I Wrote This While You Slept - 4. Chapter 4

SOPHIE

“India, let’s go!” Sophie yelled out over the soccer field. The brown-haired girl’s head snapped back with precision. She ran over to the coach, whispered something in his ear, then broke into a slow jog towards the blonde.

“Take your time, why don’t you,” Sophie scolded her, checking to see if anyone was listening.

“Stop overreacting. It’s making you look guilty,” India scoffed, and the two girls walked hurriedly away from the pitch. “Where are we meeting them?” India asked.

“Henry’s room,” Sophie replied, and India groaned. She’d been avoiding Henry like the plague for a good reason.

“We couldn’t do it at C’s?”

“I could barely get a hold of Curtis this morning, I didn’t want to risk it. Henry almost never leaves his room anymore, so I figured he’d be the safer bet. He can let everyone inside before we get there,” she replied, and India felt a pang of guilt. She was the reason for why Henry had become depressed, after all. “Have you heard from Dalton at all?”

“No, I haven’t seen him since…you know,” India replied. She still couldn’t bring herself to talk about Noelle’s death. Another pang of guilt.

“He’s been acting…strange, don’t you think?” India found it frustrating how Sophie always had to overanalyze everyone.

“Strange how? It’s Dalton, he’s always strange.”

“I mean stranger than usual,” Sophie muttered as they entered the large dormitory. Both girls felt all eyes fall on them right away. Sophie had been right, India thought, people were going to suspect them. It would make sense, seeing as all of them probably had reasons for not liking Noelle. But…to kill? India couldn’t fathom anyone in her friend group being a killer.

They turned the corner and walked up to a door at the end of the hall. Sophie knocked three times, waited a beat, then knocked three more times. It was their new code.

“Come on in,” the faint voice from behind the door replied.

Inside of the small room they found Henry sitting by the edge of the desk, gazing out the window in a forlorn manner, and Curtis sprawled out on the bed, throwing a small hand ball against the ceiling.

“Took you guys long enough,” he said by way of greeting. Sophie rolled her eyes.

“Where is Dalton?” she asked, scanning the room one more time.

“He said he’s on his way,” Curtis replied, biting his lip. He hoped Sophie didn’t pick up on his hesitation. Dalton had been acting strange lately. Very strange. But it’s not something he was going to divulge to this group, especially not at this moment. Noelle’s death was a shock to everyone. But if someone at Hokley Academy really killed her, they would all be suspects.

“Did anyone speak to the cops?” Sophie asked.

“Not me,” Henry replied, finally turning around as he tried to avoid looking at India.

“Only right after we…found her,” Curtis replied with a grimace on his face. He hated the memory.

“They didn’t talk to India either. Great, that means I’m the only suspect,” she moaned. Now it was turn for Curtis to roll his eyes.

“Oh please, they only spoke with you because you publicly called her a dumb cow in class the day before she died. That doesn’t exactly make you a suspect. How many teenage female killers are there in the world? If someone killed her, it was a man.” Sophie took a deep breath. Curtis was probably right. Still, she couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling at the pit of her stomach.

“I didn’t even mean it,” she said out loud, suddenly feeling guilty about her last interaction with Noelle. “She just stepped on my brand-new white sneakers and I just snapped. She was always in her own little world,” she added.

“At least you didn’t publicly give her a nosebleed,” Henry chimed in, and India laughed involuntarily. She wished things between them could go back to normal. Back to before he confessed his feelings for her and made it complicated.

“That was an accident, you didn’t mean to throw the ball at her,” Sophie replied.

“Not how the cops might see it,” he said, then shrugged his shoulders like he didn’t care either way.

Suddenly the door opened, and they all fell silent until they saw Dalton enter the room.

“We have the knock code for a reason, dumb ass,” Sophie scolded him.

“Sorry,” he replied, not sounding very sorry.

“Any news, what does Professor Hearst say?” India asked, suddenly curious.

“He thinks it was an accident,” he replied, studying her face carefully.

“An accident?” Curtis and Sophie asked in outraged unison.

“Did you see all the blood? How can that be an accident?” Curtis continued.

“I don’t know, he said head wounds bleed a lot and make things look more gruesome than they really are. But I suppose we’ll find out soon, after she’s examined.”

They all sat in stunned silence until it was time to go back to class.

“Let’s keep each other informed. And whatever happens, we stick together,” Sophie said, and all of them nodded. But as they walked out of the room, she had the distinct feeling that someone wasn’t being completely truthful. Someone was lying, and if she didn’t find out who, it could end in disaster for all of them.