Later that night, I sat at my desk, replaying the scene I saw yesterday in the parking lot. Vanessa had looked terrified. Vulnerable, even. It was a stark contrast to the flawless image she always projected at school. Something wasn’t right.
I thought about texting Sarah but decided against it. Instead, I reached for my phone and did something I hadn’t done in weeks—I called Logan.
He picked up on the second ring. “Emma,” he said, his voice wary. “What’s up?”
“I need to talk to you about Vanessa,” I said, diving straight in. “Something’s wrong with her.”
Logan let out a short laugh. “Vanessa’s always been wrong, Em. What else is new?”
“No,” I insisted. “This is different. I saw her with Mr. Mitchell today. She was arguing with him—”
“Of course she was,” Logan interrupted. “She’s probably trying to manipulate him like she does everyone else.”
I gritted my teeth. “Logan, I’m serious. She looked scared.”
“Vanessa? Scared?” Logan’s skepticism was clear. “Come on, Emma. You’re letting her get in your head.”
I wanted to argue, but his dismissal left me frustrated and unsure. “Fine,” I muttered. “Forget I said anything.”
“Emma—” he started, but I hung up before he could finish.
The next day, I tried to act normal, but Vanessa was everywhere I looked. She sat in the front row during class, her hair a little messier than usual, her makeup not quite as flawless. She didn’t have her usual entourage of admirers, and her smile seemed forced.
Alyssa tried to check on her during lunch, leaning in close and speaking softly, but Vanessa snapped, her voice low but venomous enough to make Alyssa flinch. Whatever was going on, it was big.
Alyssa glimpsed me watching. I tried to look away but she was already coming up to my table, her expression uncharacteristically serious.
“Vanessa’s been... off lately,” she said, sitting across from me. “She’s been snapping at everyone, disappearing during lunch, and showing up late to class. And she’s been weird about Mr. Mitchell.”
The mention of his name made my pulse quicken. “Weird how?”
Alyssa hesitated, chewing on her lip. “I don’t know,” she said, glancing over at Vanessa, who was sitting alone by the windows. “She just... talks about him a lot. Like, more than normal. And not in the ‘crush on the cool teacher’ way. It’s... different.”