AllFreeNovel
Share Us
We arrived back at Worthington twenty minutes later and headed straight to Raquel’s dorm. She answered the door on the third knock, face lighting up when she saw Paxton. As soon as she registered my presence, her face fell again.
“Oh. It’s you,” she said. “Listen… I’m so, so sorry. Please don’t slap me.”
“Why would I slap you?” I asked, forehead wrinkling.
“That video. I knew it was me in it when it was going around, but you’re the one who took the fall for it, right?”
“Yup.”
“I’m sorry. I honestly have no idea who filmed us and posted it like that.”
I waved a hand. “It wasn’t your fault. And that’s not actually why we’re here.”
Raquel’s eyes flickered between me and Paxton. “Oh. So what’s going on, then?”
“I want to show you something,” I replied, pulling out my cell phone. I opened Instagram and scrolled to a photo featuring me, Tate, and Michaela standing side by side with our arms slung around each other. I tapped on Tate’s face. “Do you know this guy? Or have you ever seen him hanging around you?”
Raquel’s brows dipped in a slight frown. “Never seen him before.”
“Oh.” My shoulders slumped. “You’re sure?”
“Yeah. But…” Raquel paused and tapped my phone screen with a long fake nail. “I know her.”
Something jolted deep in my gut. She was talking about Michaela.
“You know Michaela?” Paxton asked, flashing me a quick look. The shock in his eyes mirrored my own.
Raquel nodded. “Yeah. She’s studying the same stuff as me, so we’ve had a ton of classes together. Why do you want to know?”
“Long story.” Paxton lowered his voice. “Have you ever hung out with her before? Specifically at Sticks?”
“Yeah, a whole bunch of times. Mostly last year, but a couple of times this year too.”
“The night that sex tape was filmed—was Michaela at Sticks then?”
“Yes. We hung out for a while, but then I went off with Keegan for… well, you know.”
Paxton and I exchanged meaningful glances. We thanked Raquel for her time and hurried back outside to debrief.
“We’re thinking the same thing now, right?” I asked, staring at him.
He nodded, lips set in a tight line. “Michaela could’ve filmed that video. She could’ve had access to your Observer account information, too. Right?”
“Yes. She’s in my dorm all the time, and I have a Post-It on my desk with my Observer login details,” I said. “Plus she helped me move into my dorm in the first place. Same as Tate. So she could’ve gotten hold of my student login details that way. Then she could’ve handed in that fake plagiarized essay under my name.”
“I just don’t understand why.” Paxton slowly shook his head. “If it’s her behind this nasty campaign to bully you off campus… why? It makes no sense.”
“Do you think…” I trailed off, not even wanting to say it out loud.
“That she could be the killer from that night? Not Tate?” Paxton asked, lifting a brow.
“Maybe.”
He grimaced. “If she’s actually the one who’s been targeting you, then yes, she’s just shot right to the top of my list of suspects.”
I blinked rapidly, trying to process the idea. “I don’t get it. What could her motive possibly have been? And why would she be trying to get rid of me now?”
“No idea.” Paxton rubbed his jawline, lips twisting. “I always assumed it was a man that night. Everyone did. But all I really saw in the dark was a figure. Same as Justin. We both assumed it was a guy because they looked to be around five-ten or eleven, which is basically the average height for a man. But women can easily be that height too.”
