Simple Manipulation

Chapter 26

"Marren?"

"Why hello there! You have reached the most glorious inbox that belongs to the one and only, Marren Douglas. I either don't like you enough to waste my time hearing your voice, or I am too busy doing other things, most likely sleeping. Leave any messages along with your favorite tropical fruit after the foghorn." I groaned in annoyance as I reached Marren's voice mail once again. 

"Hey it's Pey. Call me when you get this. Pineapple." I sighed. I threw my phone down and continued my pacing after leaving my fifteenth message on her phone. This isn't like her. She never ignores my calls. I know everything is okay, because she would have told me otherwise. And besides I really need her now. Especially since I found a prime opportunity to talk to Derek.

I tried her phone once more but was sent to voice mail with more persistence than the previous times. I could feel my heart sink with the slightest hint of sadness, but decided to brush of my worst case scenario thoughts and instead blamed bad cellular connections. I threw my phone down out of subconscious frustration and rummaged through the ideas that were constantly circulating around in my head, throwing themselves to grab my attention every second of the day.

My failed attempt at getting more information today has led me to a new solution. Go straight to the problem.

Derek.

If I can crack him, I will get everything I need. Obviously he won't tell me what has been going on or what they have been doing behind closed doors, but I can at least wiggle my way into getting hints. With the correct hints, piecing together the situation will be less of a struggle. Figuring out issues that exist around you is simple.

Your brain is a miracle worker, a genius, a prodigy, and problem solver all at once. If you have ever received a chain email that seems to be written in gibberish and yet you can still clearly read it, then you can understand this. The words in those emails have the letters jumbled around in different orders. However, your brain is still able to read because the first and last letters of the words are kept the same. allowing your brain to recognize the placement, match it to a known word, and by context clues it can read the sentences with ease. Your brain is able to place all the parts of a puzzle together without every bit of information. It only needs what is necessary and important. Now what is most important? The important bits are what you connect to the most. For example, a visual learner might not be able to figure an issue out with hints given by word of mouth, but instead be guided along through physical clues.

With all this in mind, if I were to get what I can easily work with out of Derek, I will be home free and on my way to solving this mystery and finally be at piece with my stress.

But one thing is still bothering me.

I grabbed my phone once more and dialed Luke's number. He picked up rather quickly. If I wasn't in such a jumbled mind state I would have thought he was expecting a call from me.

"Luke?" I asked twiddling a pencil around my fingers.

"Peyton? Oh hey. What's up?" His voice cracked throughout the sentence giving off the impression he hasn't spoken in a while.

"I was just wondering if you have seen Marren around." I gulped nervously. "I called her multiple times but kept getting sent to voice mail or disconnected. I'm beginning to worry because she never misses my calls and even if she does she immediately calls back. This just isn't like her to do." I voiced my problems out to him.

"I-I'm sure everything is fine. Give her some time. Maybe her phone died. I think I do recal her saying she was going out with her parents." 

An alarm went off in my head. I began to silently panic but knew that whatever I did I could not let Luke know I was panicking. "Is everything okay, Luke?" I asked slowly. 

"Perfectly fine. Why?"

"You just sound...tired." I lied. "But you are right. Maybe she is just out with her parents." I lied again. "Get some rest. I'll talk to you soon." I hung up right after that and threw my phone down my quicker this time like it was hot to the touch.

Marren would never be out with her parents. She cannot stand to be around them. Especially now with all the issues that have been arising. Even if they offered she would immediately turn them down. 

Luke lied. Right through his teeth about the most important person in the world to me. And he did it on purpose as if he is trying to deter me from what is really happening. This isn't right. The Luke I know would never do this. Unless...

...I never really knew him in the first place.

Everything depends on me figuring this out. Solving the mental puzzle and manipulating my way through this. But no longer is my curiosity guiding me. Now, it just needs to end.

------

The hallways were empty without Marren blabbering about the latest celebrity scandal in my ear. She hasn't been in school for the past two days and I have begun to fall apart from the worrying and stress set on my shoulders. With the end of the school year coming close, mixed with the endless struggling and hitting dead ends with the current situation with Derek and Luke as well as seemingly losing Marren, my mind has started to collapse. I fell asleep for the first time in class ever in my life. The bags under my eyes are out witting my usual make-up amount. And I have become less social in every aspect. Family time has been lost and replaced by hours of trying to contact my best friend. Until you lose the person you are closest to, you never really understand what being lost really feels like.

Luke hasn't spoken to me. I see him staring at me with sad eyes throughout classes and during lunch, but he has not made the effort to speak to me in person or over the phone. But honestly, he is the least of my worries. I know now that I should never have trusted him. If what I have pieced together so far is correct, he was never as caring towards me as he ever came across being. And if he were to try and speak to me, he would have a better chance of living if he ran away.

The only one who is still smiling is Derek. He smiles in the mornings when I yawn and doze off in class. He smiles when he catches me calling Marren during lunch. And he smiles when I avoid Luke's soft gazes. 

And yet, even after all that has gone down, that slight prick of curiosity wants me to push on and find out what has really happened and finished what Marren and I originally set out to do when we started investigating. But my only option now is to confront him.

Just me and him.

-----

I AM SO SORRY PLEASE DON'T BE MAD AT ME

It has been way way way too long but between busy scheduling I tried my hardest to write, and it wasn't easy. I don't want to make this end note too long so I will be posting a more formal apology directly after this chapter!

But concerning the chapter I hope you all liked it! Things have hit a climax which means everything will be going downhill from here on out. I'm not sure how much longer it will be though. I'm sad to say we may be seeing an end to this story soon! But I am not someone who likes to sit and wait for the end! Instead I wait for what comes next! 

Comment, vote, follow, and most importantly enjoy!

~ El