"Riri, are you sure you don't need me to…?"
"What are you talking about? Do you want me to sleep on the couch?" Rhea asked disgustedly. "I cannot sleep properly if I don't have my bed, my three pillows, my comforter, and another blanket. Besides, I need to be in my room."
"Then, let's go to your room. I will sleep on the floor."
"I need to be alone in my room."
"Have the lights open."
"I cannot sleep with brightness falling over my eyes," Rhea said. "Ronan, why are you worrying that much? That guy is dead."
"Are you sure you will be okay?" Ronan asked worriedly.
"Yes, I am okay. But I will feel even better if you just stop worrying this much. I don't like it."
"Alright…," Ronan sighed. "Just let me check your windows."
"Hmm…"
Ronan checked Rhea's windows at least ten times. He locked them from the inside using some tools.
Rhea was very calm, even calmer than usual. Ronan was used to her behaviors, so he knew her being overly calm meant she was quite surprised.
"I won't have my windows locked for more than two days."
"We will do something about it after two days," Ronan said. "Bear with it for now."
"Do something? Just unlock it, that's it," Rhea said.
"I will. Just let it stay that way for two days at least. I am worried. Will you be alright on your own?"
"More than alright. Good night, Ronan."
"Yes, good night, Riri," Ronan said as Riri shut the door on his face. "Call me if you need anything. I will be downstairs."
Ronan took the silence as a yes. He looked back at his sister's door, then let out a sigh. He went downstairs. Worrying he would not hear if something happened, he decided to stay downstairs. He was very shaken by the fact that some creepy guy was stalking his sister for five whole years, even when he took so great care of her. He always kept an eye on her, since he was the older one. After the road accident when their father died, Rhea had gone silent. She had always been an introvert, but she went silent after Chris Elrod's death.
It was a good thing Rhea did not have memories of that accident. And Ronan had no intention of telling her either.
Rhea did not sleep that night. She wished she could visit Samuel Norman's apartment, but that was impossible. Before leaving, Officer William Woods said he would show them the photos.
It was weird how none of those photos were inappropriate. She sometimes changed her clothes with her windows open. People like her stalker would go for that kind of picture usually. So, she was surprised.
But something Officer Sherry Alani said struck her head. She mentioned some burnt pages too. It was impossible to see what those were, but Officer Alani suspected they were photos.
Rhea had a feeling that those were inappropriate photos of her. Someone had burned them. The possibility of Samuel Norman burning them was very low. It was someone else, at least, that was what her theory suggested.
Rhea stayed up all night, writing in her notebook. She wrote down what she found out and what her theory suggested.
She did her homework and then, got busy thinking about the events. It took her all night. Pulling an all-nighter was hard for her. She at least needed to sleep for an hour or two at night. The fact that someone stalked her for five years did not frighten her, but the fact that she had no idea was the thing that scared her.
She feared the unknown.
The next morning, the gray-haired boy literally pulled her away to an empty classroom in front of everyone. That guy was a little crazy. Rhea was getting annoyed.
"Now, you made the news. There is already news saying Hugh is interested in the quiet freaky girl. Listen, you might like this kind of attention, but for me, it is unwanted," Rhea said.
"There were five hundred photos of you!" he exclaimed.
"I know. Two police officers came to my house yesterday."
"And he had been stalking you for five years!"
"I know that too."
"… How are you not freaked out at all?"
"I am surprised," Rhea said. "Just... I don't understand why you are going this far about a matter regarding me."
"Because all of these things are related to you! How are you related to all three people who faced a murder, or an accident?"
"Uh, I am so interesting that perhaps these things stick to me," Rhea muttered. "Anyway, don't talk to me like this. We are not friends. And I am not comfortable with all of these. So, please stop."
"Rhea…"
"I am not comfortable, Hugh," Rhea articulated.
"Ah, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
"But you are. There are already rumors now. I don't like it when I am in the middle of something unnecessary, especially this high school drama," she said. "Don't talk to me again, unless you think I have done something that involves you."
Rhea felt a little uncomfortable after talking so sharply to Hugo. But she hated getting in trouble because of someone else.
It took her only to survive until the end of the school to stop feeling guilty and started to feel like murdering him.
When she was just about to leave the school ground through all the whispers and questions, three girls surrounded her. The girl with short black hair seemed to be the leader of the group.
"What's your relationship with Hugo?" she asked as if Rhea touched her property.
"He is nothing to me," Rhea replied.
"Listen, he is my boyfriend. Don't go near him."
"Alright, but I guess you are partially blind since you could not see that he is the one who pulled me. Not that I expected you to see the truth," Rhea said bitterly.
"Listen here, you bitch, quit with all that gloomy girl vibe to attract attention. Just go be with that old hag in hell!" the girl with orange hair said, moving her face in a way that Rhea felt like she would break her neck.
"Hugo belongs to our Roxy," the other girl said. She was bald and had a tattoo on her head. It looked like a wheel. Rhea did not understand the meaning of having a wheel tattoo. It was not like she was supposed to understand anyway, as it was not her who tattooed a wheel on her head.
"Ah, I think Hugo will be glad to know that he is someone's property now. Why don't you go tell him that? I don't have time to waste, unlike you doormats who are more concerned over a boy than your own lives. Ah, I forgot, your whole life is basically based on a boy, right?" Rhea let out a mocking laugh. "Go find a personality before wasting my time. And don't worry; I am not taking away your property."
"Your fucking…"
"Maybe you girls should find something else to do before messing with my… friend."
Rhea turned her head, hearing Hugo's voice out of nowhere. "Why don't you just play with your master instead of talking to me, Hugo? She was saying you are hers."
Rhea gave him a little smile and walked away. She had no idea what Hugo told them, neither she was interested. She just wanted to live her usual life, a life where everything went as she planned and there was no distraction.
But, life had different plans for her.