I tap the message icon on June's chirp account. It's flooded with people asking where she is. Who should I look into first? I look through a few of the messages and it's just random people from school asking where she is. There was no answer of course.
I get to Penny's messages and look through them. The latest ones are worried, asking June to please respond. As I go up further it's nothing unusual still. I stop scrolling.
Junebug20: Penny I don't know what to do
Pennytheflower: What's wrong?
Junebug20: This picture of me and him got out. Well, it hasn't yet, but someone made it clear they know.
Pennytheflower: WHAT? Omg, do you know who?
Junebug20: no...
I read the rest, but it's just them freaking out. Why didn't I see it before? Penny might be the one who did that at the memorial. I know in the messages June is going to Penny for comfort, but that means Penny knew about the picture all along. Penny is the only one who would've had it. What would her motive be? My brain goes back to Victoria. Victoria has a motive, but Penny has the resources to pull it off. This is also the first time Penny's even been up for one of June's memorials. It took two years for her to show up. Was she jealous of June just like Victoria?
I take another page out of my notebook and write Penny's name. Under it I write "she knew about June and her teacher". I tape it beside Victoria's name. Could- no that would be impossible. But what if... I take a piece of ribbon out of my drawer. I cut off about a foot and tape one end to Victoria and the other to Penny. Could they have worked together? Penny would've had the picture, scaring June. Victoria was here and had the opportunity to do something that June night.
Trying to get information on Penny would be hard, but if they really did work together, following the clues to Victoria should also lead me to Penny. Plus, I have more evidence on Victoria. The already bubbling feud and evidence of an argument that night. I need to get more. The only person I can ask is Maggie, and we didn't leave off on great terms last time we talked. I'm going to have to put my pride aside and message her.
I take my phone out of my pocket and go to Maggie's contact.
"Hey, I have some more questions. You think we could meet?"
It takes Maggie about ten minutes to reply, my nerves growing every second.
"I guess. The park at 3."
I know the only reason she agrees is because of the picture, but that doesn't bother me. I look down and check the time, 2:23 p.m. I should probably head out now.
I look up at the empty park. A few years ago, kids would be running around everywhere, but they built a bigger one three months ago. Everyone always moves on. The irony dons on me. Here I am, sitting in an old park, looking into an old case. Should I move on? June has taken over my every thought. It's been that way since I met her though.
Maggie pulls up in her car and... Who's that in her car? I roll my eyes when I recognize them. I can notice that pitch black hair from anywhere, Jalen.
I get out my truck and wait for them to walk over. They do and we stand silent for a few moments before I break it.
"What are you doing here?" I ask, nodding my head toward Jalen.
"Worry about yourself, Dawton." Jalen responds, crossing his arms.
"Play nice boys." Maggie says, stepping in front of Jalen.
I roll my eyes, "I'm not the one you have to worry about."
Jalen just rolls his eyes, "let's just cut to the chase, what do you want?"
I glare at Jalen before answering, "I need to ask Maggie a few questions about Victoria, but since you so happily tagged along, I can ask you both."
"What do you want to know?" Maggie asks.
"Is there anything else that happened that night? Or even those last few weeks?" I ask, looking over at them both.
Maggie looks down, probably trying to think of anything she can remember, the picture hanging over both of their heads. I can tell Jalen is hiding something.
"Spit it out Jalen! What are you hiding?" I ask.
Jalen looks over at Maggie before responding, "I'm not hiding anything!"
Maggie returns his gaze, "Henry what are you talking about?"
Do they think I'm that stupid? "I can tell you two are hiding something." They still don't say anything, "If y'all don't start talking I'll send Connor the picture."
"NO! Please!" Maggie says. She lets out a defeated sigh and looks at Jalen. He only shrugs. "Well, I don't think this relates to Victoria, but me and Jalen... we've been going out since junior year."
"But that would mean-" Jalen and Maggie are only giving me a blank stare, "Jalen you were with June then." Jalen only nods.
Maggie looks ashamed now, "We didn't mean to hurt June. We didn't even get to explain ourselves. She wouldn't talk to us after she found us that night."
"Wait! June knew about y'all?" I ask, shocked.
"She caught me and Jalen that night in the woods. The night of the camping trip. I tried to run after her, but Jalen held me back. He thought she needed space. By the time I got back to the camp June was in her tent asleep." Maggie confesses.
I'm taken aback by all this new information. "So, you're telling me you were cheating on June?!"
"I'm not proud of it, can we just drop it?" Jalen asks.
"NO!? We can't just drop you cheating on the person who sacrificed everything for you! Sacrificed me!" My voice cracks when I yell. I'm taken over by my emotions, "YOU PROBABLY KILLED HER DIDN'T YOU!"
I'm caught off guard by Jalen's fist in my eye. All the memories of Jalen picking on me in high school come to mind and I can't take it anymore. I can't believe he has the nerve to hit me after telling me he cheated on June. I grab Jalen's collar and slam him into my truck. Jalen screams out in pain, but I don't stop. I punch him in the gut twice. I feel someone trying to tug me off Jalen. I let them. He's not worth going to jail over.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Maggie yells.
I take a look at Jalen and see him spit blood while slowly doubling over in pain, when did I hit his mouth? I can't deal with this right now. Jalen comes at me and I'm getting yelled at for defending myself. I yank my truck door open, "I'm not the same Henry from high school Jalen!" I crank my truck up. Feeling mad at everyone, June, Jalen, Maggie, the list goes on. Chasing after answers has made me an emotional wreck. I have to leave. I drive off and see Maggie crouched over Jalen in my rearview mirror.
The whole ride home I can't think straight. My eye is throbbing. Once I do get home, I sprint to my room, my mom seeing this won't help anything. I slump down on my bed. Knowing Jalen was cheating on June, their whole relationship makes me furious. She didn't deserve that. And Maggie being the one who Jalen was cheating with makes it ten times worse. It's like June was being betrayed by everyone in her life. Why couldn't she have dropped that whole group and just hung around my friends? She would still be here, and she wouldn't have to worry about her best friend sleeping with her boyfriend.
After I cool down, I think back to what happened, I know I shouldn't have said Jalen was the one to kill June out loud. My basis for the accusation is that I don't like him, and at the moment I was mad at him for ripping June away from me while he was fooling around. Now that I'm alone I can't think of a good reason Jalen would've murdered June. He could've broken up with her if he wanted to be with Maggie that bad.
Now that Maggie was at the front of my mind, could she have done something to June? I was so quick to blame Jalen, but it would make more sense for Maggie. She was in love with Jalen, and he wouldn't break up with June. Or June could've threatened to tell Connor about Maggie cheating on him. This would cause Maggie to be enraged, possibly killing June.
There're so many theories. I take another sheet of paper and write Maggie's name then another with Jalen's. I tape them below June's name. Then I take a piece of ribbon and connect the two, writing "together since junior year" on it. Then I take another piece of ribbon and connect Victoria to Jalen writing "she's in love" on it. Looks like Jalen had everyone in that group obsessed.
While I'm looking over everything, I've taped to my wall my eye begins to throb again. I groan, I didn't want people asking what happened. Telling them I was punched in the face doesn't sound the best. At least I can say, "you should see the other guy." I laugh a little at this. I know it's wrong, but Jalen has been pushing me around since that time I picked up June from a party and he pushed me. I couldn't take being treated like that anymore. If June was there I probably wouldn't have hit back. It's crazy to think how much can change in two years.