Writers Note: This is the second update for the day before a small temporary break. The chapter is really short compared to everything else I have. There are some small things that reveal secrets about Lauren's murder, that's important. Let me know what you guys think.

...

Junior Year

"Josh, can we talk?" Maya asked. The last bell has just rung which meant it was time to go home, he was standing right by his locker and he looked dejected in a way.

"About?" he closed his locker and turned to look at her.

She looked around her and saw that the hall was filled with a lot of people. She couldn't risk the chance of someone hearing them. "You'll know if you come with me."

He realized what she wanted to talk about was serious so he nodded. She led him to the football field and they sat near the bleachers. "What is it?"

Maya looked into his eyes and almost felt herself get lost in his eyes, "Look, I have to tell you something and you have to promise me not to take matters into your own hands. We can't involve the police. Not this time - "

"Woah, the police?" he was surprised as to what she had to tell him. "What is it?"

"He's back," she answered him. She waited for a reaction to settle and she only saw confusion take shape.

"What do you mean he's back? How is that possible? Bayard is still in jail."

"Missy was right, Josh...it wasn't Bayard. He didn't kill Lauren, someone else did."

"How exactly do you know he's back?" Josh questioned. He had shifted himself to face her so that his attention was entirely on her.

"Missy got a letter. He was inside her house."

He clenched his jaw because he had a feeling something like this would happen. Threats don't go away unless the police are involved. "Is she okay?"

"She is," the blonde answered, "but she's not great. And she won't be unless this man is caught."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I want you to join us," Maya informed, "We came close to finding him last time."

"We're just high school students. Do you really think we have the potential to find this man?"

"Yes. Especially now. I can research the day Lauren died, I can find out what happened. We can find her parents and talk to them. She died in this town, what makes you think we can't find anything - "

"Because the police didn't - " he cut her off.

His words sunk into her argument and she had nothing to say.

Maya had really thought that he would think differently this time and actually join them. But she was wrong. He didn't want to be part of it. "Okay," she grabbed her backpack and stood up. "I guess I'll see you around."

"Maya," he grabbed her hand in order to stop her from walking away. "Please."

She sat back down on the bleachers and looked at him.

"I'm in."

Missy was scared of being the one to tell Josh about the message. She didn't know how she would talk to him or tell him and she spent hours thinking about it. Eventually, she remembered that Maya hated Seth so they switched positions.

She tells Josh and Missy tells Seth.

She used to be friends with him back in their early years of middle school. She forgot what happened between them that lead to the end of their friendship, but she was convinced it must've been something he did.

Seth normally waited in the students parking lot for Geb to drive him home, if she got there fast enough, she would have the chance to talk to him.

"I have to tell you something," she said softly. The light wind was relaxing and it helped dry the sweat in her armpits.

He looked at her for a split second before returning his attention to his phone, "I can't talk right now."

She snapped her fingers in order to his get attention but she was unsuccessful. When he was least expecting it, she reached over, grabbed his phone and snatched it out of his hands.

"What the hell?" he yelled.

"I have to tell you something," she repeated.

"And I can't talk right now."

"Really, but you can text," Missy's gaze traveled to his phone and read the name. "Patricia." She let out a laugh, "An ugly name for an ugly girl."

"What do you want?"

"I got a letter," she explained. "It's from him." Missy was sure Seth would know exactly what she was talking about.

He opened his mouth to say something and she listened he said next caught her by complete surprise.

"I don't care," he said. "Now, give me back my phone. You're on your own this time."

Every piece of skin tingled in her body as if she was being poked. She wanted to punch him or hurt him, but she didn't have the strength to do so. Instead of handing his phone back to him, she tossed it to the grass for him to get. Then, she extended her middle finger and walked away.

Lucas noticed that Riley was still mad at him for what he said. He knew he had to make it up to her and buying her flowers or chocolates wouldn't work. He had to do something bigger than that and when the idea came to him. He rushed towards her house. Lucas told Riley that he would cook dinner for her. She was still mad but when he said he'd make her favorite food, he knew he had succeeded.

He had placed all the fruits, vegetables, and ingredients in the shopping cart and they were ready to leave. As they waited in line to pay, he looked over at the food in the shopping cart. The more he looked the more he realized he had forgotten something.

The lemons.

"Hey, babe, I'll be back. I forgot something."

She nodded and he walked towards the aisle where they initially got all the fruits.

She expected to wait for no more than two minutes, but when the cashier started scanning all the items and placing them onto bags, Riley decided to go after him. "I'll be right back, it won't take long."

She walked towards the aisle where Lucas was supposed to get the lemons and when she reached it, she stopped because she saw that Lucas was talking to someone. The person he was talking to was an older woman who looked like she was in her forties. Lucas seemed to know her.

Riley decided to ask him about it when they were unloading the groceries. "Who was that woman you were talking to in there?"

"She's Harper's mom," he answered her. "She just wanted to say hello."

Matías had only been in Anthony's room. He never got the chance to see anything else. He loved the fact that the aroma in his house smelled just like him.

They talked in the kitchen because he had helped himself to a drink. "Is that your mom?" Matías asked as he looked at the picture of her. The picture rested in the hallway where most did.

"Yeah," he answered.

"You look like her," he said and Anthony smiled. "I'd like to meet her someday."

He made a face and leaned back in his chair, "That's not such a good idea," he opposed.

"Why not?" he was confused and did not know why he would say that. "If you're anything like them then I already know how I am going to feel about them."

Anthony walked over towards him and wrapped his arms around his waist, "They're amazing people, but -"

Matías didn't understand why Anthony didn't want him to meet his parents. He thought that he would be for the idea but he was wrong. He decided to interrupt him before Anthony could tell him why.

"Never mind. It doesn't matter."

There must've been a good reason as to why Anthony wouldn't tell him.

Anthony smiled and leaned his forehead against him. His fingers touched his chin in order so that he could look at him. Then, when their eyes met, he kissed him. Since Anthony was home alone and would be for a few hours, he decided to take the kiss a bit further. His lips traveled from Matías lips to his collarbone. Then, he slid off his shirt and continued to kiss him.

The kissing would've continued if Matías had not stopped him.

"C'mon," he said in a cute manner, one that made him laugh.

"We've only been together for a week and we've kissed more than we've talked."

"What is there to talk about?" Anthony asked and leaned his forehead against his. "I already know everything about you."

"Do you?"

"What does that mean?" he asked.

"Nothing," Matías didn't know why he said that but instead of answering, he grabbed Anthony's shirt and ran off. He knew he would be chased.

Josh knocked on Maya's door and entered when she opened it. He looked around her house and realized that she was alone. "Where's Missy?" he asked.

"She figured it would be best I talk to you," Maya answered as she closed the front door. "But...um...sit down. Do you want anything to drink?"

"I'm good, thank you."

They sat down in the living room and Maya joined him. "In case you didn't know, I received a yearbook that we know belonged to the man who keeps tormenting us. I tried many times to see and find a picture of him, but I've been unsuccessful. We don't even know his name. What we do know was that Lucas' dad knew him, but we can't ask him because he's dead. Missy and I started to get messages and we thought we were being messed with by a student. That changed when we found Lauren's body. When the police said that Bayard was her killer, we thought it was over. Missy didn't and guess what...she's right. It wasn't him."

"Just yesterday," Maya began, "Missy received a letter. In that letter, there was a map and it led us to the school's basement. When we got there we found another letter. Because of it, we think that you and Seth are his targets."

"Me?" he asked. "Why me?"

"Because you're important to us. The both of us," she said and Josh took a moment to realize what Maya had confessed. "I didn't want to tell you this because I didn't know how you would feel, but I found this," she reached in the drawer by the end table and handed him what looked like a picture. "I actually found it a while ago, but with everything that happened I just forgot."

In the picture, a group of five or six friends stood smiling and laughing. It looked like there were at a party.

"That's Lauren?" Josh pointed out.

"Yes," Maya confirmed, "...but, the girl on the far left..."

Josh's eyes trailed towards the opposite end of the picture, he removed his thumb in order to get a clear view of the girl. When he did, his eyes widened. He realized he wasn't staring at a stranger, he was staring at his mother. "My mom knew Lauren."


Writers Note: Are we close to finding Lauren's murderer? Let me know what you think. Only one more chapter before we go on a break and I promise you, you will be SHOOKETH.

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