Viva Vermont! by Melody Carlson

Author:Melody Carlson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook
Publisher: Zondervan

12

BY WEDNESDAY OF THE FOLLOWING week, DJ had received thirty-seven anonymous text messages—not that she was counting exactly—each one sounding more hateful and threatening than the previous one. It was starting to get disturbing.

“Taylor said if I ignored them, it would stop,” she told Conner as they sat waiting for their order at the Hammerhead.

“I think you should tell the police,” he said solemnly.

“Seriously?”

“Yeah … it’s wrong for them to do this to you, DJ. And I’m sure it’s illegal.”

“But who would I accuse? The messages are anonymous.”

“I don’t think you have to accuse anyone. You just let them know what’s going down, and maybe they can figure it out.”

“You don’t think that’s like making a mountain out of a molehill?”

“I just think it’s going too far.” Conner looked seriously concerned now. “And it’s making me remember something.”

“What?”

“Well, Haley told me that she’d been treated for this thing. I can’t remember what she called it—some initials—but it had to do with an inability to let things go. Kind of like she obsesses over stuff. You know?”

“Obsessive-compulsive disorder?”

“Yeah. That’s it. OCD.”

“Haley has that?”

He nodded. “I wouldn’t even tell you, but what if she’s behind this?”

“But Bethany seems to be the one—”

“ “Bethany is just doing Haley’s dirty work.”

“But why?”

He held up his hands. “Good question. Probably because Bethany feels honored to be Haley’s friend. I mean, look at them—can you imagine a more unlikely pair?”

DJ considered this. “So Haley actually told you she had OCD?”

“She trusted me.” Conner frowned.

“That probably makes you feel even worse now …”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“Well, it’s not like you would’ve told anyone … I mean, if this hadn’t happened. In a way she’s asked for it. Not that I’ll tell anyone else … I mean, what would be the point?” DJ folded the napkin in half. “So did she say how having OCD affects her? Like why did she need to get help?”

“For one thing she struggles with anorexia.” Conner sighed. “She thinks she needs to keep her weight down for diving and gymnastics.”

“She’s already tiny,” DJ pointed out. “I can’t imagine why she’d be concerned about her weight.”

“Exactly. She obsesses.”

“Oh …”

“And she’s this real perfectionist. Kind of a control freak, you know?”

“That’s got to be hard.”

“Oh, yeah …”

“And losing you, Conner. That was probably very frustrating for her. No wonder she’s taking it so hard. I wish I’d known this.”

“Why?” He looked slightly hurt now. “What would you have done differently?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I mean, it’s not like we’re doing anything wrong. I mean, we’re just friends. And anyone who’s paying attention should realize that.”

He nodded. “You’d think so.”

“But back to your suggestion … do you really think I should call the police?”

“I don’t know, DJ. I guess I just want it to stop.”

“Well, Taylor felt certain that if I ignored it, it would stop.”

“But it hasn’t.”

“Well, maybe I need to give it more time. The texts have only been coming for less than a week. If I just let it go …” The truth was that DJ was suddenly feeling sorry for Haley.

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