Goldstone's arrest was the talk of the school. From the moment everyone woke up it seemed everyone knew the news. Group text and emails were sent out, and parents called their students to make sure they were okay. Thankfully, my mother hasn't heard about Mr. Goldstone yet, but I know it's only a matter of time before I get a phone call asking why I didn't tell her. 

As we sit in the crowded auditorium, whispers of how it all happened are being spread around. Of course, no one knows the real story, because no one knows Chip and I were there. Or how our mysterious killer friend was the one who pulled the trigger and called the cops. Even though they're fake stories, the people telling them say them with such conviction I'd have a hard time ironing it out myself if I wasn't actually there. 

"They say he was caught with a male student underneath the bleachers of the football field," whispers a girl with glasses in front of me. "We've been trying to figure out who it is all morning, but no one has given a name up." 

"Tommy says his dad has an in with the DA office. Apparently, Goldstone was sleeping with a student, and the student got mad because he gave them a B." 

I lean back in my chair and close my eyes. Getting in as late as we did last night really did a number on my sleep schedule. Not to mention, every time I closed my eyes I saw that hooded figure staring back at me. If only I had been a few seconds faster. All of this could have been over. I could have solved Victoria's murder and Goldstone wouldn't have been the only one going to jail last night.

 "I bet you are tired seeing as you had a big mysterious adventure last night," Gala whispers from beside me. 

"You're interrupting my beauty rest," I tell her trying to make a joke when I'm not feeling like joking. She scoffs. 

"Elena Ramos, you're going to tell me where you were last night! This is a dangerous place right now with teachers going crazy and a murderer still on the run-" 

The room goes quiet, and the sound of nice dress shoes sounds throughout the room of the auditorium as Dean Withers comes onto the stage. I sit up, eager to know how he was going to spin the story. He stands in front of a big brown podium and clears his throat. His voice echoes over the loudspeakers as he speaks into the microphone. He looks just as tired as I do. 

"Students, at this point I know that you have heard the rumors. Without going into more detail than necessary I can confirm that Mr. Goldstone is no longer employed here at Riveroak Preparatory School. Please know that we are doing the best we can with the information we have at hand, and at the end of the day, our number one priority is to make sure that you and your fellow classmates are one hundred percent safe. I ask that you not spread rumors and go on a witch hunt for who was involved. Authorities are handling this, and any form of bullying or mishaps involving this situation will result in strict disciplinary punishment. If you have any questions or concerns my office is always open. The first period is also canceled due to a staff meeting we must have. Please enjoy your long breakfast." 

He steps off the stage and the room instantly erupts into chaotic whispers. Gala looks at me and leans over. "Now are you going to tell me where you were last night?" she asks me. 

"I was with Chip," I say bashfully. 

I cross my fingers in the hope that she wouldn't ask too many questions if she thought I was on a date, but as her eyes lit up and a giant smile spread up on her face I knew that I was going to have to share the details about what happened on the dock. 

My face turns red as she continues to stare at me and raises her eyebrows suggestively. "Oh my god, you're redder than a whore in church! Elena Ramos what did you do?! Are we talking first base? Second base? Are you guys official?!" 

That's a good question. Truth be told, I haven't talked to him since last night when he dropped me off at the dorms after the blow-up at the teacher's quarters. He apologized for tackling me, but him doing that was the best thing he could have done considering what I was running into that forest and doing. 

I've been too scared to text him. 

Alright, Elena. You don't have to lie..you just don't have to tell the whole truth. 

"We just," I begin and then cut off sighing in frustration. "We just kissed. We told each other we liked each other, and then we talked." 

Gala gives me an amused but annoyed look. "Woman, I want the details! Is he a good kisser? Did he try to use too much tongue? Or is he not a tongue-"

She's cut off by Anne-Marie standing in front of us with a scowl on her face. "Gala," she muses with an eye roll. 

"Can we help you?" Gala responds with indifference. "We're having a private conversation." 

"Elena, I need to talk to you," Anne-Marie says. Her looks soften when she looks at me. Her eyes pleading. "Please, it's important." 

I look at Gala who just nods her head and stands up. "Meet me in the cafeteria after," she says with a light smile. "I'll grab you some cinnamon buns." 

"A woman after my heart," I grab my chest in an over-the-top dramatic gesture. 

The rest of the students leave and Anne-Marie sits next to me in the chair Gala was sitting in. "He emailed me last night before he was arrested," she whispers. She stares straight ahead at the stage. Refusing to look me in the eye. "He told me everything. Elena, I know I have no right to ask you this because I've been a real bitch-" 

"I'm not like that," I interrupt. "This isn't something that you just spread to be mean. This is real life and has consequences." 

She looks at me and tears well up in her eyes, but she quickly turns in the other direction and clears her throat. She dabs her eyes quickly and turns back toward me. "I assume you told Gala?" 

"I haven't told anyone," I assure her. "I'll keep it that way." 

She puts on a light smile. "You're not half bad, Ramos." 

She stands up and I grab her forearm before she can walk away. "You're better than the position that he put you in," I say. "You deserve someone that you'd be able to walk out into the world with and not be worried about them getting arrested. He was the adult. He knew better." 

"Thank you," she whispers. 

She turns and walks into the aisle of the auditorium. 

"And you should apologize to Gala," I say before she can push the door open. She pauses at the door and turns to face me. I can tell she's conflicted about what to do based on her facial expression. She bites her lower lip and nods for me to follow her. 

"Let's go get some cinnamon buns," Anne-Marie says.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Breakfast was awkward, but by the time we wrapped up to first period, tension seemed to disappear between Gala and her group of friends. They were laughing and telling stories the other had missed out on since not talking to each other. 

Now, as Gala is at some important Zoom call in the student center for her Miss Teen Georgia title, I'm finally alone in the dorm for what feels like forever. This also means I get to read the diary for the first time in forever, but from the moment Gala left the room a spooky feeling overwhelmed me as I sat by myself on the bed. I used to like being alone, but now I feel the sudden urge to check inside the closet and behind the shower curtain every time I walk into one of those rooms. 

The killer was fast. Last night and today were so fast-paced I never had a moment to just sit back and think about the fact that they know where I sleep. They know how to get in. They aren't just words in an email or text message anymore. 

This is a real person. 

A real murderer. 

Last night lit a fire under my ass even more to figure out who killed Victoria Caldwell. I can't help but feel like this is going to lead to them being captured, or me dead. I still can't figure out what the play is in communicating with me. It's almost like they enjoy watching me maneuver and guess what's happening. 

I shook them up last night. I doubt they'll be that careless again. 

Victoria's diary sits in my lap, and I slowly lift the cover of the book to the next entry. 

Dear Diary, 

Jesus Christ Anne-Marie did so much blow last night that I thought her eyes were going to pop out of her skull. She did bump after bump, and while I'm not against the use of party drugs in a recreational fashion, there is such a thing as too much. I'm beginning to think my friends are messier than I initially thought. Between Stassi having another pregnancy scare because she seems to be allergic to protection and Anne-Marie's little drug problem, this is bound to blow up in my face eventually. 

Speaking of my friends and their dirty little secrets I found out a lot about Priyah while snooping in her room. She had a picture of her family from when she was in middle school, and the last time I checked noses don't just change shape completely once you hit puberty. Mommy and Daddy bought the little Miss Model a new nose. 

And I swear to God, if I have to listen to Gala bitch one more time about how she needs to win this Teen Georgia thing for her parents and sponsorships I swear I'm going to pull my hair out. All she does is stress out about money. "My dad can't work anymore after he hurt his back and mom doesn't have a degree so it's up to me to win and make some sponsorship deals."  

Listen, I'm no doctor, but with the way her dad got hurt, it sounds like he could still work from home. Sounds like laziness to me. 

Oh well, her pageant is this weekend so I'll have an update soon enough. For the sake of my sanity, I hope she wins because I genuinely can't deal with the whining. 

Xoxo, 

Victoria

A knock at the door makes my heart jump out of my chest. I quickly throw the journal under my pillow before getting up and walking to the door. When I open the door I'm surprised to see Chip standing in the hall. 

"Chip?!" 

He ducks into the room before I have time to even form a greeting. Boys and girls aren't allowed in the opposite genders' dormitory here at Riveroak Prep. The fact that he is here right now could get him in a lot of trouble. 

He smiles at me as he wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me into a deep kiss. My head is still whirling from the fact he's here, but my heart is beating with a rhythm I've never heard before as his lips trace around my own. 

He stops kissing me and wraps me into a tight bear hug before kissing my forehead. . He rests his chin on the top of my head and I nuzzle into his chest. "I've been worried about you today," he whispers not breaking the hug. 

"I've been worried about you too," I say. 

He finally drops the hug and we walk over to the bed and sit down. We haven't gotten a chance to talk about last night. He said sorry he tackled me before he left for his dorm last night, but to be completely honest, I wasn't sure if he was mad at me or not. 

"I'm sorry I haven't texted you or anything today," he says. "I was worried you were mad at me after what happened in the field. I know I apologized for tackling you last night, but I genuinely-"

"You didn't do it to hurt me, Chip," I assure him. "I understand why you did it, and with my mindset, at that moment I didn't really leave you with many options." 

He looks at me with warm eyes and sends my stomach into butterflies. It's crazy how we are talking about chasing after a killer and this boy is still making me feel nervous. 

"This is getting intense, isn't it?" he asks as he leans back on the bed. He lays with his torso on the bed and his legs bent over the edge as they touch the floor. 

"It's been intense, Chip," I say as I join him. Our hands instantly connect as I lay down next to him. Our fingers interlock and he begins to trace his thumb over mine. 

He turns and looks at me before another knock makes my face go pale. 

"Ms. Ramos?" Dean Withers says. "Open up, please. It's urgent." 

Chip looks at me, and he bites his lip as he gets up and walks into the closet. He closes the door behind him and I try to compose my face before I open the door. 

Surely he wouldn't have said it was urgent if he knew Chip was in the room. He would have demanded that he come out of the dorm room immediately, but I can't see him saying it's urgent over that. 

I open the door and see the concerned look on Dean Wither's face. His face looks older than the first time I saw him. His beard has new streaks of grey going all the way through it. "Ms. Ramos I need you to come with me immediately. It's Ms. Summers. She was attacked." 

"What?" I say. My brain isn't processing what he said.

"Ms. Summers is in the hospital." 

My heart stops beating for a second before I walk over to my closet quietly and quickly and grab a pair of shoes. Chip makes eye contact with me and mouths "Text me." before I close the door back on him. I slide a pair of flip-flops on and follow Dean Withers to a car that's waiting for me.

"She's asking for you," he says as he gets into the backseat with me. "I have never had a year like this in my life. Never as an educator did I think I would ever have to deal with this." 

Panic is filled in his voice and I start to feel bad for Dean Withers. He has to deal with all the press and angry parents normally, but add a murder, a scandal with a teacher, and an attack on a student all in the span of a month?

I don't envy him. 

"Is she okay?" I ask him.

"She's stable. A lot of cuts and bruises, but she's okay. She just wanted to see you." 

We ride the rest of the way in silence, and when we pull up to the visitor lot my phone vibrates with a text message from Chip. 

I made it out. Keep me updated on Gala. 

Dean Withers leads me down the hallway and into the large waiting room. He walks to the help desk and tells them we're looking for Gala's room. She points us down the hall and I try and prepare my heart for what I'm going to see when I walk into the room. 

"Gala?" asks Dean Withers as he opens the door. 

Gala is laying down in the bed with a giant black eye. She has several cuts on her lips and cheeks, and her arm is in a sling. She tries to smile at me when I come in and then winces. I run to the side of her bed and grab her hand. "Gala oh my god." 

"I'll go see if I can go find a doctor and I'll leave you two to talk for a minute." 

He leaves the room and Gala sits up with tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Elena!" 

"Why are you sorry?!" I ask her confused. 

"I saw the note in the room. It was on the floor right by the door when I walked in and I was nervous if you were in trouble or not. I put on your black hoodie and went to The Bay like the note said, but when I showed up I got hit from behind." 

"Wait, what note?" 

Gala opens up her palm and I see a crumpled-up piece of paper in her hand. With shaking hands, I reach for it. 

Listen here you little bitch. I'm tired of this back and forth. Meet me at The Bay. Come alone. It's time, Elena. 

I feel my heart stop. Had I gotten to the room before Gala I would have seen this. I could very much be in this hospital bed right now.

 Or worse, dead. 

"Gala," I say in disbelief. "I'm so sorry. I have no idea who this is from, though." 

Gala nods her head. "It must have just been an accident. I didn't tell the cops about this, but I'm starting to think I should. Especially if you don't know who it's from." 

"Gala, you can't," I say quickly. "I-, can you just trust that I'm handling this?" 

Gala looks at me for a long time before nodding her head. "Okay," she says. "Then I'll let you handle it. Please promise me you're being safe, though, Elena." 

"I am," I say. 

At least as safe as I can be. 

My phone vibrates and I see an email notification from the same anonymous email that's been torturing me since I arrived at the school. 

Five words written across the screen sends my blood running cold. 

I thought she was you.