The next day, Allison walked into school, her heart still heavy with emotion. She hadn't slept much the night before, her mind racing with thoughts of her father and Liam's betrayal.
As she walked down the hallway, she saw Liam standing by his locker, looking at her with a mixture of sadness and longing. Allison's eyes narrowed, and she felt a surge of anger and sudden hatred within her.
Liam took a step forward, with his eyes pleading.
"Allison, please listen to me," he mumbled, "I know I messed up, but I swear, I didn't know about your father."
Allison shook her head, with her eyes cold. "I don't want to hear it, Liam," she said. "You lied to me, and I don't trust you anymore."
Liam took another step forward, with his voice desperate. "Allison, please," he said. "I love you, and I would never hurt you on purpose."
But Allison wasn't having it. She turned and walked away, leaving Liam standing alone in the hallway.
As she walked, Allison felt a sense of relief wash over her. She was finally free from Liam's lies and manipulation as she thought of him.
But her relief was short-lived. As she turned a corner, she saw the four girls who had been bullying her for weeks, it was like they had been expecting her arrival, even if sophia was not in school, they were going to carry out their action. It was like Sophia had compelled them to do so. They were standing in a circle, their eyes fixed on Allison with malice.
"Well, well, well," one of the girls sneered. "Look what we have here. The little princess thinks she's so much better than us."
Allison stood her ground, her eyes flashing with anger. "Leave me alone," she said.
But the girls just laughed. "Oh, we're just getting started," one of them said.
And with that, they lunged at Allison, their fists flying. Allison tried to defend herself, but there were too many of them.
Just as it seemed like the girls were going to overpower her, Liam appeared out of nowhere, his eyes blazing with anger.
"Leave her alone!" he shouted, pushing the girls away from Allison.
The girls backed off, their eyes flashing with anger. "This isn't over," one of them sneered.
But Allison didn't even notice. She was too busy glaring at Liam.
"What do you want?" she spat out.
Liam's face fell, and he looked at her with sadness. "I just wanted to help you," he said.
But Allison wasn't having it. "I don't need your help," she said. "I'm better off without you."
Liam's eyes widened in shock, and he took a step back, his face pale.
"Allison, please," he said.
But Allison just turned and walked away, leaving Liam standing alone in the hallway.
As she walked, Allison felt a sense of satisfaction wash over her. She had finally stood up for herself and told Liam off.
Later that day at school,
Liam walked into the cafeteria, his eyes scanning the wide room for Jake and Emily. He spotted them sitting in the corner, sipping on lattes.
"Liam, thanks for coming," Jake said as Liam sat down.
"No problem," Liam replied. "I need to talk to you guys about Allison."
Emily's eyes narrowed. "What's going on?" she asked.
Liam sighed. "She found out about her father," he said. "And she thinks I knew all along, and now she hates me more than anything in the world, help me guys, I can't afford to lose Allison,"
Jake's face fell. "Oh no," he said. "That's not good."
Liam shook his head. "I know," he said. "I tried to talk to her, but she won't listen."
Emily's eyes were thoughtful. "We need to figure out a way to make things right," she said.
Jake nodded. "I agree," he said. "But we need to be careful. Allison is hurt, and we don't want to make things worse."
Liam's eyes were determined. "I'll do whatever it takes to make things right," he said. "I love her, and I'm not going to give up on her."
Emily smiled. "That's the spirit," she said.
Jake nodded. "Okay, let's come up with a plan," he said.
The three of them sat in silence for a moment, thinking for a positive idea to come up.
Liam, Jake, and Emily sat in the cafeteria for minutes, with their faces serious, and for the first thirty minutes, no one had come up with an idea
"We can't just sit around and do nothing," Liam said. "We have to help Allison." Liam said out of frustration
Jake nodded. "I agree," he said. "But we need to be careful. We don't know who is behind this or what their motives are. We have to think deeply,"
Emily's eyes were thoughtful. "I think I can help with that. i suddenly came up with something," she said.
Liam and Jake looked at her curiously. "What do you mean?" Liam asked.
Emily pulled out her phone. "I can try to track down the number that sent Allison the message, provided that i can see the number now." she said.
Jake's eyes widened. "You can do that?" he asked.
Emily nodded. "Yeah," she said. "I've been taking some coding classes, and I've learned a few tricks."
'Okay, okay, I managed to copy the number on her phone when we were at the hospital. Shall we start now,Emily
"Yes, work needs to be done. We must start as soon as possible. Now give me your phone," Emily requested
Liam's eyes lit up with hope. "That's amazing, Emily," he said. "Can you please try to track down the number at once,"
Emily nodded and started typing away on Liam's phone.
As they waited, Liam couldn't help but feel a sense of anxiety. What if they couldn't track down the number? What if they ran out of time?
But Emily was determined. She worked tirelessly, her fingers flying across the keyboard.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Emily looked up. "I did it," she said, with a triumphant smile on her face.
Liam and Jake leaned in, eager to hear the news.
"What did you find out?" Liam asked.
Emily's eyes were serious. "The number is registered to a shell company," she said. "But I was able to track down the IP address."
Jake's eyes widened. "That's amazing," he said.
Liam's heart was racing. "What does it mean?" he asked.
Emily's face was grim. "It means that whoever sent the message is trying to cover their tracks," she said. "But it also means that we have a lead."
Liam's eyes lit up with hope. "We can use the IP address to track down the location," he said.
Emily nodded. "That's right," she said. "But we have to be careful. We don't know what we're up against."
Jake's face was serious. "We'll be careful," he said. "But we have to act fast. We only have three days to save Allison's father."
Liam's heart was racing. He knew that they had to act fast, but he also knew that they had to be careful.
As they sat there, trying to come up with a plan of attacking, Liam couldn't help but feel a sense of determination.
They were going to save Allison's father, no matter what it took.
And they were going to do it together.. to at least prove his innocence to Allison
TO BE CONTINUED.