I refused to tell anyone about the note out of fear of causing paranoia. It was one thing to assume this man was here to stay and knew my secret, but it was only an assumption. If he had no proof all of his threats were empty and meant nothing.

And after that weekend he disappeared, like he had never been here at all.

I kept an eye out but to no avail never spotted him. It was almost an obsession, looking for him, but my search was left in confusion. How could he appear and disappear so easily? And how could he make me feel so crazy without doing anything?

And on top of it all, Megan could tell there was something up, but for some reason I couldn't tell her the truth.

Eventually it was Friday and the last full week of classes was coming to an end. Yet the atmosphere at school felt weirder than ever. It felt as if the floor was threatening to collapse, and my paranoia had peeked. I was convinced it couldn't get any worse, but it managed to do so by the end of the day.

It was when Blair and I were making our way towards Megan's class when we heard two girls gossiping in front of us.

"Guess what I heard today," one of them teased.

"What?"

"Apparently there's a teacher-student affair going on."

Suddenly my heart stopped in my chest.

"No way," the other stated in disbelief. "Who?"

"No clue, but I bet it's that new teacher. Miss Adams. I mean come on, things were normal until she got here."

Blair pulled me aside while I rested against the wall for support. This couldn't be happening. Not so close to the end. How in the hell could this rumor already be infesting Baldwin High? I found it was hard to breathe.

"Sam what the hell?" she asked.

I shook my head in disbelief. "I don't know."

She looked around cautiously before continuing. "You need to talk to Megan, ASAP."

"I can't," I countered. "She'll freak out."

"Well you can't not tell her!"

I threw my hands up. "I don't even know what to say!"

Blair pulled me in between the lockers and checked for privacy. "Do you know who could've started this?"

Instantly the creep came to mind, but how could he start a rumor at my school? That was impossible, right?

"I-I don't know," I lied.

That's when the tardy bell rang, letting me know I was late for Megan's class.

Blair looked at me with worried eyes. "Just... lemme know if anything weird happens."

I just nodded before making my way to Megan's class in a daze. It wasn't until she opened the door to her room that I was pulled back into reality.

She stepped outside and shut the door behind her. "Mr. Vincent caught two of his students passing notes about a teacher-student affair rumor."

So she had heard.

"I've heard."

"Do you think it's coincidental?"

My heart was pounding so hard I was convinced she could hear. She could always tell when I lied.

I shook my head. "I don't know."

She crossed her arms. "Sam..."

"All we have to do is make it through finals week. Four more days and that's it," I reassured, but I could taste the worry on my tongue and she could tell I was nervous.

She sighed. "We'll keep distance."

All I could do was nod in pain, knowing this would be for the best. If we didn't take precautions things could go south fast, and the last thing I wanted to do was ruin Megan's career.

Unfortunately, I had a feeling I knew who was responsible, and that the only way to rid my life of this pest was to find, catch, and get rid of them myself.

* * *

That weekend I planned on staying home and doing nothing, but Blair refused to let me. She knew I was upset and worried about the rumor, but she still didn't know about the note. I knew deep down staying secluded in my house was the safest way to go about it, but it wouldn't help me find him, which was vital to me figuring out what he wanted.

It was Saturday night and Blair and I were heading over to Emma's for her birthday party. Honestly it was the last place I wanted to be, but I couldn't go to Megan's and I had been forced out of my house. I considered this my last option.

"Did you talk to Megan yesterday?" Blair asked.

"Yeah," I answered. "She heard the rumor before I could tell her. We agreed to keep our distance until graduation."

She stared at me. "Are you okay with that?"

"I don't really have a choice."

She fell silent but knew I was right. Of course, a stupid rumor wasn't enough to keep me away from Megan, it was that man. He was around. I could feel him near, like he was breathing down my back waiting for me to slip up and catch me. I couldn't let him win.

We pulled up on Emma's street and I parked as close as possible but there seemed to be a million cars. Jesus, how big was this party?

"I feel like the entire school is here," Blair assessed.

"Great."

We walked into the house and I concluded that the entire Baldwin High population was in fact here. There were people everywhere, some of which I didn't even recognize.

"Did she really invite freshmen?"

I recognized them. "It's just her softball crew."

"You think Shay's here?" Blair wondered.

"I hope not."

The familiar feeling of loneliness surrounded me, even when there were a million people here. None of them really meant anything to me except Blair, so why was I here? Having fun now seemed like a task that was only achievable by getting drunk.

"Sam," a voice called behind me.

I turned and came face to face with Emma, who seemed a little tipsy but not quite drunk.

"Hey," I answered. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks." She moved closer. "I'm surprised you came. I feel like I haven't seen you out in months."

"You've been looking for me?"

Glossy brown eyes fell from mine as she swirled her cup. "Maybe."

I could feel this conversation getting too serious, so I broke the tension. "I'm gonna grab me a drink."

"Want me to fix you one like last time?"

I laughed. "No. That drink was a killer and I'm not looking to get wasted."

She followed me to the kitchen and kept me company, which was nice of her. Even though she was nothing compared to Megan I could tell there were still feelings, at least on her end. I knew treading carefully would be necessary so I didn't screw up tonight.

We stayed in the kitchen and away from most people until Blair, Eric and a few other kids from our class found us. I could tell Blair was curious as to why we were secluded but I assured her nothing had happened.

"So Em," Eric started. "Where's Jeremy? Thought you two worked everything out?"

"Screw Jeremy," she jabbed, taking a sip from her drink.

"What happened?" Blair wondered.

I was out of the loop but in the moment I didn't care. The gossip was a good distraction, and I was praying Blair would be ready to leave soon.

"He hooked up with some girl last weekend." I could hear the pain in her voice. "But I should've known not to expect him to change."

I sipped my drink. "Guys are pigs."

"Hey! Not all of us are like that," Eric defended.

"Sorry," I teased. "Didn't mean to generalize."

Eric rolled his eyes at me. "Well, you know what they say... The best way to get over somebody is to get under somebody."

This time Emma laughed. "Eric, shut up."

"I'm serious!" He then looked over to me. "And I bet Sam would be willing to help you out."

I knew I should've left right then and there but Blair didn't seem ready to go and everyone was really tipsy. And the last thing I wanted to do was be a mood killer.

"I don't think that's a good idea," I defended.

"Oh come on, Sam," he coaxed.

"Eric, it's not funny," Emma defended.

By this time the only people who remained in the kitchen were me, Eric, Emma, Blair and two other people. I prayed no one remembered this conversation by tomorrow morning.

Eric moved over to Emma and draped his arm around her shoulders. "Look at her. She looks pitiful, and it's her birthday. Did you even get her a present?"

Everyone found this funny except for me, Blair and Emma.

"I'll give both of you twenty bucks if you two kiss," he said.

"Yeah right," Emma challenged.

He whipped out two bills and put them on the table. "I'm dead serious."

I leaned on the counter. "Like I said, guys are pigs."

"I'm just trying to help you two out."

"Well it's weird," Emma stated.

"Emma don't even try to act like you haven't been talking about Sam since you two broke up," Eric revealed.

Things were getting weird and it was because Eric was more drunk than I had assumed. There was a moment that I thought about kissing Emma just to shut them up, but the thought of kissing anyone but Megan made my stomach churn.

"It's just one kiss," Eric continued.

By this time the other three guys were joining in and I was growing annoyed. Emma seemed embarrassed that I didn't want to kiss her, which made me feel bad because it was her birthday. Blair was throwing me uneasy looks and all I could do was think about Megan.

But no one in this room would start a rumor about us, and the last thing I wanted to do was embarrass Emma.

I put my cup down. "Fine."

Then I moved in and cupped Emma's face, bringing our lips together. It felt empty, like writing your name at the top of a test. Something that I've done countless times before that gave me no satisfaction whatsoever.

I pulled away just in time to spot Shay leaning against the wall near the fridge. Suddenly everything was cold.

"Happy birthday," I stated.

Then I left without another word or my twenty bucks. I just wanted to get out of here.

Blair caught me outside of the kitchen first. "Are you really leaving?"

"Yes," I claimed. "I didn't wanna be here in the first place."

She could see the pain in my eyes, which then probably led her to feel bad for making me come out. I knew her intentions were good, but tonight had sucked and now I felt dirty. I shouldn't have kissed Emma, and now Shay knew and would probably tell everyone.

"Just... text me when you get home," she squeezed my hand. "I'm sorry."

"I'll be fine," I comforted. "Have fun."

Then I left the house, feeling my heart ache from what I had just done. Why had I done that? How stupid could I really be?

I felt someone grab my hand and spin me around. I was face to face with Emma, who seemed to have a mask of guilt on.

"Sam, I'm sorry," she apologized. "I don't know why Eric..."

"It's fine," I lied.

"You didn't have to."

Oh, I knew that already.

"Yeah well, embarrassing you on your birthday wasn't on my to-do list."

She smiled but looked down at the ground. As much as I would've found this endearing months ago I couldn't now.

"Thanks for coming again," she finished. "You're the only one I wanted to see tonight anyway."

Then she turned away without another word. The aching in my chest amplified as I assessed my situation. Tonight shouldn't have happened. I should've been smarter. I should've stayed home.

I made my way to my car down the street, cursing myself for parking so far. My fingers played with the knife I always kept on me in the pocket of my leather jacket.

When I spotted my car I noticed a figure leaning up against the hood smoking a cigarette. Everything in my body froze and I couldn't move. I should go back. My instincts were telling me to run, yet I was physically paralyzed.

But he was here, after disappearing for weeks he was here and this could be my only opportunity to confront him.

I walked closer. "Get off my car."

He looked at me, the street light illuminating his features. My breath caught in my throat at the sight. What in the hell was I doing out here by myself?

"Good to see you too, I guess," he countered.

"You have some nerve finding me after what you did."

"Which was?"

I couldn't believe he was toying with me like this.

I felt myself walk closer in anger. "You left that creepy fucking note in my car!"

"I didn't do that," he claimed.

"Bull shit," I stated.

He sighed. "Alright yeah, that was me."

I clenched my jaw, trying not to overreact. Was this a game to him? Playing with my life like this? Was he that sick?

"And I know it was you that started that rumor about me and Megan at school."

He sucked his cigarette and blew. "Is it really a rumor if it's true?"

He knew. I could tell just by the look on his face that he knew the truth and that terrified me. My heart slammed against my chest as I felt my breathing speed up.

Then he revealed a piece of paper from his pocket and held it under the light for me to see. "Don't you think this is such a good picture?"

There Megan and I stood, in the garage of my apartment kissing. I recognized it as the night when she came over and Shawn confronted us. It was a night where I had felt safe, but he was there the entire time. Watching me.

I took the picture and ripped it into tiny pieces and threw them on the ground. This man was insane.

"Oh well, no worries. I have more," he claimed.

"What the fuck do you want?" I demanded.

His dark eyes ran me over which caused me to internally gag. "I need an order from Ross."

I exhaled. "Then you go to Ross!"

"I don't think you understand." He moved closer and threw his cigarette down. "I don't intend on paying for it."

"What, your friend ran out of money?" I mocked.

"It's not for him."

So this was his motive. He wanted drugs at my expense? After the last conversation he had claimed to have been clean, but relapse happens. He was using again, and heroin addicts had serious issues.

"Well, I don't have that kind of money. Find a cheaper fix."

I went to move around him but his hand grabbed my wrist. My instincts kicked in as I revealed my knife and pressed it against his throat, catching him off guard.

"Get the fuck out of my life," I threatened.

He watched me with an unwavering gaze. "Just look at it as a win-win. You get me what I need and I won't expose you and Megan. I'll get my fix and you can keep your girlfriend."

I pushed him off of me, holding my knife up in defense. He was serious, and I knew I would have to be too.

"I'll have it by next Thursday."

"Let's make it tomorrow," he stated. "Meet me in the parking lot behind Jinx at nine."

Then he turned without another word, leaving me on the street to watch him get into his truck.

For a moment I was stunned, like a deer in headlights. None of this was real, right? And had I really agreed to get him heroin free of charge to save Megan's career?

His truck started and he began to pull away but he had lit a fire deep within. If I did what he wanted he would win, and he would come back like the piece of shit he was. If I didn't fight back I would lose Megan, and I couldn't do that.

I jumped into my car and waited before following him down the street. Since it was still early there were other cars accompanying us on the busier roads, so I let a few of them file in front of me.

I followed him down some familiar paths and waited patiently, and eventually he turned down a secluded street. I passed it up and waited a few minutes before following him again. The last thing I needed was for him to know I was tracking him.

His truck sat at a ratty looking trailer, the lights of his house on. He was inside.

I coasted down the street and up to his house. Then I took out my phone and recorded his address. I didn't exactly know what I could do with this information yet, but at this point anything would help.

Then I exited my car and ran up to his vehicle. I assessed the locks, noticing they weren't automatic.

Suddenly there was a plan forming in my mind and I didn't need much to pull it off. Just a little extra heroin, plenty of guts, and a pinch of insanity.

And soon I would have all three.

* * *

That night I called Ross for the first time in a very long time on my way home.

"Sam?" he answered.

"Ross, hey." I paused for a moment. "How've you been?"

"Splendid. Why are you calling me so late?"

"Aren't you happy to hear from me?"

"It's not that I'm not happy," he claimed. "I just know you need something."

Well, at least he didn't beat around the bush.

"You're right, I do."

"Well?"

"First I need you to research an address for me."

"You need me to what?"

"Just do it please," I begged. "I'm not home right now."

He exhaled and I listened to him sit at his computer. "Alright what is it?"

"109 Clayton Drive, Baldwin, Missouri."

The sound of him typing filled my ears and then the mouse clicked and scrolled. Why was my heart pounding so hard?

"Um, well what do you need to know?"

"Who's the name of the homeowner?"

"Robert Fischer," he answered. "Why am I doing this again?"

"Do you still have connections to Chesterfield's police department?"

He paused for a while. "Sam what the hell is going on?"

I rolled my eyes. Okay, maybe I did sound a little crazy, but I needed this.

"Ross I don't have time to explain right now."

"Yes," he answered. "I know a guy."

"Can you do me a favor and find whatever you can on this guy, Robert? It's important."

"And what's in it for me?"

"Really? Do all the times I trafficked drugs for you come into consideration?" I asked, my attitude showing.

"You have a point. Anything else?" he asked.

"Yes, I need a few fixes of heroin."

"Jesus, why?"

"Like I said, I don't have time to explain," I said. "I'll see you tomorrow around eight."

"Sam-"

I hung up.

I sat in my car and stared at Ross's place. How the hell had I ended up here again? Why was it that every time I tried to get away something always brought me back? It wasn't fair.

I honked twice and exited my car, pacing up to his door.

He greeted me. "Hey."

I just nodded and walked into his house.

"So before I tell you anything, I need to know what's going on," he demanded.

I sighed in exasperation. "Ross-"

"I'm serious. I have a feeling something's not right."

"That's because something's not right."

"Then tell me."

I broke and explained everything. The paranoia and anxiety forced all of my words out of my mouth without any means to stop. It had been weeks and my patience was running thin, and Ross wouldn't tell anyone about any of this. Or so I hoped. Nowadays you never knew.

"Holy shit," he stated when I finished.

"Yeah." I leaned on his counter. "So did you get anything on Robert?"

"Um, yeah. Lots, actually. And I don't think you should go anywhere near him."

Well it was a little too late for that.

"I called my friend last night and he pulled up his records. This guy's been booked for assault, driving while intoxicated... shit he's even been arrested for possession of heroin."

I tried not to seem shocked. "Anything else?"

"He's a diagnosed schizophrenic, Sam."

"How do you know that?" I wondered.

"Chesterfield's not a big town," he said. "People can't keep secrets there. Especially when the guy has been booked that many times."

I tried to process everything that Ross had just told me but it was difficult. This was a man that was mentally sick, someone who needed professional help and I seemed to be stuck in his crosshairs.

"Well thanks for the information," I said. "Now where's what I asked for?"

Maybe I was being too bold. Or too stupid. But in a moment like this I couldn't lose focus of the task at hand.

"I'm not giving you drugs for him," he refused.

"I'll pay for it."

"You don't have that kind of money to blow."

"You don't know how much money I have."

"Sam." He moved closer to me. "If you do this, you know he'll keep coming back. And you and Megan will never be safe."

Of course I knew that, but he didn't know what I had planned. Although, I could always tell him. Ross would be the go-to guy to help.

"Well then help me get rid of him," I suggested.

He just looked at me. "How?"

I took in a deep breath. "What's the worst he can get for a second charge of possession?" I asked.

Ross rocked on his heels. "It depends on the charge and the judge, but the least is a year in jail."

A year in jail was a year away from me, and that seemed good enough.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

I knew what I wanted to attempt was dangerous. Like really dangerous. But at this moment what other choice did I have? This time I wouldn't hesitate to make a bad decision.

"I'm gonna frame him."