Everyone has a secret

CHAPTER TWO ASK HER WHAT HAPPENED LAST SUMMER The next morning, Maya woke up with the same sentence running through her mind. Your secret is safe... for now. She had barely slept. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the anonymous account on her phone. She kept thinking about the message, trying to understand what it meant. What secret? Who had written it? And why had they chosen her? Maya reached for her phone on the bedside table and checked the time. 6:12 a.m. She had school in less than an hour. For a few seconds, she considered pretending to be sick. She could stay home, avoid the questions, avoid Zara, and avoid everyone else until she figured out what was happening. But she knew that wouldn't solve anything. If anything, staying home would probably make things worse. Maya got out of bed and got ready for school. While brushing her hair, she opened the anonymous account again. @EveryoneHasASecret. The account already had hundreds of followers. There were several new comments underneath yesterday's posts. WHO IS BEHIND THIS? THIS IS GETTING WEIRD. I THINK I KNOW WHO RUNS IT. DROP ANOTHER SECRET. Maya stared at the screen. She didn't understand how people could treat it like entertainment. These were real people. Real secrets. Real lives. Yet everyone seemed excited to see what would be revealed next. Maya locked her phone. She didn't want to think about it anymore. At least not before school. But the moment she arrived at Westbridge High, she knew that was impossible. The school felt different. Students were gathered in small groups, talking quietly. Phones were everywhere. People were showing each other screenshots. Maya walked through the entrance and immediately heard someone whisper. "Did you see the new post?" "No." "Check the account." Maya stopped for half a second. Her stomach tightened. She took out her phone. There was another post. She opened it. The message was simple. ASK HER WHAT HAPPENED LAST SUMMER. Maya froze. She read it again. Then again. Her heart began beating faster. Last summer. Why did everyone keep mentioning it? She looked around the hallway. Everyone seemed normal. Nobody appeared to be watching her. Then her phone buzzed. A private message. Unknown Number. Maya opened it. DON'T TRUST ZARA. She stared at the screen. Another message appeared. SHE KNOWS MORE THAN SHE'S TELLING YOU. Maya immediately looked toward the other end of the hallway. Zara was standing near the lockers. She was laughing with two girls from their class. She looked completely normal. Maya watched her for a moment. Could Zara really be hiding something? Maya didn't want to believe it. Zara had been her best friend for years. They had shared everything. At least, Maya thought they had. She put her phone away and walked toward her. "Hey," Zara said when she noticed her. "You look tired." "I didn't sleep much." "Why?" Maya hesitated. "Did you see the new post?" Zara's smile disappeared. "What post?" "The one about last summer." Zara looked away. For just a second. But Maya noticed. "What?" Zara asked. "You looked nervous." "I'm not nervous." "You are." Zara sighed. "Maya, you're reading too much into this." "Then tell me what happened last summer." Zara stared at her. "I already told you." "No, you didn't." "I did." "You told me everything was fine." "It was." "Then why does everyone keep telling me to ask about it?" Zara didn't answer. The warning bell rang. Students began moving toward their classrooms. Zara picked up her bag. "We're going to be late." She walked away. Maya stood there watching her. That was not an answer. And Maya knew it. She followed Zara into class. For the first lesson, Maya barely heard anything the teacher said. Her notebook was open in front of her, but instead of taking notes, she wrote three words across the top of the page. LAST SUMMER. Underneath, she wrote: Zara. Jayden. Liam. Amara. Nia. She stared at the names. Nia. She hadn't thought about her in months. Maybe longer. Maya remembered how close they had once been. Nia had been funny, confident and surprisingly honest. She was the kind of person who would tell you when you were making a bad decision, even if you didn't want to hear it. Then something happened. And Nia disappeared. No proper goodbye. No explanation. Just silence. Maya had asked Zara about it once. Zara had said, "It's complicated." Maya had never pushed. Now she wished she had. A piece of paper landed on her desk. Maya looked around. Nobody was looking at her. She slowly unfolded it. The handwriting was unfamiliar. YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW? Maya's fingers tightened around the paper. She looked toward the door. Nothing. She looked at Zara. Zara was taking notes. Maya turned the paper over. There was another sentence. THEN ASK JAYDEN. Maya immediately looked toward Jayden. He was sitting two rows ahead. He was unusually quiet. That alone was strange. Jayden was almost never quiet. He normally joked with everyone. Today, he kept looking at his phone. Maya waited until the teacher turned toward the board. Then she leaned forward. "Jayden." He looked back. "What?" "Can I talk to you?" "About what?" "Last summer." His expression changed. Only slightly. But Maya saw it. "Why?" "Because I have questions." "About what?" "You know what I'm talking about." Jayden shook his head. "I honestly don't." "Then why are you acting weird?" "I'm not." "You are." He looked toward the teacher. "We can talk later." "When?" "After school." Maya nodded. "Fine." Jayden turned around. Maya sat back. Now she had even more questions. By lunch, the anonymous account had posted another secret. Maya didn't want to look. She knew she shouldn't. But curiosity won. She opened the account. The newest post said: SOME PEOPLE THINK THEY CAN ERASE THE PAST. THEY CAN'T. The comments were already exploding. Maya felt uncomfortable. She closed the app. "You're looking at it again." Maya looked up. Amara was standing beside the table. She had her lunch tray in her hands. "I wasn't." Amara raised an eyebrow. "You were." Maya sighed. "Okay. I was." Amara sat down. "You shouldn't." "I know." "Then stop." "I can't." "Why?" "Because they keep mentioning last summer." Amara became quiet. Maya noticed. "You know something." Amara looked at her. "No." "Everyone keeps saying that." "Because it's true." Maya leaned closer. "Amara." "I don't know what you want me to say." "The truth." Amara looked around. "Not here." Maya's heart sank. "Then where?" "Somewhere private." Maya nodded. "After school?" Amara hesitated. "Maybe." Before Maya could answer, Jayden appeared at the table. "What's going on?" "Nothing," Amara said quickly. Jayden looked between them. Maya noticed. Something was definitely wrong. "You both know something," she said. Jayden sat down. "No." "Then why does everyone act like that whenever I mention last summer?" "Because you're making it a bigger deal than it is." "Then tell me what happened." Jayden sighed. "Maya, just let it go." She stared at him. "Why?" "Because some things are better left alone." That sentence stayed with her. Some things are better left alone. She had heard that before. But now it sounded less like advice and more like a warning. After lunch, Maya walked toward her next class. She was almost at the staircase when someone bumped into her. Her books fell onto the floor. "Sorry," a voice said. Maya looked up. Liam. "It's fine." He crouched down and helped pick up her books. When he handed them back, Maya noticed his phone. The screen was open. For less than a second, she saw the anonymous account. @EveryoneHasASecret. Then Liam locked the screen. Maya stared at him. "What?" "You were looking at the account." "No." "I saw it." Liam stood up. "You saw the name. That doesn't mean anything." "Why are you following it?" "Everyone follows it." "Not everyone." Liam looked at her. "You should stop asking questions." Maya's stomach dropped. "Why?" "Because you might not like the answers." He walked away. Maya stood frozen. That was the third warning she'd received in one day. Don't trust Zara. Ask Jayden. Stop asking questions. Something was happening. And she was beginning to believe the account wasn't just random gossip. Someone was deliberately leading her toward something. The question was why. After school, Maya waited near the front entrance for Jayden. Students slowly left the building. She checked the time. 4:03 p.m. 4:12. 4:20. Jayden still hadn't appeared. Maya called him. No answer. She called again. Still nothing. She sent a message. Where are you? A few minutes later, she received a reply. Sorry. Can't meet today. Maya frowned. Why? The typing bubble appeared. Then disappeared. Finally, one message came through. Just leave it alone, Maya. She stared at the screen. Then she looked up. Across the courtyard, she saw Liam. He was talking to someone. Maya couldn't see who. She moved closer. The person was Jayden. Maya stopped. They were standing beside one of the older buildings. Jayden looked angry. Liam looked serious. Maya couldn't hear what they were saying. She stepped closer. "...can't keep doing this," Jayden said. Liam answered quietly. "You knew what would happen." "That doesn't mean I agreed." "You didn't stop it." "I didn't know it would go this far." Maya's heart began racing. She moved closer. Then Liam turned. Their eyes met. Maya froze. Jayden looked around. "Maya?" She stepped out from behind the wall. "What are you two talking about?" Neither answered. "What is going on?" Jayden shook his head. "Nothing." "I heard you." "You misunderstood." "I don't think I did." Liam walked toward her. "You shouldn't be here." "Why?" "Because this isn't your problem." Maya laughed nervously. "Everything seems to be my problem lately." Jayden looked at Liam. "We need to go." Maya watched them leave. She didn't follow. She didn't need to. She already knew they were hiding something. That night, Maya sat at her desk with her laptop open. She created a document. At the top, she typed: EVERYONE HAS A SECRET. Underneath, she started making a list. Zara — hiding something about last summer. Jayden — knows more than he admits. Liam — follows the account and acts suspiciously. Amara — says she knows something but won't explain. Nia — disappeared after last summer. Maya stared at the list. Then she added her own name. Maya — doesn't remember everything. She leaned back. That was the part that scared her most. She couldn't remember everything. There were gaps. Small ones. Moments from last summer that felt blurry. She remembered being with everyone. She remembered Zara crying. She remembered an argument. She remembered Nia saying something. But she couldn't remember exactly what. Maya closed her eyes. A memory flashed through her mind. A hallway. A door. Zara's voice. "Don't tell her." Maya opened her eyes. She stared at the screen. What had that memory been? She tried to remember more. Nothing. Her phone buzzed. Maya jumped. Another message. Unknown Number. She opened it. YOU'RE GETTING CLOSER. Maya stared at the message. Then another appeared. BUT YOU'RE LOOKING IN THE WRONG PLACE. She typed: Who are you? The message showed as delivered. No reply. She waited. Nothing. Then her phone buzzed again. ASK JAYDEN ABOUT LAST SUMMER. Maya's heart sank. She knew what she had to do. The next day, she would get answers. Even if nobody wanted to give them to her. The following morning, Maya arrived at school early. The hallways were almost empty. She walked toward the classroom and saw Zara standing by the lockers. Maya approached her. "We need to talk." Zara looked nervous. "About what?" "You know." "I don't." "Last summer." Zara closed her locker. "Maya, please." "No." "What?" "I'm done with everyone telling me to forget about it." "You don't understand." "Then explain it." Zara looked at her for a long moment. "I can't." "Why?" "Because if I tell you, everything changes." Maya stared at her. "Everything has already changed.