38 - Confessions of a Teenage Drama King - pt.2

Chapter Thirteen continued...



Katie strains to look over at Kris's phone. He lifts the phone close to his face and squints his eyes. "Idk, paper? Who cares?"


Katie holds her hand out to Kris. He passes her the phone. She scrutinizes the photo.


"Money? Why would he have money out?" She asks and swipes to the next photo.


It's a similar photo. James has a red cup in his left hand and his right hand is balled in a fist. He's clutching money. His face is frozen mid-sentence. He's talking to a guy sitting on the arm of the couch. The guy's back is turned and his face is concealed


Katie goes to the next pictures but now the money is gone. She swipes to the next. James is no longer holding a cup.


Then the next photo, they're in a bro hug. One hand is balled into a fist and the other wrapped around the shoulders. The mystery guy's body conceals both of their hands.


Kris has gotten up from his seat and is hovering behind us. Katie swipes again. The guy is leaving the frame. He has a hand on James's shoulder, and we can see the side profile of his face.


James's hand is pressed to his chest. Clutched between his fingers hangs the corner of a clear plastic baggy. There are light-green pills inside it. I go cold and Katie dramatically gasps next to me.


"He wouldn't. It's probably ecstasy." Kris says in disbelief.


He has a valid point. I pull my phone out and start a google image search for Rohypnol or aka roofie. The results appear. I place the images on my phone next to the photo of James. Katie has zoomed in on the pills. They look disturbingly similar.


"You can barely see it. Go to the next photo." Kris suggests. She swipes. James's right hand is in the pocket of his trunks. Katie returns to the pictures of James with the pills.


"Guys. I don't know." Kris says in chagrin.


She turns to look up at him. "I didn't want to believe this any more than you. But look." She says and hands his phone back to him. He zooms in and out of the picture. "We can't ignore this. Especially, if he hurt Ari."


She looks at me with real concern. It's the first time I heard her call Aurora by her nickname. I kept having to remind myself they'd used to be best friends.


"Kris is right," I say. Katie looks at me in confusion. "It's not enough. People could say you Photoshopped this."


"We would never." Kris hisses.


"Let me see again," Katie asks. He hands her the phone. She swipes back and forward between them. Then she smiles. "Hold on a second."


She flips through her own phone then sets it next to Kris's. It's a picture of an enraged Dechlan. James is holding on to his brother. The frat guy is on the ground surrounded by broken pieces of a woods.


She points to the blonde one and says. "Isn't this the same guy?"


I look between the two photos on their screens. It's hard to tell but they both have blonde hair. And they're both wearing black shirts and jeans. It wouldn't normally be a dead giveaway but everyone else at the party was half-naked and in swimsuits.


"Katie! You're a genius!" I shout louder then I attend to. A few other Starbuck patrons look over at us. I lower my voice and whisper. "I think I've got our next lead."


"The frat boy?" Kris asks bewildered. "You know him?"


"No, but I know James's brother Dechlan," I say.


"Sorry, to be the skeptic, but how is knowing him going to accomplish anything?" He asks.


"The frat tea bag obviously sold James drugs; Dechlan's little brother. I can't be a coincidence he beat the crap out of the same guy?"


"It's a possibility," Katie says unsure. "He could have just wanted to let out some steam."


"I don't think so," I say.


I wasn't Dechlan's biggest fan. But before he'd left his face had been a mask. The same facade Ari wore when she was trying to conceal her emotions.


"You have his number?" She asks.


"No." I reach for my phone. "But T.G.F.F." They looked at him curiously. "Thank god for Facebook."


I pull up Dechlan's profile page. His profile photo is a Hollywood headshot. It's in a dramatic black and white. He posed regally and is looking off into the distance. I open up the chat. Then I look at Kris and Katie in desperation.


"What should I write?" I look down at the blank chat box and blinking text cursor. "Should I ask him if he knows about James buying the roofie?"


"No." Kris and Katie say simultaneously as if I've said the stupidest thing they'd ever heard.


"He'll probably lie," Katie says. "It's his brother."


"You can't ask the murderer if he done it." Kris rolls his eyes and scoffs at me. I narrow my eyes. They were being ridiculous and getting carried away.


"You two are being melodramatic. I'm just going to ask him." I say and I start to type out my message.


"No, no, no." Kris tsks. "Type in 'Hiya. Winkey-face.'"


I stare at him in annoyance. "Really? You want me to cyber-flirt."


"Really." Kris says, "It'll work."


"Subtly is key," Katie says. She nods her head in assurance.


Why not, maybe they were right. I erase my message and type in Kris's suggestion. I take a deep breath and press send. I wait a few minutes but there is no response. I frown at my friends.


"Patience is a virtue. Don't worry he'll respond." Katie says.


She's right of course. I shouldn't have expected an immediate response, but I'm anxious. I'm about to suggest that we start working on the next step but my phone dings. There's a Messenger notification.


I read Dechlan response out loud for Kris and Katie's benefit. "Hey, Beautiful. What's up?"


"What should I say," I ask them.


They both stare off thoughtfully, then Katie says. "Tell him 'Not much, Handsome'."


I cringe at the handsome part, but I type it out.


"I was thinking about you." She peers over at my phone and pauses for me to catch up, then begins again. "It was nice seeing you at the party."


I stop typing and glare at Katie. This had nothing to do with the line of questioning I wanted. Also, Ari and Dechlan had a thing. Wasn't that crossing a strange boundary?


"Channel your inner femme fatale," Kris says in response to my glare. I reluctantly type in the rest of the message. I press send and I wait for him to respond. The ellipses appear.


"Oh yeah? Lol. You were thinking about me? Anything good?"


I read his flirtatious message out loud. I give Kris and Katie a pleading stare I had no clue where to go from here even if I wanted to.


Kris offers up the next suggestion. "Say 'No mostly naughty.'"


I stare at Kris blankly.


"I'm just going to ask him," I say.


"No!" Kris and Katie respond in unison. I ignore them and start typing. Kate reaches over and covers my screen again. I don't bother pulling away but only glare.


"Try saying, 'Mostly good. That party was insane, especially your fight." I stare at Katie trying to decide if I should or not. Katie rolls her eyes. "Come on, trust."


I left out a breath of air and type. At least she'd brought up the fight, I could see her angle now. He responds with a simple "KK". It was the kiss of death. Every girl in the universe knew it meant the end of the conversation.


He no longer cared and was seconds from blowing me off. Once they read his response, I lose my support system. Kris and Kate start to bicker at each other. While they argue, I decide to type what I'd originally wanted. The truth. I've never been good at subtly.


"Did you pick the fight because he was selling drugs?" I type.


There's a long pause and ellipses don't even show up. Perhaps I should've been more subtle.


"Why?" His answer is clearly defensive. Before I can offer him reasoning he sends another.


"Who is this anyway?


"I'm Ari's friend from the party. We've met a couple of times."


"Sure. I don't know nothing about any drugs."


"Please, it's important. I need to know what he was selling."


"Sorry I can't help you. I don't know who this is. You could be FBI."


I want to roll my eye at the FBI bit, but of course, he didn't remember me. No one ever did. Even with my profile pic and name available to him. It's time to try a different angle. Not Kris and Katie's angle but from another more relatable standpoint.


"Not a cop. Lol, I'm Cam's girlfriend." Just writing it made me want to squirm inside. I hate the lie and I can only hope guys don't speak to each other. "I'm looking to score. He's your old frat brother, right?"


"Ask Cam. They know each other better." He types.


I figure staying close to the truth would be my best option. "We got in a fight. We aren't talking. And you know Cam, he wouldn't approve of me using. He wouldn't tell me if I asked." I hoped it would be enough because I didn't feel like sharing anymore.


"Prove you're not a cop. I don't narc."


"Please, Dec." I use the nickname I'd heard Cameron use. "You know me."


"Prove it."


I searched my brain for proof. And then I smile as I type. "I've seen you murder two phones. Death by drowning and death by frying pan."


"A frying pan?" I hear Kris whisper next to me. Kris and Kate have stopped their squabbling and are reading over my shoulder.


"Rip." Dechlan types. "Drowning wasn't my fault."


"Ikr. She pushed you." I type. I was trying to get on his good side.


"YAS! Thank you."


"So, you'll tell me?" I press. "Can I buy from him?"


"He's not selling anything you want."


"It was a party it must have been something good." I try again. "What was it?


"Rohypnol." Then he types. "Ikr, it makes me sick. I tried to handle it since I'd brought him. Everyone took his side like I'm the bad guy."


"Did you catch him selling it?" I ask.


"No. But he could have sold. I should've said something to warn everyone at the party, but I was po-ed. They were all looking at me like I was garbage. I didn't think of it till after I left."


I wasn't sure if he was telling me the entire truth. He could've seen the guy selling to someone. A person he might've wanted to protect. His brother. And yet, he was in love with Ari. I couldn't imagine him allowing his brother to get away with buying a date rape drug. Especially since James is Ari's best friend.


It's a strange turn of events, I'd written Dechlan off as the bad brother and James the good. How terribly wrong was I? Dechlan might be a little rough around the edges but he had been the one trying to keep Ari safe even if he didn't know it. And James had put Ari in danger. Worse he was the danger.


"Thanks for your help Dec. You're right, nvm. I don't need what he's selling."


"True dat. They'd go willingly. I would. ;)"


And then we'd gone full circle again. Back to flirting. "Right. I'll keep that in mind."


Kris and Katie are staring at me. An appreciative smile breaks on to Katie's face.


"Well done," Katie says. "We underestimated you."


"Thanks, but it's not enough. We need more proof." I say and I stand up from my seat. "We're missing pieces of the story, but I know who can fill us in."


"Well..." Kris asks impatiently. "Pray tell."


"I know who posted the photos on the Dirty."



TBC...


We will soon find out. Who guessed right.


I'm trying to post the rest of story by next Friday. There will be back-to-back updates.

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