Finding Emily

{Chapter 16}

     There was no news from the police after Henry's allegations against Emily, and Becca's parents were furious, but the police said it was sensitive information. Paige's parents heard the new allegations, and they were angry that Emily was being blamed. Losing their young daughters had formed a bond between the parents, and they stuck up for one another in the press and against the police. The two sets of parents were a driving force. 

  Becca stayed out of it as there already seemed like enough people fighting, and she wasn't sure what she could do anyway. She couldn't stop thinking about what Henry said about Emily's older boyfriend. Was there actually some boyfriend in a ski mask or was that another lie?

  "Who knows with Emily honestly," Becca said as she discussed it with Jamie at lunch later on in the week. "I could never keep up with her various, sketchy boyfriends. I just gave up trying. I hoped she would grow out of dating shitty guys, but you know... And the police have her diary so she had to have written about him right?"

  "Couldn't they get this Henry's phone records?" Jamie asked. "He said she used his Mom's phone!"

  "That's what I told my parents, and they said they'd pass it on to the cops, but they haven't gotten back to us about anything."

  "Fuckers," Jamie said.

  "Right?"

  She went to throw away the trash from her lunch while Jamie finished his chemistry homework, and she was happy to see Brian cleaning some things out of his backpack by the big trash cans that sat near the doors. He glanced up, and he gave her a brief smile. She hadn't spoken to him since Jenna's outburst. She wasn't sure why. He didn't have anything to do with it. He seemed to mostly hang out with his jock friends these days. Becca missed him.

  "Hey you," she said and elbowed him. "I didn't see you at prom."

  "I skipped it," he said with a shrug as he zipped up his backpack. "I went last year, and it sucked so why repeat it?"

  "I guess," she said. "I had fun though."

  "Yeah, Quinn told me," he said. "I called her and asked how it was. She gave me all the details."

  "So I guess you call everyone but me!"

  He looked ashamed as he glanced down at his sneakers. "I haven't not been talking to you. It's just hard since the group isn't really together anymore."

  "We were friends before that though."

  It felt like she was losing everyone these days except for Quinn. It was only a month until graduation, and she didn't want school to end with all of them fractured. Her friendships with Star and Jenna might be past repair, but she wasn't about to give up on Brian. She loved him like a brother, and it pained her that they never saw each other when they used to spend long afternoons hanging out in his tree house, and she still had piles of old stories that they would write together piece by piece. They were awful, but they still liked to get them out from time to time just to laugh at them. He'd been close to Emily too. He was the one that nick-named Emily 'blondie' and it stuck into her teens. She only pretended to hate it. She said he was the only one who could call her it without being punched.

  "I'm sorry Becs," he said and put his arms around her. "I just haven't been myself lately since...  uh, Jenna and I broke up. I still want her back, and it's easier to be away from you guys. It just reminds me of when we were happier."

  She saw pain in his eyes when she pulled back.

  "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't realize how badly you were taking it Bri."