Chapter Ten

It's been a week since I went to Matt's room and I'm still not any closer to figuring out what happened that night. I think finding out what happened to Matt is starting to become an obsession. I'm going crazy trying to figure out what happened. I have looked at this from every angle. So far I have come up with three possible scenarios. First and this is highly unlikely.

It's possible that Matt did kill himself and I'm just in denial and using it as an excuse to hold on to him.

Second

He might have been the one to set his room on fire, but maybe it was by mistake and it was not his intention to kill himself.

Or third. And I pray this is not the one.

The third scenario is that someone killed him and made it look like a suicide but who would want to kill Matt? He wasn't the son of some rich gangster. He wasn't anyone special

He was just a poor kid with no family that was smart enough to get a scholarship to Woodridge. He had no enemies. Not any I know off. Yes, sure there were a couple of people on campus who would make snide comments about the fact that I was dating a "scholarship kid".

Yes, there are immature rich kids here that still believe in that old money, new money nonsense, but none of them are killers. They don't have it in them. They are just spoiled rich brats.

Like Julie.

"If you don't start paying attention miss Brown you are going to cut your arm off."

A voice interrupts my thoughts. It's my Electro Tech lecturer. We are currently in the middle of a practical exam. I quickly mumble an apology and try to concentrate on my work.

I'm very passionate about what I'm studying so I find it easy to refocus my attention back on my exam. I finish up in no time and I'm the first one to leave the exam room.

I decide to wait for Kim outside. She always takes longer than I do.

Always, but that does not mean she gets lower marks than me. Quite the opposite.

You see Kim is one of those, the extremely smart ones. The ones that study the day before the exam and still get the same marks as a person who has been studying for a month.

I find a quiet bench with some shade. The weather is a little chilly but I hardly feel it since I'm wearing a jacket and a scarf I got from Kim for my birthday. I sat there and just breathed in some fresh air. I took my phone out of my pocket and switched it on. I had switched it off before entering the exam room.

I found a missed call from Luke and a message from my dad asking how I'm doing. I quickly text him back telling him I'm fine and that I love him. I'm about to call Luke back when my phone rings.

It's an Unknown number.

Again?

I hesitate for a second. Then I answer.

"Hello."

Silence. God not this shit again.

"Hello?"

I try again.

"Sweet little Ria."

A cold spine chilling voice comes through my phone's speaker. Why does it sound like that? There is something strange about the voice and it takes me a second to figure it out. The person seems to be using some sort of voice-changing app because that voice sounds so unnatural.

"Who is this?"

The person laughs. A cold humorless laugh. The goosebumps form on my forearm in a split second. Suddenly I can feel the cold.

"Questions. Questions. With no one to answer. Did you really think changing your number would keep me away for long?"

The voice starts patronizing me. I can tell that he is enjoying this.

"How did you get my number?"

"How I got it doesn't matter. What you should be asking is why?"

At this point, I am beyond freaked out. The longer I talk to this creep the more scared I'm getting.

"Okay, I'll bite the bait. What do you want from me?"

I ask trying to hide the uneasiness in my voice.

"Now sweet Ria that is a question I can answer. What I want is simple. I want you to finish what Matthew failed to finish."

I feel my breath being knocked out of my chest. This person knows. He knows what happened to Matt.

"What did you do? What the hell did you do to him, you sick bastard?"

At this point, I feel tears streaming down the contours of my face. The voice starts laughing again.

"Answer me! Answer me or I'm hanging up."

I'm so pissed off. Why won't he tell me what he knows?

"Before you hang up. I must tell you that that scarf really suits your skin tone."

The voice speaks and then he hangs up. My blood runs cold. I whip my head from left to right, but there are just too many people. No one seems suspicious but I know someone is watching me. I can feel it. I look at the bright red scarf that I am wearing. Proof that the Voice is watching me. Thousands of thoughts run around my mind. I'm shaking, but trying out to show it. I'm falling apart and trying but failing to keep myself together. I can't afford to fall apart now. Especially not now.

Is this the He Matt kept talking about? What was he involved in that was so dangerous that he died in the process?

"Wow, that was the easiest test so far. I bet I tota- Hey Ria are you okay?"

It's Kim.

I don't know what to tell her. I don't want her to see me like this.

She pulls me into a hug and I immediately start sobbing into her chest. I hate being this weak.

I wish I was stronger. Strong enough to deal with these emotions.

"What happened?"

Kim ask. I decide that I can't tell her. Not yet. I need to figure out what that creep wants first. I pull away from her embrace and wipe the tears away from my face. I'm slightly embarrassed by my lack of control. I did not want whoever is watching me to know how much they affected me.

"It's nothing big Kim. I just saw someone that looked like Matt that's all."

I lie. Easily.

I notice that I have been lying a lot lately and I have a feeling it's just the beginning.

"It's okay to grieve Ria. Just don't keep it all bottled up okay?"

I just nod my head in agreement. She still has a concerned expression on her face.

"Hey, Kim."

"Yeah?"

"Can I stay over at your place tonight?"

I don't want to be alone tonight. Not with that creep out there. Kim smiles at my suggestion.

"Omg great idea. We can even invite Luke and have a sleepover party. We haven't done those in a while."

Her smile is contagious. I find myself smiling as well. Kim claps her hands in excitement.

"We are gonna have so much fun."

I laugh because I know it's true. There is never a dull moment when I have both Kim and Luke in one place.