The Goodbye Note

Chapter 16

The song that I recommend for this chapter is Haunted by Taylor Swift.

***

"Guys that old lady was at the mall." I say then add, "Don't look but I promise she was at the mall."

"Em, she's an old lady, her grandkids might be here." Dan says.

"We were the only people on the beach." I explain.

"Do you think she was following us?" Mack asks me.

"I have no idea, but we'll find out when we start driving away." They nod and I start driving away. I keep watch of the side mirror to see if she really was following us. At first I don't see her until I make a turn. "She's following us. I'm going to keep driving so she doesn't think we know, but someone call the police." I start driving to a place I know she would not be going to, a club, the only club in this whole town. I also do what my dad told me to do if anyone ever follows me, turn right four times, eventually you make a square, which means the person is following you, and this elderly woman was following us.

"Um, yeah hi. I'm on Oceanside and fourth and there's a car following me and my friends. No ma'am I am not paranoid." Mack pauses, "I know the person is following me because my friend driving has made four turns to the right which makes a square or a circle." She pauses again. "No I cannot see the license plate." She looks at me, "Okay thank you. He said to stay in the general area and the cops will arrive shortly." I look in the side mirror again and notice she pulled into a house, not just any house, but an abandoned house, no one has lived there in about forty years. Why would someone feel like they needed to follow four teenagers around? I guess Mack also notices that she pulled into the abandoned house, "Is she stupid or what? No one has lived in that house since like the 1800's."

"1980 actually." Dan corrects her. Out of the corner of my eye I see Mack roll her eyes. "Well I guess this means we can head home now." I nod and start heading towards Xander's house.

***

By the time I finally get home I am exhausted. I want to run straight to my room but my parents are in the living room when I walk in. "I have a friend at the police station, they said four teenagers were calling about someone following them. I looked at your Life 360 and noticed that you did the four turn thing I taught you, care to explain this joke." My dad says, man do I hate Life 360.

"Dad it wasn't a joke, some old lady was following us. She was at the mall and on the beach and she still followed us after we did the four turn thing. Dad we were not joking, she was following us, why would we joke about something like that." I explain.

"Emily, sweetie, that wasn't something to joke about." My parents never trust me. But that's like all parents. Why do they always think that we're lying?

"Oh my God! Why can't you understand that I wasn't joking! Someone was following us!" I yell as I walk away and run to my room. Why can't they just believe me, I've never been one to joke during serious time, so why would I joke about this. I know that no one should joke about something like this, but why can't they see that? My phone buzzes so I pick it up.

Mack My parents think that I was joking when I said someone was following us.

Em Same, both my parents are mad!

Dan Ha! My mom doesn't even know.