He embraced me. “But it wasn’t you, Vanessa. Baby, you’re still here, and I’m not gonna let him hurt you or anyone else, believe that! Oh, and just remember, he doesn’t know that you know that he killed Natalie, and he won’t know that you know, as well as me.”
“I don’t want him to know that we know until he’s where he belongs!” I cried. He continued to hold me as I cried uncontrollably. I just couldn’t help but to think that I was somehow the cause of Natalie being murdered because it was quite possible that she could’ve had something going on with John that none of us ever knew about and wanted to end it with him, and he just snapped on her because of it. I also thought about the sounds that I’d heard that day, and now I was convinced that I was hearing the final moments of Natalie’s life. I started to cry again. “Brad?”
“What’s up, baby?” he asked, as he continued to hold me.
“I have to tell you something about that day that Natalie was murdered that I’ve never told anyone else except Ava.”
He looked at me. “Are you serious, Vanessa? What is it?”
I wiped my eyes. I let out a deep sigh. “I’m now a hundred percent convinced that I heard John and Natalie in that room because I heard a loud sound coming from the room.”
He jumped up! “WHAT?!”
“Yes, Brad. Ever since I found out that Natalie was murdered in a room on that basement floor, I tried so hard not to believe that it was Natalie in that room. Now I know it was obviously them in there because when I heard the first sound, I went towards the room — but I didn’t knock on the door or anything. I thought a janitor had probably dropped something. I was about to put my hand on the door to try and open it, and that’s when I heard another crashing sound, and it scared me so bad that I just ran away from the door and down the hall. I looked back to see if anyone was gonna come out of the room, but no one did.”
“Shit, Vanessa! Holy shit! Why didn’t you tell me this when I first told you all about Natalie being murdered and where she was found?”
“Because I wasn’t sure if it was her in that room or not, Brad! I’m so sorry!” I said, and started crying again.
“Shhh, baby. It’s okay because you didn’t know. Hearing something is one thing, but seeing it is a whole other thing.”
“Exactly!” I replied as I still cried. “It could’ve been anyone in that room.”
“You’re right. But what were you doing down there?”
I froze! I didn’t wanna tell him the truth just yet because he had no idea about the secret texts that I’d been receiving and I didn’t wanna tell him until I knew for sure who was sending them to me. And also, that this person who was sending me these secret texts was the one that I was waiting for in another room down from the room that I’d heard those loud sounds come from, but I got tired of waiting for them because they never showed, so I left. “Umm . . . since that’s my study period and I didn’t have anything to do, I decided to just walk around. I’d thought since I’m your girlfriend now, that I’d put it to the test about getting all the perks of being it like what Lisa got,” I lied.
He grinned. “Are you serious, baby?”
“Yeah, I am,” I lied again.
He continued to hold me. “Well, I’m glad you were walking around down there and just happened to hear something because the cops did say that Natalie was estimated to have been killed hours before, so that seemed right about it being around third period.”
“And everything fits when it comes to John being Natalie’s killer,” I said, and then grabbed a tissue and wiped my eyes.
“How so?”
“Because of the timing when Natalie disappeared. Marie told me that day when we were all sent home early that Lisa told her that Natalie was in class first period since they obviously had a class together. Ava told Marie — when Marie asked her when was the last time that she’d seen Natalie — that she had passed her in the hall on the way to third period. Lisa also had a class with Natalie third period, but Marie told Ava and me that Lisa told her that Natalie never showed up for class.”
“What’s significant about third period?”
“That’s the time that John and I usually met each other in the storage room to get it on since I have study hall that period, and coincidentally, that’s the room that we would usually be in. He also told me that he only liked for us to meet third period because that was when he had Weightlifting and he could come and go from class whenever he wanted to as long as he did a required number of sets and reps during it — and he probably told Natalie the same thing. When he wouldn’t be with me in there I believe that he was with her, especially after I stopped seeing him.”
He nodded. “Makes perfect sense — all the more reason for us to believe that he’s Natalie’s killer. Come to think of it, I always pass him in the hall after third period and I didn’t see him at all that day. Motherfucker was probably getting rid of evidence and cleaning himself up — some shit like that.”
I shook my head. “That wouldn’t surprise me at all if that’s what he was doing; he couldn’t have anyone suspect that he did anything. He knew that her body was gonna eventually be found, and he didn’t want any close calls so he knew he had to get the hell out of there because he knew that he couldn’t even be seen in the area where the room is.”
“You’re right, Vanessa. And you know? John has never mentioned anything about Natalie, but I always noticed that when he was not at lunch, she wasn’t there, either. I think that might have been another time that they usually met up at.”
“That’s very likely. It’s obvious that John and Natalie had a secret relationship that was even more secret than the one that I had with him. I now believe that he could’ve been seeing her when he was seeing me, even though he told me that he was never seeing anyone else. And I always noticed how he would get mad when he got a certain phone call or text, I mean, real mad. He wouldn’t answer them when I was with him, and I found that strange because he would always answer his phone or respond to texts when it was you or his other friends. But then when I would see him talking on his phone, he was always yelling at someone at school and even at Sparkle, and I just didn’t believe that it was you or any of his other friends because I’d never seen him get into any arguments with any of you. And then there were all the times that I would see Natalie crying, but she wouldn’t tell me and Ava what was wrong with her. I’m now getting the feeling that these could’ve been conversations that were going on between John and Natalie, and now Natalie’s dead. This just seems so unreal, Brad.”
“I know it does, baby. It’s very likely that when you witnessed his mood changes when he got certain calls or texts that they were more than likely from Natalie, and when you saw her crying, she was more than likely crying about John. We need to find out from Marie everything about what was going on between Natalie and John because I think she knows a lot more than what she wants to tell us, and I think she didn’t wanna tell us anything that one day when we accused Marc of killing Natalie because John was there. I can’t believe that motherfucker pretended like he didn’t have anything to do with killing her! And he was always extremely quiet when we all would get together and talk about Natalie, like he didn’t know her at all.”
“I know, huh?! And I agree that Marie needs to tell us everything that Natalie told her about who she was involved with. This is very important because it was obvious that Natalie and John had something going on with each other, and we need to know what led to him killing her. Only Natalie and John know what led to what happened, and Natalie can’t tell us, and you know John will never tell us if he gets away with this. I would like to know what happened in there, don’t you?”
“Of course. But we know right now not to say anything to John about it because we need to play it safe with him.”
“Definitely,” I said. I held on to him as I started to cry again.
He embraced me. “I know this hurts, baby. John is gonna pay for what he did. We’re gonna find some way to get hi
s DNA from him — we are — and he’s more than likely gonna go to jail for life. I don’t care what happened in that room because it was nothing worth him ending her life over.”
I nodded as I wiped my eyes. “I just can’t believe he killed her. And I came so close to possibly having the same thing happen to me. He’s evil, Brad, he’s fuckin’ evil. He had all of us fooled at how much of a nice person he was. I saw the real him that day when I ended that secret relationship with him and even more so when I talked to him in there that first day at school when we were officially a couple and about you being the reason why I ended my secret relationship with him just to get into one with you. But Natalie saw the darkest side of him that anyone could see. What if I would’ve opened that door, Brad? I should’ve opened that door because if I would’ve then I could’ve saved Natalie! She could still be alive, Brad! I could’ve saved her—”
“And he would’ve killed you, too, Vanessa! I really think John hates you for you choosing me over him, and he would’ve let you have it that day like the way he let Natalie have it over whatever it was that he killed her over, but we both know that she didn’t do anything that bad for him to have done that to her.”
I cried. “I think you’re right, Brad. I don’t believe that John really likes me anymore; he can say what he wants. I don’t care if he hates me because I hate him now, too, for what he did to Natalie. Natalie was such a nice, sweet person who didn’t deserve for this to happen to her. She was my friend, Brad!”
He embraced me. “I know, Vanessa.”
“I’m scared, Brad, I really am. I don’t want him hurting us or anyone else.”
“That’s what I got my gun for because we’re gonna try our hardest to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“Brad, I wish you and Marc wouldn’t carry those guns, but I understand, and now I really understand since we now know that John killed Natalie and that he has a gun, too!”
“Exactly, so I’m glad you do understand why Marc and I carry them,” he said, and then kissed me on my forehead.
“And you know what else he said that day when I talked to him in the storage room?”
“What did he say?”
“He said that we — you and me — had no shame about what we do and how we affect other people’s lives because of us seeing each other in secret and then becoming an official couple. He said that he didn’t know how we sleep at night, but then again, people with no conscience about what they do usually sleep just fine.”
He shook his head. “Yeah, that’s real funny coming from him; real funny. If we shouldn’t be able to sleep because of what we did, then I’m assuming that someone like him hasn’t had a second of sleep since he killed Natalie, but then again, he doesn’t seem to have a conscience about killing her so he probably sleeps just fine. In regards to us being together, I sleep just fine — how about you?”
“Me too, but I have to admit that when it comes to Natalie, I haven’t been able to.”
“Me neither. But we’re gonna get him for what he did to her, Vanessa, we will. This is a personal quest since she was a friend of ours, Marc’s ex, and Marie’s best friend — and they’re also our friends.”
“Exactly,” I said. I felt so safe in his arms as he continued to hold me. I wanted us to stay like this forever, but I knew that the problems that we were gonna have to face with knowing that John was Natalie’s killer was just the beginning. Suddenly, my phone rang; I looked at it. “It’s Ava,” I told him. I answered the call. “Hey, Ava, what’s up?”
“Vanessa! Oh, shit! There’s something that I need to tell you and Brad, and I need to tell you two in person right now!” she said in a panic.
I gasped! “Ava! What is it? You sound very panicky, honey!”
Brad looked at me. “What’s going on?” he whispered to me.
“What’s going on, Ava?” I asked.
She took a deep breath. “Vanessa, I have Marie with me, and she told me that there’s a lot of things that she needs to tell us all in regards to Natalie. She keeps talking in circles and I was trying to get it out of her, but she’s going crazy right now and says that she can’t take it anymore and needs to let us all know together.”
“Well, what are the two of you waiting for? Get over here right now!” I demanded.
“I’m driving with her over to yours as I speak. We’ll be there in a few minutes,” she said.
CHAPTER 33
Brad, Ava, and I sat stunned as we stared at Marie as her head hung low. We couldn’t believe what she’d just told us . . . that Natalie and John were in fact in a secret relationship.
“How long were they seeing each other?” I asked.
“For several months,” Marie said.
Brad and Ava looked at me; I tried not to show how shocked I was since it was officially confirmed that John was in fact seeing Natalie and me at the same time, and very much in secret.
“What was their relationship like?” Brad asked.
Marie sighed. “Well, she wanted it to be an open one, but she told me that he said that he didn’t want it to be because he didn’t know how Marc would feel about it since he’s good friends with him. Natalie really liked John, and really thought that it was a waste to have to see each other in secret. I told her that the relationship was not worth having if it was always in secret — I told her that nothing came out of relationships that were like that — and she said that you and Vanessa’s were in secret at first and it worked out for the best, but I told her that the two of you are entirely different people from her and John.”
Brad and I looked at each other as Ava smiled at us.
“Well, you’re right, Marie — we are different people — everyone is different,” I replied.
Marie looked at all of us, and then let out a deep sigh. “So, just say it.”
Brad, Ava, and I looked at each other because we knew what she wanted us to say.
Brad took a deep breath. “Marie, we hate to say this, but because of what you’ve told us, we now have every reason to be a hundred percent sure that John is the one who killed Natalie.”
Marie started to cry. “I knew it! I fuckin’ knew it! But how do you know for sure since it was said that all of the guys were eliminated?”
“John never submitted his DNA on DNA Day — he was absent that day — so he has never been eliminated as we all originally thought,” Brad informed her.
Marie shook her head. “Well, that explains it!”
“Marie, I did my research after Zac told me and Vanessa that his uncle had called him and told him that he couldn’t find John in the database. That’s when it all made sense to me. I thought that he did submit his samples eventually, and as time went on, I completely forgot about asking him did he ever do it, and it’s obvious that he forgot to or intentionally didn’t wanna submit them because he probably just assumed that I thought that he had because I never bothered him after that day that I called him to check on him when he missed school. I only told him that one time to give his samples to the nurse when he got back to school, but he obviously never did,” Brad said.
Marie shook her head as she continued to cry. “That son of a bitch! This is so unbelievable. I mean, deep down inside, I just didn’t have it in me to believe that Marc could’ve done it. He honestly didn’t wanna have anything to do with Natalie anymore — he made that very clear to her — and it really hurt her feelings. And I knew that it wasn’t that guy from Westmore for sure.”
“How come?” Ava asked.
“Because she never had a relationship with that guy; it was over with before it even started. She met him at Sparkle and they exchanged numbers, but only talked to each other once on the phone. She said she tried calling him a few times after that, but he just didn’t seem interested in her. She was only saying that she was seeing him to make Marc jealous, but she had been seeing John the whole time,” Marie said.
Brad shook his head. “Wow, her and John really kept their relationship a secret.”
; “But Natalie was about to blow it wide open,” Marie informed us.
We all gasped as we looked at her!
“Why?” I asked.
“Because she was pregnant,” Marie informed us with a sigh.
We all gasped in shock as we looked at each other!
“Oh, my God! You talk about some fuckin’ tea that would’ve been spilled all over?!” Ava said.
“Yeah, tell me about it!” Marie replied.
“So John was the father?” Brad asked.
“Absolutely,” Marie replied. “Natalie wasn’t fooling around with anyone else, if she was, I would’ve known. Natalie told me everything . . . everything. She said that she had missed her period and hadn’t had one in over two months. She said that the only guy she was having sex with was John. I know that day that he killed her that she’d told him that she was pregnant because she told me that she was trying to figure out when she wanted to tell him because she was so scared. She told me that she wasn’t getting an abortion and didn’t care what John said about it. She said that she was ready to transfer to one of those schools for pregnant teens for her safety if need be, but she never got the chance to make that decision.”
Brad, Ava, and I stared at Marie in shock. I couldn’t believe how many secrets Natalie and John both had between the two, and now we all knew that her being pregnant was definitely the motive as to why he killed her.
“She also told me that she did ask him before she even told him that she was pregnant, what would he do or say if she told him that she was; and she told me that he said that if she was, then it wasn’t his,” Marie said.
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