“I heard Maria crying last night. She was sobbing and I didn’t know what to say to her. I’ve never seen her like that before. Not even when she broke up with Ryan. She was banging the walls hard with her fist. I was scared she was going to punch a hole in the walls. I went to her room to say something, but I saw her boyfriend in there with her. He was just staring at her, not doing anything. I know he saw me because he frowned as he made eye contact with me. I was scared when he looked at me. But then he turned away and walked over to Maria. All he kept saying was “I’m sorry, but this was a mistake, I don’t love you.” That only made it worse. Maria grabbed a lamp and tried to hit him. I saw him get angry. I should have done something. I wish I’d done something now. If I had done something, maybe she wouldn’t have died. But today she was all smiles to the parents. And so was he.”
I stilled as I read the passage. Something was off, but I wasn’t sure exactly what it was. I reread it again and tried to figure it out and then I realized it was the tense. I reread the sentence “If I had done something, maybe she wouldn’t have died” again. From all accounts, Maria was still alive the day after Nancy had seen her crying. So if this had been a true entry or recounting from the past, that would never have been written. She wouldn’t have known that Maria was going to die.
The passage confirmed my earlier thoughts. These entries had been written recently, and I was almost positive that they’d been written by Nancy. That meant she had written and left this for me deliberately. It also made me think that there was a possibility that she hadn’t disappeared when I thought she had disappeared. What if she had left this in the room when I was in Greyson’s office with Brandon and Katie? But why would she have just disappeared and not told me or David? I sighed and opened the diary again.
“Brandon Hastings is Maria’s boyfriend’s name. He’s not a good man. He is evil. Yes, I said it. He broke Maria until there was nothing left. But she always chose bad men. Really bad men. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt. I’m scared he’s going to kill someone for revenge. He doesn’t know everything. He doesn’t understand. He hates the big boss. The real club owner. There was really only ever one. He wants to hurt him. He knows his weakness. I’m scared that this time. It’s going to be bloody. He’s not right in the head. He’s not the man you think he is. He’ll murder. Maria loved Brandon, but Greyson held her heart. That’s why he’s really mad.”
I dropped the diary on the ground and sat back. My head was pounding. I grabbed the diary up again and read the last sentence again. Had Maria dated Greyson as well? Was that why Brandon and Greyson’s friendship had disintegrated? Was that why Greyson accepted responsibility for everything that had gone down? Was Greyson the one who’d caused Maria’s death?
I reread the entry again and my brain started throbbing. I wasn’t really sure what Nancy was trying to tell me. The more I read it, the more it seemed that Brandon was the bad one. It was oddly written, and I couldn’t tell if she was trying to tell me if Brandon or Greyson was the angry one. The more I read it, the more I was convinced that it was actually Brandon who was the evil one.
As I sat there, I remembered how Brandon had treated Katie back in college when he’d found out she was eighteen. He’d been a horrible person and done a really horrible thing. He’d treated her like shit, and even though I knew he’d had a reason to be upset, I felt that what he’d done had been unacceptable.
I flipped the page to continue reading. I had about five more minutes before I had to rush to my next test. As I turned the page, I realized that this was the last entry in the journal.
“Hunter is older than me. Has more secrets. Doesn’t believe in love. I’m a fool like my sister. But what wouldn’t one do for love? Swimming is good for the body. The truth lies in the water. Trust in what you feel. That’s what I say. Don’t venture into the deep end. It’s easy to drown.”
And that was it. I was even more confused than before. What was she talking about? Why was she mentioning Hunter again? Was Hunter the code name for someone at the club? My heart stopped for a second as the thought hit me. Is Hunter really Greyson? Was Nancy dating Greyson? His description sounded just like Greyson to me.
I stilled as I heard two girls walk into the bathroom.
“God, if I get another stupid test, I’m going to scream.”
“Mine was pretty cool,” her friend said. “I got to smoke some pretty dope weed.”
“What?” The other girl sounded jealous.
“Yeah, there was some coke as well. But I didn’t see it until the end.”
“Did you take it?”
“Nah.” The girl paused. “Well, just a little bit.”
“Let me have some.”
“Not now. We can do some tonight.”
“That’s what I’m talking about.” The other girl sounded excited. “Let’s get f**king high.”
“Fuck yeah. I was starting to think this place was a dump, but now I know they got the goods for free.”
“Better than selling your body, eh?”
“Shit. I was with a guy who used to give me molly for a blowjob.” The girl sounded nonchalant. “It was worth it.”
“I’d love to give Greyson a blowjob Or even f**king David. He’s hot.”
“I heard Elizabeth was f**king Frank. I’d do him.”
“He’s not hot.”
“He’s all right.” The girl laughed. “Okay, don’t hate me. But I f**ked David last night.”
“You bitch! You did not!”
“Well, he came to my room and—”
I sat there still as a stone waiting to hear more, but someone else walked into the room.
“You okay, girls?” Patsy’s voice vibrated in the room.
“Yes,” one of the girls said. This time her voice was not as loud or excited.
“Then I suggest you go back to the test rooms.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Also, please give me the package in your pocket.”
“What?”
“I know you took something from the room. Please hand it to me.” Patsy’s voice was firm.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“The package.”
“Here you go.” The girl huffed. “I didn’t even know what it was.”