RichVille

Chapter 3

The booming music reverberated through the backyard, where everyone was dancing and cheering, fully immersed in the lively atmosphere. Damon, however, sat beside the pool, his eyes scanning the surroundings, ever vigilant for anything unusual. He had a penchant for suspicion, always on the lookout for anyone not acting as they should.

His trance was interrupted when Abigail settled down beside him. She greeted him with a warm smile. "Hey, stranger," she said.

Damon turned to her, his curiosity piqued. "Why aren't you partying like the rest of them?" he inquired.

Abigail deftly redirected the question back at him. "Well, I could ask you the same."

Damon shrugged, leaning back a bit. "You know that's not my thing. I'd rather be on my couch playing video games right now."

Abigail let out a sigh, her gaze fixed on the partygoers. "Well, I'd rather be beside my dad, telling him that everything's going to be okay and that this killer is going to be found."

Damon raised an eyebrow. "Why aren't you doing that right now?"

"Because my dad went to the hospital to visit the girl who was hit," Abigail explained. She sighed, her frustration evident. "You know, it's so bad that two events happened in one night, and only one was talked about just because he was privileged."

The disparity in the attention and coverage between Nate's death and the hit and run that occurred simultaneously weighed heavily on Abigail's mind, leaving her perplexed and discontented with the way things were being handled.

Damon couldn't help but let his curiosity get the best of him. Abigail had always been seen with her boyfriend, and today was an exception. He had to ask. "Where's your boyfriend? You two are practically inseparable," he inquired.

Abigail's response was filled with uncertainty. "He said he had some things to take care of," she replied. Her eyebrows furrowed as she continued, "But honestly, Damon, he's been acting really weird today. Getting upset over the smallest stuff, leaving me on 'read.' I only got his reply after I got to the party."

Damon shook his head, feeling puzzled. "That does sound strange. I hope everything's alright between you two."

Abigail shrugged, her eyes wandering over the crowd. "I don't know, Damon. It's been a weird day."

Their conversation hung in the air, both of them unaware of the unexpected turn of events that would soon unfold.

As they talked, Abigail couldn't resist teasing Damon about his long-lasting crush on Alicia. "You know, we all see it, Damon. You've been into Alicia for six years now? That's dedication."

Damon chuckled, attempting to brush off the topic. "Well, whatever feelings I had for her are in the past. I'm over it."

Abigail, with a playful grin, prodded further, "Are you sure about that?"

Just as Damon was about to respond, Alex abruptly grabbed him by the shirt, disrupting their conversation. Abigail stood up, her surprise evident. "What's going on?" she asked, her voice filled with curiosity.

With a frustrated tone, Alex accused Damon, "You really can't keep your mouth shut, can you? Tell her how you snitched."

A small crowd began to form around them, their struggle drawing attention. The music ceased, and more partygoers gathered, curious about the commotion.

Damon tried to defuse the situation calmly. "I don't know what you're talking about. Now, if you don't mind, please let go of my shirt."

Alex, however, remained defiant. "Why would I do that?"

Alicia managed to push her way through the crowd, her face reflecting her confusion. "What's happening here?"

Alex turned to Alicia with an accusation. "Isn't it nice that you're here, Alicia? Damon was in your DMs, saying how much of a jerk I am and that you should stop hanging out with me."

The crowd looked at Damon in surprise, waiting for an explanation. Alicia, equally surprised, questioned Alex, "Did you go through my phone?"

Damon couldn't provide an answer before Alex punched him. The onlookers cleared space, and Damon stumbled but quickly regained his balance. He attempted to retaliate, launching a punch of his own, but Alex seized his arm and used his strength to pull him aside.

Unexpectedly, a forceful blow landed on Alex, sending him tumbling into the swimming pool. Fortune stood there, watching Alex regain his footing in the water.

Amid the commotion, Alex shouted angrily, "Both of you get out of my house now!"

The party atmosphere had taken an abrupt turn, leaving those in attendance in a state of shock and confusion.

Fortune extended a hand to help Damon up, and together, they made their exit from the chaotic scene. Abigail, along with a few others who disapproved of the situation, decided to leave as well. Alicia retrieved her phone from where it had fallen during the scuffle. She shook her head, clearly disappointed. "That's a low blow, Alex," she muttered, her voice reflecting her disapproval. She left the party, leaving Alex to climb out of the pool.

Undeterred by the tension that had momentarily gripped his celebration, Alex headed straight for the DJ's table. Realizing the party was losing its momentum, he took hold of the microphone, determined to revive the atmosphere. "Let's get this party back on track, people!" he exclaimed.

With renewed enthusiasm, the crowd responded with shouts and cheers, and the party resumed in full swing.

******

As they drove through the streets, Fortune felt guilty for dragging Damon to the party. He apologized a few times, and Damon told him not to worry about it. If he hadn't messaged Alicia about Alex being a jerk, they wouldn't have ended up in that embarrassing situation. The conversation gradually shifted to jokes about the fight and what they might have done if it had gone on longer.

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through the car, prompting Fortune to reach for the window controls. However, Damon stopped him, urging him to pull over. "Look," Damon said, his gaze focused outside. Fortune was puzzled, wondering what Damon had spotted. "Look at what?" he asked. Damon continued to stare at the roadside, which appeared to be covered in grass and bushes. Fortune thought he might be seeing something unusual.

"Look closely," Damon insisted.

Fortune followed his gaze, and that's when he noticed it too—something flashing beneath the tall grass. Damon made up his mind to investigate. Concerned about potential trouble, Fortune hesitated, saying, "Wait, this is the same place where Diana was hit. Shouldn't we avoid getting into any trouble?"

Damon replied confidently, "Trouble from who?" He exited the car, and Fortune, determined not to let anyone come to harm, followed closely behind. They approached the source of the flashing, and to their surprise, they discovered a vibrating phone hidden in the grass. Damon picked it up with enthusiasm.

"It's Diana's phone," he exclaimed. "Shouldn't we turn it over to the police?" Fortune suggested.

Damon nodded in agreement. "Yes, but not before I've had a look at it."

The phone continued to vibrate and flash, drawing their attention to a startling notification that appeared on the screen. Damon read it aloud with a hint of disbelief, "Business with Danny?"

Fortune was taken aback. "Danny, as in Abby's boyfriend?" he asked.

"I hope not," Damon replied.

They decided to return to the car and further investigate the phone once they arrived home.

As they reached Damon's room, they started to go through the phone's notifications, unable to unlock it. Among the notifications were missed calls from Danny, and most of them were from him.

"What kind of business does Danny have with this girl?" Fortune asked.

"I don't know, but he was the last person to call her before her accident. It's possible that he called her out so he could hit her with the car," Damon speculated.

"Really, bro? Can't you suggest anything better? It's Abby's boyfriend we're talking about here, our teammate," Fortune said.

"Yes, but we can't ignore the facts here. This reminder that says 'business with Danny' has been going off for two days, always at 7:30 pm. So maybe they both planned to kill Nate, and Danny hit her just to cover his tracks," Damon said.

"Look, bro, I don't know what you're cooking up, but I want no part in it. Just give the phone to the police and let them do their job. I'm going home," Fortune said before getting up from the bed and leaving. Damon sighed. He felt like he sounded like a crazy person, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.

After a few minutes of contemplating, he heard his mom's voice from downstairs and decided to go greet her. There, he saw his mom and Sheriff Oliver saying their goodbyes.

"Mom, Sheriff," he said.

"Hey, kiddo," Sheriff Oliver greeted.

"Hi, sweetie," his mom added. "How was work?" Damon asked.

"You know, just the normal," she replied, but she noticed Damon's face, which seemed a bit off. She asked him if everything was okay, and he mentioned finding Dianna's phone. "Sheriff, Fortune and I kinda found Dianna's phone on our way back."

"That's great, son. My officers have been looking for it," the sheriff acknowledged. Damon handed him the phone with a worried expression. He couldn't help but think about what might happen now. He hoped his theory about Danny was wrong, and the police wouldn't come up with the same hypothesis. But then again, he might be worrying for nothing. Abigail had mentioned that Danny had been acting strangely since this morning. What if, during questioning by the police, he accidentally said something he shouldn't?

"What's the matter, kid?" Sheriff Oliver asked as Damon was lost in thought.

"Nothing, I better go sleep. Tomorrow's the big game," Damon replied.

"Ah, I almost forgot about that. Good luck, son," Sheriff Oliver wished him.

"Good night," Damon said and went back to his room, hoping he hadn't made a very big mistake.