Page 124 of The Ruse

I slippedBailee’s journal back into my duffel bag when I was done reading, and then pulled out my phone to text Elyse. I needed to talk to someone about this.

Me:Just finished reading Bailee’s journal.

Her text came through a few seconds later, like she’d been waiting for it ever since I left the school.

Elyse:Yeah? How are you?

Me:I’m fine. It’s just so weird. It was like I was reading the journal of someone I didn’t even know.

Bailee had always seemed so different in real life. Like nothing could hurt her. Like she could rule the world someday.

The girl who’d written those journal entries was much more human than the girl I thought I’d known.

The version of Bailee that I’d seen just laughed at everything. Hadn’t seemed to take anything seriously. Life was just a big game to her.

But this girl, who was the real Bailee, had felt things way more intensely than I’d ever guess. This Bailee had feelings so strong that she’d done crazy things to protect them from getting out.

No wonder she always kept everyone at arm’s length.

Elyse:I’m sorry. I know how close you thought you were.

“Thought we were” being the keywords. We hadn’t actually been close at all.

Not with the things that mattered, anyway.

And to think I’d thought that I loved her. I hadn’t evenknownher.

Me:It’s okay. I’m just thankful you found it and that we might have a way to find her. Not sure what will happen next, but it’s good to have some of the mystery solved.

She had been able to stay off the radar because no one had expected her to be with Professor Hicks. But now that we knew who had helped her disappear, it would be easier to find her.

Elyse:Are you going to give the journal to the police?

Me:I’ll mail it to her parents tomorrow and let them decide what to do with it.

Her parents had tons of connections. I’d leave it up to them on whether they wanted to get the police involved. On whether they were going to press charges like Bailee thought they would.

I just hoped that when all was said and done, Bailee and her baby would be okay.

36

ELYSE

I finished packingup my dorm room. After taking the rest of my things to my new bedroom on the second story of Brendon’s house, I decided that now was probably the right time to talk to Nash and tell him what I’d realized this afternoon.

A huge part of me wanted to just text him and tell him I only wanted to be friends—hoping a text would suffice since we weren’t officially girlfriend and boyfriend yet… But I wanted us to still be friends after this, so I needed to pull up my big-girl pants and do this in person.

After texting to make sure he was home, I walked next door and knocked.

When he answered the door, a hint of trepidation was written on his face—almost like he had an idea of what was coming.

“Wanna talk in the library?” Nash asked in a stilted voice after inviting me in. “I don’t think anyone’s in there.”

“Sure,” I said, my stomach twisting with nerves. “That would be great.”

“Do you want anything to drink?” he asked as we walked down the large corridor with marble flooring and high ceilings.

“No thanks.”

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