Chapter 78 Missing.
NANCY'S POV
I swallowed hard then lowered my voice, hoping Vanessa would listen to reason instead of just blindly believing what she wanted to.
"Listen to me, Vanessa. I have absolutely nothing to do with Mason, and him breaking up with you wasn't my orchestration. It would have made sense if I asked him to, but I didn't."
"You can't just pin that on me."
"Who else should I pin it on?" She said hotly.
"Sure, you say you didn't ask him to break up with me, but you didn't stop him either!"
Okay, I had never come across someone so unreasonable.
I couldn't understand why Diana was so hell-bent on making me the villain of her story with Mason.
For a second, I contemplated telling her I had feelings for someone else, but upon second thought, I decided against that.
Already, I was standing on the edge of a cliff with Lily. It wouldn't do for Diana to start poking around, too.
Moreover, if Lily eventually ended up telling her about it, Vanessa would have conclusive proof that her words were true.
I didn't want that.
"I'm not responsible for what happened with your relationship. Stop blaming me for something that isn't my fault." I gritted out through clenched teeth, wishing she would just leave me alone.
"Of course you would say that," Her lips curled into the wane of a bitter smile.
She shook her head vehemently then stepped back from me, as if she couldn't stand being next to me anymore.
"I know women like you, always acting innocent. I bet that's how you were able to move Mason."
"Vanessa..."
She held a hand up, cutting me off. "Save it. "
I clamped my lips together then swallowed again, watching as she stared at me with a burning hot gaze.
It told me right then and there that there was nothing I could do to change her mind. She had already decided that I was the reason for everything, and my explanation, no matter how I phrased it, held no meaning to her.
Her gaze deepened on me for one last second, and then she whirled around and walked away.
I watched her leave with a strange, uneasy feeling crawling into my chest.
That night, I thought about it long and hard, then finally took a bold step.
I crawled out of my bed and quietly made my way down the hallway to Mr Landon's room.
He'd returned earlier today and had noted the unusual silence between Diana and me.
Although we had not previously talked about it, we both denied ignoring each other and even propped up fake smiles until he retired to his room.
Now, I stood before his door, debating my decision for just a moment before lifting my hands to knock.
He opened on the second knock, as though he had been standing close to the door all along.
"Nancy..." He called out, sounding like he had imagined it was someone else standing outside his door.
"Can I talk to you for a moment?" I muttered, fiddling with my fingers nervously.
He glanced at me without responding for about a minute, then stepped back so I could walk in.
I stepped in and remained silent for about a couple of minutes, and then...I spilled everything.
When I finished, he didn't speak for a long while, and when he finally did, he said, "I'll take care of it."
I wasn't sure what that meant, and I didn't ask either.
The next morning, the atmosphere at school struck me differently.
The feeling I felt was similar to the one I'd felt the morning my Dad had announced I was to get married to Mr Hudson.
There was a gloom in the air that I couldn't interpret, and the unusual huddling of students in groups told me something was wrong.
I walked into my faculty building, noting how almost everyone was on their phone and the silent whispers that suggested that something huge had happened.
My brows creased slightly, but I continued moving forward, albeit curious about what was going on.
"...Since yesterday?"
"Yes, I heard no one has heard from her for about two days now..."
"Her parents have searched everywhere."
The last speaker made me pause.
Her?
Who were they talking about?
A bad feeling hit me, and I found myself slowing my steps down so I could listen more clearly.
"What do you think could have happened to her?" Another voice rose within the group of females I was closest to.
Just as I moved to ask them what was going on, I heard the sound of my name.
"Nancy."
Slowly, I turned around, surprised.
"Diana."
For a second, I didn't know how to react, and I just stared at her, astonished that she was addressing me.
Today marked a few days since she began ignoring me, and I had thought it would last a couple more days, but here she was, standing right in front of me and looking like she had something to say to me.
A small smile cracked on the edge of my lips in relief, and I took a step closer in her direction.
She moved, even faster than I did, closing the distance between us.
When she reached me, I didn't speak and waited for her to talk first.
She stared at me longer, then her lips parted, "I need to ask you something?"
The smile that had barely formed on my lips waned. I pressed my lips together then nodded, watching her face carefully.
Her expression wasn't soft, and it looked more like she had approached me for a particular reason rather than a willingness to talk to me, and the hope that had bloomed in my chest was snuffed out like a spark of fire by a heavy rainfall.
"Yeah, anything..." I said.
I thought of multiple things Diana could have told me, but neither of them prepared me for what she actually wanted to say.
Without any preamble, she said, "Lily is missing."