Grave Message by Mary Jennifer Payne

Author:Mary Jennifer Payne [Payne, Mary Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Published: 2022-01-22T20:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

After Ann storms away, I sit for a moment in shock. This can’t be what Fatima wanted me to find out. I feel a bit sad for Ann, but mostly I feel angry. I can’t believe she asked Fatima to choose between her and me.

I knew why Fatima was coming to my house to talk about the fight that night. Ann was her first girlfriend. Fatima was super nervous about telling her family she was gay. I was going to be with her when she did it. She really liked Ann a lot. And even though I knew Ann didn’t really like it when I was around, I wanted Fatima to be happy. Fatima had planned to tell her family about Ann that weekend. Now I knew why the fight had her so upset.

I glare at the iced coffee. I want to throw it against the wall, but I’m too thirsty. My phone pings, and my heart jumps.

Jay-Jay, go to 98 Lookout Drive. There you will find what you need.

x Fatima

I stare at the text. What if all of this is a dream? What if I’ve lost my mind? Maybe I should just go to a hospital.

My phone pings again. There’s a photo of Fatima and me when we were about ten years old. She’s holding her puppy, Roger. It was the day she got him from the shelter.

Tears fill my eyes. I laugh. “You really know how to make me feel bad, don’t you?” I say out loud. Two women sitting at the table next to me look over. I smile back at them and wave. They quickly look away. I’m just a girl talking to her dead best friend, I want to say. Nothing to see here.

Sitting back in my chair, I take a long sip of the coffee. Then I google 98 Lookout Drive. A photo of a giant house comes up. It’s in a very rich area of the city. It’s also at least an hour’s bike ride away. Super strange. I’m pretty sure Fatima was never in that neighborhood. I sigh. It’s crazy hot out. Still, I can’t let Fatima down—or the ghost of Fatima.

I text Mom and tell her I’m going to the beach with Ann for a few hours. Then I turn my phone off because I know Mom’s going to text me. She would find it hard to believe that I’d be with Ann all day. She’ll call me out on this lie in a second. Sometimes it’s tough having a mom who cares so much. I hop on my bike and head west toward a much quieter part of the city.

It takes me forty-five minutes to get to Lookout Drive. The houses are as big as hotels around here. Green parks and fancy cars are everywhere. I pull my bike up onto the sidewalk and sit down on a bench. I really need water and wish I’d brought some with me. Pulling out my phone, I use the reverse address lookup to find out who lives at number 98.

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