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The Rightful Heir CHAPTER 37
Liam's POVThe group of students moved aside as I walked through with my curiosity mounting higher and huge with each passing minute. What I saw didn’t surprise me. Cole was holding a pair of glasses high up. A small girl with her hair in a tight bun was jumping and trying to grab them. The other students as usual were laughing.This was like everyone's favourite game at Crestwood, to watch Ryan or his goons bully the lesser students.“Come on four-eyes get them if you can!” Cole teased while throwing the glasses to another smiling kid. The girl reached for them with her fingers touching the frame but they were taken away again before she could take proper hold of her glasses.My stomach felt sick. It was always the same. Ryan’s sidekicks picking on someone weaker, someone who wouldn’t fight back and making their life horrible.“Hey!” I shouted with my voice loud over the laughter. “Give her glasses back to Cole.”The laughing stopped and was quickly replaced by quiet whispers. Eve
The Rightful Heir CHAPTER 38
Liam's POV The doors of Carter Enterprises opened as I pushed myself out onto the sidewalk. Another day and another few hours spent trying to figure out the Blackwood mystery. I fished for my car keys from my pocket as I walked toward my Mazda 6.“Liam,m wait up!”I turned and saw Charles coming toward me. His tie was askew loose and he looked worried.“Going home Charles.” I said while trying not to show much emotion. God I was too tired for a long talk.He soon caught up to me. “How’s the Blackwood case going? Found anything important?” He asked.I shrugged and unlocked my car. “Not really. Just a few wrong turns and guesses.” The less he knew the better. I couldn’t trust anyone, not even him.Charles narrowed his eyes a little. “You’re not telling me everything. I can tell.” He said.I leaned against my car pretending to be relaxed. “Maybe. Why do you care so much?”“Care? I’m involved Liam. I care about you and.. finding the truth.” He paused and looked at me closely. “So w
The Rightful Heir CHAPTER 39
Liam's POVThe room was the definition of technology. Computer screens flashed with strange codes I had never seen with circuit boards were spread all over a table. It didn’t feel like a bedroom. It felt more like a control room or a tech fortress of some kind.“Wow.” I said as I looked around. “So this is your hideout.”Sarah smiled proudly. “I call it my command center. But ‘lair’ sounds kind of cool too.”“Cool is an understatement.” I said while still looking. “Are you like… a secret agent? Do you have hidden gadgets like a rope gun or a quiet pistol?” I joked.She laughed loudly in a weird manner. “If I were a secret agent Liam you wouldn’t even know. That’s the whole point.”“Good point.” I was impressed. “Still, this is… a lot. Where did you get all this stuff?”She shrugged and stepped deeper into the room like she wanted me to look more. “Most of it is old stuff from others or things I fixed. My dad was a computer guy. He really knew his stuff.” Her voice broke a little i
The Rightful Heir CHAPTER 40
Liam's POV I sat leaned forward staring at the screen while Sarah typed with insane speed. She typed like crazy with codes flashing by that I didn’t really understand but I couldn’t stop watching.“So Crestwood’s security system… it’s as old as the teachers.” she said mostly to herself. “You’d think they’d fix it since students keep disappearing.”“Any luck?” I asked hopefully.Sarah sighed and moved some hair from her face. “I’ve checked every camera in the school. Classrooms hallways cafeteria gym… nothing. Nothing weird. No Joel, no strange stuff, nothing.”My shoulders dropped. I felt cold and hopeless. Another dead end. “Damn it.” I said quietly. “I thought we had a lead.”“Wait.” Sarah said, suddenly stopping her typing. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Hold on.”I looked up quickly. A bit of hope came back. “What? What is it?”“Okay so all the cameras show when they were last cleaned or fixed. Most haven’t been touched in months or even years. Normal school stuff right?”“Y
The Rightful Heir CHAPTER 41
Liam's POV The photo on the front page seemed to blur in front of my eyes. It showed a screenshot of a chat. My name was big and bold on one side. On the other side, it said “Alice Hawthorne.” I suddenly felt nauseous.“No…” I said quietly gripping holding the paper tighter. It was real. The date and time were from the day I had agreed to meet Ms. Hawthorne. It was just a simple chat message to confirm the place we'd hangout. But the way the newspaper showed it… made it look wrong.The headline read,“TEACHER-STUDENT SCANDAL AT CRESTWOOD HIGH! ARE LIAM CARTER AND ALICE HAWTHORNE HIDING A SECRET RELATIONSHIP?”Below the picture they showed parts of our chat taken out of context. Like, “Looking forward to spending the night at your place.” next to, “Excited to meet you there.”Then came the worst part. A fake interview with quotes they claimed were from me printed at the bottom.“Anonymous Source Claims 'Liam Admits Standing Up Teacher, Says It Was a Mistake...or a Cover-Up?'“I r
The Rightful Heir CHAPTER 42
Liam's POVI clenched my fists. Part of me wanted to walk away, just leave school and never come back. Let the gossip die on its own. But another small part of me knew that running wouldn’t help.It would only make people believe the rumors were true. I’d get kicked out right before graduation. I couldn’t face the school board again.I changed direction and I slowly walked toward Anderson’s office. My thoughts raced trying to get ready for whatever trouble he had planned.Of course my bad luck didn’t end there. As I turned the corner I bumped right into Ryan and his usual group of followers. They looked way too excited to see me.“Well well.” Ryan stood in my way. “If it isn’t Romeo. Heard you’re quite the poet,l Carter.” He winked. “I’m sure Alice Hawthorne loved you…” he paused thinking of a rude word, “…flowery writing.”His friends laughed, all agreeing with him.“Yeah Carter.” one of them said, “did you use a thesaurus to write those sweet messages? They sounded kind of…pro.”Ano
The Rightful Heir CHAPTER 43
Liam's POV Sarah’s words repeated in my head. “Don’t go home. Come here.” What was so important? The school newspaper Anderson’s crazy punishment Alice slamming the door or the grandma with a shotgun or my car being ruined… It all felt like a bad dream.I stopped the car in front of Sarah’s house, turned off the engine and took a deep breath. This was it. Whatever was going to happen I had to face it. I hoped I could. I got out and walked up the clean path to her front door.Before I could knock the door opened. It was Sarah’s mom Mrs. McGuire. She smiled kindly with her eyes crinkled.“Liam! Come in come in. Sarah’s upstairs. She’s been waiting for you.” Her voice was soothingly calm and strangely different from all the mean things I’d faced today.“Thank you Mrs. McGuire.” I said quietly, stepping inside the house. It was a normal and nice house with a cool atmosphere in a world that had gone crazy. “Is Sarah okay?”“Oh she’s fine. Just a bit excited. You know how she gets when s
The Rightful Heir CHAPTER 44
Liam's POVSarah smiled. “Even better. I can prove the whole article is fake. Your supposed interview? It never happened. The editor and some of his friends just made it up.”“How? How can you prove that?” I leaned forward with my eyes stuck to the screen.“Easy.” she said and began typing again. “Every time someone writes or changes something the computer saves the IP address the date, the time and what was changed. And guess what? The chat part of the article… there’s no record of it being made. It just showed up like magic.”“So… it was copied from somewhere else?” I asked while trying to understand.“Exactly! And I can see where it was copied from. Probably some website or file. That means whoever wrote it just made it up.”“That’s… that’s amazing!” I said at the same time jumping up in excitement. “Can you… can you print it? Can you give me proof?”“Of course I can.” Sarah said while rolling her eyes. “You think I did all this just to tell you? I’ll get the logs, the IPs and eve
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CHAPTER 54
Liam's POVI pulled the door open slowly with the hinges making a loud groan.I stepped inside and closed the door. The lock clicked shut again. It was almost completely dark. Only a little light came through the windows high on the walls.I waited in silence, half expecting someone to jump me and wrestle me to the ground but nothing happened and all I got was just silence.“Cole?” I whispered quietly into the darkness.No answer.I pulled out my phone and turned on the flashlight. The beam of light showed some old and rusty lockers. Okay this was starting to get creepy. Why was Ryan a jealous guardian of an old locker room?The room was bigger than I thought with Lockers stretched out into the darkness. I moved the light back and forth looking for Cole. Nothing. No one.“Cole?” I called again and a little bit louder this time.Still nothing.Where did he go? People don’t just disappear. Especially not in a locked room.I moved forward slowly with my senses sharp and highly on alert.
CHAPTER 53
Liam's POVI willed my Mazda 6 into a stop one block from Northwood High. I turned off the engine and the car went quiet with only a soft sound from the dashboard. Cole’s car was parked halfway through the school gates. Something felt really wrong. I couldn’t shake the bad feeling I got when I saw his car there. Why was he here at night and why did the security men Immediately grant him entrance?I looked at my watch. Alice would be waiting for me soon. We had a dinner reservation but I really needed to check this out quickly before returning to my earlier plans.. At the moment I pushed the date to the back of my mind and I was too busy wondering why Cole was back at school.“Damn it,” I said while trying to decide what to do. I hoped Alice would understand. This felt important.I took out my phone and quickly typed a message. “Running late. Something came up. Can I pick you up in an hour?” I sent it and hoped she wouldn’t be too upset.I got out of the car and pulled my jacket hoo
CHAPTER 52
Liam's POVMy father William Blackwood was like a snake and Sergio the sweaty little man across from him was about to feel the bite. I leaned back pretending to listen to what was being discussed even though I was as bored as anything. This act was tiring but necessary.“Sergio.” My father's voice was smooth and almost too calm. I knew him well enough to know that this was when he was more dangerous. “Tell me again how a club that serves... important people loses money especially when we give them the best product?”Sergio stammered while wiping his forehead with a fancy handkerchief. “Mr Blackwood, I swear it was just... bad luck. Some big spenders and some... unexpected costs…”“Unexpected costs? Like what Sergio? Paying off the police twice? Because I remember you doing that already!” My father slammed his fist on the table making Sergio jump while glass rattled dangerously.Okay this was getting interesting now and I focused my attention on their little exchange.I knew the ‘los
CHAPTER 51
Liam's POV“Mom! Mom, are you here?” My voice echoed in the quiet house. What if Blackwood had… no I couldn’t even think about it.I slammed into the first door and it broke open. “Mom!” I shouted while kicking through the mess into the living room. It was empty. I looked around for signs of a struggle or danger. The pastries and flowers I bought were now scattered on the floor.Next door was the kitchen and I didn’t hesitate. Another kick, another crash and I was inside calling her name again. Some utensils rattled and a vase almost fell but my mom wasn’t there.I could barely breathe. I was losing it. I couldn’t think straight. Blackwood’s words still rang in my head.. “You don’t want to see me angry.” Was this his anger? Was this what he could do?Then I heard a door click open and a soft voice. “Liam? What in the world…?”I spun around almost tripping in my hurry. My mom stood in the hallway wrapped in a towel with her hair wet. She looked confused.“Liam what's going on? Are
CHAPTER 50
Liam's POVI reached for the light switch and flipped it on but nothing happened. The apartment stayed dark. A sense of fear rushed through me.. the kind that makes you wish you were more ready. I really wished I had a firearm with me. But I hadn’t. I was here with nothing to protect myself in my own apartment.“Relax kid.” the voice said with a creepy laugh. “I just want to talk.”A man leaned forward in a chair with The light from the street outside illuminating his face just enough for me to see him. My breath caught. I’d never met him in person but I knew exactly who he was. The hard face and the cold eyes there was no doubt about it.William Blackwood. Ryan’s father.He gave a slow and dangerous smile. “You know who I am. After all the trouble you’ve caused me.”My brain raced trying to stay calm and think of something smart to say. I knew I had to be careful. “Why are you in my apartment in Blackwood?” I asked. “Breaking into people’s homes—do you always do business this way
CHAPTER 49
Liam's POV What were they talking about in there? “Girl talk.” Yeah, right. Like Alice and Sarah had anything in common besides me – the guy who always messed things up. I looked at my watch then stared at the house. The front door didn’t open. Everything was too quiet and it made me feel even worse.At last the door opened and Sarah walked out with a big smile on her face. I felt a bit better but I was also really curious.“So?” I asked as I stepped away from the car. “What were you two talking about?”Sarah’s smile grew. “Get in the car Liam. You’re driving.”“Driving where now? What did you guys talk about?” I asked again following her as she walked to the passenger seat. The way she avoided the question made me nervous.She sat down and buckled her seatbelt quickly. “Just drive Liam. I’ll tell you on the way.”I stopped for a second then walked around and got in the driver’s seat. I stuck the key in, started the car and pulled away from the sidewalk. “Okay I’m driving. Now te
CHAPTER 48
Liam's POV“So?” she asked. “Operation Apology is on. We’re going to Ms. Hawthorne’s house right?”I nodded and put my hands in my pockets. “Yeah. I just… Well yeah I suppose so.”She raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Okay Liam. But don’t get too emotional. Be sorry not creepy.”“Thanks for the tip Sarah. Really helpful.” I said flatly.We got in the car and of course Sarah being Sarah, she chose to drive. She started the engine and we took off. As she drove out of the parking lot I kept glancing at her. She was humming to the radio acting like this was a road trip or something..“Hey.” I said after a while.She looked at me with a smile. “Yes Carter? You’ve been staring like I’ve grown another head. Or maybe you just like my amazing driving?”I sighed. “It’s just… earlier at school. I understood why you didn’t want to be seen with me. But now… why are you okay with it? After everything?”She turned the music down. “Look Liam I’m not dumb. I know what you’re thinking. You think th
CHAPTER 47
Liam's POVAll the students of Crestwood High sat tightly packed in the bleachers of the basketball court which were usually for fans but now faced a small stage. A podium stood in the middle of the stage with a microphone attached to it.I sat stiffly in the front row silently observing. Unlike the other students of Crestwood, I knew exactly what was coming. The last two days had been kinda tedious with people whispering, staring and making false claims about me wherever I go. It all started with a fake article in the school paper and now it had all gone way beyond that.Principal Thompson stepped up to the microphone and he cleared his throat loudly with the sound quieting everyone and informing them it was time to be silent.“Good morning everyone.” his voice bboomed across the room. “We are here today to talk about a serious issue that has affected our school.” He paused and scanned all the faces before him. “As you all know an article in the school paper made some claims. These
CHAPTER 46
Liam's POVI rolled into the parking lot and right away I heard the usual laughs and mean jokes. People pointed at me and shouted things through the air.“There he is! Lover boy!”“Hey Liam how’s Ms Hawthorne?”They didn’t know what I knew. The fake messages and the news article all of it was about to be exposed.I turned off the car and took a deep breath. No reaction. No anger. Today was my day. I had just stepped out of the car when Mr. Grimsby came over.“Carter! The principal wants to see you. Right now.”Behind him Ryan Blackwood showed up with a big grin and next to him was Melissa.“Someone’s in big trouble.” Ryan smirked. “Enjoy detention Carter.”I didn’t say anything back. I walked past him with my eyes forward. I felt his stare behind me but I didn’t give him what he wanted. Melissa’s stood there staring too but I tried not to focus on her.Mrs. Davison the principal’s secretary gave me a small smile and pointed to the office.“He’s ready for you Liam.”Principal Thompson
