The room was quiet—too quiet for a place filled with six girls. Phones lay scattered on the bed, all showing the same chat thread. Laven Monroe. Her responses weren't cold, but they weren't warm either. Every word she said felt carefully chosen, like she was walking on a tightrope between hiding something and pretending nothing was wrong.
Riley sat up, staring at the screen. "She said she doesn't talk to them anymore. That they weren't good girls."
"Four of them are dead," Evelyn muttered. "One died. Only one's left. That's her. So what now?"
"She didn't even react when I told her they're gone," Lemon said. "No shock, no sadness. Nothing."
"She doesn't seem like someone who's grieving," Scarlett added. "She seems like someone hiding."
She nodded slowly, eyes still on her last message:
"It's just a rumor. They died by themselves. They weren't good girls. That's why."
Autumn scoffed. "That's not normal. Even if they weren't close, you don't just say something like that."
Hazel muttered, "She said there were five girls… not six. That bothers me."
Just then, Lemon's phone vibrated. Leon.
I got up, walking toward the window and sliding the screen to answer. "Hey."
His voice came through, clear and steady. "Hey. How did it go with her?"
She sighed. "Well, she replied. We talked for a while. She acted like she didn't remember anything properly. Said she doesn't know what the others are doing now. Then… I asked her how many were in the group."
"And?"
"She said five," She said. "Including her."
Leon paused. "…But they were six, right?"
Lemon turned slightly, watching the girls whispering among themselves. "That's what I thought. You said that too, remember? From the yearbook photos."
"Yeah," he said slowly. "But you know, back then, I only ever saw five of them together. They were always in a tight group, stuck to each other.
"It feels like she's pretending the sixth never existed."
"Which makes no sense unless there's something to hide," he added. "Why leave one out?"
"That's what's bothering me."
There was a pause on the line before Leon said, "You think she's lying?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "But she's definitely not saying the full truth."
He let out a quiet breath. "Listen. If you need any help—figuring stuff out, talking to anyone, anything at all—just call me, okay? I'll be there."
She smiled despite the weight of the conversation. "Thanks."
Before She could say more, She heard snickering behind me.
Scarlett nudged Evelyn, whispering something. Then Evelyn smirked, "Tell your hero I said hi."
Leon clearly heard that. "Should I be honored?"
Lemon sighed. "Ignore them. They've decided to start shipping us for no reason."
"Oh no, there's a reason," Scarlett called out dramatically. "He's handsome. You're smart. A classic match."
"Scarlett—"
Leon laughed. "I like your friends."
"They're annoying," Lemon said, half-laughing.
"Still fun."
"Don't encourage them."
"Too late," he teased. "Anyway, seriously. Keep me updated. I've got a weird feeling about this whole thing."
"Me too."
"Call me later?"
"Yeah. I will."
After the call,Lemon turned around and faced the teasing squad.
"Was that Leon?" Riley asked, batting her lashes playfully.
"No, it was my dentist," Lemon said dryly.
"You guys are cute, though," Hazel added, throwing a pillow at me.
"Back to Laven, please?" Lemon said, regaining control.
Scarlett sat up straighter. "Alright, so she lied about the number. Ignored the deaths. Called them 'bad girls.' That's not normal."
Autumn nodded. "And she took forever to respond when asked about her group. She hesitated before saying 'five.' That's not forgetfulness. That's avoidance."
"She's hiding something," Lemon said firmly. " she know it."
"And if she is," Evelyn said, "we're going to find out."
Lemon looked at the chat again. One girl left. Five gone—four murdered, one died. That couldn't just be fate.
There was a secret buried behind those smiles in the yearbook photo.
And Laven Monroe was holding the last piece.