chapter twenty-three: floor confession

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After Stu left (that was before Adora's father could even know he had been there) the three girls sat down in the kitchen with their breakfasts. Adora was more going through her corn flakes with her spoon, than actually eating it.

"Sidney Prescott and Adora Riley, two teenage girls who escaped a vicious attack last night. Adora Riley, was the only survivor at the accident happening at the Becker house a few nights ago, where 17-year-old Casey Becker tragically died, the murderer still unknown. While Sidney is the daughter of Maureen Prescott who was brutally killed last year by convicted murderer Cotton Weary broke into their home and savagely raped and tortured the deceased. Cotton Weary is now awaiting an appeal for the death sentence handed down by young Sidney after she testified against him. She was the key witness in the state's case against-" Mrs. Riley quickly switched off the TV when she walked into the kitchen with her oldest son.

"It's never going to stop is it?" Sidney asked the others, putting down her French toast, her appetite lost when she heard about her mother's horrible death once more.

"Billy was released. His cellular phone bill was clean. He didn't make those calls. We are checking every cellular account in the country. Any calls made to you two or Casey Becker are being cross-referenced. It's gonna take some time, but we'll find him." Dewey spoke as he sat down next to his daughter with his donut.

He wanted to keep the girls updated on everything the police were doing to help them and what they were doing to find the person who kept attacking them. But Adora had already know Billy had been realised. He had spent the night after all.

"I think-, um, I'm just gonna get ready for school." Adora spoke, excusing herself from the table and walked out of the room, but as soon as she was out of sight, she pressed her back against the wall, taking a deep and long breath.

"Hey, you okay?" Tatum asked and Adora hadn't even noticed her cousin following her out of the kitchen.

"Yeah, I'm okay." Adora gave the blonde a small but appreciated smile.

Tatum sat down next to Adora, Adora's fingers nervously twisting the hem of her shirt as she struggled with the words. Tatum took a deep breath before speaking.

"Adora, there's something I need to tell you," Tatum started, her eyes avoiding Adora's for a moment. "I... I broke up with Stu." She said, knowing that Stu wasn't going to do it anyways, so she decided to take matters in her own hands.

Adora turned to face her cousin, surprised. "What? Why?"

Tatum hesitated, her lips pressed into a thin line before she finally met Adora's gaze. "Because he likes you, Adora. And I can't compete with that. I don't want to compete with that because we were just together for fun anyway." She paused, giving Adora to let the weight of her words sink in. "I want you two to be together. I can see it, and I just want you to know I'm okay with it. I have my eyes on someone else anyway. There's this guy on the football team, he asked me out. His name is Alex."

"Tate, I can't just date your ex." Adora spoke, immediately. "That will be so weird."

"But you used to have a crush on him, didn't you?" Tatum raised her eyebrow.

Adora hesitated, her cheeks flushing slightly as she looked away. "I did," she admitted quietly. "But that was a long time ago, Tatum. Things are... different now. I was a kid."

Tatum's expression softened as she placed a hand on her cousin's shoulder. "I get it, I really do. It's not like I'm pushing you into anything. I just want you to know that I'm not holding anything against you, and if you feel the same way about him... well, you should do something about it."

Adora felt the weight of Tatum's words. She knew her cousin was being sincere, but the idea of dating Stu—especially now—felt strange, especially given everything that had happened.

"I don't know if I feel the same way anymore." Adora murmured, chewing on her lower lip. "I mean, things with Stu were complicated back than. And with everything happening right now, I just don't know if it's the right time." Tatum was right, she had had a crush on Stu, but she always kept her feelings hidden, not wanting to screw up their friendship.

Tatum nodded understandingly. "I know. It's just... I wanted to tell you because I care about you, Adora. And I don't want you to feel like you're stepping on anyone's toes."

Adora gave her cousin a small, grateful smile. "Thanks, Tate. I appreciate that."

Tatum returned the smile, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. "No problem. Just... take your time with it. Whatever happens, I'm always here for you, okay?"

Adora nodded, feeling a mixture of emotions. "Yeah. I'm glad you told me." She took a deep breath, trying to shake off the weirdness of the conversation. "I guess, for now, I just need to focus on... everything else."

"Yeah," Tatum agreed, her voice light. "But hey, you're not alone in any of this. We've got each other." The girl spoke before standing up. "Oh, is it a bad time to mention I told Stu you would talk to him about this after school?"

"Tate!" Adora whispered-yelled. "Please tell me you didn't!"

"Sorry, cousin. Gotta get ready for school." Tatum shrugged.

Adora let out an exasperated sigh, her shoulders slumping as she stared at her cousin, who was already casually walking toward the stairs. "Tatum, tell me you didn't!" She called after her, but Tatum was already halfway down the hall.

"You'll thank me later!" Tatum called back with a wink, clearly very pleased with herself.

Adora rubbed her face with both hands, the weight of the morning settling in. Her thoughts were a mess, her head spinning with everything that had happened, from the terrifying phone call the night before and now, on top of all of that, Tatum had gone ahead and told Stu that Adora would talk to him after school, even though the whole thing was out of the blue.

"I swear..." Adora muttered under her breath, standing there for a moment in the hallway, trying to collect herself. She had just walked away from the table where her dad and grandmother were still discussing the ongoing investigation.

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Be sure to comment and vote if you want. I love reading them and your support keeps me so motivated!

Okay last chapter for today, but it's weird how motivated I've been for this book lately. I love it <3

Katherine x

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WORDS: 1159

REPOSTED: THURSDAY APRIL 3, 2025

REWRITTEN: THURSDAY APRIL 3, 2025