Maya's pov
A table, tucked into the far corner of the room, barely standing on its crooked legs,and there, lying right in the middle of it, was a single torn sheet of paper,yellowed,dusty and fragile
I stopped,something about it felt... off
I walked over slowly
My fingers trembled as I reached down and gently lifted it
It wasn't just a piece of paper
It was an old newspaper, nearly falling apart at the edges, the headline barely readable through the dust
"Cherry," I whispered "Come look at this"
Cherry hurried over, brows furrowed
I held the newspaper up trying not to tear it, the dust falling away to reveal the faded headline:
"$3.7 Million Stolen in Armed Bank Heist — Police Officer Killed During High-Speed Chase:
Suspect Identified as Local Street Racer Jaxon Reid"
My mouth went dry.
"Cherry…" I whispered
Cherry stepped closer, peering over her shoulder "Wait… what?"
We both scanned the front page
The rest of the article was ripped, the bottom half missing,there were fragments of sentences still visible:
"... getaway vehicle reached speeds ofspeeds of over 120mph..."
"... Officer Dalton Pierce fatally struck during pursuit..."
"... Reid vanished before arrest — manhunt ongoing..."
The only photo left was blurry, a grainy shot of a black muscle car speeding through an intersection
Cherry blinked "Hold on,Jaxon Reid?,you said your mom never talks about your dad, right?"
I nodded slowly "Not even his name"
Cherry's eyes widened "Oh my God,Maya… what if this is your dad?"
My pulse raced, my chest felt tight "No,that's crazy"
"Is it?....you bear your mom's surname 'monroe' right?"
I looked down at the headline again,the name,the year
Sixteen years ago
I swallowed "Sixteen years ago… is right before I was born"
We both fell silent, the realization creeping in like a chill
Cherry glanced around the eerie space "I don't know who wanted you to find this, but this doesn't feel random".
I nodded slowly, folding the newspaper as gently as possible and slipping it into the pocket of my hoodie "Let's get out of here"
We walked back to the car
As Cherry pulled away from the building, the darkness seemed heavier than before, like it was following us
I stared out the window, my mind racing
Who is Jaxon Reid?
And why is someone bringing him back now?
Cherry's car pulled into the quiet street just a house away from my house,the sky was dark, the town sleepy, but the tension in the car was wide awake
Cherry parked and turned to me, still gripping the steering wheel
"I mean…" she started, her voice low, "If all this really happened in Silvervale, the robbery, the chase, a cop getting killed,that would've been huge, right? There's no way it's not still on the internet"
I nodded slowly "Yeah… you're right,even if the town forgets, the internet never forget"
"Okay," Cherry said "we dig,you check what you can tonight, I'll do the same,let's meet tomorrow at school,compare notes,see how far this goes"
I gave a soft nod "Okay"
Cherry gave me a long look "You good?"
I let out a breath "Not even close"
We shared a small, tired laugh, the kind that comes when your whole world is upside down and you've stopped pretending otherwise
"Alright," Cherry said, unlocking the doors "Get some sleep,or, you know… try"
"Thanks Cher,for everything"
"Always"
we hugged
I stepped out, shut the door, and watched as Cherry drove off into the night.
I turned and began walking towards my house, my hoodie pulled tight around me
My mind was buzzing with questions and questions, theories, fears
But then I stopped in my tracks
My heart dropped
Right across the street, parked neatly was Adrian's car
And as if the universe wasn't already cruel enough, Adrian stepped out
I froze
He walked towards me slowly, hands in his jacket pockets, eyes unreadable
"Monroe," he said, his voice soft "I heard what happened… the video, the stuff at school… I.. I had to see you"
I blinked, emotions crashing in like a wave, rage
"You had to see me?" I repeated, my voice rising "That's funny,you didn't feel the need to see me when you left the resort without even saying goodbye"
Adrian looked down, jaw tightening "I know...I should've,I just...."
"You just what?" I snapped "you just ghosted me after everything that happened between us? You just left me to wake up and face the whole damn school while you ran off without a word?"
His silence spoke volumes
Like he had things to say but didn't know how to say them
"I don't know how to explain," he finally murmured
I scoffed. "then maybe you shouldn't,because what you did? It hurt,and I'm not going to act like it didn't"
Adrian stepped closer "Monroe.…"
"No" my voice was sharp "don't call me that"
He reached out instinctively, wanting to stop me from walking away
I stepped back
"Don't ever show up in front of me again," I said, my voice low but shaking "you don't get to do that"
I turned and walked towards my house
Adrian called after me again, but this time I didn't stop,didn't look back
Next day in school –At lunch
The lunch area buzzed with chatter, trays clattering and sneakers squeaking against the tiled floor.
Cherry and I stepped into the noise, both carrying our food trays, scanning for an empty spot
"There," Cherry nodded toward a table near the far end, partly shaded by the awning
We walked over, settled down, and slid our trays onto the table with soft clunks
Cherry glanced at me "Did you sleep?"
I shook my head "Barely"
"I searched everywhere online last night," I said, my voice low "But there's almost nothing,just a few old headlines,no real details,nobody ever knew who the other guys were… except the one who got caught"
Cherry leaned in, curious "wait—one of them got caught?"
I nodded slowly
"yeah,he was injured during the chase,took a bullet to the leg and got left behind,he's the only one who got arrested,served fifteen years,he's supposed to be out now, but…" I shrugged, "there's no info, It's like he disappeared"
Cherry's brows pulled together "That's creepy"
I picked at my food "I kept hoping I'd find something more,a lead, a name, anything,but it's like the story just faded out"
Cherry looked around, then leaned in further, lowering her voice
"Okay, so... I looked into the officer who was killed during the chase"
My eyes snapped up "What did you find?"
"His name was Officer Dalton Pierce,he was leading the investigation, He was the one chasing your dad and the others that night"
My throat tightened at the mention
"And?" I asked
"And… I found his address,where he and his wife lived"
I blinked "what?"
Cherry shrugged "It was in one of the old reports, but I don't think the wife still lives there,16 years is a long time...."
I leaned back, stunned
"You think we should go check it out?" I asked
Cherry exhaled "I don't know, It sounds crazy, right? Just show up her house and ask questions about a robbery that happened sixteen years ago?
"But what if she knows something?" I asked "what if she has answers that no one else does?"
"Let's just slow down and think about it" Cherry said
I sighed
"well....Adrian showed up"
Cherry blinked "gurl...what? At your house?"
I nodded "yeah,like two minutes after you dropped me off, I was walking towards the my house and he just....appeared"
Cherry leaned in, wide eyed "okay wait,how does he know your address,was he following you?"
"No," I said, rolling my eyes "remember that day you insinuated that he drives me home?"
"Oh yeah, forgot about that" cherry said "well what happened"
"We got into an argument,....well not really an argument,just...he was concerned about me and you know the video and all but then I snapped and told him never to show up in front of me again"
Cherry smirked "Mhm,go on"
"That's it, I left"
Cherry practically slammed her hand on the table "Gurlll you're in love with him, aren't you?!"
A few heads turned our way
I shot her a warning glare, mouthing, "chill, and no I don't okay? It's not that deep"
"come on,you only snap when you actually care....and that's not normal Adrian behavior,that's like... emotionally available Adrian,limited edition, he was so concerned about you that he drove over.....you two are in love"
I sighed, propping my elbow on the table and resting my chin on my fist
Just then, the bell rang,signaling the end of lunch
As we walked back into the hallway
Cherry nudged me gently " Ray is throwing a party tonight"
I looked at her "A party?"
"Yeah,a couple of people from school are gonna be there,we should go"
I raised an eyebrow "You think I'm in the mood for a party?"
"No," Cherry said, linking her arm through mine "But that's exactly why you should go,just have fun,dance a little and forget about this whole drama that's been going on"
I hesitated, thinking. "Is Adrian going to be there?"
Cherry made a face "Ugh,you know Ray and Adrian are kind of close"
I groaned "Cher I really don't wanna deal with that right now"
"But," Cherry added quickly, "Adrian doesn't really go to parties like this,he hates crowds and he always ghosts at the last minute,so the odds are low,like, really low"
I gave her a skeptical look "And what if this is the one time he does show up?"
Cherry shrugged "Then you look hot, make him regret breathing, and we leave early, Deal?"
I chuckled "You're crazy"
"well that was the application to become your best friend," Cherry grinned "And I'm getting you out of your own head"