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Chapter Three – Distractions and Floorboards
The sky over Cherryvale High looked like it hadn't made up its mind—half cloudy, half sunny, but fully annoying.
Olivia leaned against her locker, counting the minutes until the final bell. Savannah and Harper were chatting nearby, but she couldn't focus on their words.
Her phone buzzed.
Peter: Hey Liv. You've been quiet today. You okay?
Her lips tugged into a faint smile. She and Peter had known each other since sixth grade, back when he barely talked and she talked too much. Somewhere along the way, they'd met in the middle.
Olivia: Trying to be.
Peter: If you ever need to talk... I'm around.
She stared at that message longer than she meant to. Before she could respond, the bell rang.
—
By the time Olivia got home, her parents' car wasn't in the driveway. Relief.
She darted upstairs, heart pounding like she was doing something wrong. But this wasn't wrong. This was Phoenix's room. Her sister. Her secrets.
The room smelled like faint lavender and dust. Olivia shut the door gently and crouched beside the bed. She pulled the old hoodie from beneath it and found what she was looking for.
The floorboard.
It was loose—just slightly. Enough to notice once you were looking.
Olivia hooked her fingers under the edge and tugged. It creaked softly. Her pulse skipped.
She could see something down there—edges of papers maybe? Something white. Something—
Buzz buzz.
Her phone again. Peter.
Peter: Thinking about you. Just wanted you to know.
She glanced at the screen, breath held. When she looked back down—
Footsteps.
Then the door flew open.
"Olivia!"
Her mother stood there like a wall, like a storm she didn't see coming. Her eyes locked straight onto the floor.
"I—I was just—"
"What are you doing in here?" her mom snapped. No softness. No breath. Just cold anger.
Olivia opened her mouth to explain—but her mother cut her off.
"I told you to stay out of here. You're not helping anything by digging around!"
"I wasn't—" Olivia tried.
"Don't lie to me," her mom said sharply. "You're not stupid. You know what this will do to your father. To all of us. Let her go, Olivia."
She didn't wait for an answer. Just turned, slamming the door behind her.
Olivia stood frozen, the hoodie still in her hand, the floorboard half-raised beneath her knees.
She hadn't seen what was inside.
But she would
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