RichVille

chapter 5

Tension hung heavy in the air following Alex's bold claim that he had evidence implicating Danny as the murderer. Abigail couldn't quite wrap her head around what she had just heard; it was a gutsy statement. "What do you know?" she asked, her tone tinged with disbelief. Alex thought it best to take the discussion somewhere more discreet and led them to the locker room before spilling the beans.

"On the Tuesday night we were celebrating our victory, I asked Phillips to film it because I wanted to share it on my social media," he began. He went on to recount the ongoing hostility between Nate and Danny after their brawl at school the next day, marked by intense glares. According to Alex, Diana was Nate's crush, and he suspected that Nate saw Danny getting too close to her as payback. "So, on Thursday, he invited me to go to Diana's house," Alex continued.

Abigail interrupted, seeking clarification, "What was the purpose?" Alex replied, "That's a good question." He explained how they discreetly watched Diana and Danny hugging in her car from across the street, followed by their entrance into her house. Alex paused for effect.

"This seems unlikely, considering they're classmates and lab partners," Abigail noted, her skepticism apparent. "Well, that's not what we saw in that car. Nate had an obsession with Diana like no other; he wouldn't let anyone even look at her, let alone hug her. It took everything I had to stop him from physically attacking Danny," Alex asserted. He then described how, in a secluded area, Nate took out his frustration on his car, damaging it causing him to bleed. Alex had to step in. Nate then made grave threats against Danny, vowing to ruin his life. "I swear, I've never seen someone so obsessed and furious in my life; he was completely consumed by anger. To be honest, it was pretty unsettling," Alex admitted.

"The next school day, after practice, Danny conspicuously stayed away from the team. When the coach dismissed us, everyone left the locker room except Nate. That got me suspicious, so I hid here," Alex said, pointing to the spot where he had concealed himself. From there, he saw Nate retrieving a gun from his locker, examining it briefly before returning it. "Does this mean Nate initiated an attack on Danny, and Danny acted in self-defense?" Alicia wondered aloud, her interest piqued. However, what they were about to hear would surpass their current shock.

Alex went on to reveal that Nate had called him that night, sounding both intoxicated and furious, accusing Danny of betraying him by sleeping with Diana and threatening dire consequences. "I tried to talk him out of it, but I heard his car starting, and he hung up. That was the last I heard from him," Alex concluded.

"Why didn't you report this to the police?" Damon inquired, his curiosity evident. Alex replied honestly, "I didn't take it seriously at first, and after Nate's death, I didn't want to get tangled up in a police investigation. If I speak up now, I'm afraid they'll keep coming back to me whenever something doesn't add up."

Damon wore a perplexed expression; they were all familiar with Nate, but none of them had been particularly close to him. It begged the question: Why would Alex host a party the night after Nate's demise if they weren't friends? The thought perplexed him.

They all knew that Nate was far from popular at school; in fact, he was widely disliked. There were no flowers beneath his locker, no heartfelt discussions about his passing. Nate had been a tormentor to many students, but he had always seemed to evade consequences due to his family's influential status as founding family.

"Bro, we won that night, and I had planned the most epic party of the year. I wasn't about to let anything get in the way of it," Alex explained. He glanced around at the seemingly nonchalant faces in the room. "Besides, does anyone look sad here? Well, except for Danny because he's probably going to end up behind bars," he added. Abigail shot him a disapproving glare.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the break, and they all had to return to class. Abigail urged everyone to keep this matter a secret while she attempted to coax the truth out of Danny. She emphasized the importance of discretion. Alex, however, refused to make any promises. He reiterated that he was only acting in his own self-interest, trying to avoid any evidence pointing in his direction. With that, they all reluctantly returned to their respective classes.

In the hospital ward where Diana lay, consciousness slowly crept back to her. She opened her eyes, squinting against the bright lights. Damon's mom, Laura, noticed her awakening and rushed to her side.

"Hey there, you're awake. How are you feeling?" she asked with gentle concern. Diana struggled to find her voice but managed to convey that her head hurt.

"I can imagine. You've been through a lot," Laura reassured her.

Diana, still disoriented, inquired, "What happened... Where am I?"

"You're in RichVille Hospital. You were brought here because you got hit," Laura replied, her voice soothing as she checked Diana's vital signs.

"I... I remember... running... and then this light, and I got hit by a car... it happened so fast," Diana recounted, the memories flooding back.

"Good, what else do you remember?" Laura probed, waiting for more details.

Silence hung in the room for a while, prompting Laura to ask again, "Can you recall anything else?"

"I remember... nothing," Diana finally admitted.

Laura swiftly dialed Diana's parents, notifying them that their daughter had regained consciousness. Both of them dropped everything and hurried to the hospital. Upon their arrival, Laura took the initiative to call the sheriff, as he had instructed her to do in the event of Diana waking up.

The sheriff entered the ward, where he found Diana's parents and Laura engaged in a conversation about the situation. They were gently asking Diana questions about herself, mindful not to press too hard and potentially traumatize her fragile state.

"Sheriff," Laura greeted him as he entered the room, acknowledging his presence.

Laura called the sheriff aside, emphasizing the need for caution and urging him not to proceed with questioning Diana at this fragile moment. She was concerned that pressing her with questions might be detrimental to her fragile mental state.

Oliver, the sheriff, insisted that he would approach the questioning gently and avoid delving too deeply to prevent triggering her. He believed that asking her questions could potentially help trigger her memory.

Laura stood firm, asserting her professional opinion, "No, she needs to rest. Resting will be more beneficial for her memory recovery than questions. I'm the doctor, and I promise you, when she's more recovered, you'll be the first to know, okay?" She assured him, her commitment to Diana's well-being unwavering.

The sheriff nodded in agreement and then left the hospital with his deputies.

---

Abigail made her way to the police station to see her dad, but she was met with the news that he had stepped out to visit Diana, who had just awakened from her coma. Her heart raced with anticipation; this development meant they might finally get answers to all the questions that had been haunting her. What if Danny was guilty? What would happen to him? Could she bear to live with the knowledge that Danny might be capable of such a terrible act? All she could do was have faith and hope that Alex was wrong.

Time dragged on, and her father didn't return. Desperation welled up within her. Eventually, unable to wait any longer, she decided to head to the hospital herself. She called Damon, explaining everything and insisting that they both go to the hospital to find out the truth. Damon agreed, and together they made their way to the hospital.

As Abigail and Damon entered Diana's ward, they found her peacefully asleep, with no one else in the room. Abigail gently closed the door behind them, and Damon began to wonder what Abigail had in mind. She explained her intention to ask Diana a few questions discreetly before anyone else arrived. Damon, however, voiced his concerns, arguing that this might not be the best course of action.

Their disagreement escalated, turning into a heated argument that inadvertently woke Diana. Confusion etched her voice as she inquired, "Who are you?"

Abigail was surprised that Diana didn't remember her as Danny's girlfriend, given that Danny had introduced them before. "It's me, Diana. I'm Danny's girlfriend, remember?" Abigail approached her slowly, trying to jog her memory.

Diana seemed frustrated and bewildered, responding, "What do you want? Why is the door locked? Why is everyone asking me if I remember them today?"

Damon, interpreting Diana's response as a sign that she didn't remember anything, cautiously approached her. "So you don't remember anything at all?" he asked.

Diana confirmed, "Nothing, please leave, my head hurts."

Damon suggested to Abigail that they should leave, as further questioning might put Diana at risk. However, Abigail was reluctant to give up and continued to barrage Diana with questions. "What happened before you were hit? What's the deal with you and Danny? Did Danny kill Nate?" Her rapid-fire questions overwhelmed Diana, causing her head to ache even more. Diana grabbed her head and yelled, "Leave me alone!" Then she began to shake vigorously.

Alarmed by Diana's sudden distress, Abigail asked, "What's happening?"

Damon replied, "I don't know." The commotion had caught the attention of Laura, who had heard Diana's voice from outside the ward. She rushed into the room, finding her son and Abigail beside Diana as she continued to shake.

"Mom, thank God. What's happening?" Damon asked anxiously.

Laura, concerned, queried, "What are you both doing here?" She immediately went over to Diana to attend to her.

The situation escalated rapidly, and Diana's seizures became more intense. Laura, overwhelmed, shouted at both Abigail and Damon to leave the room. As they were about to exit, Diana, amidst her seizures, muttered a plea that sent shockwaves through the room.

"Please, Danny, don't do it, please don't kill him," Diana whispered amid her convulsions.

Abigail, Damon, and Laura exchanged worried glances, fully aware of the gravity of the situation. Laura silently mouthed "Go," prompting Abigail to snap out of her stunned state. Damon took her hand and gently pulled her away from the scene, while Laura urgently called for more medical assistance.

The utterance of Diana's words added a layer of complexity to the already mysterious circumstances, leaving everyone concerned.

Abigail was overwhelmed by her emotions to the point where she couldn't even drive her own car. She sobbed continuously, and it was up to Damon to console her and drive the car safely, which proved to be a challenging task.

"Abby, for all we know, it's not over yet. It might not be what it seems," Damon tried to console her.

"It's over, Damon. The moment my dad hears this, he's arresting Danny," she said, her voice trembling with distress.

Damon was determined to offer reassurance. "It won't come to that, okay? We're going to get to the bottom of this before he does."

"How?" Abigail asked, her voice filled with uncertainty. It seemed implausible that Danny could be innocent after what they had heard. Based on Diana's words, it appeared that she had been present when Danny had either pulled the trigger or was on the verge of doing so, prompting her to plead with him not to proceed. It was the only logical conclusion Abigail could draw from the situation.

Damon saw Abigail to her doorstep, offering words of comfort and reassurance, telling her that everything would be alright and urging her to stop worrying. Abigail expressed her gratitude for his support throughout the day, and he responded with a simple, "Hey, what are friends for?"

With darkness enveloping the evening, they bid their farewells, and Damon headed home, calling it a day.

---

The following morning, as Abigail prepared to leave for school, her father's stern voice called out to her from the living room. He demanded to know what she had been thinking the previous night, emphasizing the danger she had potentially placed Diana in.

"I was just trying to get answers, Dad," she replied.

"Why, answers to what? Do you know something I don't? Did Danny tell you anything?" he pressed further.

"Come on, Dad, you asked me to stay away from him, and I did," Abigail asserted.

Before her father could continue questioning, Abigail walked over to the table and grabbed the remote, turned up the volume on the television, and their attention was immediately captured by a breaking news report.

"It has been confirmed this morning that Diana James, the girl who was in a deadly accident, is now dead. Doctors confirmed her time of death at 6 am this morning, with no known source of how she might have died," the news reporter stated.

Abigail and her father exchanged worried and puzzled looks, realizing that the situation had taken a grave and unexpected turn.