Max's investigation
Chapter 27:
Max paced his small dorm room, the dim glow of his desk lamp casting long shadows across the walls. His mind replayed the scene in the quad—the tension between Oliver and Emily, the cryptic way Oliver spoke, the look in Emily's eyes.
Something wasn't adding up.
He sat at his desk, flipping open his laptop. If Oliver was hiding something, there had to be a way to figure it out. And Max was done standing on the sidelines.
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Digging into the Past
Max started with a simple search: Ethan Greene, hospital incident.
A handful of results popped up. Most were vague mentions of a fight between two students at Emily's old high school. But one article caught his attention:
"Teen Hospitalized After Altercation at Westfield High."
Max clicked on the link. The article was short, but the details were chilling. Ethan had been found unconscious near the school's football field, severely injured. Witnesses claimed he'd been arguing with another student—though no names were mentioned—and the police had ruled it a case of "mutual combat."
Max frowned. That sounded like a convenient way to bury the truth.
He leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair. Ethan had been obsessed with Emily, Oliver had fought him, and now someone was digging all of this back up. But why?
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A Visit to the Archives
Max decided he needed more. The school archives might hold some answers. He pulled on a jacket and headed for the campus library, determined to dig deeper.
The library was nearly empty, its rows of bookshelves stretching into quiet solitude. Max approached the front desk, where a tired-looking librarian raised an eyebrow at him.
"Can I help you?"
"I need access to old student records," Max said. "From about five years ago."
The librarian frowned. "Those records aren't open to the public."
Max forced a smile. "I'm working on a research project for my psychology class. It's about patterns of aggression in adolescents. The information won't leave this building, I promise."
The librarian hesitated, then sighed. "Fine. But I'll need your student ID."
Max handed it over, feeling a flicker of relief as she disappeared into the back room.
A few minutes later, she returned with a dusty folder. "You've got an hour," she said, handing it to him.
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A Disturbing Discovery
Max found a quiet corner and opened the folder. Inside were disciplinary records, teacher notes, and incident reports. As he flipped through the pages, a pattern began to emerge.
Ethan hadn't just been a quiet, awkward kid. He'd been flagged multiple times for concerning behavior—following female students, sending them unwanted notes, even showing up uninvited to their homes.
One name appeared in nearly every report: Emily Carter.
Max's stomach turned. Ethan had been fixated on Emily for years, and no one had done anything to stop it.
The final report in the folder was the most chilling: a detailed account of the fight that landed Ethan in the hospital. It mentioned Oliver by name, describing how he'd confronted Ethan after finding a notebook filled with disturbing entries about Emily. The fight had turned violent when Ethan refused to back down.
Max closed the folder, his hands shaking. Oliver had been telling the truth. But there was something else—something the report didn't explain.
Why was this all coming back now?
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Confronting the Present
As Max left the library, his phone buzzed with a text from Sarah:
"Hey, you okay? Haven't heard from you all day."
He hesitated before typing back: "I'm fine. Just trying to figure some things out."
Her response came quickly: "Emily's been acting weird. I think she's hiding something. Can we talk?"
Max frowned. Emily wasn't just hiding something—she was in the middle of something dangerous.
"Meet me at the café," he replied. "We need to talk."
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A Meeting of Minds
Sarah was already waiting when Max arrived, her arms crossed and her expression tense.
"What's going on?" she demanded as he slid into the seat across from her.
Max hesitated, unsure how much to share. Finally, he said, "I've been looking into some things. About Oliver. About Emily's past."
Sarah's eyes widened. "And?"
"It's worse than we thought," Max said, lowering his voice. "There was this guy, Ethan, back in high school. He was obsessed with Emily. Oliver fought him to protect her, and Ethan ended up in the hospital."
Sarah's face paled. "What? Emily never mentioned any of that."
"She doesn't know," Max said. "Oliver kept it from her. But now it's all resurfacing, and I think someone's trying to use it against her."
Sarah leaned back in her chair, her expression troubled. "Who?"
Max shook his head. "I don't know yet. But I'm going to find out."
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A Shadowed Warning
As they left the café, Max's phone buzzed again. He pulled it out, expecting another message from Sarah or Emily.
Instead, it was an unknown number.
Unknown Number: Stop digging. You don't know what you're getting into.
Max's heart skipped a beat.
"What is it?" Sarah asked, noticing his expression.
He showed her the message, his jaw tightening.
"Who's sending these?" she asked, her voice hushed.
"I don't know," Max said. "But whoever it is, they're watching us."
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A Silent Resolve
That night, Max sat in his dorm, staring at his phone. He thought about calling Emily, about telling her everything he'd found. But he hesitated.
She was already dealing with so much. Adding to her stress might only make things worse.
Instead, he typed out a simple message: "Be careful, Emily. Call me if you need anything."
As he hit send, a chill ran down his spine. He had the distinct feeling that whatever was coming next, it wouldn't be easy to stop.
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