Chapter 27: Standing Tall

Jamie couldn't sleep that night. The text from Ryan kept him awake, along with worry about Elliot. Was it another trap? Or did Ryan really have information that could help protect Elliot?

When morning came, Jamie was already dressed and ready to go back to the hospital. His mom drove him, her face tight with worry.

"I heard about what happened at the dance," she said. "The whole town is talking about it. That coach should never work with kids again."

Jamie nodded, watching the streets pass by. Last night felt like a bad dream, but the texts on his phone showed it was all real.

At the hospital, he found Elliot sitting up in bed, looking much better. The color had returned to their faces, and they were eating breakfast.

"Jamie!" Elliot's face lit up. "You came."

"Of course I did," Jamie said, sitting on the edge of the bed. He gave Elliot a small gift bag. "I brought you something."

Inside was a silver star charm on a chain. "It reminded me of our painting," Jamie explained. "'Resilience,' remember?"

Elliot's eyes filled with tears as they put on the necklace. "I love it."

For a while, they talked about everything except what had happened. Jamie told funny stories to make Elliot laugh, and they watched a movie on the tiny hospital TV.

But Jamie couldn't forget the text from Ryan. When visiting hours were almost over, he had to decide what to do.

"You look worried," Elliot said, squeezing his hand. "What's wrong?"

Jamie showed them Ryan's message. "I don't know if I should go."

Elliot frowned. "It feels like a trap. But if Alex is planning something..."

"I have to check it out," Jamie decided. "But I won't go alone. I'll ask Megan to come with me."

Before Elliot could answer, the hospital room door opened. Principal Garcia walked in, looking tired but determined.

"How are you feeling, Elliot?" he asked.

"Much better," Elliot said. "The doctor says I can go home tomorrow."

The headmaster nodded, then turned to Jamie. "I wanted to thank you for your quick thinking last night. If you hadn't exposed what happened, we might not have known what drugs were in Elliot's system."

"Is Coach Wilson still in jail?" Jamie asked.

"Yes," Principal Garcia verified. "And he's been fired, of course. But that's not all I came to tell you." He pulled out his phone. "This was sent to all the school staff this morning."

It was a movie. In it, Ryan stood with Coach Wilson near the punch table. They were talking quietly, and then the coach slipped something into a cup while Ryan pointed across the room, distracting Elliot.

Jamie's blood boiled. "Ryan was in on it! He lied to everyone!"

"The police have picked him up for questioning," Principal Garcia said. "But there's something else. We found these in Ryan's locker."

He showed them a photo of several small bags holding white powder.

"What is that?" Elliot asked.

"The police think it's drugs he was planning to sell," the principal explained. "He's in serious trouble."

Jamie's phone buzzed with a new text. It was from Ryan's number: "Still meeting at noon? Time's running out."

"Ryan doesn't have his phone," Jamie realized. "The police took it. This has to be from Alex!"

Principal Garcia immediately called the cops. "We need to set a trap," he said. "If Alex shows up at that bridge thinking you'll be there alone..."

Jamie nodded. "I'll help. For Elliot's sake."

"No way," Elliot argued. "It's too dangerous!"

"I'll be surrounded by police," Jamie told them. "This might be our only chance to stop Alex for good."

At 11:45, Jamie neared the old bridge alone. It ran across the river at the edge of town, rarely used since the new highway was built. The right spot for an ambush.

What Alex didn't know was that police cops were hidden in the trees nearby. Principal Garcia and two officers watched from an unmarked car parked down the road.

Jamie's heart pounded as he walked onto the bridge. The wooden planks creaked under his feet. The river rushed below, swollen from recent rains.

"Ryan?" he called out, pretending to follow the directions.

No answer came. Jamie walked to the middle of the bridge and checked his watch. Twelve o'clock exactly.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned to see not Alex, but Derek Reynolds walking toward him.

"Derek?" Jamie was confused. "What are you doing here?"

Derek looked nervous, looking around. "Ryan didn't send that text. Neither did Alex."

"Then who did?"

"I did," Derek confirmed. "I needed to talk to you away from everyone else."

Jamie tensed. Were the cops watching? Could they hear what was happening?

"Talk about what?"

"Alex is at your house right now," Derek said, his voice shaking. "Looking for something to use against you."

Jamie's blood ran cold. "My house? My mom is there!"

"That's why I had to warn you," Derek said. "I didn't know what he was planning until last night. He wants revenge on everyone—you, Elliot, even me for telling on his dad."

Jamie pulled out his phone to call home, but there was no service on the bridge. He started to run back toward the road.

"Wait!" Derek called after him. "There's more!"

But Jamie couldn't wait. He sprinted off the bridge, waving frantically at the police car. Principal Garcia rolled down the window.

"Alex is at my house!" Jamie gasped. "My mom's there alone!"

The detectives immediately called for help, but Jamie couldn't stand still. Without waiting for them, he jumped into Principal Garcia's car.

"Please," he begged. "We have to go now!"

They sped through town, sirens screaming. Jamie tried calling home again and again, but no one answered.

When they finally reached his street, Jamie's heart nearly stopped. Three police cars were already there, lights flashing. An ambulance was parked in his yard.

"No," Jamie whispered, jumping out before the car fully stopped.

He ran toward his house, but a police officer blocked his way. "You can't go in there, son."

"That's my house!" Jamie yelled. "My mom's inside!"

Just then, paramedics exited from the front door with someone on a stretcher. Jamie pushed past the cop, desperate to see who it was.

But it wasn't his mom on the bed.

It was Alex Wilson. His face was pale, a stark contrast to the dark blood soaking his shirt.

Jamie's mom followed behind, talking to a police officer. When she saw Jamie, she ran to him, pulling him into a tight hug.

"Mom! What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she told him. "Alex broke in through the back door. He had a knife, but..." She paused. "I had your father's baseball bat."

Jamie stared at her in shock. His quiet, gentle mother had protected herself against Alex.

"Is he...?"

"He'll live," his mom said sadly. "Though I can't say I'd be heartbroken if he didn't."

A detective approached them. "Mrs. Carter, we'll need you to come to the station to give a statement."

She nodded. "Of course."

As they walked toward the police car, Jamie's phone rang. It was Elliot.

"Jamie! Are you okay? The hospital just got a call about Alex being brought in!"

"I'm fine," Jamie told them. "It's a long story. I'll come back to the hospital and tell you everything."

But before he could say goodbye, the officer tapped his shoulder.

"Jamie Carter? We found something you should see."

He led Jamie back to the house and into his bedroom. The place had been torn apart—drawers emptied, books thrown from shelves.

"Alex was looking for something specific," the detective explained, pointing to Jamie's desk. "And we think he found it."

On the desk was Jamie's diary, open to a page with a picture of Elliot taped to it. Written in red ink across the page were the words:

"FOUND WHAT I NEEDED. THIS ISN'T OVER."

And below that, chillingly:

"CHECK YOUR EMAIL."

Jamie's laptop sat open beside the book. With shaking hands, he clicked on his email.

There was one new message from an unknown address. The subject line read: "EVERYONE WILL KNOW BY MORNING."

Jamie clicked it open, and his world fell around him.