Love & Carnage✗Noah Foster [2]

Chapter Forty-One// Sorry.

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"I was expecting Crazy Ralph from Friday the 13th."

--Noah Foster

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I could've gone back to the hospital with Audrey to see Noah again... but I didn't want to. He looked different--he sounded different. Instead, I stayed with Emma and Kieran. We had brought all of Noah's board stuff to Emma's house, and placed it on the table. We placed everything in correct order. And we stood there in silence, watching it. "Looking at this... do either of you have any idea of who it could be?" I whispered, biting my pinkie nail. "Nope." Kieran sighed. Emma huffed. "You?" She looked at me with question. "Uh... no." I said. "You're a terrible liar. Spill." Emma said suddenly. I rolled my eyes, and leaned on the table. "Well, I know it's not Stavo--"

"Stavo? Why would it be Stavo?" Emma shook her head in confusion. I held my hands up in surrender. "Hey! He was a pretty fair guess. And I scoped him out pretty good, if I do say so myself. I mean, you should see the cuts I got climbing up his drainpipe." I said, pointing at her and Kieran now. "Tell me you didn't break into his bedroom, Arielle." Kieran raised his eyebrows. "Well... I wouldn't say that. I just climbed into his window and checked out his room." I shrugged. "Arielle, you can't do that!" Emma scolded. "Okay, I know that now! I will never do it again. By the way, I wouldn't recommend you visit his room either. It's pretty scary." I scoffed. Emma rolled her eyes. "Okay... Do you have any other suspects, Nancy Drew?" Kieran asked sarcastically. I smiled mockingly at him. "It's not like that, okay? I--" I grumbled. "Guys! Guys, guys!" We all turned to see Audrey rushing into Emma's dining room. "Look what the killer just sent me." Audrey shoved the phone our way. "Okay, chill. Let me see." I grabbed her phone and read the texts on her phone.

UNKNOWN:

What? Your friend didn't like my gift?

She's good at cutting people off.

But she better watch out....

I cut deeper.

"Woah..." I handed Audrey's phone to Emma, who read it out loud. Kieran looked the most confused. "Wh-what's he saying? How have you cut anyone off?" Kieran asked. Emma handed Audrey's phone back to her. Emma shook her head, but then stopped. Like she had remembered something. "Oh, my God... this-- This could be Eli." Emma said. I frowned at her. "He sent me a bunch of texts after what happened at the carnival--"

"Woah, woah, woah. What happened at the carnival other than me going into a fun house for the last time ever?" I asked suddenly. "Nothing good." Audrey told me. I rolled my eyes. Nobody tells me anything around here. "I didn't respond to them because I had no idea what to say." Emma said truthfully. "Could he think you're maybe cutting him off?" Audrey asked carefully. "Yeah, maybe." Emma crossed her arms. Eli? A killer? I couldn't picture it... but then again... maybe.

"I gotta take care of this." Kieran set off immediately. "Hey, Kieran! Kieran, stop!" Emma called, rushing after him. He turned back to his girlfriend. "No, I have to confront him about this. This has to stop." He told her. "No, seriously, she's right. Don't go." Audrey piped up, following them, too. I followed also. "I'm gonna bash his head in." Kieran told us. "Okay, if Eli's the one actually behind all of this and then you go and confront him, who knows what he's gonna do?" Emma grabbed Kieran's shoulders. "Okay? Please. Hey. For me, don't do it." Emma said, somehow calming Kieran with her voice. "Okay... you're right." Kieran said. Emma took her hands off of his shoulders and sighed. "So what are we gonna do?" I asked them. They all looked at me, as if they were waiting for me to figure something out.