#goodgirlguidetomurder

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A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder Sal Singh x reader

Description: You saved Sal from his own murder.

Warning ⚠️ : Spoilers to A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder

You didn’t know Sal Singh, and he didn’t know you. You were two strangers that happened to go to the same school and be in the same grade. You guys never cross paths except making casual eye contact during passing periods, lunch, study hall, gym class, and volleyball games, but never anywhere else.

It was honestly weird that you never interacted with him, seeing how he was one of the most popular and liked boys in school. Even your friends have talked to him and are friends with his friends but not you. Sometimes you wonder why everyone liked him, especially since his girlfriend is the most hated person in the school. Maybe that was why you never spoke to him because Andie Bell is his girlfriend.

You had nothing against her, but you knew she was trouble. She leaked Nat da Silva’s nudes, bullied her sister, and if you weren’t wrong, from what you've seen, she is a cheater. That made you feel bad for Sal and anyone involved in her life.

2 Days before the murder.

Y/N pov

“So, are you going to Max’s party?” Elisha asked as she tossed the ball.

“Nah, staying home,” I shrugged and tossed the ball back to her.

Elisha frowns and gives the ball to the manager.

"Come on; you've never been to one of his parties," she whines.

“Smoking weed and binge drinking isn’t my thing,” I said. “Besides, I get bad vibes from him.”

Elisha rolled her eyes at me and went to ask the other girls.

I chuckled and looked over at our student section; many people were there. Mainly the boys are here to support their girlfriends. I continued to scan the benches until my eyes landed on a familiar pair of brown eyes. It was Sals. He was here with Max Hastings and Naomi Ward, but no Andie Bell in sight. Sal must have noticed me staring at him and his friends, so he smiled, causing me to look away immediately.

1 Day before the murder.

Today was weird. It has only been the 4th period, and I have already seen enough.

It was during lunchtime when everyone was eating in the cafeteria. I stayed behind in the study hall to finish a project when I decided to get a snack from the vending machine. The vending machine happens to be right across from Mr. Ward’s classroom. So imagine my surprised face when I was trying to buy a bag of Cheetos but overheard Mr. Ward and a student talking inappropriately. At first, I thought my ear was playing tricks on me because ain’t no way Mr. Ward was like that, so I assumed it was an affair with another teacher until I saw the person walking past me. It was Andie Bell.

After that, I couldn’t focus for the rest of the day. My mind was filled with so many questions. I often overheard from Andie’s friends that she was seeing an older man behind Sal’s back, but I didn’t think he was this old and someone close to me.

I walked out of history class confused and disgusted. I hope Naomi never finds out about this. I can already tell she dislikes Andie; imagine when she finds out about the inappropriate relationship between her dad and her best friend's girlfriend, she would be embarrassed.

I was making my way to my locker when I spotted Elisha and Max Hasting flirting in front of it. Great, now I have to deal with Hasting too? Can this day get any better?

“Y/N, Max and I were just talking about you!” Elisha says when she spots me coming towards them.

“And I was just talking to myself about how he is spreading STDs on my locker!” I exclaimed.

Elisha rolls her eyes playfully, and he smirks at me. How gross.

“Max was saying you should come to his party tomorrow!” She says while eyeing Max for his attention.

“Ahum, I rather not,” I said and started putting my books back into my locker.

“Why not?” Max asked. “Give it a try,” he said and nudged my arm playfully.

I shook my head and looked behind him to see Sal and Mr. Ward talking outside his classroom.

“Hey, does Mr. Ward tutor Sal?” I asked.

Max follows my eyes and turns around to see what I am looking at before looking back at me.

“Yeah, he’s helping him get into Yale; why?” Max asked.

“Does he only do it for him?” I asked, wondering if he was helping Andie too.

“Probably, he’ll help you if you ask him… kindly,” Max said, a little too flirty with the last word.

“Oh Nah, I don’t plan on going to Yale,” I said and was about to drag Elisha away from him until Max called Sal over.

Sal looked our way and immediately had a confused look on his face wondering why I was talking to Max. Everyone knew I never showed interest in anything Max had to say.

Sal says bye to Mr. Ward, and I watch as Ward sighs, more like a relief sigh, before walking back into his classroom.

“Hey,” Sal says when he reaches us. I awkwardly stood there, fidgeting with the string of my backpack.

“Elisha, let’s go,” I immediately said, trying to avoid being seen by Andie.

Sal and Max stare at me, and I glance at Max, who is smirking.

“Leaving too soon? Aren’t you going to ask Sal about his conversation with Mr. Ward?” Max asked.

I want to slap that smirk off of his face. Something about his face shouts annoying and disgusting.

“You were asking about me?” Sal asked, his voice noticeably surprised that I mentioned him.

“Ahum, I was just asking if Mr. Ward tutors you, that’s all,” I said and grabbed Elisha’s hand, who was refusing to go with me.

“Oh yeah, he does; he’s great at it,” Sal says with an innocent smile.

I nodded without saying a word and pulled Elisha with me.

“Gotta go,” I blurted out before anyone could further the conversation and rushed off.

“I’ll see you at the party tomorrow Max!” Elisha shouts back.

“Are you going alone?” I asked Elisha.

“Yeah, since someone decided not to go with me,” Elisha whines.

She then looks at me and gives me the puppy doll's eyes.

If only I knew going there was going to change my life forever.

The Day of Andie Bell’s murder

“Omg, Y/N! You look hot!” Elisha says as soon as she sees me walk out. I chuckle, trying not to be embarrassed that Elisha’s dress was too short for me. It was also tight, but she said that was the point of the dress; to make my curves stand out.

“You promise you won’t drink a lot, right? And we need to leave by 12:00,” I warned Elisha.

She nodded and saluted me before she started checking the inside of her purse. “Oh crap, I forgot my lipstick!” Elisha shouted before holding out one finger and rushing inside her house.

I checked myself on my snap and started recording my outfit before turning the camera so that everyone could see the moonlight; it was a full moon today.

I re-watched my snap and saved it before noticing someone else in the frame. Andie?

I saw her blonde locks bouncing on her shoulder as she walked on another side of the street and typed aggressively on her phone. Is she also going to the party, but why would she walk?

I then realized what neighborhood I was in. Naomi lives in this neighborhood, meaning Mr.Ward is also around here. Don’t tell me Andie is meeting him right now; that is gross and creepy.

I contemplated following her to see if she was going there, but I also had another person to take care of tonight.

“Okay, we got to go,” Elisha says excitedly, and we get into her mom’s car.

As we were driving down the street, I grabbed my phone and secretly recorded Andie, just in case she decided to pull another trick and leak somebody’s private info.

“What are you doing?” Elisha asked, wondering why I had my phone brightness on low and recording the window.

“Just recording the moon, eyes on the road!” I said.

8 minutes later.

We reached the party, but it was a little too crowded for me. A couple of the cheerleaders and football players were there, and a couple of people I recognized from school were there. Most of the girls had a drink in their hands, but it was weird that the guys didn’t because, usually, it was the opposite.

I looked at one of the guys I recognized as Jaime; I did not expect him to be there since he was always quiet. He must have noticed me staring because his face turned red, and he immediately got occupied with his phone. I chuckle, seeing how shy he is.

“Hey, you both came!!” Max shouted when we walked into the house. I almost gagged when I smelled a mixture of alcohol and weed. Gosh, how does Max get away with this?

“Wow, Max said as he was looking at me.” I glared at him and tugged at my dress to pull it down.

“You girls dressed up just for me,” he said excitedly. “You both deserve a drink.”

Elisha giggles and drags me along to follow Max into his kitchen.

Max started mixing two cups, and I looked around the kitchen. It was a pretty decent place, not big but not small either. It was also hard not to look at the couple making out on the counter since they hardly talked in class. I guess alcohol can do things to people.

“Here, one for you and one for you,” Max said, handing us our drink.

I watch as Max smirks when he stares at our cups, and I immediately nudge Elisha, enough to the point where she loses balance and her drink tips over.

“What the heck Y/N,” Elisha whines like the baby.

“Ops, I’m so clumsy,” I chuckled and decided to pour my drink down the drain. “Since you spilled your drink, it’s only fair for me not to drink,” I said.

“Nonsense, let me make you girls another drink,” Max suggested, and while he was preoccupied with that, I dragged Elisha away from him.

“What was that for?” Elisha asked angrily.

“I think Max was trying to drug us,” I whispered.

Elisha rolls her eyes. “You read too many murder novels; he’s a good guy.”

“No, you don’t understand,” I whispered. “The look in his eyes when he handed us those drinks,” I said.

Elisha refuses to believe me. “I am going to find Max and apologize to him that my best friend is a dumbass,” she says and walks away.

I hate when she does this.

I needed some fresh air, so I walked into Max's backyard, filled with two people smoking and two couples making out in the corner. I pulled out my phone and checked the time; we still had about an hour till we got to go back home, making things worse. I went and sat down on the bench that was a little away from everyone under a big oak tree. Surprisingly no one was occupying the bench; instead, they were standing around. Probably too drunk or high to notice it.

“I am not doing this with you anymore, Andie,” I heard someone say behind me, and I knew precisely to who the voice belonged.

It sounded like he was talking behind the trees.

“No, I can’t stand the drama. We have been over for almost a month, and I hate that you still tell people we are together.”

I can feel the frustration coming out of him. It was honestly a little sad how frustrated and angry he sounded. Imagine when he finds out that she is at Mr. Ward’s house. Hopefully, soon so that he won’t have to be caught up in her lies anymore.

“I am hanging up; I am not doing this with you right now.” He said, and I heard the beep sound followed by an exhale.

I bite my lips nervously, feeling like I had just invaded his personal life. It wasn’t like it was my fault that he was talking at the spot where I happened to be. If anything, it was his fault for talking outside where there were people.

I heard his foot moving; the dry autumn leaves making crunchy noise with every step he took. I heard it stop as it was coming near me and felt a presence behind me. It wasn’t a scary presence, though. He probably won’t know it was me; he was probably annoyed that someone had heard his conversation. Most likely, he will glare at me and walk away. He might also think I am a weirdo for listening to something priv-

“Y/N?” I heard the soft, yet deep voice says.

I- ok, I guess he did recognize me?

I turned and acted surprised to see him.

“Oh, hi, Sal,” I said awkwardly.

Sal stares at me, and he looks at my outfit.

“Can I sit?” He asked, looking down at the empty spot next to me.

I nodded, and Sal sat down, taking off his leather jacket and revealing the long black sleeve he wore.

He then placed the leather jacket on my lap, covering my legs.

“You looked cold,” he said. I nodded, realizing he wasn’t staring at my body but was staring at how I was shivering.

Sal started fidgeting with his hands, and I realized he was anxious, probably wondering if I had overheard his conversation with Andie.

“I won’t tell anyone,” I said while staring ahead. It was now only me, Sal, and a guy who was too high even to know he was in someone’s backyard.

“It’s not about that; I just don’t want you to think bad of me,” he says while playing with his hands.

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that; I already know how Andie is,” I said and checked to see if I had gotten any message from Elisha yet.

“Still..” he sighs and leans back on the bench.

He felt terrible for Andie and their break up. I am not a therapist or someone who knows everything about a relationship, but it is obvious that Sal wasn’t happy. The constant sighs when he sees Andie being rude to others, the continual argument when she sees him talk to his female friends, and the continuous turning away when he sees Andie walking towards him are clear signs that he is in a toxic relationship.

“Sal, I don’t think anyone would judge you if you break up with Andie,” I said, trying not to overstep my line. “I don’t know her personally, but from what I have seen, I am not a massive fan of her. She bullies others for pleasure; I mean, look what she did to poor Nat.” I said, clearly still angry about the situation.

“I don’t even know if I can call what we had a relationship because all we did was argue,” he chuckles and shakes his head while looking down at the ground.

I smiled and then reached for my phone; the time was up.

“Hey, I have to go check on my friend. We are supposed to leave,” I said while standing up and handing Sal his jacket back.

Sal stood up with me, and I now noticed our height difference. We were never this close. Never close enough to know how much taller he was, but today, we were close enough for me to realize that he was tall and for once I'll admit that Andie Bell had a taste when it comes to guys.

“I’ll walk you inside,” he said, looking slightly worried. I was sure he seemed hesitant about me walking around in my dress. Maybe he noticed those guys with us in the backyard; perhaps he saw their eyes lingering too long.

“Okay,” I said and was going to hand him his jacket, but he grabbed it out of my hand and put it on my shoulder.

We walked back into the house quietly; some people had already left, but most were still on the couch taking shots and smoking weed. I noticed Sal’s nose shifted slightly in disgust when he smelled the room. That was probably why he decided to stay outside.

“Have you seen Elisha?” I asked a girl I recognize from my Biology class. She looked between Sal and me, and I knew she would spread some rumor.

“I saw her a couple of seconds ago going upstairs with Max,” she said and started to drink from her cup before I snatched it out of her and threw it on the floor.

“What the fuc-“ she didn’t get to finish because I interrupted her.

“It’s drugged; I suggest you go home,” I told her and started running upstairs, followed by Sal.

“His room is over here,” Sal said and tried to open the door, but it was locked. “Max open the door right now!”

Sal banged on the door angrily before he lost patience and kicked open the door instead.

Max was on his knees while Elisha was on the bed; passed out. I ran over to Elisha, whereas Sal dragged Max by the collar. “Are you fucken kidding me, Max!”

I hurriedly pull Elisha’s underwear back on, trying to fight back the tears. I then checked on her pulse and let out a sigh of relief. She was ok; she didn’t overdose or anything. She also wasn’t bleeding, so I wasn’t too late, but still, I need to make sure she gets checked tomorrow…just in case.

“Get off of me Sal!” Max yelled while Sal continued to punch him. I gasped when I saw Max’s bruised face. “What the fuck were you thinking!”Sal yelled and was about to throw another punch when I called his name. Sal paused and turned to look at me; he then looked at Elisha before giving Max another decent punch.

“Please, Sal, I need your help,” I mumbled, trying my best not to look at the blood coming from Max’s mouth. Sal’s face seemed to calm down when he saw how frightened I was. He walked over to me, and I looked at his bruised hands. He then hugged me and laid his head on top of mine. “I am sorry for scaring you,” he said. We stayed like that for a couple of seconds before I whispered, “Elisha.”

Sal let go of me and went over to pick up Elisha in bridle style; she shifted a little causing me to be more relieved. I give Max the dirtiest look, warning him that I wasn’t finished with him yet.

After locating Elisha’s car key, Sal placed her in the back seat and covered her bottom up with the spare blanket in her car. He then got in the passenger seat while I prepared to drive. “I am calling the cops,” Sal says as he looks up at the window to Max’s room.

We drove to my place since it was closer, and I didn’t want Elisha’s parents to be mad at her. My parents were also away for the weekend coincidentally and won’t be back till tomorrow, so we got lucky.

“Thank you, Sal,” I said as I gripped the steering wheel.

Sal watched my hand and then looked back at Elisha. “I apologize; I must have wasted your time outside,” he said, guilt written on his face. “No, it’s my fault; I should’ve stayed by her side.”

“Max,” he exhaustedly sighs and put his hands on his face. “I thought he was my friend; I wouldn’t have hung with him if I knew; I promise I am not like that, Y/N. I didn’t know he would do such a disgusting thing. I can never forgive him for this.” He says angrily.

It is obvious that Sal didn’t know anything about this, and he thought I was secretly judging him since he had been friends with Max for a while. It also surprises me how much he cares about my opinions about him. “It is not your fault Sal.” I said.

5 minutes later.

We reached my house, and it was almost 1 in the morning. We didn’t reach the curfew as planned, but Max’s beat-up face was enough. Sal called the cops on our way back to my house, and several cops passed by us. Although they might put Max in jail for drinking, I knew we needed solid evidence that he would assault girls. That will have to wait till Elisha gets up.

Sal placed Elisha on the bed and I covered her with my blanket. She was safe now… I exhaled, finally relieved that we had made it back safely to my room.

“Thank you Sal.” I said, and he nodded.

Sal then awkwardly looks around my room and stares at the numerous books on my shelves and the posters on the wall. I saw a slight smile when his eyes fell on the Attack on Titan poster. “You must love reading,” Sal says.

“I do it in my free time.”

He nodded and followed me out of my room. I turn off the light and close the door. Sal pulled out his phone and caught a glimpse of the numerous text and missed calls from Andie. I saw the 1 hour ago near the message before he turned off his phone and sighed. He looked frustrated again.

“Someone told Andie that I got in the car with you,” he said and started walking down the stairs. I followed him.

“I’m sorry,” I said apologetically. It was already hard that she stopped him from breaking things off, but now I added fuel to the fire.

“Don’t be… maybe now she’ll get the hint on why I don’t like her,” he chuckles.

I nodded and followed him outside. “I would offer to take you home, but Elisha is alone.”

“Nah, my home is a couple of blocks away,” he shrugs.

“Oh really?” I acted surprised. I didn't want him to know I had seen him outside mowing the lawn with his brother on my way back from the grocery store.

“Yeah, thanks for listening to my pep talk today,” he said and scratched the nonexisting inch on the back of his neck. “No, thank you, Sal, for helping me.”

“If you need anything tomorrow with Elisha, holler at me. I live just a few blocks down,” he said and pointed down the street.

I nodded, and he smiled at me before awkwardly waving goodbye, and I watched him jog down the street.

The Day of the Interrogating

It was all over social media. Andrea Bell was missing. There was numerous post from her friends about how sad they were and what they were doing to look for her. There were also posts about theories on her missing. Some say she ran away for attention; some say she ran away with a guy; some say she was playing a prank, and worst, some say she was murdered. According to social media, police were interviewing people who might have seen her last night, but there was still no luck finding her.

“It was that son of a bitch, Max Hasting!” Elisha frustratedly yelled as she threw her pillow across the room. I glared at her and shook my head.

“Andie wasn’t there yesterday, and Sal called the cops when we were heading back, so if she were there, the cops would’ve seen her.”

Elisha bit her lips and tried not to throw another object across her messing room. This morning, when she woke up, she was confused. When she asked me why she was in my room, I told her everything that happened last night, causing her to ball her eyes out and cuss at herself. We then went to the emergency room, where she got checked, and luckily, the nurse said she has OK and nothing had happened to her last night. The nurse then suggested we go to the cops, and we did, but now they were too busy with Andie Bell to deal with Max Hasting.

“Elisha, should we go talk to Sal?” I asked.

“Why, do you think he has something to do with this?” she asked.

Immediately, I shook my head, knowing damn well Sal was not why Andie was missing.

“It's because they usually suspect the significant others first,” I said worriedly.

“Oh, your right!” Elisha says and jumps off her bed. “Come, we need to go and stand up for him!”

I nodded and watched as Elisha put on some lipstick and fixed her outfit before spraying herself with perfume.

“What?” She asked when she caught me staring at her in disbelief.

I shook my head and dragged her out of her room.

10 minutes later

We reached Sal’s house, and there were already three police cars. Damn, they beat me to it.

I knocked on their door, and a couple of seconds later, it swung open. There stood a boy who looked like Sal but was a little shorter than him. This must be Sal’s little brother, whom I saw a couple of years ago; he was all grown now.

“Can I help you?” He asked.

“Is Sal home?” I asked.

The boy just stared at me and nodded.

“He’s talking to the police right now,” the boy says and looks between Elisha and me.

“Oh, do you know when they’ll be done?” I asked.

The boy shrugged but opened the door for us and gestured for us to come in. “You guys can wait for him in the living room, but my parents are here too.”

Elisha and I awkwardly walked into the living room to see two worried adults sitting anxiously on the couch. When they noticed us, they were confused but stood up to shake our hands anyways.

“We are a friend of Sal,” I said. “My name is Y/N, and this is Elisha.”

They introduced themselves as Mohan and Nisha and asked us to sit down. I watched as Sal’s brother went to sit down next to his mom and held her shaking hand.

“Sal didn't do it,” I blurted out, and they all looked over at me. I gulped and tried my best not to make things awkward.

“He was with me last night.” Ok, that came out weird.

“I meant we saw each other at Max’s Hasting’s party, and he helped me get Elisha to my house, and then I watched Sal run home,” I said and watched as Nisha's muscles relaxed.

“I know our son didn't do it, but I doubt the cops believe that,” Mohan sighed. “It makes things worse that we are foreigners.”

I nodded, knowing where they were coming from. It was more convenient for people to blame darker skin tones than lighter ones.

“I can tell the cops,” I said. “I promise I'll have Sal’s back.”

Twenty minutes later, Sal and the cops finally came out of his room. Sal was surprised to see Elisha and me sitting in his living room. Whereas the cops were glaring at us.

“Sal was with Elisha and me last night, the time you guys wrote that Andie might have been kidnapped or murdered,” I said, glancing over at Sal at the mention of murder. It was obvious that it still affected him, although they weren’t dating anymore.

“His phone shows that he was on the phone with Andie last night, and she was calling and texting him several times.” The cop says, not precisely buying my story.

“I heard them talking on the phone at Max's house, but that was not even 12. Since you looked at his phone history, you would know. And she texted him and called him one hour before he left my house, so it must be during that time when he was at my home that something happened to her.” I said. Sal seemed to be glad that I was backing him up, but still, he didn’t want me to get involved.

“And how should we know that you’re not lying?” The cops continues to push.

“Because I have prove.” I smirked and pulled out my phone. I showed them the camera footage of Sal leaving my house around 1:45, and he was running down the opposite of Andie Bell’s street.

The cops noted that, and I bit my lips, wondering if I should tell them about another thing.

“For now, you’re off the hook,” the cops glared at me before he nodded his head at Sal and walked out.

What exactly is the cops problem?

“Thank you, Y/N,” Sal said, and I sat back down and made some space for him to sit.

“Well. What I said was all true,” I shrugged.

Mr. and Mrs. Singh smiled at me, and I watched as Sal’s brother’s eyes flickered between Sal and me.

“So…” the brother smirked. “What is going on between you two?” he asked, making sure to point precisely at Sal and me and not Elisha and Sal.

“What are you talking about?” Sal asked.

“Hmm, she said you were at her house past midnight, bro,”

“It was to help my drunk ass, sorry!” Elisha blurted out.

I looked over at her, relieved that she was kind of being honest and saving my butt.

“Have you tried calling Andie again?” Nisha asked Sal. He checked his phone and shook his head. “I tried several times, but she won’t answer.”

I can tell that he is blaming himself for this. In his mind, if he didn't miss Andie’s calls, they wouldn't be in this position.

“I’m sure they’ll find her,” I said and put a hand on his shoulder.

I felt Sal’s shoulder tense up from the unannounced contact, so I immediately pulled my hands away.

“I-I should get going,” I awkwardly said and stood up with Elisha.

“I'll walk you guys out,” Sal said. “And I’ll watch you guys out,” his brother smirked.

Sal glared at his brother before smiling at Elisha and me and following us to the door.

“I thank you for backing me up,” Sal said when we reached the door. “I'll see you at school.” He smiled.

“Okay,” I nodded, and we walked out of his house.

“Damn,” Elisha sighed.

“What?” I asked.

“I thought I had a chance but never mind,” she complains.

“What do you mean?”

“He likes you.”

The Day Sal’s Murder

It was all everyone could talk about. Where is Andie Bell? Is she dead? Did she get kidnapped? No one knew. The teachers tried to get everyone to act normal and pretend that their classmate wasn’t missing, but it was hard; this was high school.

I tried my best not to stare at him, but with everything going on, I couldn’t help it. Mr. Ward was acting weird. To the rest of the students, it may look like he was worried that a student was missing, but to me, it looked like he was scared instead of worrying. But what exactly was he scared of?

I looked back at Mr. Ward when everyone was rushing out of his class; he pulled out a drink he had never drunk in the classroom. I then walked out and scanned the hallways to see if Elisha or Sal was nearby, but they weren’t in sight; it also sucks that I didn’t have Sal’s number.

1 hour before Sal’s Murder

“Have you heard?” Elisha asked as she opened a bag of potato chips.

“Heard what?” I asked.

She leans in and whispers. “Everyone thinks it is Sal.”

I looked at her, confused. “Why would they think that?”

“Because his friends told the cops that he told them to lie about their alibis,” she said.

I stared at her. Why would they do that? Sal wasn’t even with Max at the party, and Naomi was nowhere in sight.

“That’s weird.” I said.

“I know. The cops suck ass.” She shrugged.

“Have you seen Sal?” I ask. She shook her head but paused, and her eyes widened. “Oh yeah, he and Mr. Ward was heading outside before I came to the cafeteria.”

“They what?” I asked nervously.

“I don’t know,” Elisha shrugged.

“We have to follow them,” I said and immediately gathered my stuff.

“What, that’s ditching, and you never do that,” Elisha gasped.

I glared at her before dragging her with me, causing her to drop her sandwich.

“I didn't want to tell you this because I didn’t think it was my business,” I said as we rushed into my car.

I shoved my phone to Elisha, and she looked down at it.

“Is that Andie?” Elisha asked.

“Yea, I saw her the night of the party. She was walking past your house angrily, and I saw her walking in Mr. Ward’s house while we drove past.”

“I thought she and Naomi hated each other,” Elisha says.

“No idiot, she was there to see Mr. Ward because they are having an affair!” I yelled at her.

Elisha gasped. “Oh my gosh, do you think?” I nodded, knowing exactly what she was going to ask.

“Something tells me he is going to do the exact thing to Sal,” I said.

“Hurry, we have to save him!”

Elisha and I drove as fast as we could, looking for Mr. Ward’s car. We went past his house, but his car wasn't there; we drove past Sal’s house, but his car wasn't there either.

“Now, what would be a perfect place to murder someone?” Elisha asked, and I shuddered at her question.

“Omg, the forest,” I gasp and hit the pedal.

Elisha called the cops as I sped through many stop signs and lights. Thank goodness there weren’t many people on the road since everyone was either at school or work.

“Ok, the cops will meet us here.” Elisha said when we reach the forest.

“Ok, let's go,” I said and got out my baseball bat while Elisha took out her pepper spray.

We jogged in the forest, where Mr. Ward’s car was parked near. “I hope we are not too late,” Elisha says.

I nodded and continued to run. All you can hear is our breathing and the sticks we stepped on.

We were nearly out of breath when we spotted two figures. Mr. Ward sat on the ground while Sal was on the floor with a bag on his head.

“What the fuck!” Elisha yelled, and we ran to them.

Mr. Ward immediately stood up and let go of Sal’s hand.

“What are you girls doing here?” Mr. Ward asked and looked back down at Sal.

“He was trying to suffocate him,” I growled and ran to Sal to untie the bag.

“It is not what you think, please,” Mr. Ward says.

“Oh, we know exactly what we saw!” Elisha screamed at him. “You’re a disgusting pig!”

“Sal!” I scream when I feel no pulse. I started doing chest compression on him, trying not to break down.

“Why would you even think of this?!” Elisha continues to scream at him.

“I had no choice; the cops would have arrested me.” Elliot Ward cried.

“Where is Andie?” Elisha asked.

Ward didn't answer.

I continued to do CPR on Sal, and just when I thought he didn’t make it, a loud gasp came out of him.

“Sal!” I cried and pulled him into a hug.

I heard two legs start running, which I knew belonged to Elliot Ward. “Shit,” Elisha murmured before she ran after him. It wasn’t long until I heard a group of people yells, “Stand down!”

“You’re okay,” I said and wiped my tears while looking at Sal’s expression. It was a mixture of shock and scared. He was still gripping my shirt as I moved his hair out of his face.

“Y/N, I-“ he paused. There it was; I pulled him into a hug as I felt him welp. He shook badly, holding on to me tightly like I would disappear if he let go. “You're ok now,” I continue to reassure him.

A couple of minutes later, the cops and the EMS workers came to us. The cops looked at the plastic bag on the ground and the drink that Elliot Ward previously took out in class. He then looked at Sal’s shaken form.

“Sal, you need to go to the hospital, and one of the cops will go with you,” the officer said.

I looked up at the officer, and it was the exact one interviewing Sal. Maybe now he’ll believe us.

“Y/N, I need to take you to the station and interview you,” he says.

I nodded, and we stood up.

Sal looked down at me and wiped the remaining tears from my eyes, and I did the same with his.

“Thank you,” he murmured.

35 minutes later

The cops stare at me as I explain what I saw and show them the video of Andie walking into Mr. Ward’s house.

“You didn't think to show me this the other day?” he asked.

“I wanted to see if Andie was going to show up the next day because it is obvious that you guys thought it was Sal,” I shrugged.

The officer glared at me and emailed the videos to the police station.

“Elliot Ward said he didn't kill Andie but did admit to the affair.”

I was taken aback by that comment. Did they still think it was Sal?

“Isn't it obvious that he did something to Andie and was trying to pin it on Sal?” I asked.

“That is what we are going with, but he keeps denying where she is,” the officer said and shook his head.

“He’ll probably come around,” I said...questioning my own words.

After the cops interviewed me, they told me Sal was no longer a suspect, which was a massive relief because I would be on the suspect list if they kept suspecting him.

Elisha was sitting in the waiting lounge with her parents and my parents. They all ran to me when I walked out.

“Are you ok?” My mom asked as she scanned my hands for any injuries. “I’m fine, mom,” I hugged them all.

“Ugh, I can’t believe these assholes want to interview me too,” Elisha whines when one of the officer motion her to follow him.

I gave her an apologetic look, but she was obviously happy to help.

5 weeks later

“I didn’t kill Andrea Bell.”

I replayed the line again. “I didn’t kill Andrea Bell.”

I replayed the line again. “I didn’t kill Andrea Bell.”

I kept replaying his words, but It still didn’t change my mind. Of course, everyone else believed he was lying, but why didn’t I?

It has officially been five weeks since Andie has been missing. Everyone was shocked when Stanley Forbes and the Fairview Police announced that Elliot Ward, the history teacher, was the cause of Andie’s death. Every little detail, including their affair, was released. The hate train went from Sal to Elliot Ward real quick. College applications, including Yale, were quickly sent to me, Sal, and Elisha. Elisha was incredibly stunned since her GPA was low, but she was happy to be given the opportunity.

Although everyone has decided that Elliot is the murderer and has hidden her body, something didn’t sit right with me. He admitted to everything, including his plan to kill Sal, but why would he deny murdering Andie, especially since that was the reason why they gave him a harsh sentence? The judge was going to make his sentencing lighter if he admitted to it, but he still denied it. Something tells me he isn’t lying, although it bothers me that I am torturing myself with that thought.

“Y/N! Sal is here!” I heard my mom call from downstairs.

I flip my laptop and put on my sneakers. I then turned to look at myself in the mirror. I was wearing a two-piece black dress with the black leather jacket that Sal let me borrow the night of Max’s party. It fitted me like a short dress, and I have kept it since.

“Ahum isn’t that a little too short,” my dad asked when I walked down the stairs.

“Oh, come on, you know Sal isn’t like that,” my mom playfully hits my dad’s arm, and he chuckles.

“Be back no later than 11,” my mom says, kissing me on the cheeks. I gave them both a hug and walked out of the house.

Sal was waiting for me outside with a bouquet of red roses.

“Wow,” was all he said, and I chuckled.

He then gives me the flowers before kissing my forehead.

“You look beautiful,” he whispers, knowing damn well my parents are eavesdropping on us.

“Thank you,” I said, and he intertwined our fingers before guiding me to his car.

The winter weather hit me when I felt the cold breeze touch my face and legs. Winter was coming fast, and time was moving extremely fast. I will graduate with my best friends soon and move to New Haven with them. Elisha is going there to study literature while Sal is going there for medical school, and I am going there for their law school. Everything will work out, and we will move past this.

“How did the interview with Yale go?” Sal asked while squeezing my hand. “I got in,” I smiled. I felt his hand relax against mine. He would’ve terminated his application if I didn’t get in with him.

“I am going to have a lawyer as my girlfriend,” he said and kissed the palm of my hands. I chuckled and looked at his neck. The scar was slowly fading away. My eyes went up a little higher, and I examined his features. He was more handsome than yesterday, but I wouldn’t tell him that. I don’t want him teasing me about it all night.

Sal stopped at a red light, and I looked out the window. We were close to Andie Bell’s and Elliot Ward’s neighborhoods. I bite my lower lips nervously and see two girls walking down the sidewalk. I recognized one of them: Naomi’s little sister, Cara Ward. She seemed ok, but she didn’t look happy either. I can’t imagine how she and Naomi felt when they were told their dad was a murderer. The whole school also treated them differently. Naomi didn’t go to school for a couple of weeks, and I heard from people that Cara was getting bullied. I don’t really know if Naomi is still friends with Sal. He mentioned that she apologized to him on behalf of her dad, and of course, he didn’t blame her, but Naomi still felt terrible. Also, after lying about her alibi, I doubt Sal wants anything to do with her, Max, Jake, and Millie.

We drove past the two girls, and I saw Cara’s friend. She looked around Cara’s age with brown hair, pale white skin, and muddy-green eyes. The girl must have noticed me too because when I looked in my side mirror, the mysterious girl was staring back at her.

We reached the restaurant, and Sal told me to stay put so he could rush over to my side to open the door for me. He was obsessed with that gesture.

“How is Ravi’s freshman year going?” I asked when we sat down.

“Oh, it’s going; he intends to slack off a little,” Sal shrugged.

“How does he feel about you moving away for college?” I asked.

“Begged me to take him,” Sal laughed. “I told him to finish high school with a good GPA first.”

“What is he wanting to do?” I question.

“Become a lawyer,” Sal said and nodded. “He said you are the reason why.”

I laughed at that. “No, he did not!”

As much as I find that comment amusing, Sal’s face didn't look amused. He was staring at me with deep eyes while rubbing my palm. Oh. I now remember five weeks ago when I rushed to see Sal in the hospital. The nurse told him that he would've died if I didn't arrive on time. I remembered Sal’s parents sobbing and thanking me for saving their son’s life. Ravi was on the other side, holding his brother’s hand. He stared at me with a thankful note written all over his face. Without a second thought, he blurted out, “I want to be you when I grow up.”

“I guess I am the reason why,” I muttered and smiled at Sal.

The waiter comes back with our drinks, and Sal starts placing our orders. I looked out the window and saw someone walking down the streets. I recognize the girl. It was Becca Bell. I examined her face; she looked healthy, normal, more normal than Cara and Naomi. Then I remembered what the police said; Becca Bell was the last to see Andie. Last to see Andie.

5 Years Later

I groaned when I heard the doorbell ringed. I checked the time, and it was 9:30 in the morning. Who in their right mind comes ringing someone’s doorbell this early on a Saturday morning? I looked over to my side; Sal was still dead asleep. He was probably tired from his 16 hours shift last night.

I put on one of Sal’s shirts, which fits me like a dress, and started walking down the stairs. I was still getting used to the new house. It was big, too big for two people, but Sal wanted a huge family, and with him being a doctor and me being a lawyer, we could afford it. Besides, the real estate was also Elisha’s dad. He was very persuasive and excited that Sal and I finally moved back to Fairview after four years of school and one year of working in New Haven. He was so excited that he showed us the best house and gave us a reasonable price so we wouldn’t want to move.

I looked at myself in the mirror and flattened my hair a little. I looked like a mess and would probably scare whoever was on the other side of the door, but it was their fault for coming this early. Maybe it was Ravi trying to convince me again that Sal and I should have our wedding in India.

I twisted my engagement ring, opened the door, and almost cussed out Ravi until I saw a girl standing before me. She had soft brown hair, pale white skin, and muddy-green eyes. She looked oddly familiar. The girl just stared at me as if her arrival was bad timing. She looked at me from head and toe, and I could assume what was going on in her head.

“I just woke up,” I said awkwardly.

She nodded, and I noticed the slight blush on her face.

“Can I help you with anything?” I asked.

“Are you F/N L/N?” She asked, and I nodded even though it seemed she already knew who I was.

“You are the new lawyer in town that everyone has been talking about,” she said with a smile.

“I just moved back, so I guess so” I shrugged.

“Are you the one that solved Andie Bell’s case five years ago?” she asked.

I paused to analyze the girl. Is this some prank that has been going around? Many people, particularly the ones obsessed with Andie Bell's case, were excited to have me back in town. Some of them might go a little overboard by sending a bunch of flowers or, like this one, showing up in front of my house to see if I'll be looking for the dead girl's body.

“Yea, I am that girl,” I said, and she noticed my tone changing.

She seemed satisfied with my answer, though, and smiled. “Let me introduce myself.”

I cross my arms and have my serious face on. The one that Sal never takes seriously but others would.

“My name is Pippa Fitz-Amobi, and I don't think Elliot Ward killed Andie Bell, and I think you know that, so I am here to prove that the killer is still out there.”

I froze. I did not expect that to come out of her mouth. I did not expect that to come out of anyone's mouth; I thought it was just a thought that would forever linger in my mind. But here stood this stranger who had the same thought as mine.

I thought back to a couple of months ago when I was going through my laptop to delete some stuff and landed on a file. A file I promised myself I would delete five years ago was telling me to open it. I did. Two hours later, I told Sal we should move back to Fairview since our family lives there.

I tried to convince myself that I had only moved back here to be closer to my family and Sal’s family, but deep down, I knew why I had come back. That was probably why one of my first stops was at the police station; I wanted to ask them to reopen Andie Bell’s case because I knew the thoughts would eat me up until I finished what I started. I needed it to end, but I also needed someone with the same thoughts as mine. And that person was here.

I smiled at the girl. “Nice to meet you, Pippa Fitz-Amobi; my name is F/N L/N, and you are correct. I also think the real murderer is still out there.”