Sealed Lips ✔️

Chapter 1

Bethany:

In a world where truths twist and shadows deepen, the tale of Lily's vanishing has more facets than meets the eye. A tragic narrative unfolds two sides: Lily's, blaming an innocent victim, and mine, being the one blamed for a crime I did not commit.

You're now faced with a choice. Do you stand with the accuser, a girl who pinned her own tragedy on an unsuspecting soul? Or do you side with the accused, a victim in her own right?

Fire or ice.

My heart is an absolute battleground. It races, ragged and torn, as I sink against my locker's cool metal, the place where I found the letter. A haunting whisper of Lily's presence overrides my brain and all I can imagine is her laughing to death as I read this letter.

Lily's deceit carves scars deep into my soul, her words causing my reality to be caught up in fog of uncertainty.

The timing of the letter gnaws at my mind: why a week after Lily's death? Why target me exclusively, ignoring the police and her parents? Questions swirl as the other students cast worrisome glances my way, silently judging me as a tear rolls off of my cheek.

I briefly get up and walk to the restroom, tears obscuring my vision. Guilt poisons my veins, suffocating any logic I ever had. Amid choked sobs, my heart races and my guilt amplifies even though I know that I am innocent.

The bell rings, signaling the next class. I walk-run as fast as I can without catching any unnecessary attention. Well, that's what I thought. I feel someone's hand on my shoulder and when I turn around I see that it's Marco's.

As I'm staring at him, he puts his other hand on the letter. I jerk it back, cause there's no way that I would let him take it. I elbow him in his stomach to force him away from me. I've never acted like this. I'm in full-defense mode. I hate him for what he had done to me in the past. He took away everything I ever loved.

"What the fuck Beth?" He says as he comes toward me again. I quickly turn around and do my awkward walk-run again. As I pass the lockers, I can hear Marco right behind me, so this time I push him against the lockers with tears already spilling. I open my eyes a little and I see Principal Winston next to Marco. He has a paper in his hands and immediately I'm assuming that I'm going to get detention. But when I look closer I see the stamp. THE stamp. It's the exact same one as the one on Lily's suicide note, but Principal Winston's note is ripped in half. He only has the top half.

I quickly trust my luck and grab the piece of paper. I scan over it and thankfully my name isn't shown. He starts yelling loudly and he grabs the paper. I zone out a bit but I can still hear his muffled shouts.

Tears blind me as I escape the both of them, knees almost giving in. Lily's accusation, unthinkable! How could she pin this on me?

I want to leave, escape this haunting place. My hurried footsteps echo as I try to fade into the crowd, but Maya, my lifelong friend, calls after me.

"Hey Beth, we have science now not math. Where are you going?" Maya shouts from the classroom door.

I evade her question, pressing onward. As I hurry, my vision blurs so much, that the next thing I know, a locker door is slamming into me. The pain jolts through me, yet my gaze becomes locked by the startling blue of Jake's eyes as he kneels down to help me.

Our phones buzz in unison. I immediately look down at it and see that it's a message from a blocked number.  It's a photo, the missing piece of Lily's note which Principal Winston doesn't have.

Beside me, Jake stares at his phone, and suddenly, our shared faces of distress paints a new perspective.

Does Jake know?