AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Bellamy’s mouth dropped open.
She seemed to be genuinely stunned. To her credit, she recovered quickly.
“That’s not funny,” she said, her voice quivering. “In fact, I think you should go.”
Hannah shook her head. She wasn’t going anywhere.
“I don’t think so,” she replied coolly. “I know it was you, Bellamy. I just want to know why.”
Bellamy stood up angrily. Hannah did the same, though she was more controlled. She kept her hands at the ready in case this got physical.
“I don’t know where this is coming from, but I don’t appreciate it,” Bellamy objected. “And unless you cut it out, I’m going to go to the administration and file a formal complaint against you.”
“You should do that,” Hannah replied. She considered stopping there, and just seeing how calling the girl’s bluff would play out. But then she decided to go further. If she was going to make the truth come out, she would have to take a risk. "And when you do that, I'll show them the footage I've compiled."
Bellamy paused for a second, processing the words.
“What are you talking about?”
"I decided to help my friend out," Hannah said, "so a couple of days ago, I installed hidden cameras in the hallway outside your room. Guess who I caught leaving notes on the door? And guess what happened when I got access to the long-distance security cameras in the parking lot? You didn't know about those, did you? You just focused on the ones close to her car. Admittedly, they’re not the best quality but they definitely show someone leaving a note on Lizzie’s car and that person was dressed in clothes I’ve seen you wear. Between the two, it should be more than enough to open an investigation, probably get you suspended, and eventually expelled. And while I’m no lawyer, this feels like a crime too, so you might be looking at a criminal charge.”
Bellamy sat back down on her bed and put her peanut butter jar on the end table. Her eyes were a mix of fear and resignation. It was as good as an admission of guilt. As she did, Hannah reached into her pocket and pressed play on the voice memo button on her phone.
“Why are you here?” Bellamy finally asked. “Why haven’t you already gone to the campus police?”
“That’s the right question to be asking, Bellamy,” Hannah said, sitting back down too and doing her best not to look at the crucifix on the wall, which was calling out to be used. “And here’s the honest answer. I don’t want to upend Lizzie’s life. She’s been through enough already. Finding out that her own roommate has been the one manipulating and terrorizing her? That could ruin her whole year, if not worse. So I’m going to give you a chance to make things right.”
“How?” Bellamy asked, not making eye contact, her chin slumping to her chest
“Thanksgiving break is about to start,” Hannah reminded her. “This would be a perfect opportunity for you to go home to Seattle and confess to your parents that it’s just not working out here. You gave it a shot but you’re not happy and you want to go to that private school you talked about.”
“What if they object?” Bellamy asked.
"You need to convince them," Hannah said firmly. "Your future depends on it. I have confidence in you. Once you're gone, Lizzie can get a new roommate. Who knows, maybe it'll be me. Her life will go back to normal, and more importantly for you, your life won't be destroyed by the terrible, hateful acts you engaged in. That's the best I can offer you."
Bellamy looked hesitant, so Hannah pushed a little harder.
“I can tell that you see yourself a pious person, Bellamy,” she said gently. “Let me ask you something. Do you consider threatening another student, especially one who views you as a friend, as living your faith? Is this what your parents hoped for you when they sent you to Catholic school? Are these the values they hoped to instill in you? Or would they feel that your actions are a desecration of those values? I worry that they wouldn’t be very proud of you today.”
That seemed to make an impact. Hannah watched Bellamy’s eyes moisten as she listened.
“Do you promise that if I do that, you won’t tell?” she finally asked.
"I do," Hannah said. "I won't tell the school administration, and I certainly won't tell Lizzie. But for me to hold my tongue, you have to live up to your end of the bargain.”
“I will,” Bellamy said. “I’ll go somewhere else.”
“Not just that,” Hannah instructed. “You have to answer my original question: why did you do this?”
Bellamy sighed. She started to reach for the peanut butter again but then thought better of it.
“Daniel Catalon, Lizzie’s ex-boyfriend, is my cousin,” she said quietly.
Hannah had to remind herself not to let her jaw drop.
“Go on,” she managed to say.
“Last spring break, his family came up to Seattle to stay with us,” Bellamy said. “He was depressed about Lizzie dumping him and explained about all the notes in her locker and the other stuff saying she was a cheater. I felt so bad for him.”
