Hey There, Delilah (33)

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“Hey, what’s wrong?”

Those were the words Gabe had used and said to me after I almost collapsed into his arms and onto the ground. I tried my best to stay upright, but it just wasn’t working for me. I thought I was going to pass out right then and there, in the middle of the dark forest, with my fake stalker.

It wasn’t Gabe that had shot River, but it was my old stalker that did. It was my old stalker that had caused us to crash as we drove home from the movies, kissed my neck, and he shot River. He shot my boyfriend, the boy I was in love with. He tried killing River because he was in love with me. He tried killing River because I was in love with him, even though I didn’t see it then.

He had followed me from Washington, and he had found me. But how did he?

“Are you okay?”

Everything Gabe said sounded fuzzy, as if he wasn’t really there and I was imagining this all. I really wished that I was imagining it. All the anger that I had had for Gabe right then disappeared as fear took over my body instead. My old stalker had to be somewhere around, watching and lurking. And I was terrified. Absolutely terrified and horrified. Because of he had been able to find me once, he would be able to find me again.

Where was River when I needed him? All I wanted to do was crawl up into a ball in his arms a cry.

“Delilah,” Gabe said again, and I could hear a tiny bit of forcefulness in his voice as he shook me a little, as if to see if I was still alive. I guess I must have been really freaking him out, since I was saying absolutely nothing and I was half fallen over onto the ground.

Maybe he really did think I was dead. I’d probably think that, too, if I was him.

But I wasn’t as big of an idiot as Gabe was.

But I couldn’t help but act this way. My whole body felt numb as I tried to process what I had just learned in my mind. It was so unbelievable.

I was just so terrified. I was completely and utterly terrified. I was terrified to think that my stalker could be around, watching every single move I dared to make. How could I live life like this? I couldn’t stay in Bentwood forever. But Bentwood didn’t even seem to help, since he had somehow found me and was able to get into the school to give me the notes.

He had followed me, all the way across the country. He was that dedicated.

He was dedicated enough to try and kill me and the boys in a car crash, just so he could kiss my neck for only a few seconds.

He was dedicated enough to shoot River.

He was dedicated, and I was stupid.

I was getting sick of being so oblivious and ditzy all the time. It just made everything worse for me.

I never even thought that it could actually be him that was the one giving me more notes. I never even suspected that it could be him. I was that stupid and oblivious to everything, only thinking about Avery and why the boys hated him so much, or about all the boys’ secrets. I didn’t even think that I could actually be getting notes from my old stalker. But it had to be. It had to be him. There was no one else that knew so much about me.

He knew that my father was supposed to be dead, and he called me his dear Delilah. Everyone in my old town in Washington knew that my father was dead, or supposedly dead. My stalker would always send me notes on days that had to do with my father, like my parents’ anniversary or his birthday. No one here in New York knew that at all. I never even spoke about my father.

“Delilah, what the hell is wrong with you?”

Even with the forcefulness in his tone, I still didn’t listen to him. I knew I must have been freaking him out now, especially when I fully collapsed onto the ground, trying to think of what I was supposed to do. How was I supposed to get out of here calmly without having a complete meltdown? I didn’t think it was possible. He could have been watching right then, watching as Gabe tried to pick me up off the ground and carry me, watching as I refused to be touched by him and sinking away, further into the trees.

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