Not the Only One (Book 1 in the Four of Us Trilogy)

Sixty-Six - May 16, 2018

Rachel

I looked up when the door to the library creaked open. "Hey, Ms. Johnson," I mumbled, looking back down at my paper. 

"What are you doing in here so late?" She pulled up a chair and sat next to me. 

"Working on my valedictorian speech..." I muttered, tossing my pencil down onto the tabletop, just watching blankly as it rolled to the floor.

She leaned over and picked it up, putting it back on the top of the paper. "You don't seem very excited about it," she said cautiously.

"I'm really excited I got valedictorian... I'm just not excited about writing the speech or standing up and speaking in front of 1000 people," I said, burying my face in my hands.

"I see. Well, I think that's pretty normal."

"I guess," I mumbled into my palms. 

She put her hands on my wrists and gently pulled them off my face. "Rachel, I've read countless papers of yours. You're an exceptional writer. You so have this!"

I slid down dramatically in my chair. "But those are history papers. This is... like... life stuff!"

"Well, Rachel, I'd say you've gotten pretty good at 'life stuff,' especially over the past few months."

"You think so?"

"Definitely."

I smiled and sat up straight. "Thanks, Ms. J. I really appreciate your help."

She shrugged. "It's no big deal."

"Yes, it is," I replied and she grinned before standing up to leave, patting me on the shoulder on her way out.

I stayed in the library until 5:00 pm, but I got the speech written.

When I left the library, the halls were quiet – it was eerie, actually. I didn't see another soul in the hallways. I stopped by my locker and rushed to get out of the building. When I got into the parking lot, it was no better; there must've been no after school activities today because the lot was utterly empty.

So when I got to my car and saw a male figure approaching me, I was alarmed. I inhaled sharply, and when I saw who it was, my stomach lurched.

William.

I tried to unlock my door, but I fumbled my keys, and they fell to the pavement. I started to bend down to get them, but he was standing in front of me, holding them out.

I swallowed and took them from his grasp. "What are you doing here, Mr. Jefferson?"

He smiled at me then, and my blood ran cold. "Please. Call me William."

I grimaced. "What are you doing here?" I repeated, refusing to use his first name.

"I need to talk to you, and I knew you wouldn't be over to the house anytime soon since Miles decided to move out," he said, leaning against my car door so I couldn't open it.

"What do you want?" I said, my voice shaky.

"You have to stop seeing Miles," he said bluntly.

My jaw dropped. "Excuse me?"

"I think you heard me the first time."

"I did; I'm not hard of hearing," I snapped. "Maybe the more appropriate question would've been 'why?'"

He laughed, a dark, sardonic noise that showed zero mirth. "Not that I need to explain anything to you, but there are a few reasons." I crossed my arms as if to say, "bring them on."