsafe despite the fact that it was almost morning. Goosebumps rose on my skin at the thought that someone might be watching me right now.

What if they put a camera inside my room?

The thought suddenly struck me, scaring me out of my mind.

I hastily got up and searched every hidden corner of my room, determined to find anything out of place, no matter how small. Luckily, I came back empty-handed, which put my mind at ease for the moment.

A knock at my door startled me so badly that I yelped.

“Darling, are you okay? I heard you speaking to someone.” My mother's cheerful voice came from the other side of the door.

My face heated up at the realization that someone had heard me talking to myself like a crazy person. But then again, anyone in my shoes would probably do the same.

“Yes, Mum. I'm fine. I was on a call,” I lied. “You can come in.”

I quickly placed the letter under my pillow, masking every trace of stress on my face. My mother could read me like an open book, and I didn't want to find myself in a situation where I'd have to explain what was wrong.

“Good morning, baby. I hope you had a good night's rest.”

She walked over to the window and pulled the blinds open.

I gasped as daylight flooded the room, almost blinding my unprepared eyes. “What the hell!”

“Language, young lady.”

I was so stuck in my head that I hadn't even realized I'd stayed up all night worrying. I had no idea it was already a new day.

“I see you're prepared for school already. Should I drive you today?”

I glanced down at myself. I hadn't changed out of my uniform when I got home from school yesterday. I hadn't showered or brushed my teeth either. I'd simply remained on my bed, thinking about everything that had gone wrong in my life.

“I'll drive myself, Mum. Thanks for the offer.” I forced a smile, trying to hide my panic.

I knew I was already late for class and wouldn't have time for a proper shower, but I couldn't exactly go to school without taking care of basic hygiene. I needed my mother to leave first so I could get everything done and head out as quickly as possible.

“What else are you waiting for? You're ready.” She narrowed her eyes at me.

In a panic, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “My period! I just got my period. I need to put on my…”

“It's fine. I'll leave you to it. Just make sure you aren't late, okay?”

I nodded, watching her move toward the door. I considered telling her about the letter. She remembered so much about the night my father died, while I had only fragments of the memory. It was as if the most important details had been deliberately wiped from my mind.

Before I could talk myself out of it, the question slipped out.

“Do you remember the day Father died?”

My mother froze instantly. The colour drained from her face, leaving her looking pale, as though she'd just seen a ghost.

Her reaction wasn't surprising anymore. This was how she always reacted whenever I tried to find out more about my father's death. She either ignored me or gave me vague answers that only left me more confused.

But for the first time, I saw tears gather in her eyes. Her fists clenched as she spoke.

“Why?”

“I…I…” I cleared my throat, trying to swallow the lump forming in it. “I think it's time I learned about what happened.”

“And of all days, you chose today?” Her voice trembled. “Are you trying to cause me more pain than I'm already in?”

My brows drew together in confusion as my mind raced. I thought about the date, and suddenly, it felt as though my heart had been ripped from my chest.

Today was my father's death anniversary.

Not only had I forgotten about it, but I'd also hurt my mother by reminding her of the day she'd lost her husband.

“I'm sorry.” I lowered my head in shame.

My mother was crying now, and I wished the ground would open up and swallow me whole. How could I have been so careless? She was already hurting, and I'd only made it worse.

She walked out of my room without another word. I couldn't muster the courage to say anything else. I simply sat on my bed, consumed by guilt, until the worst of it began to fade. Only then did I force myself to get ready for school.

I arrived at school embarrassingly late and was handed a detention slip almost immediately.

As if my already shitty day couldn't get any worse, Jaxon confidently strode into the detention room a few seconds after I did.

“Hi, Princess.” He smirked, nodding at me as he collected his own detention slip.

I groaned, feeling a headache coming on.

“Who would believe that the goody-two-shoes would show up late to class? I thought you were a golden student.”

“Fuck off, Jaxon.”

He chuckled, falling into step beside me. “Nope. I need to be by my girlfriend's side at all times.” His gaze swept over my face. “You look like hell, by the way.”

I rolled my eyes, annoyed beyond words. I was too tired to come up with a snarky response, and I think he sensed it.

“Are you okay? You look like you got run over by a truck in your sleep.”

“Unfortunately, I didn't get any sleep.”

I pulled the letter from my backpack and handed it to him. “This kept me up all night.”

He took it, and his eyes widened as he read its contents.

“Well, this just got complicated.” He looked up at me, his expression turning serious. “It seems whoever is doing this is very close to you. That's the only way someone could sneak into your room and leave this without getting caught.”

His words made me pause.

I didn't remember telling him that someone had broken into my room the previous night.

How the hell does he know?

And had he somehow known what was going to happen when he warned me to close my windows?

I stared at him, searching his face for an answer.

“I never told you someone broke into my room yesterday,” I said slowly. “How do you know?”