A/N: Kinda short chap., sorry 'bout that. AND DON'T FORGET TO PUSH THE LITTLE ☆ IF YOU LIKED IT, PLEASE 🙏
Let's gooo...
Grayson's POV
Saturday morning, I asked one of my cousins - the only one who lives here close by - to unmask or locate the private number that kept sending messages to Sophia. He currently has her phone, while in a closed-off and soundproof room. He's always on his computer, either playing video games or hacking all kinds of systems and sites. He hates most people - probably me, too. Though I don't blame him, I can be a dick sometimes.
About an hour ago, I visited Sophia's house once more. It was 9 o' clock and she was still in her sleeping clothes, the ones I saw yesterday night. The fact that it was only a large shirt that covered her 'til mid-thigh provoked something inside of me. It was fairly hard to not look at her legs when she was standing in front of me, just getting out of bed, but I think I managed - I hope.
She agreed to lent her phone to my cousin for his help, so at the moment, me and Sophia were sitting next to each other, a silent consumed us, but I didn't find it awkward. I was too deep in thought to notice my cousin coming out of his room.
Only when Sophia stood up, I felt her warmth leaving my side, making me blink and look up. Sophia smiled at him after he gave her back her phone. "Thank you," her soft voice stammered out. She was nervous, either because he was scary-looking or a stranger.
He handed me a file, saying, "Everything you need is in there." His face, it was emotionless as most times, though there was something different. "But...be careful. This location was exceedingly hard difficult to find, it was very well hidden. And it can only take me this long to figure it out if the person wants to stay hidden," he explained to me, only loud enough for me to hear.
I nodded a curt nod, but he wasn't done yet. "This person knows what they're doing. And the address it gave me isn't a good sign, either." My face twisted in confusion, but I didn't say anything. I only thanked him dearly - I know he doesn't like doing favors for the people he doesn't truly love - and took the files he offered me.
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
Sophia's POV
I unlocked my phone and swiped through it quickly, trying to see if anything was out of place or if something got del-
"No need to worry," said Grayson's cousin, directing it to me. "I didn't delete or move anything." His face was impassive, as if he didn't really want to be here, though his tone was polite. I looked up and nodded, putting it back in my back pocket.
While Grayson read through the files with his cousin - I still don't know his name - I wondered what was written in there.
After they were done, Grayson took the files with him and pulled me along with him to his car. I looked over my shoulder before we left the house, because I didn't have the time to say goodbye. The corner of his mouth lifted up so little, I hardly caught it.
-
"We're here," said Grayson as his car started going slower and slower. He stopped in front of my house and opened his own door. "I'm just gonna get somethin' out the boot." At first I had no clue what he meant, but later on noticed he was talking about the 'trunk'.
During the drive, we made some small and awkward conversations. Nothing that had to do with the place we just returned from or his cousin. He was most definitely hiding something.
While he was outside, I loosened my seat belt and almost got out, but only then saw the files Grayson's cousin handed him laying between the two seats. Grayson wasn't paying attention, so I gracefully swiped it from there into my hands. I was just a little curious, okay?
I paged through the papers, it seemed like there wasn't much or anything important in there, except a sentence circled in red. I looked closer and realised it was an address.
The address.
The address to where the person who was stalking me is.
I heard the sound of the trunk hitting shut, I panicked and did the first thing that came up. I took a photo of the street's name and number, hoping it came out well enough to read, and threw it - just in time - back between the seats, acting like nothing happened.
"What are you still doing in here?" Grayson asked me as he ogled me skeptically from outside.
"O-Oh...nothing. Just waiting for you, I guess," I fumbled. Wow, real nice, Sophia, I sarcastically applauded myself. He didn't question anything further, though the suspicious look he gave me showed me that he knew that it wasn't just 'nothing' as I had put it.
He walked me to the front door, and when I unlocked it, he thanked me for lending my phone to them. "It's alright, but thank you to do this for me," I smiled. "And if you see your cousin again, please tell him that as well," I requested, even though I knew he'd probably not do that.
He nodded and, surprising me, gave me one of the softest pecks ever on my forehead. Like a feather that slightly brushed against my skin. I shuddered discreetly and went inside.
"Bye."
"See you soon," he answered, and then he was gone, so was his car.
I sighed and then recalled the picture I took and sprinted upstairs. When I was lying on my messy bed full of covers and cushions, I called Liv, telling her everything - about the stalker and Grayson's cousin and that I have a picture.
She couldn't stop saying how crazy and insane it was to have someone take a freaking photo of me from outside my house at night. "I thought this shit only happens in movies," she commented after a pause.
"I know, right? But for the first time, I wish to not be in some kind of movie. Certainly not a thriller one," I replied. She nodded frantically. Her mom then knocked on her door and told Liv to eat lunch, she gave me an apologetic smile, but I shook my head, telling her it's fine.
"I'll call you back soon, yeah?" she promised, raising her eyebrows.
"'Course! Bye, love you," I said, hearing her response before shutting my screen. I stared at the picture I took in the car again, for the tenth time. It was ab bit vague and blurry, as I was moving and my hands were shaking with stress at the time, but after zooming in, I could decipher it.
I sent Evie and Arabella a text, asking them if they've heard of that street's name before. Evie replied first, telling me she didn't know either, but why am I asking? she questioned as well.
Me: oh nothing i just heard someone say it and wondered where it was. I sent her back, feeling a guilt build up inside me. I was already lying to her when I simply met her a few weeks before.
After a minute or two, Arabella answered.
Bella: yeah i do. its on the west side of town, so i wouldnt go there alone. why you asking?
Bella and Evie gave some useful information about this town to me because I was new. She explained that the West side of town is the most dangerous setting here. All cities have places were you better not go alone at dark - sometimes even when you're with other people. Well, that was a place a such.
Great! The location I have here to catch my stalker and 'solve the mystery', I mocked, is the spot where I'm not supposed to go.
Me: can you and evie come over if you have time please?
Bella: ofc! did something happen? we just finished our movie so we can come rn
Me: okay thank you, and no its just something i want to tell you
I didn't want to let them get nervous or cause a scene of something so small, so I told them to do it on their own pace.
I was going to tell them.
I am going to tell them.
I know Grayson would probably kill me if he ever found out...
But how would he? Right?
I, for once, wanted to be brave and solve the problem. I want to be Nancy Drew in this one, and maybe it wouldn't be too bad if I get stuck in a horror movie. I mean, they always get out alive, right?
At least that's what Sophia told herself. Her parents didn't ever let her watch scary movies, so she has never seen a movie with a bad ending before - such as where all the characters die and the villains win.
She's oblivious - obviously - she doesn't notice that life isn't as easy as in movies or fairy tales, and surely not hers.
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A/N: DON'T WORRY, 🌶🌶🌶 WILL COME IN TWO CHAPTERS (approximately). Don't give up on me yet!!