Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Part 1
Chapter 1
Arthur stepped into the gym of Elwood City High School. It was after hours, so the only lights illuminating the shining gym floor were the few emergency lights sprinkled around the space. Most of the room was shrouded in darkness. November did that to Elwood City--time changed and suddenly it was dark around five every night. It was barely after five now, just a few minutes before the cryptic note said for him to be there.

Arthur shivered in his sweater as he looked around the room. The shadows could be hiding anyone, and he already didn’t know who left the note. It was stuck in the vent holes of his locker, and at first, he thought it was just a note from his girlfriend, Francine, or maybe from his best friend Buster. Instead it was written ransom letter style with cut-out letters from magazines and newsletters to make the message: MEET ME AT THE GYM. 5:15 SHARP.

The school was closed, but Arthur could get in. He was a senior now, so he knew a lot about the school. He knew the door to the teacher’s parking lot was always unlocked even late at night, but he was expecting there to be more people around. Where was the basketball team that normally had practice here? Where were the coaches cutting up in their offices?

Except it was Friday. Everyone was gone for the week or heading to the game of the week.

A squeak of the floor echoed around the gym, but Arthur’s feet hadn’t moved. He looked around into the shadows, but his eyes caught nothing of interest. That squeak could’ve come from anywhere, even the top track that circled the gym.

Something hit with a thud and the squeaking intensified. Someone had dropped something from up top and was now fleeing the scene. Arthur looked around, but most of the track was dark. The emergency lights were hung underneath them, and very little light could get through the banners and ad signs zip tied to the frame of the track.

But he could see the box. Arthur walked over to it and was afraid to open it. He’d been watching crime shows, mystery movies, and suspense-filled terrorist movies for years with his friends, mostly with Buster but with others too. Didn’t the target normally blow up when he opened the box? The box was always ordinary just like this one, except this was real life and product placement wasn’t a problem. This was clearly an Amazon Prime box complete with some of the tape and a big printed smile. The address label was completely stripped, but otherwise it was clearly an Amazon box. Did that make it harmless?

The lighting was too bad for him to continue. Arthur stepped into the main hallway and underneath another emergency light. The box was taped shut, but after a few pulls and tugs in the right places, the box came open.

Inside were photographs. Arthur knew from the background image that it was from Muffy’s latest party, a huge gathering of teens. Her parties had gotten bigger and wilder over the years, especially after her parents’ divorce. Her mother got the house but had clearly checked out, so Muffy ran free. This party featured underaged drinking, loud music, and plenty of ill deeds. Arthur remembered them all because he refused to drink, but these photos were all some people had. Muffy would walk around the party throughout the night taking photographs.

Except these were different, clearly photoshopped. Arthur’s hands shook as he looked through them. Instead of him appearing to make out with his girlfriend, Francine, he was sucking face with Sue Ellen Armstrong, who was not his girlfriend and never had been.

Each picture was altered. Instead of Arthur and Francine, it was Arthur and Sue Ellen, even in the candid shots. Francine was nowhere to be found because the backgrounds were the same. Sue Ellen wasn’t in the background because she never attended these parties. For one, her parents were too strict. Two, she wasn’t into such things.

Yet here she was topless on Arthur’s lap smiling for the camera.

A note at the bottom had the next threat: DO AS I SAY OR THESE GO PUBLIC. CHECK YOUR LOCKER.

Arthur navigated the darkened halls hoping the school hadn’t upgraded their alarm systems yet. The last thing he needed was to be busted for trespassing with these photos in his possession. His heart pounded in his ears as he rounded the corner.

There wasn’t an emergency light anywhere near Arthur’s locker, but someone had left a tall lamp plugged in across the hall by the water fountain. Arthur swallowed and put in his combination.

As the locker swung open, the note fell out. It was typed and printed from one of the school’s computer. Someone had used the Guest account to print the letter at 2:15 that afternoon. Arthur’s eyes went from the text in the footer of the document to the letter itself:

All you’ve ever done is make a fool of me. It’s time you get put where you belong, at the bottom of society. These photos are public and I’m not even sorry. You’re getting what you deserve.

His buzzing phone in his back pocket got his attention from the note. He checked it to find Francine calling him. Arthur’s heart started pounding. His chest was hurting slightly from his nervousness.

“H-Hello?”

“Who did this?” Francine demanded, “I know I’m in those pictures, but no one is going to believe us.”

“I…I don’t know. Where are you? We need to talk,” Arthur whispered, glad to know Francine was being sensible about this.

Francine confirmed she was home with her mom, so Arthur closed his locker and left the school, packing the notes together with the Amazon box. He held it close knowing that whoever did this had left clues within. He just had to figure out what they meant.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2
Francine wasn’t allowed to host Arthur in her room with the door open, not that her mom was that nosy. Her dad was attending a game out of town and wouldn’t be home until late, not that Arthur had much time left. It was already six, which meant he needed to be home soon himself.

Francine sighed, putting down the box and looking up to Arthur, “So you’ve really made enemies with someone, the guy who’s probably going to win the vote for Most Friendly Guy At Elwood City High. I don’t get it, I really don’t.”

“Well they’re clearly mad, but I don’t know what I did or who I pissed off. I’m just glad you’re handling this okay because a lot of people aren’t. I mean, how did you even find out?” Arthur asked.

Francine pulled up the school’s Facebook page and went to the class’s Facebook group. This was where everything went down, but it was usually reserved for school events and official business. The top post of the moment was an album full of the pictures Arthur had. The post was created by one of the school’s accounts, but Arthur knew from his experience with Yearbook Club his junior year that everyone could get access to that account. All you had to do was be friendly with the scattered English teacher running the page, and suddenly you had access to a key public account for the school.

There were hundreds of reactions on the post. All were either angry, sad, or shocked. A few people liked it, but no one was loving it. Some people thought it was funny, but it was clearly a sarcastic way. “At least it’s not me,” those reactions said.

Francine closed the reaction notices and turned to Arthur, “So, what are we going to do? They’re Muffy’s pictures, so do we confront her?”

“Would she do something like this?” Arthur asked.

Francine scoffed, “Don’t be like that, Arthur. I know you’re paranoid about this because I am too, but what would Muffy gain from this? If people realize these are her parties, she could get into big legal trouble.”

“True, but where is she? Let’s call her,” Arthur said, but Francine already had. Muffy was on a date in Metropolis and wouldn’t be back until late. Arthur sighed, “So…what do we do? I think even if we come out and say the photos are fake, people aren’t going to believe us. Look at these reactions.”

“Let’s look at the comments,” Francine whispered. She didn’t want to, but they needed to know how people were reacting.

A lot of comments were from adults asking whoever posted the pictures to remove them. Most were from teachers, but there were plenty of parents too. The teens weren’t saying much of anything, but people were filling in the gaps. Francine and Arthur had been a couple for a long time, and people were trying to figure out what Sue Ellen would be there with Arthur.

“They think you’re cheating on me and corrupted Sue Ellen,” Francine sighed, turning to Arthur, “I don’t think you can corrupt her, but…we should warn her.”

“I’ll call her when I get home. Mom wanted me home by seven--”

“You should probably warn them too. I already told my mom and she’s okay, but I know not everyone will be as understanding. Your mom always thinks you’re studying with Buster on those late nights or having a sleepover like the old days. She’s naive and this is going to change that,” Francine whispered.

Arthur knew Francine was right. As he walked home, he tried to see if he had any contact information for Sue Ellen, but he didn’t. They weren’t even in the same circle anymore, not since middle school when Honors classes became a possibility. People like Sue Ellen, Brain, and Fern left the class behind by taking those classes. Arthur and a lot of his friends were painfully average and it showed. They didn’t even do the same things for fun as those smart kids, and that was normally fine.

Francine agreed to try to find her as Arthur stepped into his house. As he expected, DW and Kate were arguing upstairs about something, their shrill voices carrying down the stairs. Their dad was sitting at the dining room table having an after dinner mug of coffee while Jane finished hand-washing the dishes in the sink.

“Wow, you actually made it by seven,” Jane noted, turning around, “Your sisters can’t agree on what to wear. I’m assuming you know your options and are okay with them?”

“Yeah, sure, where are we going?” Arthur asked.

“Your grandmother wanted us to visit the home tonight for movie night. Well, movie night was at four this afternoon, but she figures most people will be in bed at seven-thirty for us to visit then,” David replied.

“I’ll go get the girls,” Jane sighed, drying her hands.

“Wait, before you go, there’s something I need to warn you about,” Arthur said, watching his mother grab her smartphone, “Someone edited some photos of me and it’s bad.”

“What?” David asked.

“I don’t know. Someone put a note in my locker and sent me on this spooky hunt for pics. They told me to follow their demands and they wouldn’t be put out there, but they lied. Someone must be mad at me or something, but yeah, they’re all over the Facebook groups for the school,” Arthur explained.

Jane checked her phone and her eyes went wide, “This is from a party!”

“Yeah, but it’s fake,” Arthur said firmly, “I swear it is. Look, that’s not even Francine. It’s Sue Ellen, and I haven’t talked to her in years.”

“But why would someone do something like that?” David demanded, “And why would you be at a party?”

“It’s fake!” Arthur repeated, looking up as DW and Kate descended the stairs. His sisters had a knack for sensing drama, especially if it had no impact on their lives. Somehow their parents didn’t even notice the girls hovering in the doorway as Jane let into Arthur, who wasn’t expecting the deluge.

After a minute, David waved his hands, “Jane, you’re scaring him. Look, he said they’re fake and I believe him.”

“Thanks because they are,” Arthur muttered.

“Well you need to figure this out before it gets out of hand!” Jane exclaimed, “I need to call the school Monday morning. No, I’ll contact them before them--”

“And what will the school do?” Arthur asked, shaking his head, “This is a personal problem. Just let us figure it out.”

“Come on, Mom is waiting,” David said, standing up and draining the rest of his mug.

Jane was still worked up but stayed quiet as they piled into the van. DW tried to ask questions once they were on the road, but David silenced them with a look in the rear view mirror. The issue was closed, but Arthur knew it wasn’t. Whatever was happening was just getting started. He could feel it.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3
Muffy was still in her pajamas when she answered the door. Arthur was surprised to be allowed there after how his night went. His mom was still furious that her baby boy was at a party. In fact, Arthur felt like she was more mad about that than about the implications of such pictures. His dad was being more sensible, but Jane ran that house and everyone knew it. The last thing Arthur wanted was for his mother to be upset with him, yet here she was upset with him.

The teens gathered in the game room. Well, what used to be the game room. All of the arcade games and board games belonged to Ed, but the tables remained. Muffy set up her mini office there knowing her mother didn’t care. She’d outgrown the little desk in her room, and now she had a spread of her homework and her social media area. If Muffy weren’t their best friend, Arthur would wonder if she’d done the photos. She clearly had the means.

Muffy sighed, “So, this has boiled over into a fucking mess, hasn’t it?”

Arthur couldn’t argue with her. He handed her the box and she flipped through the photos, “Hmm, clearly something you could print at home or from a store,” Muffy said, flipping them over and showing Francine and Arthur the logo, “Home print job, but I can tell you from being on the yearbook’s staff that we use the same paper. Someone was using school resources for all of this.”

“Makes sense,” Francine nodded, bobbing her head towards Muffy’s laptop, “What are people saying? People kept tagging me so I turned my phone off,” she whispered. Arthur found it odd that he wasn’t being tagged, but he ignored the thought.

Muffy groaned, “Girl, it’s one hell of a mess. People know you’re an item, so they’re calling Arthur out and trying to get your attention not realizing you found out first. The only person I haven’t contacted is Sue Ellen. No one I know has her number, and from what I’ve seen, she’s not on any typical social media. I did some tricks and whatnot, and yeah, home girl must be on some weird shit. She’s nowhere to be found. Unless you know her user name, she’s invisible.”

“User name for what?” Arthur asked.

Muffy threw her hands up, “Who knows? Probably some weird art sites knowing her, if she’s allowed computer access. Her parents got super strict around seventh grade. Her mom’s phone got hacked, so they became technophobes. Her dad is a big-shot ambassador so it’s important really. I’m glad they made the effort, but that makes this ten times harder. We won’t be able to talk to her until Monday morning, if then.”

“Why Monday?” Francine questioned.

“Because you can’t just go to her house,” Arthur replied, “I found that out when we were doing sales a few years ago.”

Muffy nodded, “What he said. They decided to up their security defenses too, so they’ve got a gate and everything. Daddy was considering a system like that here until the divorce happened. So yeah, Sue Ellen is old school unless there’s something we don’t know about her. She’s going to get blasted Monday morning and not know why. I’m going to try to get to her first, but that’s going to be damn near impossible.”

With that avenue closed, they thought about their options. Everyone was mad at Arthur, so Muffy told Francine that she should stick up for him. She would back up the couple, but they all knew this could backfire. As far as everyone else knew, these photos were very much real even though they were very much fake. There was no evidence for this or anything else--whoever did this was a student like them who knew just as much as they did. That meant the student was either a junior or a senior who had known Arthur long enough to develop a grudge against him.

But even with the yearbook spread out between them, they couldn’t pinpoint anyone of interest. Arthur was friends with everyone, or so he thought. He didn’t really have arguments anymore now that some of his main bullies had left. Binky, for example, had given him trouble over the years, but now he went to a fine arts high school in Metropolis because he was trying to get into college on a ballet scholarship. His mom had gotten a better job there, and the family moved before Binky entered middle school.

Arthur had his arguments with other students, but it was always group project nonsense and always arguments over the work itself, nothing personal. People would want him to do more work or people wouldn’t want to do work themselves, so arguments would come up. Arthur was an average student at best, so this was common. Otherwise, he had no arguments.

After a few minutes, Arthur sighed, “Should I just ignore this? I mean, should we just stay quiet about it and see what happens next?”

“Risky move but I’m down,” Francine nodded.

Muffy exhaled slowly and shook her head, “We’ve got to have a game plan eventually for damage control. I like that idea for now. I mean, we just know what people are saying on social media. That might or might not be the real deal, plus people are getting worked up over nothing really.”

“It’s not nothing,” Arthur argued.

“It’s not, but it is. They just don’t know that yet,” Muffy countered, turning to Francine, “You should stay away from him though just to see what people say to you. You have to be careful yourself, you know?”

“Why? I’m not the one in the pictures even if I am,” Francine grinned.

“Girls who stay with known cheaters get bad reputations of their own--and Arthur, I know you didn’t cheat so calm down. We all know the truth, so I like your idea. Let’s lay low, BUT you have to make sure you’ve got a plan going just in case,” Muffy said firmly.

Arthur sighed, “Okay. I have to go meet Buster for lunch now. Should I tell him?”

“I mean, what is he going to do? Sure, tell him,” Muffy huffed, watching Arthur leave. When he was gone, Muffy turned to Francine, “I don’t think he realizes what’s coming.”

Francine shook her head, “He knows. We just don’t know what to do.”

Muffy sighed, “Neither do I really. I just hope this doesn’t blow up in my face too.”

*-*-*-*-*
Arthur and Buster met up in the mall at the food court. Their mall had gotten smaller over the years, but the food court still had one of Buster’s favorite restaurants, a dollar scoop Chinese place. For five dollars, he got a plate full of food that Arthur could’ve eaten on all week. Instead, Buster ate his food alone while Arthur enjoyed a slice of pizza from a place across the way, or at least he tried to. He’d skipped dinner and only had a light breakfast, but lunch didn’t seem that good.

Buster, whose mind was always on food, noticed his hesitation right away, “Uh-oh, girl problems?”

“Worse than that,” Arthur sighed.

Buster’s eyes went wide, “Arthur, I thought she was on the pill--”

“NO! No, nothing like that!” Arthur exclaimed, shaking his head, “I guess you don’t know then, huh?”

“Know what? Dude, just tell me already. The suspense is killing me!” Buster said.

Arthur sighed and told Buster everything. When Arthur was finished, Buster pulled out his phone and scrolled through the list, “Yeah, I don’t have her number either, but my mom might know. She did an internship thing at the paper over the summer.”

“Really?” Arthur smiled, shaking his head, “She needs to know before school Monday. This makes her look so bad, and I know she did nothing wrong in this.”

“I’ll text Mom, and I’ll let her know not to believe everything she sees on the internet. She probably already knows but didn’t say anything to me. Wait, I haven’t seen her. I went to the triple feature last night and didn’t get home until late,” Buster said.

Arthur exhaled quickly, “Do you think she’ll understand? I mean, my mom blew her top--”

“Well that’s your mom and this is my mom,” Buster shrugged, putting his phone to his ear, “Hey, Mom, are you at home? … No? When will you be back? … Okay, see you then,” Buster said, hanging up, “She’s in a meeting until twelve-thirty, so we’ll see her at home. I’d rather tell her in person just in case.”

Arthur nodded, “That’s probably a good idea. I just…this is going to get bad, isn’t it? I mean, we don’t even know who’s doing this--”

“Look, it’s probably one of our many bored classmates. Embrace it and see where it goes. You didn’t really care about your reputation before, and your girlfriend knows it’s a fake. Once we tell Sue Ellen, I’m sure she’ll be able to ignore it too. You might need to talk to her parents, but she can arrange that once we get a hold of her.”

Arthur sighed, “Okay, you’re right, but…do you think it’ll stop after this?”

Buster shrugged, “If they’re as bored as we are, who knows? If they keep being this dumb though, it won’t matter anyway. I mean, they’re good alterations, don’t get me wrong, but anyone who was a part of that scene knows those pics are fake. Wait, who took them?”

“Muffy’s camera, but that party was pretty crazy. She put out a hashtag and had people send the pictures to her that way, so anyone could’ve taken it. There were tons of people there,” Arthur replied.

Buster grinned, “No wonder your mom was mad. Well, just keep a list of the evidence just in case. If this goes further, there’s always people who can help us figure this out. I wouldn’t worry about it though. I mean, it’s stupid party pictures. Something bigger will happen soon and no one will even remember this. Plus it’s you! You’re Mr. Friendly!”

Arthur kept hearing that but wondered how true it could be. He kept thinking back to anyone he could’ve become enemies with, but he kept coming up blank. Plus, Arthur knew that friendship could only get you so far in terms of reputation. If the right people thought the wrong things, he would be done for. Sure, it might be short-lived, but Arthur knew this wouldn’t go well if it kept on. He just wished one of his friends would agree.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4
As always, Bitzi was scattered. She flitted into the house late with a bag of fast food. She didn’t realize the boys had already eaten, but Arthur was able to help. He was starting to calm down now that more and more people were telling him how to handle his troubles, not that it really seemed to be helping. It helped enough to give him an appetite at least, so that was good. He hate a few burgers while filling Bitzi in on the details, well, once she finally sat down to join them.

When they were done explaining, Bitzi bobbed her head, “Well, I can see why you’re in a bind. What were you wanting from me in this, Buster? Your call sounded important, and I just…I don’t see where I fall into this equation.”

“Well, you were Sue Ellen’s boss for her summer internship. I know it’s against the rules or whatever, but we really need to give her a heads up on this situation,” Buster explained.

Bitzi nodded firmly, “Right on all counts. I really shouldn’t do that, but this is such a delicate issue. I just…the problem is that I have her home phone number. Her parents allow her to have a tablet for reading, but they don’t let her make phone calls and whatnot. She uses public phones.”

“Wow, that’s almost barbaric in times like these,” Buster muttered.

“It’s to keep her safe, Buster. She’s an ambassador’s daughter, and…wow, is this really about her? Her parents would be devastated--”

“I think it’s only about me,” Arthur said firmly, “but I could be wrong,” he added. He hadn’t thought of this possibility until now, but it made more sense. He still hadn’t thought of anyone he’d made angry, but Sue Ellen wouldn’t have to do anything wrong if someone wanted to use her to get to her father using her.

Bitzi sighed, “Well, finish up and let’s go down to the office. All my contacts are there.”

The boys obliged, with Buster finishing off the fries and Arthur packing one of the burgers in his jacket pocket. He rode in the back seat of Bitzi’s tiny car, a little Prius that helped ease her commuting costs for stories. But it did nothing for the tall boys, who were squeezed into the seats.

Once at the office, the guys remained standing outside Bitzi’s office as she made the call. Arthur made notes for her to use, but this was still outside of her line of understanding. At least Sue Ellen’s mother answered the phone and didn’t mind hearing Bitzi out, but she needed more information and a meeting with the ones involved.

So after their phone call, the guys were crammed into the Prius again. Per Mrs. Armstrong’s orders, the meeting had to be private. Arthur alone would go inside, but he wouldn’t be taking a direct route. Bitzi kept his phone with her and dropped him off a few blocks away. Arthur was to walk west, but a car would stop and pick him up. He didn’t like this idea; he’d always been raised to not get into cars with strangers, but this was a special case. He had no choice but to do as he was told.

Sure enough, the car was driven by a guy who looked like a bouncer. Arthur guessed him to be private security, but he didn’t know for sure. For all he knew, this guy was really a secret service agent with the body of a linebacker. This was beyond him, but he did what he was told and was rewarded swiftly.

Once Arthur was inside the house, the bouncer-looking dude led him into a small office, where Mrs. Armstrong was with her husband and Sue Ellen, who sat meekly in an arm chair in the corner.

“Thank you for meeting with us and warning us about this,” Mr. Armstrong said, shaking Arthur’s hand and making him sit, “I need you to tell me everything again.”

So, once again, Arthur told the story. He left the package at home, but he agreed to get it to them that afternoon for testing. Mr. Armstrong was being protected by secret service agents, which gave him far more resources to work with. This case was officially out of Arthur’s hands now--in the eyes of the Armstrong’s and the U.S. government, this was an attempt on the ambassador’s reputation, which would be investigated fully.

When the meeting was over, Mr. Armstrong stepped out with the agents, leaving Arthur alone with Sue Ellen and her mother.

Sue Ellen sighed, “I’m sorry you’re being targeted like this, Arthur, all because of me.”

“I don’t think that at all. I’m sorry for someone bringing you into this. We all believe you,” Arthur said.

Mrs. Armstrong sighed, “So…once you get the package to us, we’ll look into fingerprints and whatnot. You’ll need to give those before you leave. And they might have more questions for you, so return any important calls you get.”

“I will,” Arthur nodded, watching her leave the room.

Once she was gone, Sue Ellen groaned, “It’s a real pain being their kid sometimes. I’m leaving as soon as I graduate. I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m tired of this.”

“I can imagine. Tracking you down to tell you was really hard. Muffy figured you would just find out Monday morning,” Arthur said.

“Well, I’m glad you put in the leg work. That would have derailed my day, but it sounds like that’s what’s going to happen anyway. People really are that mad at you, huh? And they’re calling me a cheater too?” Sue Ellen asked.

Arthur shrugged, “I haven’t checked in a while, and I don’t have my phone. But…yeah, I guess so.”

Sue Ellen sighed, “Well, good thing I don’t care, huh? I mean, so many other kids really are wild, and here’s me being photoshopped into compromising situations using what looks like yearbook pictures. I haven’t worn my hair like that since junior year,” Sue Ellen said, which made Arthur notice that she was right: Sue Ellen’s hair was longer now and held back in a tight ponytail.

As Mrs. Armstrong warned, once Mr. Armstrong was done meeting privately with his agents, they got Arthur’s phone number and other contact information. They made a complete file on him, which included fingerprints. Arthur’s fingers were still stained black when the agent drove him back to his neighborhood, where he had to walk two blocks home and back to give him the package. Luckily Buster was waiting at his house to not only return his phone, but also to get filled in.

Arthur shrugged at him, “There’s nothing to say. They are handling this now, so I’m comfortable with it. They’ll figure out who did this, and yeah, things will get ugly for whoever that was. I doubt they’ll find much though.”

“Fingerprinting is a fairly accurate science,” Buster argued.

Arthur shook his head, “I didn’t mean like that. I mean, anyone’s fingerprints could be on there. Figuring out who posted them online would be too hard with an account like that. I tried to warn them, but they swore they could make the connections no one else can.”

Buster scoffed, “Well, you have thought this through then, haven’t you? Government agents are actually pretty limited in what they can do, and yes, there are too many variables. We’ll probably never know, which is good for whoever did this. The last thing they’re going to expect is being pulled in by the secret service, huh?” Buster grinned.

Arthur smiled, “If it gets that far, yeah. They’re going to crap their pants.”

“So…your mom asked me about your partying. I guess she knows we don’t always meet up together, huh?” Buster whispered.

Arthur exhaled slowly, “I guess not. I mean, I guess it was inevitable, but it’s not like I do much. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke pot, and I don’t have that much wild sex. Yeah, Francine drinks, but that’s her decision, not mine.”

“You’re still in trouble, but I told her you make good choices. You’re there to keep Francine safe most of the time, not to party,” Buster said, putting on his jacket, “I just figured I’d tell you she talked to me. And DW tried to grill me too, but I didn’t tell her anything.”

“Thanks, and I’ll call you. I should probably lay low for a while,” Arthur said, which Buster couldn’t doubt. This was a bad situation, and as Arthur expected, as soon as his mom realized Buster was gone, she was back on him for the partying.

Sure enough, Arthur was grounded from staying out late. A strict ten p.m. curfew was put in place, no exceptions. His dad wasn’t home to back up either Arthur or his mom, but Arthur figured that was a way out. He didn’t think it would last long. This would all blow over soon, and his mom would forget and let him back out soon. He just had to wait.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5
Mr. Armstrong sighed heavily as he sat in his desk chair again. It was Sunday night now and back up had arrived. The agents working to protect Mr. Armstrong had called in a few FBI agents, who would be at Elwood City High School first thing the next morning. There was no way around it now: This was an official investigation.

Davius, the lead Secret Service agent, sat across from Mr. Armstrong with his smartphone out, “They will have IT officials in Monday afternoon, probably after four o’clock when the school will be quiet and no one will be on the network. Agents will be in the school throughout the day pulling in students and faculty for questioning.”

“Will they know what this is about?” Mr. Armstrong asked.

Davius exhaled slowly, “That’s hard to say. I’m sure they’ll figure it out eventually, but, for the moment, they won’t know a thing. We just want to know who has access to school computers, school accounts, and anything else related to the background of this case.”

Mr. Armstrong nodded, “That really is all we can do at this point. I talked to my daughter privately, but she doesn’t know why someone would do this to her or the young man involved--”

“Arthur Read,” Davius interrupted, “and yes, I thought the same thing when I reviewed his information. Average student, seems to have lots of friends in the community. His parents are good people too.”

“Do you know how they’ve reacted?” Mr. Armstrong asked, but Davius didn’t know. His parents weren’t on social media, so there was nothing beyond public information to know about them.

Everything about the case was strange. Mr. Armstrong and his wife worked hard to keep Sue Ellen protected from the madness of the world, and Sue Ellen seemed to appreciate their actions. Sure, she sometimes felt left out, but she had so many other things to keep her busy that didn’t involve social media. She was on the debate team (though the Armstrong’s had to admit that sometimes her lack of connection with the world caused problems), and she spent a lot of time volunteering around the community. She was a well-rounded student who could go to college wherever she wanted thanks to her hard work. For now, she was looking at international schools, which had always been the plan. Sue Ellen simply spent too much time around other cultures to stay stuck in America with her parents, not that they attended to be in Elwood City much longer. Now that Sue Ellen was graduating, Mr. Armstrong was planning to retire and travel the world for himself instead of the president’s agenda.

Davius cleared his throat, “We have an agent combing through everything now. It’s pretty standard, they said. This is their area of expertise, so I trust their judgment.”

“Standard how?” Mr. Armstrong asked.

“This sort of thing happens all the time. It used to be with real photographs, but now people use programs like Photoshop instead. It’s not hard to squash, they said. Something bigger will come along, then things will go back to normal,” Davius explained.

Mr. Armstrong hoped that would be the case, but he knew not to hold his breath. High school could be brutal, especially in this day and age, and one had to be careful. Regardless of how long this scandal was supposed to last, the investigation would continue. Things at Elwood City High School were about to change.
*-*-*-*-*
Students took notice of people in suits. Even the principals, vice principals, and other administrators dressed strictly business casual like the other faculty and staff. No one wanted to stand out, plus it made them more approachable.

The agents wore black suits with black ties, their shining black shoes completing the look. Their faces were stony in nature, and students avoided them, but they took notice. People knew about the guys in suits well before they expanded their paths into classrooms and other areas outside of the front office. No one knew why they were there, but there were a lot of students grateful for their presence.

Arthur and Francine walked into school together, and as they expected, people were talking. Really everyone was talking, and it was hard to avoid the whispers and the vicious words. People were angry both at Arthur and Sue Ellen, so Francine got sympathetic looks…and then people grew angry because she was standing beside a known cheater. There would be no convincing the student body that the evidence against the people involved was fake. Arthur could only stay quiet and hope something bigger came along, and the men in suits provided that.

When Buster arrived late, he stood in line to sign into school with the other tardy children. The secretary was distracted, and Buster couldn’t help but notice it was because of the weekend’s events. These suit guys weren’t from the superintendent’s office or anywhere else concerning the local officials. Oh no, these were the real deal, the FBI.

But the rumors didn’t support that. Students thought they were after the principal for porn. Teachers thought the school board was investigating so they could take over the school thanks to its low graduation rate. There were plenty of theories in between, but those were the top choices.

Buster was annoyed that no one thought it could be the government. When he met Arthur in the classroom of a history teacher for lunch, Buster shared his thoughts.

Arthur shook his head, “Buster, look, I get what you’re saying, but you can’t say anything, okay?” he whispered.

Buster looked hurt, “But why not? It’s because it’s true, isn’t it? You saw those guys Saturday when you met with Sue Ellen’s dad.”

“No, I didn’t see any of them, but I know it’s because of this. Look, he could be in huge trouble because of whoever did this. We can’t say anything just in case it gets worse. Anyone with common sense knows that something bigger will have to happen before people will forget,” Arthur said, looking up as the history teacher entered the room.

The teacher shook his head, “I’ve been hearing crazy things about those guys in suits wandering around. What have you guys heard?” he asked.

“I think they’re alien hunters,” Buster said with full conviction, as if this was his true theory despite what he’d told Arthur. He continued on, “There were some readings in the geology lab we did the other day that concerned the teacher. He wouldn’t say much, which got me suspicious. I mean, what could he possibly be thinking? If he thought we had messed with the data, he would’ve chewed us out.”

The history teacher nodded firmly, “You’re definitely right there. I’ve seen him angry, and he’s an honest man.”

“Exactly!” Buster exclaimed, slapping his hands on the desk, “See, Arthur, someone who understands.”

The history teacher bobbed his head at Arthur, “So, what’s your favorite theory?”

“I like the criminal investigation one about the principal, but I don’t think it’s porn or he’d be out of here ASAP to ease the damage. Something financial, maybe the economic stuff we talked about,” Arthur suggested, blushing slightly at his lies.

“Huh,” the history teacher said, crossing his arms, “That’s a good one. I can’t believe I hadn’t thought about that, but it would explain the organization meeting this afternoon. Any staff member running an organization with student workers has to attend.”

“Really, how interesting,” Arthur said flatly. He shrugged, “Wow, maybe I am right.”

“It makes sense. More money from Middle America is funneled into schemes and fraud-based endeavors than you would expect. It’s an easy way to get rich, and the penalties really aren’t that steep. I don’t know why I’m telling you guys this, but you’re good kids. Don’t steal money from hard-working people, okay? It’s bad on the soul if anything else,” he warned as the bell chimed to signal the end of lunch.

Sure enough, the organization meeting changed minds. Suddenly Arthur’s theory made a lot more sense. Why else would a bunch of guys in suits want to meet with people around the school who were responsible for all of the school’s organizations, big and small? Something big was going on, and everyone was hoping for answers.

But there were no answers. The meeting demanded login information for every school account and who had access to that information. Students were too busy slamming Arthur for being a cheater to come up with the next big scandal, so the questions continued, and the damage continued to spread.

When Sue Ellen got home, she was informed that she would no longer be participating in her school-based extracurriculars. No clubs, no yearbook or anything like that. She could do scholarly things and that was it. She was heartbroken, but she knew it was for the best to keep her father safe.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6
The cafeteria wasn’t the best place to hold private faculty meetings, but the administration was at a loss as to where to put them. Elwood City High was the oldest building in the district, which meant the rooms were small and designed for a bygone era. The only other large rooms were the band rooms, which were both occupied by the students leaving band practice, and the gym, which was hosting basketball practice.

Those coaches and band directors were the only ones excused from the meeting. The principal was grateful for the exception, mostly because he didn’t know these suited agents weren’t looking into those groups, at least not yet. The groups in question were in the cafeteria.

Each organization was supposed to sit together, but that wasn’t possible due to each teacher’s allegiances. The English teacher who oversaw the school’s yearbook classes and after school organization was also in charge of the honors club for English and the production design department for the school’s theatre program. She sat front and center because that’s where she always sat.

Which was convenient, not that the agents said anything.

The principal started off the meeting by standing up and looking over the room. The chatter stopped and he spoke, “As some of you may have noticed, we’ve had an incident occur that has sparked an investigation. I am not at liberty to say what happened, but the specifics of the incident are not what these men are after. I’ll let Agent Carter fill everyone in.”

Agent Carter stepped off the wall, where the other agents were overseeing the meeting. Agent Carter stepped in front of the group and remained silent as he took everyone in. He was expecting some guilty expressions, maybe some signs of nervousness, but there were none. This group was dead inside, and he knew it was that level of laziness that started this in the first place. These teachers were too apathetic to care who did what. That was too much paperwork, too much extra effort. Besides, these were good students! They wouldn’t use their new found power for evil! And even if they did, it was their fault, not the fault of the one who gave out the information in the first place. He had seen it before, but not at this level.

Agent Carter cleared his throat, “We’ve had a serious breach of security within this school. Students are using your credentials to access things they shouldn’t have access to, at least not for personal use, and it is causing problems. So…you’re giving up the rights to your accounts, right here and right now.”

The other agents stepped off the wall. One had a stack of folders hidden behind their back. He passed them to the other agents, who spread the sheets within the folders around to every table. Pens were pulled from pockets--these teachers were prepared for paperwork even if they weren’t prepared for anything else.

Agent Carter watched over them waiting for questions. Sure enough, the woman front and center spoke up: “Hi, I was wondering what exactly you were looking into. I mean, I check these accounts every morning for suspicious activity--”

“Even over the weekends? After, say, a busy Friday?” Agent Carter asked, smirking, “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name. You are?”

“You can call me Miss Parks, and yes, I check the accounts regularly over the weekend. I have to just to keep track of things,” she laughed, but Agent Carter’s smirk was gone. This was not a friendly mission.

Agent Carter nodded, “I mean, I’m sure all of you do all that you can with the accounts you manage, but things get missed. I mean, let’s take a look here. See? This is exactly what I’m talking about right here,” Agent Carter said, passing the list off to an agent, who quickly left the room.

“What?” another teacher asked, “Why was that so important? Is she the one?” he questioned.

Agent Carter held up his hands, “I’m not pointing fingers at anyone. Let’s see what you put down, Sir. Why don’t we pass all of our sheets to one of my agents?” Agent Carter instructed, looking over the man’s papers and handing his off without as much enthusiasm. The agent left the room anyway; this wasn’t what they needed, but appearances were important. No one could know, not until IT could take over the accounts and reset them to credentials only the FBI would know.

The principal stood up from his seat in the back, “These agents are just doing their jobs. I hope everyone can understand how important this is--”

“We just want to know what the deal is, and you should be concerned too. The kids think you’re hiding a massive porn collection on the school’s computers,” a teacher called out.

The principal laughed, “Is that so? I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be standing here if that was the case.

Agent Carter nodded, “It’s true. We take allegations like that seriously. This is very different, but it’s a credible reason. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t, and we wouldn’t be taking over these accounts and giving you a cyber security overhaul either. This is serious, dead serious. In fact, it’s a matter of national security.”

A coach scoffed, “Really? How so?”

“I mean, this close to Washington? You’ve got the children of several key figures walking through these halls on a daily basis,” Agent Carter said softly, shrugging, “I mean, all it takes is one weak link and the whole chain collapses. Terrorists will do whatever they can to win, and that’s what we’re going to prevent. Your credentials are being changed, and everyone will be receiving an email tonight with links to a cyber security training class. It’s extensive and must be completed if you wish to continue working here.

“Also, we’re installing software to monitor the usage of your accounts. There won’t be any more of this account sharing. You are all responsible for your organizations, yes?” Agent Carter asked, watching the shocked heads bob up and down. He gestured broadly, “Well, then you should take responsibility for those accounts. You alone should be managing them.”

Miss Parks raised her hand, “How does that work for organizations like mine? The yearbook has student journalists all over, and it’s too much for one person--”

“I’ve been here all day, Miss Parks, and not once has someone told me where to stuff my questions. You need more staff; it’s as simple as that. You need more teachers running the program, and I’m sure the principal can help you find reliable workers. Because, you see, that’s how we end up with more problems than we can handle, isn’t it?” Agent Carter asked darkly.

Miss Parks was still clueless about what he was implying, but her colleagues were smart enough to realize. In fact, when the meeting concluded, Miss Parks seemed surprised to have agents in her classroom next to her things. She was even more surprised to find Agent Carter and the others behind her, closing her into the room.

Miss Parks smiled, “I think I can get home by myself, boys.”

“That’s not why we’re here. Who all has access to these accounts? You left that section blank, and we need to know,” Agent Carter said, handing her the form, “I want names, all of them. Leave none off, not a single one.”

“I thought I made a note about that,” she whispered with a smile, clicking open her pen, “I mean, there’s too many to list. I’m assuming you would want previous years as well because the staff is so small this year--”

“Then I suggest you get writing,” the agent at her computer said, looking up, “Everything is here. These are shared files, no original accounts tied to them. They tried to delete the ‘shopped photos, but they’re still in the Recycle Bin.”

“What photos? Shouldn’t you tell me what happened?” Miss Parks asked.

Agent Carter shook his head, “Not in a situation like this. I could have your job, but I get it. You’re overworked and underpaid, and no one ever told you how vile teenagers could be. You’re lucky they just like ruining reputations. The smarter ones get into cyber crime, fraud, theft--you name it, we’ve seen it. We’ve seen people who get in the way lose their lives in senseless murders or face vicious attacks from teens who didn’t pay attention in biology or anatomy.

“It’s an ugly world out there, and shit like this is contributing to it,” Agent Carter exhaled, glancing over to Miss Parks, “Keep writing, but let’s stick to whoever would have the current account’s information who still attends school here.”

Miss Parks exhaled, “The credentials haven’t changed since I made the accounts. I mean…the yearbooks. They have a staff list in each copy. Just take them, please. I can’t remember these names just right, and I marked any changes I heard about in the versions I got. Mistakes happen,” she shrugged.

“Some bigger than others, yes,” Agent Carter nodded, watching his agents clear out the shelves in question. Miss Parks confirmed they only had the Facebook accounts for the last three years, so that cut down on the editions they would have to go through. It was still a ton of work, but that was why they were there. It needed to be done.

After cleansing school accounts and double checking that everything was sent out carefully, Agent Carter met with the principal and developed an outline. It was time to inform the students of the situation, mostly because finding and questioning everyone involved was time consuming and could still leave off the culprit. The credentials were so easy they were almost guessable, plus friends could share information. It was a weak system, and now it was going to make a tough job harder.
*-*-*-*-*
Any assemblies at Elwood City High had to be held in the gym. The ancient auditorium wasn’t big enough, so the students were forced into the gym. The classes were so large now that seniors had floor seats during large gatherings like this--pep rallies were held outside regardless of conditions. Their inside spaces were just too small.

Arthur and the other seniors watched the gym fill in with underclassmen. This was a poorly planned assembly, but Buster knew why. The suited agents stood along the back wall next to the locker rooms. The seniors watched them too wondering who they were.

Arthur was shocked to find out that Buster was right. They really were FBI agents. The student body was shocked too, but they were even more shocked to hear things about cyber security and “matters pertaining to national security.” No one knew what they meant. The agents had been so cryptic that no one had put two and two together, which is what they hoped for.

But Arthur knew, and in the end, he was grateful. When the students filed out, the pictures of Sue Ellen kissing Arthur were no longer important. They wanted to know who the terrorist was. It was the perfect storm with the perfect resolution. For now, things were okay.

Chapter Text

Students were on edge when they realized the FBI agents weren’t limited to the front office anymore. Instead they had a classroom to themselves, a tiny room normally used for storage. It was all they could acquire on such short notice, but it served its purpose. Throughout the day, students were called in for interviews about possible computer usage, namely in terms of misusing school accounts for personal means.

Fern Walters, current president of the yearbook Club, was called in mid-morning. She hated missing her English class, but when she saw the agents, she knew this was more important.

“Miss Walters, have a seat. We just have a few questions and you’ll be on your way. I’m Agent Carter.”

Fern nodded and watched the agent take a seat in front of her. He opened a file and took a deep breath, “Alright, how long have you been part of the school’s yearbook?” he asked.

“Only since last year,” Fern replied, adding, “I was on the school paper before that, but we no longer have one because of costs or whatever. I offered to make them a website, but they refused.”

“So you’re tech savvy?” Agent Carter asked.

Fern shrugged, “I mean, I know what I need to know for my school work. I had to learn to use the different programs, and I took an electronic communications class sophomore year that also taught web design. I wouldn’t know anything if it weren’t for that class.”

Agent Carter nodded, “Okay, well, how do you view the posts you make online? Do you make them for yourself or for the school?”

“I limit personal posts to my own account. Everything I do for my job goes through Miss Parks, well, when I can find her. Sometimes I have to push things out without her approval, but she gave me permission,” Fern said quickly, cocking her head, “Did I do something wrong? I mean, am I the reason you’re here?”

“Not at all,” Agent Carter said firmly, adding, “but I want to know what posts you’re responsible for. Nothing is labeled--”

“Actually, I hide my initials somewhere in the post. Like I’ll intentionally start one line with an F and another line with a W just to put myself back in there. I can show you if you want me to,” Fern offered, but Agent Carter shook his head. Fern sighed, “So, was it me?”

“Do you post photographs, specifically altered photographs of students?” Agent Carter asked.

Fern shook her head firmly, “No, I would never do something like that, and I don’t know anyone on the current staff who would do something like that either. I know what you’re talking about and I tried to take it down when I found out. By then, you had locked us out--”

“Yes, students will no longer be allowed to have credentials,” Agent Carter said, making a few notes.

Fern sighed, “I can understand that. I always felt grimey doing posts before, but Miss Parks said it was okay. I mean, between you and me…she’s too relaxed. Honestly more people have that account’s information than she realizes. Anyone in her classes that needs to make posts can get the information no problem, plus she posted it a few months ago on her board. It was up for several days.”

Agent Carter sighed, “I was afraid of that. Well, I want to thank you for your help. Do you mind sitting for a moment while I get a form for you to sign? It just shows that you were here.”

“Sure, no problem,” Fern said, sitting quietly in her chair.

Agent Carter went behind a large bulletin board being stored in the room. Other agents were using this as a partition so they could continue working through the interview. However, the room was still small, and while Agent Carter looked for another form, she could hear everything he was saying.

“If that’s the case, we would do better looking into Armstrong and Read individually. Whoever did this would likely have ties to one or both,” Agent Carter whispered.

Another agent shook his head, “These kids all grew up together. We started that already with no luck.”

“Well these are teenagers!” Agent Carter hissed, snatching up a form, “They had to fuck up somewhere!”

The other agent didn’t say anything, and Fern kept her eyes on the desk’s top in front of her as Agent Carter returned with the form. She filled it out and added the necessary notes, then she was on her way to class.

She only knew one Read that attended Elwood City High. Her senses were tingling as she left what was left of her English class and moved among the halls. She hadn’t talked with Arthur in ages, but she vaguely knew his schedule. He had lunch at the same time she did, but neither of them ate in the cafeteria most of the time. Fern always ate in Miss Parks’s room so she could work on the yearbook, which meant she didn’t take time to explore the school.

As she turned to go into her next class, she looked up to see Buster at a water fountain nearby. She rushed over to the water fountain and got his attention, and she was thankfully successful.

“Fern, what’s wrong?” Buster asked.

“Where do you and Arthur have lunch? I have some questions for him, official business,” Fern replied.

Buster nodded, “Well, we eat with Mr. Todd. Um…what kind of official business?” Buster asked as the bell rang.

“Just something important. I can’t be late,” Fern said quickly, rushing back over to her class. Her teacher was somewhat relaxed, and because she made it inside before he closed the door, she wasn’t counted late.

Buster was counted tardy anyway, not that he minded. He was more concerned with Fern now. What kind of questions would she be asking? He knew it was probably about the photos, but why would Fern care? It didn’t concern her.

When Buster told Arthur about the meeting while they went through the lunch line, Arthur was okay with this. If Fern could help them, so be it. They quickly got their food and went to Mr. Todd’s room, where Fern was waiting for them outside with her sack lunch.

“Don’t you normally have work to do on the yearbook?” Arthur asked.

Fern shrugged, “Sometimes you just need a day off, you know?” she said, following them into the room. They pushed together three desks at the back of the room and began to eat.

Buster sighed, “So…what do you want to know?”

“I’m trying to figure out what to ask. I never saw the pictures, so I guess we could start there. I know that’s been a huge deal, and judging by their questions, I know that’s why they’re doing this,” Fern said.

“What about their questions gave it away?” Arthur asked fearfully.

“Well…it was something the agents said to each other when the lead guy was getting the forms together. He said Armstrong and Read, and you’re the only Read I know that goes here, so I put two and two together. I still write mystery stories, you know. I can handle basic problem solving missions,” Fern said.

Arthur sighed, “Well…yes, someone photoshopped some pictures from a party. I was kissing Francine in the real versions, but someone put Sue Ellen’s face on there and used a public Facebook account from the school to post them. Everyone saw. I don’t know how you missed it.”

“Because I was out of town all weekend visiting colleges,” Fern replied, making a few notes in a composition notebook, “I hope you don’t mind me making notes. I really want to know who did this. As president of the yearbook Club, the members are my responsibility. Miss Parks said so.”

“Miss Parks is the reason behind this anyway, but sure, you do that,” Buster said sarcastically.

Fern lifted her pen from the page, “Do you want my help or not?”

“I want your help. Who all is on the staff this year? Is it anyone who would have a grudge against me or anyone who loves drama?” Arthur asked.

Fern shook her head, “No one who would stoop that low, and honestly, none of them have the skills for that. I’m the only one on the club who uses Photoshop regularly, but you would need the source material. Who all has access to those original pictures?”

Buster turned to Arthur, “You know, I’ve been wondering the same thing. I mean, I know they were taken with Muffy’s nice camera, but who all can get to her files?”

Arthur shrugged, “I really don’t know. I mean, maybe Francine, but she wouldn’t do this. She was just as surprised as I was too, as was Muffy. She was really hurt too, but I just…do you really think you can help us?”

“More than those agents,” Fern smirked, putting her pen down, “I just get the feeling they’re out of their element here. I mean, why are they here in the first place?”

“Because Sue Ellen’s father is an ambassador, and they saw this as a threat to national security,” Arthur explained.

Buster grinned, “I told him they were FBI agents. No one else thought so, but I saw that from a mile away.”

“Same here!” Fern exclaimed, shaking her head, “It was so obvious, but no one else thought so. And everyone thinks the principal has porn on his computer even though the teachers keep telling us that’s not the case. I think I’m okay with the rumors since this is the truth. I mean, it could give us clues.”

“What kind of clues? I don’t follow,” Arthur admitted.

“Well, whoever did this clearly had a reason for doing so. I mean, why else would you do something so dirty? I don’t get the feeling this has anything to do with her father. I mean, I forgot about that and we’ve known her since third grade, and everyone knows she travels. They just don’t realize why,” Fern explained, continuing, “So, that means whoever did this did it to be mean. You need to figure out who you pissed off,” Fern said, nodding to Arthur.

“But that’s the problem. No one has been mad at me in ages, and the only people who ever used to bully me are gone. Binky is at an arts school, and that redistricting put everyone else in the other school,” Arthur explained.

Fern nodded, “And I doubt anyone at Lakewood High would have credentials for our accounts. Miss Parks should’ve known better, but I guess she didn’t think anything bad could happen. She was wrong.”

“Boy was she,” Buster agreed.

“Well, I really want to help you with this. Besides, I don’t think I’ll be doing much work for the yearbook now that Miss Parks is in deep trouble. Do you think they’ll fire her for this?” Fern whispered.

Arthur shrugged, “I doubt it. I mean, I guess no one got hurt.”

“Not even Francine?” Fern asked.

Arthur shook his head, “She knew it was a Photoshop job. We had already looked at the pictures together, so she recognized them too. Plus she knows Sue Ellen doesn’t go out. I mean, I hadn’t seen her until I had to meet with her.”

“You met with her? Wait, that’s how this whole FBI thing got started, huh?” Fern nodded, making a few notes, “That’s good on you to tell her.”

“We thought so too,” Buster whispered, packing up his trash, “So…can we meet after school or something? I don’t like talking about this at school.”

“Maybe we can meet at Muffy’s house and really get to the bottom of this,” Fern suggested.

Arthur shook his head, “I have to be home by five for family dinner, but you guys can meet without me. Maybe they’ll let me text.”

“Oh, let me get your info just in case I dig something up on my own. You don’t mind, do you?” Fern asked.

Arthur didn’t, so they exchanged info. The bell chimed a second later, so they had to get back to class, but at least it felt like some progress was made. While Arthur wouldn’t be able to make the meeting at Muffy’s house, the others were all ready to begin their own investigation. Now that they knew how out of their element the FBI agents were, they practically had no choice. If they were ever to find out who did this, they were going to have to do it themselves.

Chapter Text

Fern was surprised that she remembered how to get to Muffy’s house. She hadn’t been since fifth grade, the last year that Muffy hosted a grade-wide birthday party. A lot of people thought it was because Elwood City Middle School was a lot bigger, which meant the party would be way too big, but Fern knew from later digging that this wasn’t the real story. The real story involved arguing and divorces, things Fern knew nothing about. Her parents were still happily married, but, then again, neither of them cheated on their partners the way Millicent did her husband.

Francine, Buster, and Muffy were already at the house. Fern rang the doorbell and was surprised to find that Bailey was no longer there. She wondered what the story behind that was as Buster answered the door and led her down to Muffy’s office. Fern remembered it being the arcade room, and the numerous outlets spread along the walls only confirmed her memory.

Muffy sighed, “Fern, long time no see. Do you really think you’ll be able to help us?”

“I don’t see why not,” Fern said, pulling out her notebook, “I’ve been working for the school’s yearbook for a while now, and I know everyone that comes and goes from Miss Parks’s room. If the post originated from her accounts, I know pretty much everyone who has used it.”

Francine nodded, “Well, what is all that?” she asked, pointing to the envelope Fern had stuck within her notebook.

Fern pulled out the envelope and spread its content on the table beside her. She’d been working with the yearbook for so long that she thought in yearbook pictures. Inside were seven pictures of the seven key staff members and volunteers.

Fern held up the first picture, “This is Alex. He went to Lakewood with us so you might remember him. He’s our sports photographer, but he’s working with the local paper too. He eats, drinks, and sleeps photography. It’s his passion and he doesn’t seem to notice anything else going on in the world. I bet if you asked him about the pictures, he’d have no idea. Unless it’s sports or photography, he doesn’t care.”

“Have you seen the pictures?” Muffy asked coldly.

Fern shook her head, “No, but I heard about them. I was out of town.”

“You didn’t miss anything, and, besides, that’s not important,” Buster whispered, pointing to the next picture, “Who is he?” he asked.

Fern held up the second picture, “This is Raj. He’s an exchange student whose host family encouraged him to help with the yearbook. Their daughter worked on it last year, but she’s away now on her own foreign exchange year. Raj is literally only there because of his host family. He does the bare minimum and could care less about any of us. From what I’ve noticed, he barely knows the language.”

Muffy pointed to the third picture, “I recognize her. She’s our student secretary or whatever, correct?” she asked. Muffy was treasurer so she should know better, but she was too self-centered to remember.

“Kimberly is our student body secretary for the seniors, and honestly, that’s the only reason she’s there. She does as many clubs as possible to help her social standings. She wouldn’t do anything like this. Plus she wouldn’t know Arthur or Sue Ellen well enough. She only goes after the really popular athletes and whatnot. Smart kids and average kids just don’t make the cut,” Fern explained.

Muffy sighed, “Do any of these remind you of a suspect? I feel like we’re wasting time,” she groaned.

Fern grinned and held up the remaining pictures quickly, “These are editors, and this guy helps with the layout, but this final person is why we’re here. Matthew is one of those guys that comes and goes when he pleases, and he’s honestly a bit creepy.”

“Now we’re talking,” Francine smirked, “So, why would he do something like this? Was he trying to break us up or something?”

Fern shrugged, “He takes me as one of those, ‘I want to watch the world burn,’ types, but I really don’t know him that well. However, he’s the only one who spends a ton of time in Miss Parks’s room like I do. I see him all the time. He was sitting right there when I snagged these pictures from the photo printer.”

“Who all uses that printer?” Buster asked, adding, “Someone called Arthur to the school the day the pictures were posted. They printed the photos, and it was high-quality paper just like that. It even feels the same.”

“Matthew has access to the printer, but so do a lot of people. She’s super relaxed about who uses it despite having rules posted about it being for yearbook staff only,” Fern explained, tapping Matthew’s pictures, “but I know he uses it for personal reasons. I can’t vouch for anyone else, but when I started looking through this case, he was my first suspect.”

“What about you? I mean, you’re the only one there who knows both people involved,” Muffy argued.

“Why would I do something like that? Sue Ellen used to be my friend, and Arthur has never been anything but nice to me. Why would I want to hurt them like this?” Fern asked.

Muffy shrugged, “It’s a better connection than that weirdo. I’ve never seen him before.”

“He likes keeping to himself, so a lot of people don’t know him,” Fern said, continuing, “but he knows everyone, trust me. He likes collecting pictures he finds online of people, and I know he knows his way around a computer. We’ve taken classes together, but he’s so smart that he goes off on his own. The teachers allow it because he’s so quiet, but he knows a lot.”

“Enough to break into my encrypted account?” Muffy asked, pulling out her laptop, “I kept trying to think about who had access to my photos, but when I went back to check the files those came from, it was empty. Someone went in and took the pictures out deleting them in the process,” Muffy said, showing off the empty folder.

Muffy turned to Francine, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. You were topless in some of those pics, and none of those have made it online yet.”

“What?!” Francine gasped, “I was topless?!”

“You get a little wild when you drink,” Muffy shrugged, turning back to Fern, “Can he get through passwords and encryption? I had help putting this system together from some of the best in the business.”

Fern exhaled slowly, “I don’t know what all Matthew knows, and he won’t talk to anyone. I’ve known him all of high school and couldn’t tell you what he sounds like.”

“So what are we supposed to do?” Buster asked.

Fern shrugged, “I was hoping I could get some ideas from everyone. He’ll end up being questioned by the FBI eventually, but I wanted to get something done now before they decide to post more pictures. No one is talking about the pictures anymore now that the agents are interviewing people.”

Muffy sighed, “So round two is coming soon?”

“Probably. I mean, if that was the goal, their first attempt failed. I mean, you’re all scrambling, and now the FBI is involved, so that’s pretty serious, but the end goal wasn’t met…well, if the end goal was to cause you to break up,” Fern said.

Francine hugged her arms to herself, “All it’s done is make Arthur’s parents a lot stricter. He has to come to all family dinners now, and he can’t stay out later than ten o’clock.”

“I didn’t know they knew,” Fern whispered.

Muffy nodded, “A lot of people know, and that’s what I’m afraid of. If the police find out I’m having these kind of parties, my mom and I could get into HUGE trouble.”

Fern looked her over, “So I guess it’s not an inside job then, huh?”

“What the hell are you implying?” Muffy spat.

Fern sighed, “Look, don’t get mad at me, but it’s just something we learned in a class I took. It was about real crime, not posting altered pictures all over the internet, but I’ve discovered the rule is true for anything. Basically if something bad happens to you, it’s usually because of someone you know. So when kids get hurt or a woman gets beaten up, the suspect is usually someone they knew very well, someone they trusted. I was hoping this wasn’t the case here, and I’m glad that’s true. I know you’ve been best friends for a long time--”

“And I was friends with Sue Ellen once upon a time, so I wouldn’t want to hurt her either,” Muffy huffed, shaking her head, “I don’t see how you’re helping if you’re just going to tear us apart.”

“Look, I’m just trying to figure out who did this. Clearly someone was out to get Arthur or Francine, maybe both of you. After looking things over, I don’t think Sue Ellen is a part of this at all,” Fern said.

Buster scoffed, “But her life is going to be more miserable now I’m sure. I bet the FBI will encourage the ambassador to remove his daughter from public school. Heck, they might want to do that on their own.”

“Yeah because boarding school is such bullshit,” Muffy growled, rolling her eyes, “Sue Ellen isn’t going anywhere. Her parents wouldn’t pull her out for her senior year.”

Buster shrugged, “Like Fern said, I’ve been thinking about this a lot. What’s going to happen now? I mean, my mom told me to stop worrying about it this morning because it’s just going to blow over, but will it? I feel like it won’t.”

“So the two of you agree this is just the beginning?” Francine asked. Buster and Fern reluctantly nodded. Francine sighed, “Great. To stop this before it gets out of hand, what can we do? I can’t have the real photos getting out at this point. Catherine tracks me on social media for Mom and she’s probably kick me out.”

Fern paused for a moment before shaking her head, “I don’t know what the motive is. I mean, Sue Ellen is the star of the photos, so to say, and Arthur is the antagonist. He’s everyone’s bad guy right now, but both spots are bad in the eyes of a high school.”

Muffy groaned, “I think she wants to know if she should preemptively dump Arthur and get the hell away from him.”

“I mean, would that help?” Francine whimpered.

“I don’t know, but I know people think you’re an idiot for staying with him even if the photos aren’t real. I think that’s your choice really. I think I would stay with him. You’ve been together for so long now, and you know the truth, but…I know it’s hard,” Fern whispered.

Buster sighed, “Don’t do that to him, Francine. Don’t kick him while he’s down,” Buster pleaded.

“If it keeps people from bothering them, I don’t see why they can’t stage a public breakup but stay together privately,” Muffy suggested.

“That would be the better solution,” Fern agreed.

Francine took a deep breath, “Well, help me figure something out.”

The teens planned as the sun set outside. Soon Fern had to get home, as did Buster, leaving the girls alone to finish their plan. All they had to do was include Arthur now, but his phone was off. This would delay them a day, which was a day Francine hoped they had. Francine was paranoid now and knew Fern was right: It was a hard decision, but the best way to keep things from escalating was to stay one step ahead.

Chapter Text

The school cafeteria was packed. It was pouring down rain outside, so the gym was off limits. It was separate from the main building, so the administrators closed off the gym during storms to keep students from tracking in rain and muck. This meant that students were stuck in just two places: The main hallway and the school’s cafeteria.

It was hard to find where she was supposed to go. Buster told her which table they were at, but Francine couldn’t count the tables due to the swarms of people. Finally Buster just used the flashlight on his phone to flash at her, and that’s how she found them.

Arthur and Buster sat among a swarm of people. Buster was thumbing through a magazine while Arthur worked from an English textbook. Francine already had a script in her head, so she went for it:

“I can’t believe you! You told me those were fake!” Francine screamed.

Teenagers didn’t always get quiet for a figurehead, but they would get dead silent for a shrill-voiced argument in the middle of a public space. Within seconds, the cafeteria was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Arthur stood up, “They were fake! What are you talking about?!”

“I talked to someone and they said there was no WAY those pictures could be faked! They were flawless! You were making out with another girl at a party!” Francine screamed.

Now even the main hallway was quiet. Everyone wanted to hear whatever they could of this argument, especially since a few quiet whispers spread fast: Everyone knew this was Francine and Arthur, and everyone knew what was coming before she even said it.

“Why would I lie to you?!” Arthur cried.

“Yeah, why would you? We’re DONE, Arthur Read!” Francine screamed, turning on her heal and leaving. She went out a side door and marched out into the rain, where Muffy’s car was waiting in the parking lot. A winter hat and big glasses disguised her, and somehow they were allowed out of the school.

“Gee, man, I’m so sorry,” Buster said.

“But they were fake!” Arthur yelled.

Buster shook his head, a signal for Arthur to tone it down, “Doesn’t matter, bud, it’s over.”

The bell rang and the student body dispersed. Everyone knew about the breakup, even the teachers. Arthur kept getting looks all morning, so instead of heading to Mr. Todd’s room for lunch, he and Buster got a lunch pass and headed down to the Sugar Bowl.

It was still raining, but Arthur didn’t care. He scanned the Sugar Bowl and was glad to see they were the only students from Elwood City High there, which was the plan all along. A second later, Francine and Muffy pulled up and came inside.

“So, I bet you’re having a shit day,” Muffy smirked.

“It’s the worst. Some people are sympathetic, but a lot of people are looking at me like I’m the devil or something. It sucks,” Arthur said, glancing to Francine, “I guess it worked.”

“That was the plan. Now we hope this sick bastard latches on to someone else. Muffy thinks they want attention and tried us because we’re both pretty popular. Now they can go after someone else,” Francine said, ordering a burger as the waitress arrived.

Buster ordered his food to go and was soon out of the diner, which left Arthur and the girls alone. Arthur didn’t want to go back to school, so he texted his mother that he didn’t feel well and was having a soup lunch away from school to see if it would help. Jane told him to keep her updated. She was bending to his will; he could now come home early without her worrying.

“So, the break up is for the adults too. Don’t forget that part,” Francine said sternly.

Arthur nodded, “When she asks why I had a stomach ache, I’ll tell her then. It should go fine.”

Muffy sighed, “Well then, it’s done. Let’s eat and head back to my house for some movies.”

They agreed to the plan and ate slowly. The cold rain outside was doing nothing to help anyone’s mood, and it didn’t help that they were all still tense. Even though this felt like a solution, they knew there was still a big problem. Until they figured out who really did this, they knew it was destined to happen again.
*-*-*-*-*
Davius sat down across from Mr. Armstrong with his smartphone in his hand. Mr. Armstrong was hand-writing a letter to someone, so Davius knew not to interrupt. It was harder to write the letters in your own hand. You had to be perfect with every stroke, and depending on the recipient, you had to be better than perfect.

Eventually Mr. Armstrong looked up, and Davius exhaled slowly, “I just got a message from Agent Carter. According to numerous sources, the guy’s girlfriend from the pictures dumped him in front of everyone this morning.”

“Wow, poor guy,” Mr. Armstrong said flatly but with a sarcastic tone.

“He told us because she claimed an expert looked at the pictures and found they were flawless,” Davius explained.

“Hmm, that’s not the case, is it?” Mr. Armstrong asked.

“Well, the official report isn’t out yet, but our research has already concluded they used old pictures of Sue Ellen. There are probably marks and streaks on them as well. Again, the experts are reviewing them and won’t have an official report for a while,” Davius replied.

Mr. Armstrong sighed, “So…who is the girl’s expert, or do you think the pressure got to her?”

“I don’t know, but Agent Carter wants to talk to everyone. Right now, he’s working with the staff of the yearbook and all of Miss Parks’s students, so it’ll be a while if she’s not in either of those groups, but we’ll get her next. She knows Sue Ellen too, so I’ve suggested they move her up,” Davius said. Because he had worked with the family for so long, the FBI was asking him questions about the family, but they may or may not listen. Such was the problem with official government agents.

Mr. Armstrong nodded, “Well, Sue Ellen should be home shortly,” he said. Now that Sue Ellen was barred from extracurricular activities, Mrs. Armstrong had to pick her up every day to get her home safely. Sue Ellen would then be stuck at home until the next morning unless there was an event for her to attend with her family. Otherwise she was to be in her room studying with the curtains closed; the family was doing everything they could to ensure every family member’s safety.

Davius stood, “I’ll go keep watch, Sir, but I thought you would want to know this development. I believe these agents are being as thorough as they can be in this situation. I trust their judgment.”

“Well I’m glad someone has faith in them. I want to know how something like this happens in the first place. If this wasn’t her final year, Sue Ellen wouldn’t even be going to that school, not after this,” Mr. Armstrong huffed.

Davius nodded, “I understand. Maybe we can look into some options.”

“Maybe we can,” Mr. Armstrong said, watching Davius leave the room.

Once he was alone, Mr. Armstrong used his laptop to do some searches. He wanted to know what his options were should he want to keep her at home. Sue Ellen would hate him for it. She was already upset that her after school activities were canceled--what started as a limited ban became a full one once the FBI agents showed up. This would infuriate her, but if it kept her safe, Mr. Armstrong would do what he had to do. Besides, it was recommended by his advisers and his superiors, so he had to follow their orders no matter what the cost.

Chapter Text

Arthur looked up from his phone as his mom looked into his room. She got home a few minutes after he did, but she let him go upstairs without having to explain himself. Now that a few hours had passed, she wanted more information. She sat on the edge of the bed and look him over. He looked fully grown, but Jane knew that deep down, he was the same scared boy he had always been.

“So, what happened at school today to make you want to skip?” Jane asked, looking him over, “Were more photos released?”

“Francine broke up with me,” Arthur said flatly. It was in his best interest to make his parents think they were broken up too. Maybe if his mom thought they weren’t together anymore, his curfew could return to normal. It would certainly help seeing that the weekend was approaching fast.

Jane sighed, “I didn’t think she was that upset with you about this. I guess she’s feeling the pressure, huh? That’s why we don’t take photos like that and why we don’t get out of control.”

“Are you lecturing me or her?” Arthur asked.

Jane patted his leg, “I guess her since you told me you don’t really drink, but this is a good lesson for you too. You have to watch out for evidence like this. You have to be aware of who’s around you and what they’re doing, and if you’re doing anything you shouldn’t be doing, you shouldn’t be creating evidence for it. I know this was all faked, but it’s a whole new world out there, Arthur. You need to be more careful in the future. I’m assuming she doesn’t want to get back together.”

“I don’t know. We’re all worried there’s going to be more pictures,” Arthur murmured.

“Well…there could be. We don’t know why this person is doing this, but I know from my school days that you can never determine motive. Your father put fish in a teacher’s vents just for the laughs,” Jane giggled.

Arthur’s mouth fell open, “No way! Dad wouldn’t do something like that!”

“David was so bored in school. That’s why he got into cooking in the first place and why he wanted to open a restaurant once you all got older. It was exciting to him because cooking has so many different elements, plus nothing else appealed to him. He would do whatever he could to pass the time, trust me. I don’t know why I ever fell for him,” Jane grinned, rolling her eyes as she stood up, “He’s bringing home some food from the restaurant tonight, but he won’t be in until late. I’m making sandwiches for the girls and I if you’re interested.”

“I’m okay,” Arthur said.

Jane nodded, “Well…I’m sorry this happened. You need to keep yourself busy until this blows over. Why don’t you go spend time with Buster tomorrow night?”

Arthur liked the idea, and he could tell that his one goal had been met. With Francine “out of the picture,” he could get back to his normal life without his mom making him come home like some child.
*-*-*-*-*
Fern spread her notes out about the case. It had been a while since she used the bulletin board in her room to plan anything. It was a gift from her father the year she turned ten, and now she had a full spread of planning tools. For the purpose of this case, she used yearbook pictures to display the people involved.

Arthur, Francine, and Sue Ellen were the victims of the case. They went at the very bottom of the board.

The yearbook’s staff made up the suspects list. All of them went up top, including Fern’s own picture. She knew she hadn’t done it, but she needed to be thorough.

The suspects had friends--well, most of them did--so Fern worked on them next. She also displayed the friends of the victims, especially people who knew both. Anyone who went to Lakewood Elementary who didn’t get redistricted to Lakewood High was added to the list. A lot of them were honor students like Sue Ellen now, and Fern assumed they would have no interest in this case, but she really didn’t know. What had The Brain been up to all these years?

The evidence was put to the side. Fern had an empty picture to represent what she never got to see, but she knew something would go there eventually. She knew this wasn’t over, but she didn’t know which direction the suspects would go into.

Fern’s marker board, which was on her bedroom wall next to the bulletin board, became the landing spot for what Fern knew about the case. The original photos came from Muffy’s drive, and now they were gone. Had someone at one of her parties hacked into her computer in order to steal the photographs? Unless Muffy was really a suspect, this was all Fern could assume.

Theories were written in a different color. Fern had never been to one of Muffy’s high school parties, but she had seen enough movies to know they were probably chaotic. If the doors didn’t lock, there would be people all over the house.

Fern looked over her boards and sighed. In order to get really deep on this, she would need to make herself a part of this lifestyle. It was the only way to understand it, but she didn’t think Muffy would be down for another party. No one was in the mood now, not with FBI agents roaming the school and compromising photos making their rounds among the student body. Fake or not, people believed those photos, and Fern knew that all three of the current victims would have to work hard to recover their reputations, if they would ever be able to.

Fern sighed as a knock sounded at her door. Her mom stepped inside and looked the spread over. She turned to Fern almost immediately, “You go to school with these people. What have I told you about writing about real-life people?”

“I’m not writing anything,” Fern said, explaining the spread to her. Her mom sat on the edge of her bed in order to see everything better.

Doria exhaled slowly, “Wow, what a case. Well…you mentioned going to one of Muffy’s parties to figure things out. Please promise me that you’ll be safe if you end up doing that.”

Fern nodded, “Of course, no drinking or smoking and no sex. I know better, Mom. I just need to figure this out.”

Doria sighed and stood up, “Whatever happened to the rumor mill. These kids skipped that stage and went straight to the takedown stage, and for what reason?”

Fern made a Motive category on her marker board. She turned back to her mom, “I’ve been wondering about this too. Francine has kept a low profile now that we’re older. She got into fights in middle school, enough that she got kicked off the soccer team.”

“I remember that,” Doria nodded.

“She only plays softball now, but I know that affected her positively. She doesn’t fight as much, and, as far as I know, she has no enemies. I’ll figure it out though. I went to Muffy’s house today and we talked. The next step is looking into these figures here. Alex knew us all, but Matthew is just so odd. I’ll have to talk to him when I get a chance,” Fern explained.

“Well, what about these agents you told me about? What are they doing if this is supposed to be their job?” Doria questioned.

Fern shrugged, “I just don’t want anything to get missed. Besides, I’m waiting on the next card to fall. This isn’t over. Muffy said that some topless photos of Francine are missing, so I’m thinking those will be the next to go out.”

Doria shook her head, “Not even eighteen and she’ll have leaked nudes. What a shame.”

“Unless they use Photoshop again,” Fern whispered, “Matthew is smart enough and good enough with the program to make it look like anyone is in those pictures. Skin tones are hard to replicate.”

“But Sue Ellen and Francine are close in color,” Doria noticed.

Fern nodded, “But if they get cocky--”

“I see what you’re saying. Well…do your old mom a favor and stay out of whatever this mess is okay? Can you promise me you’ll stay out of the spotlight enough so you don’t become a target?”

Fern shook her head, “I’m sorry, Mom, but I can’t make such a promise.”

Doria sighed, “Well, at least you’re honest. Your dad is bringing home a pizza, so let’s go get ready for dinner. We’ll keep this to ourselves, okay? He doesn’t need to know about this.”

Fern agreed and followed her downstairs. They set the table with paper plates and plenty of napkins. Fern organized things just so, but really she was still thinking about the case. Now that she was on it, she wanted to get to the bottom of it.

Chapter Text

Throwing a weekend party was out of the question, but Muffy did invite her friends over for a Saturday evening filled with games. Her mom was away for the weekend yet again, so even if Muffy wanted to have a wild party, she could have, but she knew no one was in the mood. All week, FBI agents kept interviewing everyone, and students were on edge. Could they be in trouble for something else?

Muffy kept her circle small. She invited over the usual suspects--Arthur, Francine, and Buster--, but she also invited over Fern. Now that she was helping them on the case, it seemed only fitting. She wanted to invite Sue Ellen, but she knew that was unlikely to happen. Pigs would begin to fly before the Armstrong’s let her out of their sights again.

Fern looked uncomfortable in the mansion’s media room. She snacked on popcorn and looked straight ahead at the superhero movie the boys picked out. Francine got back from the restroom and sat beside her, keeping her distance from Arthur. She was practicing for school; she had gone back after the “breakup,” but avoiding him was hard. She had to keep up appearances, but all she wanted to do was talk to him. It didn’t help that she had no classes with Muffy and didn’t have the same lunch period either.

Francine did have classes and a lunch period with Fern, however, so they had been talking more. Francine picked up her drink and looked to the movie then back to Fern, “The agents have started interviewing everyone in my English class. I don’t know why they haven’t interviewed me yet. I feel like they’ve talked to everyone.”

“I don’t mean for this to sound the way it’s going to, but the agents know about your breakup and how you’re handling this situation. You’re more likely to get pulled into the counselor’s office than their room,” Fern whispered as Arthur and Buster laughed at some one screen joke that the girls missed.

“True,” Francine whispered, accepting some of Fern’s popcorn when she offered, “I just…I want this to be over with.”

“Not going to happen,” Muffy said, taking a seat beside her.

“And why not?” Francine argued.

“Because it’s all people are talking about still. Like a pair of guys got into a full blown fist-fight on Thursday, but did you hear about that?” Muffy asked. When Fern and Francine continued to look at her, Muffy nodded, “See? I thought as much. Dude got his nose broken and everything, but all people want to hear about is this scandal. I chat with a lot of our classmates online, and this is a school-wide thing. It’s not going away until the next shoe drops, but it’ll have to be a big shoe.”

“A clown shoe,” Francine huffed.

“Exactly,” Muffy smirked, looking back to her phone.

Fern turned to Muffy, “What kind of chat rooms are you in?”

“Oh this is all Snapchat, Insta--I’m all over the social media circuit. You have to be an insider for a lot of these though. Because so many of us are underage, their parents make them have private accounts. You have to know them to get their real screen name,” Muffy grinned, looking up again, “I don’t mean to sound nasty, but it’s the truth.”

“I know, but it never hurts to ask,” Fern said, turning back to the movie, “I’ve tried talking to Matthew, but a lot of us are out of work while this whole Miss Parks thing gets sorted. The school wants her to do everything we do, but she’s so scattered and so busy with other things. All of our accounts have been dead, and we’re falling behind on certain things.”

Francine sighed, “I don’t even know this Matthew dude. Are you sure he’s the only one on the staff who could’ve done something like this?”

“I don’t know because I haven’t seen the pictures. He’s amazing. His Photoshop jobs are always flawless no matter what the subject,” Fern explained.

Muffy passed her phone to Fern, “Those are screenshots from the posts. I’ll have to get my laptop to get you a copy.”

“I mean, do you mind?” Fern asked, wincing as she looked at the pictures.

Muffy left the room to get her laptop, but Fern knew what she was looking at. She zoomed in and shook her head, “Matthew wouldn’t have made these. You can see your hair in this shot.”

Francine sighed, “Maybe if other people had noticed things like that, we wouldn’t be here right now.”

“I mean, I think someone could hand-draw these on notebook paper and spread them around and we’d still be in the same place,” Fern shrugged, looking up as Muffy returned with a flashdrive, “Thank you for this. It’s not his work, but I like having evidence.”

“I’ll need that back Monday, okay?” Muffy said. Fern nodded and put the flashdrive into her purse. Muffy got back to her phone and sighed, “This weekend really blows. I hear it’s going to snow like crazy tomorrow night. I was going to meet Mom in Metropolis and go shopping, but I guess I can’t now. She wouldn’t want me out in that mess.”

“I wonder if they’ll cancel school Monday,” Francine whispered.

“You wish they would,” Muffy smirked, shaking her head, “It’s not that much, just a few inches, but Mom is so paranoid. I can’t say I blame her. I didn’t think I’d be driving myself at this point.”

“What happened with Bailey?” Fern asked.

Muffy scoffed, “Well, at first he left because of the arguing and whatnot, but really he found a better paying job elsewhere. He works for some family in New York City now. I follow him online too so we’re still friends or whatever, but it was a low blow. I used to be late to middle school a lot because Mom couldn’t be bothered. She got better when the principal chewed her out and threatened to get the cops involved.”

Fern coughed, “Wait, what? Just for you being late?”

“Well, sometimes she wouldn’t bring me at all, so yeah, attendance is a police issue for a child that young. She could’ve gone to jail for like eight months or whatever, and since they were still arguing about custody, that couldn’t happen,” Muffy explained.

“And what happened to your dad? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. I know I’m being really nosy,” Fern said.

Muffy shrugged, “Meh, they’re valid questions. Well that asshole dumped me. I knew enough about divorce from friends that I thought it was a power move and the court was siding with Mom because of that, but no, he didn’t fucking want me. He’s got a new family now and a new little girl and little boy. Chip hates his fucking guts too. They haven’t talked in like three years, and Chip has a family now. Like he got married and only Mom and I were invited.”

“That’s really sad,” Fern whispered.

“It is what it is,” Muffy said, looking back up to the movie, “I forgot how boring these were. I’m just not into this.”

“Well Arthur looks happy,” Francine murmured.

“You do realize you’re not really broken up, right? Like it’s just us, so if you want to go sit in his lap or whatever, you can,” Muffy said.

Francine shook her head, “I need to keep this up so it’ll be easier at school next week. I’m still getting dirty looks, and I just…I want this to be over.”

“Maybe something will happen soon to stir things up again,” Muffy said, leaning back her seat, “So who even are these people?”

“I’m not following it,” Fern admitted, taking another bite of popcorn, “I’m just here for the snacks at this point,” she grinned.

Francine laughed, “At least you’re honest. Come on, can’t we go do something else?”

Muffy decided this was the best option, but there wasn’t much else to do. They settled in Muffy’s bedroom, the three of them sprawling out as they scrolled through their phones. It was quiet, but it was what they needed after such a rough week. It helped that a light snow was starting to fall, casting the grounds in a glaze of white. It was peaceful, but none of them could ease their minds fully. In times like these, that simply wasn’t possible.

Chapter Text

Snow blanketed Elwood City, far more than meteorologists initially predicted. It was the first major snow storm of the season, and officials were ill prepared for the deluge of heavy, wet snow. This meant that everything closed--school was canceled and a lot of local businesses were closed as well.

Thanks to the internet, the Read children still had homework to complete. Kate, who was in sixth grade, had a large project to work on. She took over the dining room table with her art supplies, poster board, and printed information. DW, who was in the ninth grade at Elwood City High with Arthur, worked on her laptop nearby. While the girls argued most of the time, they actually worked well together on projects.

Arthur had a mountain of work to complete, but instead he was thumbing through his phone. He was working in the living room behind Jane, who was working from home. David was around the house somewhere, but because he was the only one who couldn’t really work from home, he was doing his own thing.

Arthur shifted on the couch as a Facebook message came in from Muffy, then Buster, then Francine. Suddenly he was in a group message between the three of them. All they said was “CALL ME!!!”, so he replied in a group message: “Who should I call? All three of you want me to call you and I can’t do that.”

Muffy somehow jumped on the problem. A moment later, Arthur had instructions to get somewhere alone, so he went up to the upstairs bathroom and locked the door behind him. A second later, a video call came through. After a moment, all four faces came in clearly.

Muffy shook her head, “I’m not going to be the one to say it.”

“Buster, you do it,” Francine said frantically.

“Someone say it, please. What’s happening?” Arthur demanded in a hushed whisper.

“You know those topless photos of Francine we were worried about?” Buster asked, his ears falling from nervousness.

“Oh god, they’re out there, aren’t they?” Arthur growled.

Muffy shook her head, “Arthur, take a seat. Trust me, okay? Just sit down wherever you are.”

Arthur did as he was told and sank to the floor, his back against the bathroom door.

Buster’s ears twitched but he continued with the dirty deeds, “It’s worse. I already called Mr. Armstrong with Mom’s help and Agent Carter is on his way to your house.”

“My house?!” Arthur squeaked, “Why would he need to come to my house?!”

“Photoshop,” Muffy said firmly, “and I think that’s all I need to tell you.”

Arthur’s eyes went wide, “Which one? Which one did those bastards mess with?!” Arthur exclaimed.

The doorbell chimed downstairs and Arthur rushed to stand up. He pounded down the stairs, silencing the girls. The video call ended as Arthur came face to face with Agent Carter in his snow gear.

“WHICH ONE?!” Arthur demanded.

“Arthur! That’s no way to speak to a guest!” Jane scolded as David appeared from the garage ready to take names on who was running down the stairs.

Agent Carter looked up from removing his scarf to two female faces peeking out from the dining room. He sighed, “Can we all go have a seat? Ma’am, your son is justified. I take your friends called you--”

“Come on and spill it!” Arthur demanded. Jane wanted to get onto him, but knowing that Agent Carter understood his anger and rudeness concerned her. She followed their guest into the dining room, as did Jane and David. The entire Read family joined Kate at the table with her project.

Agent Carter sighed, “I want to begin by saying that we have agents on this right now to get the posts removed, though it will be difficult. I just want to ensure you before I say anything else that we are taking this matter extremely seriously.”

David squinted, “I’m sorry, but who the heck are you?”

“Agent Carter, FBI,” he replied, holding up his official badge. He nodded to Arthur, “I was brought in when pictures of Arthur surfaced with an ambassador’s daughter. They were photoshopped, as were these. At one a.m. last night, someone posted edited photos. They are really of Arthur’s ex-girlfriend, Francine, but the culprit made a huge mistake and put a minor’s face on her body.”

“Which one?” Arthur growled.

“Dora Winifred,” Agent Carter whispered, turning to DW, “We are aware that these are not photographs of you. His friend, Buster, had his mother call us, and he called other people, and they all confirmed that wasn’t you. Your daughter has never been to this person’s house, at least not in recent years, and she never posed shirtless--”

“I was naked?!” DW gasped.

“This can’t be happening!” David exclaimed.

Agent Carter held up his hands, “We found out around nine this morning, and we’ve been working tirelessly to shut down the account.”

“Which one did they use this time? You said you got all the school accounts reset so no one could access them,” Arthur said sternly.

Jane looked from Arthur back to Agent Carter, “Well?”

“The account belonged to the middle school, but the teacher running the account works for Elwood City High now. Don’t worry, agents are with him now and we’re working on this. Luckily your friend is so savvy with social media, Mr. Read. Not as many people saw this one,” Agent Carter smiled.

“Even ONE is too many!” Arthur argued.

“He’s right. What are you people doing if there are still ways around things that aren’t supposed to be accessible?” David yelled.

“We’re also working with the superintendent. Local officials are helping us as well. This escalates the case to a level we weren’t expecting, and I can ensure you it won’t happen again,” Agent Carter said.

Arthur scoffed, “Yeah right.”

“I’m with Arthur on this one. He’s told us what you’ve done for Francine, and now you’re allowing this to happen to young children--” Jane said, but she was cut off by DW:

“I’m not a baby!”

“In the name of the law, you are still very much a child, DW,” Agent Carter said sternly, “and for this, you should be grateful. I’m hoping this brings more attention to our predicament and gives us more resources. We’re working hard to get through the student body, but this…this is an unexpected direction. This is bigger than we thought.”

“Who is the victim here? I mean, what are they even trying to prove by doing something like this?” David asked.

Agent Carter sighed, “This is the new question. At first, it looked as if Sue Ellen was the intended target, or at least her being in the photographs was enough to get this started in the first place. For her sacrifice, you should be grateful. We already have our foot in the door, and to our knowledge, we’ve stopped the photograph from circulating. The principal already sent out a sternly worded email about sharing pictures of this nature. Anyone who does could face prison time--”

“And where is our email?” Jane demanded.

“That was intentional. The roads are almost impassible in places, and we had to be sure you knew before we started sharing such warning with you,” Agent Carter explained.

David exhaled firmly, “So…you never answered my question.”

“I’m aware of that,” Agent Carter said, turning to Arthur, “Now we’re sure that you’re the intended target. That’s the other reason I wanted to come here today and speak with you. I need to know of anyone who would want to hurt you or the people you love with such things. This isn’t some petty high school prank anymore. This is a multi-level investigation now. Local and federal officials are on this, and we need every piece of information you have.”

“Arthur was seriously voted the Most Friendly for like…years running,” DW said, glaring at him, “I don’t see how.”

“I didn’t know this would happen to you!” Arthur yelled.

“Hey, hey, calm down now and think about the question,” Agent Carter said, clicking his pen into action, “No more games, I need a complete list of anyone who you think would feel wronged by you. Did you cut in front of someone in line? Did you make a better grade than someone? Anything.”

DW scoffed, “Arthur can’t make better grades.”

“She’s right, and I don’t know of anyone else. I’m just as dumbfounded as you are,” Arthur said quickly.

Jane shook her head, “When is this going to end? That’s all we need now: When is this going to end?” she repeated.

Agent Carter clicked his pen shut, “Well, we’re working on that, but for now, I want you to think about those questions. Also, our IT department has requested we secure your social media accounts.”

“DW doesn’t have any yet, and neither does Kate,” David said, turning to Arthur and his wife, “They have a few accounts, but I’ve never trusted these things. Looks like I was right.”

Jane rolled her eyes, “Whatever, it’s how we keep the family together with everyone being all over the place. What do you need from us, Agent Carter?” Jane asked.

“Log in information,” he replied, continuing, “This will help the department ensure your accounts are secured. We’re going to work on that together if you don’t mind.”

Arthur and Jane wrote down what would be their old credentials and led Agent Carter to the den, where they received his help locking down their accounts so they would be more secure. Agent Carter reassured them that these were public, compromised accounts that shared the pictures, but this was a precautionary measure to make sure they remained safe.

Arthur appreciated the measures, but it was also too little, too late. He wanted to kill someone, but for now, he knew of no one to go after. They were back to square one except now the price was higher. People at Elwood City High would think that DW was going around flashing her boobs, but that was far from the case. Arthur just hoped they could realize that with DW. Arthur kissing another girl at a party was at least plausible. A freshman showing off her boobs to the world was just unrealistic and unacceptable. He couldn’t believe the suspect would do such a thing, but his friends warned him that this wasn’t over. He just couldn’t believe things were going this far.

Chapter Text

The city was back up to an operational status the next morning. Jane allowed DW to stay home, but Kate and Arthur had no choice but to brave the cold and go to their respective schools. Arthur met up with Buster in the parking lot and walked inside with him.

Once inside the cafeteria, the room got quiet. Everyone glanced up at Arthur, and the boy knew that everyone in the school must know what happened, or at least they knew someone who did who didn’t mind telling everyone the story. It was humiliating, and Arthur was glad his little sister wasn’t there. He and DW might not get along most of the time, but he was willing to protect her at all costs. He was antsy and prepared for this fight as he and Buster settled into a table with Fern.

But Arthur had no one to fight. Everyone who heard the story immediately changed their minds about the entire situation. They knew this was too much of a coincidence to be real, and they too agreed that DW should be protected. She was an innocent bystander in whatever was happening, and they were willing to stand beside Arthur.

When Muffy and Francine arrived, they joined Fern and the guys at their table. Muffy took off her scarf and pulled out her phone. She sighed heavily and took her seat, “Assembly first thing this morning. We’re not even going to first period or homeroom.”

“Wow this must be really serious then,” Buster whispered.

“I should hope so,” Fern said, adding, “It’s definitely criminal this time even if the last one wasn’t. Whoever is doing this must not have much in the way of critical thinking skills.”

“Or they’re cocky,” Francine said flatly, adding, “They think they can’t get caught even with all these government agents around, so they’re just going to keep at it. It’s disgusting.”

Muffy shook her head, “High school can be like that sometimes. This should give them more evidence to work with, and now they know their security should’ve been better from the get go. You can’t play with cybersecurity, but a lot of businesses cut corners in that department. Now the school system knows better, all of them. The word is spreading.”

“National news?” Buster asked. Muffy shrugged. Only a few local stations had picked up the story so far, but she wouldn’t be surprised if it went national. With social media and other factors, it never took much for a story to go viral.

Instead of the bell ringing, the intercom system featured a message from the principal directing the student body to the gym. Administrators entered the cafeteria to make sure the transition went smoothly, but no one was fighting this assembly. Everyone knew what it was about, and everyone hoped there were answers from whoever was speaking.

But there were no answers. Students were warned about sharing sexually explicit pictures of minors, and anyone with a copy of the weekend picture should delete it completely and not share it to avoid criminal charges. Anyone with information was encouraged to visit the room where the FBI agents were holed up, but any administrator was available.

And that was that. Students were released into a shortened first period without any extra answers. Some students could only assume it was Arthur’s sister, for example, because DW’s name wasn’t being released. But many students knew and were sympathetic. Arthur went from being ostracized and hated to supported by his peers. At least it was a step up even if the reason was horrible.
*-*-*-*-*
Fern was surprised to find a substitute teacher in Miss Parks’s room, but she was even more surprised to find out this wasn’t some one and done substitute. Not only was this one permanent, there was an urgent yearbook club meeting that afternoon. Fern knew that wasn’t good, but she was going to take advantage of the meeting. She never saw Matthew outside of that room, and he too would be at the mandatory meeting. They could finally talk.

The escalation was unexpected. Fern found out via a text from Buster, and this time she had a copy of the picture for herself. It was clearly photoshopped, but it also clearly featured someone’s breasts. She censored the photograph on her bulletin board by tucking it behind an innocent picture of the victim from the middle school’s yearbook, which wasn’t an easy photo to track down on a Monday where the city was closed, but she managed. As everyone discovered, the middle school’s systems weren’t hard to hack into.

This meant the motive was still a question mark, but at least they could tell who the intended victim was now. Fern circled his picture with red yarn and staples. Arthur might not want to admit it, but he was definitely the center of this case.

That afternoon, Fern entered Miss Parks’s room and found Matthew alone at his usual computer. Fern sat down next to him.

“Hey, Matthew? Can we talk?” Fern asked.

Matthew saved his work and turned to her, “I was wondering when you would track me down. I guess I forgot to give you my credentials, huh?” he asked, pulling out his wallet and handing out his business card, “I do graphic design work and whatnot, so it’s for that, but it’s got my cell on there too.”

“Why were you expecting me? I mean, I barely know you--”

“Everyone knows Arthur though, and I remembered that you two went to the same middle school. I figure you go way back, and with your connection to the yearbook, I knew they would talk to you. I wish we could’ve chatted sooner,” Matthew said as a few more staff members entered the room.

“What are you doing after this?” Fern asked. Matthew shrugged as Agent Carter entered the room with their substitute teacher and the school’s principal. The meeting was starting even with some staff members missing.

The message was simple: Miss Parks was out and a new expert was in the hot seat. Mrs. Campbell was an expert in cybersecurity and other areas, which made her perfect for the job. She was making a sacrifice to come to work for a public school system for so little money and on such short money, but she looked happy as she introduced herself.

When the meeting concluded, the principal reminded them that it was up to Mrs. Campbell to do any online work for them. They got her email address to send in potential posts, and she put an outline on the board for how she wanted messages to be formatted. The staff members took pictures, then they left the room.

Matthew and Fern regrouped at the next hallway intersection. He had an obligation at five, but he was willing to meet with her that evening around seven if she could swing it. They exchanged numbers, then Fern promised to get back to him. Seven was a little late for her tastes, but this was an important case. Plus she wanted him to meet everyone, not just her.

So as she walked home in the cold, Fern set up a meeting through Muffy. Matthew would meet them at her house at seven sharp. He had the address, and Muffy would work on getting everyone else to the property. It was going smoothly, but Fern knew that Matthew was in for a surprise. To her friends, he was a suspect. Honestly, to her, he was a suspect. They were about to get the truth, and she hoped he could see past their vision enough to help them.

Chapter Text

Arthur’s mom wasn’t the only one reluctant about letting their kid out for a seven p.m. meeting. More snow was in the forecast, so the teens could very well get stuck there if they weren’t careful. However, the urgency of the case brought everyone together. Fern, who got a ride with Buster, held her notebook close to her as they set up in Muffy’s office.

Matthew was the last to arrive. Muffy met him at the door and led him back to the former game room. He was mystified by the house, but he kept his thoughts to himself. He looked the group over and laughed:

“I get the feeling I’ve been a suspect. Don’t worry, the FBI has already interviewed me…twice? Maybe three times? I’ve been cleared of any wrongdoing. Plus, I can show you my work. I’m not that sloppy,” Matthew said, taking a seat and pulling out his laptop.

“Well, who have you thought about with this case?” Muffy asked, looking him over, “I don’t see much of you around school.”

“That is totally the point, my dear,” Matthew grinned, booting up his laptop, “I like keeping to myself, which helps when you’re doing yearbook work. You want to be unseen.”

“So you must see a lot of what goes on around the school,” Buster whispered, nodding to Arthur, “What do people say about Arthur?”

“Nothing until recently. People were quick to slam him for the first round, but people immediately backed him up with this one. Someone was trying to hurt him and his reputation, but now they’ve only succeeded in hurting him,” Matthew noted, turning to Arthur, “You’ve got allies on this, truth me.”

“Students or official agents?” Buster asked.

Matthew scoffed, “Both, but I can assure you those agents are in way over their heads. Elwood City High is smaller than the new Lakewood High School, but because of Miss Parks’s actions, literally the entire student body had access to that account. I remember the day she put it up because it was my class. She encouraged everyone to post anything school-related, and, well, the whole class wrote down the account’s information. So many poorly drawn dicks and inappropriate memes were shared after that.”

“I remember that,” Fern nodded, continuing, “We spent our entire meeting that week removing all the posts, but it took a while to get in because the account was open in so many places.”

Matthew nodded, “And we have no way of knowing who all of those people are. It could be someone far way from here for all we know, but I doubt that. Whoever is doing this knows you and has the resources to hurt you.”

“Well, I have no enemies, so if you could help me figure out who, that would be great,” Arthur said darkly.

Buster sighed, “I doubt he would know if we don’t.”

“You’re right. Baxter, correct?” Matthew asked. When Buster nodded, Matthew continued, “Well, seeing that Miss Parks put that information up last year, freshmen are excluded. This isn’t someone who’s mad at DW who decided to go after you first. Besides, the eighth graders from last year clearly had other accounts to access. I get the feeling we’re looking at someone with siblings because that account is only two years old.”

“How do you know all this? Like, what the hell do you do all day that lets you know this type of information?” Muffy argued.

Matthew shrugged, “I’ve been hoping to run into you guys to let you know I wanted to help. When the FBI interviewed me, I realized I would be a top suspect, which means I need to figure out who the real one is ASAP. Wouldn’t you all agree? I know you’ve talked about me.”

“That’s the truth,” Fern said, adding, “but we already came to the same conclusion.”

“Well, let’s take this investigation another step forward. I’m guessing the middle school stuff was new to you based on Miss Crosswire’s reaction,” Matthew smirked.

Muffy scoffed, “Look, I just want some fucking answers, okay? My friends are suffering, and I want to know who is making that happen so that we can make them suffer.”

“Well, you need to look into the people who have known Arthur the longest who also have siblings at Elwood City Middle School. I don’t know because we’ve only been to high school together, and I really don’t know you that well,” Matthew said.

Fern sighed and made a list, “Well, I can get rosters from the last few years to work with. Everyone I know is an only child like me or has older siblings like Francine and Muffy.”

“Or they don’t go to the school anymore,” Buster noted, adding, “Binky fits that mold, but Mom covers the school he’s at. He’s into the arts deep.”

“Molly doesn’t go to our school anymore and probably wouldn’t mess with me,” Arthur whispered, “but James would be older now, and I don’t know which middle school he went to.”

“It’s a toss-up between Lakewood Middle and that other school,” Muffy said.

Matthew nodded, “See, this is what you guys need to discuss and work through--”

“Yeah, and, like, we’ve been doing that,” Muffy huffed. “We’ve been doing this since all this shit started, so get that fucking smirk off your face and tell us something we don’t know.”

“Wow, Miss Pottymouth, huh? Okay, part two? You’re looking at someone who has Photoshop but doesn’t know much about it. However, I get the feeling these photos came from someone’s private source. Now, they either know the credentials already or they know how to hack. Photoshop and hacking are two different skill sets, but that’s what I can add,” Matthew said, turning to Fern, “I know it’s not anyone with the yearbook. We just know too much about computers to make the mistakes this person is making.”

“You’re right,” Fern agreed, making a note, “I’m going to talk to the computer teachers tomorrow and see if they have any subpar students to tell me about. I’m close with a few, so I should get a few names.”

Buster sighed, “So, we’re still at square one aren’t we?”

“Not quite,” Matthew said, causing the group to look up at him. Matthew sighed, “Look, I’m on the outside looking in, and what both of these acts tells me is that Arthur has made someone very upset with him, upset enough to drag other people down with him.”

“Even my sister?” Arthur asked.

Matthew nodded, “Especially your sister. They knew that would hurt more than some classmate, but they knew that would hurt too. Whoever this is, they know you and currently hate your guts.”

Muffy shook her head, “Who could it really be then? We’re all his friends and have been forever.”

“Yeah, we met before preschool,” Buster added.

Matthew shrugged, “I’m just speaking as someone from the outside, but you need to look into any ex girlfriends or ex group partners, someone you worked closely with that you could’ve wronged. Whoever is doing this is just using available resources to bring you down, and now we’ve got to stop them.”

Muffy sighed, “Well, so much was added from this little meeting. Why don’t you head out, Matthew, and we’ll have Fern call you or whatever?”

“I need a ride from someone,” Fern whispered. Muffy rolled her eyes and settled into her seat.

Buster shook his head, “I’m sorry I can’t take you back home, but you’re across town from me and I was coming from dinner.”

“You’re fine,” Matthew said, turning to Fern, “I’ve got you. It was nice meeting all of you, and…look, I’m sorry I don’t have more to say, but this isn’t exactly cut and dry.”

“We know, we know, just go,” Muffy growled, rolling her eyes again as Fern and Matthew left.

Buster stood a moment later, “We better get going before it starts snowing again. Francine, I can take you home. You’re just a few blocks over.”

“I need a minute,” Francine whispered.

“I’ve got her,” Muffy said, gesturing the boys away, “We need a minute anyway.”

Arthur and Buster led at the same time, both of them pulling out of Muffy’s driveway and heading home as snow started to fall again.

Inside the house, Muffy groaned, “Okay, he’s not a suspect anymore, but he’s so fucking annoying.”

“I think you’re just tired. He’s trying to help,” Francine whispered.

Muffy scoffed, “You’re probably right. I just…okay, it’s good to have more people on our side through this since the FBI is fucking useless, but…I just don’t get it.”

“Get what?”

“What are we missing? Fern said she’s going to get rosters to check, but we’ve known Arthur forever. What are we missing?” Muffy asked.

Francine shrugged, “I don’t know, but…I guess I can stop avoiding him at school now. Everyone was so nice today, and some people even apologized to me. I’ve had to tell people I lied about the pictures being real. I was just so caught up in the moment--”

“Do you want my honest opinion?” Muffy asked. Francine nodded, so Muffy continued, “I think you need to have a chat with Arthur and tell him how you really feel.”

“I don’t understand--”

“Don’t bullshit me, Francine. You looked relieved after that fake breakup. I brought you here thinking we’d cry and watch sappy movies, maybe go get our nails done or whatever, and you were fine! You played on your phone until time for me to take you home, and you didn’t look upset at all! Now I know it was just a fake breakup, but I get the feeling you actually wanted to do that.”

“Well--”

“See?! Stop bullshitting me and spill it!” Muffy demanded.

Francine sighed, “Okay, I still like Arthur, but I have a crush on someone else. We’ve been together so long that it’s kind of stale. I mean, people call us an old married couple. I think that’s why they want to see us back together again.”

“But you like someone else?” Muffy asked.

“I don’t know what I like,” Francine sighed, “I still have feelings for Arthur, but I have a crush on this other guy, and I’m torn! I know it’s just a crush and I should just stick with the safe bet, but now it feels like I’m lying. If this hadn’t happened, I think I would’ve wanted a break anyway. We’ve done those before.”

Muffy sat back in her chair, “Well…you need to tell him or something. He’s going to get suspicious. I mean, just two weeks ago, you were all over him! Those party pictures weren’t taken that long ago either. You can’t tell me a crush hit you that quick and was good enough for doubts.”

“I just wanted a break, not to leave him for some other guy,” Francine argued.

“Well…you need to figure this out as soon as possible, Francine. The boy has been through hell and it’s not going to go away. He needs you right now,” Muffy whispered, sighing, “but I can’t make you stay. If you need a break, now is the time too. Might as well kick him while he’s down that let him get up and THEN knock him down,” Muffy said, peeking outside, “You need to go before that snow starts sticking.”

“I know,” Francine sighed, bundling up and going outside to warm up her car. As she sat and waited for her windows to clear, she wondered what she would do. Breaking up for real would be kicking him while he was down. Faking it wouldn’t be that hard, but she wondered if he would notice she was just going through the motions. Probably not, especially now that DW was a victim too.

As Francine drove home, she decided it was better to reestablish her relationship publicly. Arthur did need her right now, and the only one who would be hurt by her choice was herself. Besides, her crush was just that, a crush. It wasn’t worth throwing away an established relationship, so her decision was made. And she decided to keep the truth between her and Muffy. It was safer that way.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Fern decided to see what this new English teacher was like. Miss Parks always allowed yearbook students to work in her room before classes started, so she hoped Mrs. Campbell would be the same way.

Fern entered the room to see Matthew sitting at his usual station. Mrs. Campbell was working at the instructor’s station, and she merely nodded as Fern entered the room. Fern took her usual seat and logged into the computer. A moment later, she stood and went over to Mrs. Campbell.

“Hi, I just wanted to let you know that I need to print a few things if that’s okay. It’s just standard paper,” Fern added.

Mrs. Campbell nodded, “Okay, thank you for letting me know.”

“Getting those lists together?” Matthew asked as Fern sat down. He moved to a desk behind her as Fern pulled up the necessary lists, “Where were you going to start?”

“As far back as I can remember,” Fern replied, using Lakewood Elementary’s dated site to access their yearbook, which also had a photoless version to make it accessible. The Elwood City School System made a requirement that all sites have accessibility functions for the blind, deaf, and other people needing accessibility features. In this case, that left Fern with photoless rosters to print.

Matthew watched as Fern copied those names into an Excel document, which allowed her to filter out duplicates. In short order, Fern had accessed the previous yearbooks for Elwood City Middle School and High School in order to get a complete list of students. Eventually she got the list down, so she pasted the names into a blank Word document to help her purposes. She added double spacing to make the list easier to read, but also so she could add notes. This made the document a few pages longer, but the change was necessary. She needed to make those notes.

Matthew sighed as the bell rang, “I don’t know how you’re going to tackle this.”

“Well, my third grade class at Lakewood was small, so I’m going to start there. A lot of these people don’t go here anymore and wouldn’t have done this, but it’s worth a shot for the ones who are still here. Besides, I thought of something new last night,” Fern said as she packed her things.

Matthew grabbed his books and followed her into the hall, “What kind of something new?”

“I want to know if they’ve had any of the same experiences,” Fern said, shrugging, “I just thought that maybe we’re missing something. What if Arthur isn’t the only victim? What if other people have had things happen to them too but they didn’t reach scandal status?”

Matthew grinned, “I like the way you think. I’m sorry we didn’t work together sooner,” he said, stopping at the doorway of a classroom, “Maybe we would be farther along by now.”

“Maybe so,” Fern said, watching him duck inside the classroom.

Fern went to class and made stars next to the names in question in between taking notes. She knew Binky was somewhere else, as were some other students, but she knew that Jenna was still there, for example. Alex worked for the yearbook so he was still there, as was Maria and Ladonna. Now all Fern had to do was find them all.

Elwood City High was big enough to get lost in, especially if you were trying to find people. Fern worked hard, and by the end of the day, her notebook had a few entries from some of her classmates. She returned to Mrs. Campbell’s room at the end of the day, and it just so happened that Matthew was there too. Mrs. Campbell wasn’t, so they settled into the desks, turning two together so he could look at her notes.

“I’m glad we’re on the same page for this. I’ve been thinking about this all day,” Matthew said as he looked through her list, “Wow, you talked to a lot of people today.”

“Yeah and my throat hurts from it,” Fern said, flipping her list back to the first page, “I made a key, and I’m glad I did. I think I’m onto something.”

“I see that. So the pink stars are for people who have had issues?” Matthew asked.

Fern nodded, flipping to Maria’s page of the list, “Maria was happy I talked to her, but she was extremely unhappy about her situation.”

Matthew listened as Fern recapped her visit. She found Maria as she went into the library before fifth period, so Fern followed her inside. They met up at the back of the fiction section, where Maria was grabbing a book from a series. She was surprised to turn around and find Fern in front of her.

“What do you want?” Maria asked coldly.

“I’m trying to get some information from people, and I was hoping you would answer a few questions for me,” Fern said.

Maria shrugged, “Whatever but make it quick.”

“I just wanted to know if you had anything go down like a scandal, if anyone ever put out fake information about you,” Fern inquired.

Maria scoffed, “I have a stutter. Today was a good day, but when I get worked up, it gets worse. Why do you care now? I mean, it was last-st-st year,” she grimaced, shaking her head, “See? I t-t-t-told you so.”

“Wow, what happened?” Fern asked.

“What didn’t happen?” Maria huffed, heading up to the checkout desk of the library, “People made fun of me for months because of that post.”

“Who made it?”

“The same account as the Arthur thing, not that anyone cared when it about-t-t-t m-m-m-me,” she stammered, handing her library card over and turning back to Fern, “It finally st-st-stopped, so d-d-d-don’t worry about it.”

“I’ll look into though, thanks,” Fern said, leaving out another entrance to the library.

Matthew groaned as she finished her story, “Wow, she sounded really angry.”

“She had every right to be. I checked for posts about her, and sure enough, last year someone revealed her stutter on the school’s website. She’s always so quiet and she’s been working on the issue, but it still comes up when she’s frustrated. Well, someone threw a nickname into the comments, and…it was bad. She had every right to be mad,” Fern said, continuing on to Jenna, “She had the same story.”

Fern found Jenna in the lunch room with her group of band friends. Fern was lucky enough to get her to move to another less crowded table so they could talk, but it was the same story.

Fern clicked her pen into action, “You said there was something that came to mind?”

Jenna rolled her eyes, “Yeah, it took a lot of people to fix it too. Freshman year, someone made a post about the band kids being sluts or whatever. I don’t quite remember what it said, but someone used a Facebook post to create a burn book of sorts. They threw the new band members under the bus. Of course things happened on the band bus or whatever, but not to us, not yet.”

“Wow, that sounds really bad,” Fern whispered.

“Tell me about it. Someone claimed to have pictures that was using the school’s account to make comments about us. Luckily they never produced any, but they called me and some other kids out specifically,” Jenna explained.

Fern shook her head, “That’s terrible. Do you know who might’ve been behind the account?”

“Well, it wasn’t a band kid,” Jenna said, nodding firmly, “We figured that out pretty quickly, and thankfully that’s what saved us. Whoever made the posts called out kids that had never even played an instrument before, let alone joined the marching band. When they got called out, they deleted the entire post.”

Fern looked up from her notes to Matthew, “Jenna was right about them deleting the post, but that confirmed to me that someone was going after all of us, especially after I talked to Maria.”

“Did you talk to anyone else?” Matthew asked.

Fern scanned through her list, “I wanted to find Brain today, but he was at a meet for the debate club. Sue Ellen told me when I came across her. She is doing okay despite the circumstances.”

“Well that’s good to hear,” Matthew said, sitting back in his desk, “So…how are you going to move forward?”

“Tonight I’m going to get back on Facebook and see what I can dig up. I’ve got to pick up more pens because my green one ran out of ink, but then I’ll be ready. Anything I find is getting noted on this roster. I need to know who all has been mentioned. Maybe the suspect forgot to include themselves in the rumors, and that could be a big clue,” Fern grinned.

Matthew smiled, “I like the way you think. Do you need a ride anywhere? It’s super cold out still.”

Normally Fern would just deal with the cold, but since he had offered, she allowed it. Matthew drove her over to a nearby strip mall where the town’s Staples was. Fern got a few more notebooks and a few packs of pens just to make sure she was covered. Matthew spent his time in the store’s technology department studying headphones, but he left without buying anything.

When they were finished, he offered to drive her to somewhere to get dinner, but Fern had dinner waiting at home. Matthew kindly dropped her off at the end of her street, and Fern rushed home quickly so she could eat and begin her work. It was going to be a long night, but she hoped it would get her somewhere. Now that she knew this wasn’t a limited event, she had a lot to look into.

Chapter Text

Sue Ellen’s father looked on edge as she got home from school. Davius had picked her up and led her straight to his office, so she sat down across from him and waited for his phone call to end. She wished she had something to look at while she waited, but instead she stared at the wall and wondered who in their right mind designed wallpaper like that in the first place.

When he was finished, he looked up to Sue Ellen, “I wanted a progress report from you. Davius speaks with the agents each day, but I wanted to know from your perspective how things are going at school.”

“I’m no longer the center of attention thanks to those pictures, and people have forgotten about me now that they know the photos are fake,” Sue Ellen shrugged, “There really isn’t much to say.”

“Have the agents been questioning people like they say they are?” Mr. Armstrong asked.

Sue Ellen genuinely didn’t know. Honors classes were grouped together on the second floor, which meant she only left that area for electives or lunch. Agent Carter’s room was on the first floor away from the staircase she normally used, so she rarely crossed his door anyway. Plus she hadn’t heard of many classmates being called away for questioning, at least not in her classes.

But then she remembered Fern’s questions and looked up, “Well, I don’t know about Agent Carter, but some of the yearbook staff have been asking questions.”

“Why would they be asking questions?” Mr. Armstrong spat, “They aren’t professionals!”

“It was their accounts that were compromised,” Sue Ellen reminded him, adding, “Plus Fern knows all of us. She wants to help make sure things are going okay for us. Honestly she was just checking in on me, but she asked about Brain and I saw her talking to Jenna at lunch.”

Mr. Armstrong sighed, “Fern who?”

“Walters, you’ve met her,” Sue Ellen said, rolling her eyes, “Can I go now? I have a novel to read before class tomorrow.”

Mr. Armstrong let her go, but he was back on the phone a moment later. The last thing they needed were a bunch of teenagers meddling in official police business. He wanted this Fern Walters to stop whatever she was doing ASAP.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Francine got into Arthur’s car and immediately took off her jacket. Arthur was an attentive boyfriend, and even though it cut into his time to get ready, he always warmed up the car so that he could have the heat blasting when he got to Francine’s apartment. Francine was comfortable immediately and sat back in the seat.

“I’m glad we can get back to how things were,” Arthur whispered, glancing to her as they stopped at a red light, “I mean, Mom is still keeping DW home from school, but--”

“Yeah, I’m sorry, but we had no choice really. Everyone was talking, and they were calling me names. I didn’t want to,” Francine said quietly, glancing out the window. She hoped Muffy would never say anything to him, but she knew that was unlikely. Besides, he didn’t have to know about her crush. That was between her and herself, and she knew it would never amount to anything. She was clearly in a committed relationship.

At school, Francine and Arthur joined Buster at a table near the breakfast line. Buster had a tray full of food that he was eating quickly. He hadn’t had time to get breakfast before school and was starving, but it was close to the first bell. He would have to eat fast to finish it all, but this was Buster. He knew how to eat fast when he needed to.

Normally Muffy walked with Francine to her first class, but since she was late, Arthur did the duty, rushing as he went back to where his first class was. He passed Fern on his way, but she wasn’t going to her normal location. Instead, Agent Carter had tracked her down to Mrs. Campbell’s room and had pulled her in for questioning.

Fern sighed as she took her designated seat, “How long is this going to take? I have a quiz in first period that I really shouldn’t miss.”

“I’ve sent them a message. You should get an email about a date and time to make up the exam,” Agent Carter replied, sitting down and looking her over, “I hear you’ve been asking questions.”

“I just wanted to see if I could help. You’re all new here, but I’ve lived in Elwood City my entire life. I went to school with Arthur and Sue Ellen. When we were in elementary school, I even went to one of DW’s birthday parties. She wanted a mystery party, so Arthur paid me in snacks to put it together with him and his mom. I think we were in fourth grade and she had just started kindergarten,” Fern explained.

Agent Carter nodded, “Well, this is an official investigation. There are procedures and codes of conduct involved that you wouldn’t understand. Plus, we’re being very thorough--”

“But are they talking to you? I mean, these are grumpy teenagers we’re talking about, and you’re a bunch of stuffy guys in suits pulling them out of class to prod them with questions,” Fern argued, looking the room over, “And you’ve made a dungeon for yourselves. I know space is limited and you can’t exactly dump these things on the street, but why not try to make it more welcoming?”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I’m telling you point blank that if you want real information, you need to be more approachable,” Fern said firmly, tapping her backpack, “but I don’t mind working with you. I actually need your help.”

“What kind of help?” Agent Carter asked.

Fern sat up straight, “I’ve been talking to people we went to Lakewood Elementary with to see if this really is an isolated incident. It turns out it’s not, but some of the posts were deleted. I no longer have access to the accounts in question, which is perfectly fine, but I wanted you to be aware of it so that maybe your IT team can work their magic to recover posts. The one is from almost four years ago, so I know there might be little chance of recovering it, but you never know.”

Agent Carter nodded as he made a few notes, “You’re correct about that. Now, are you willing to give details?”

“Only if you let me continue this. If I need training, please give it to me. I want to help you get to the bottom of this situation before it gets any more out of hand. I don’t think whoever is doing this realizes that they could go to federal prison for this, but they might not care at this point. Things have gotten pretty crazy,” Fern said.

Another agent appeared from behind his bulletin board partition. Agent Carter exchanged glances with him before looking back to Fern, “This is unorthodox, but…we need whatever information you can give, and we’ll work on your suggestions. Maybe the principal can help.”

“I’m sure he would if you would just ask,” Fern said, studying their clothes, “and lose the suits. Your boss isn’t in the next room. Get some nice button downs but leave the tops in a corner somewhere. You’re scaring people.”

“What else?” the other agent asked.

“You’re going to have to do the digging like I said. The deleted post is about band kids and their shenanigans from our freshman year. Jenna Morgan told me about this because she was included in this burn book of sorts, but the suspect wasn’t a band kid,” Fern explained.

Agent Carter raised an eyebrow, “How do you know? Are you in the school’s band?”

Fern scoffed, “I can’t even read music. Jenna told me that’s how the situation was rectified. They made entries about kids who had never been in the band and got called out. Basically they were saying the band kids were doing kinky things on the band bus, I guess. I never saw the posts and it was deleted. I checked.”

Agent Carter nodded, “Okay, what else do you know? This is important, you know--”

“I’m well aware of how important this is,” Fern said, turning to the other agent as they took more notes, “Maria went to school with us and was the target of nasty jokes last year from one of the school accounts, the same one they used for Arthur’s pictures. The jokes took off, but no one even took notice. She’s pretty angry about it.”

“So Mr. Read does have enemies?” the other agent asked.

Fern shrugged, “I don’t know, but I think it’s a jealousy situation. I mean, she had all this go down and no one cared, but now Arthur has pictures spread everywhere and the FBI rolls up. She has a stutter and has worked hard to overcome bullying because of it.”

Agent Carter sighed, “Well, we had to follow what we could, and I’m sure the school has the same issue. You can’t go after problems preemptively.”

“Try telling her that,” Fern said flatly, tapping her bag, “I’ve pulled rosters and don’t mind getting you that list. I’m talking to anyone who had classes with us for a long time and who still attends Elwood City High. There aren’t many from the early days, so I started there, but there are a lot of kids from middle school on. I need your help, but you’ve got to be more approachable and ask the right questions.”

Agent Carter raised an eyebrow, “Well how are you getting them to talk to you?”

“Again, these kids have had scandals happen to them too. You need to show you care about those issues and are willing to solve them. Seeing that this is probably the same person for everything, it’s important, and I really can’t do it alone. I didn’t want to ask you for help, but since you pulled me in here for whatever reason--”

“We needed to make sure you weren’t compromising our investigation,” Agent Carter interrupted, adding, “but I think you’ve given us something new to look into. We hadn’t thought of that.”

“Well, Merry Christmas,” Fern said as the bell for second period rang, “Look, I’m not missing classes all day. I’ll get the rosters to you after third period, okay?”

“No, we can do it,” Agent Carter argued.

Fern looked him over but said nothing. She joined the chaotic hallway and rushed to class. Sure enough, she had to take her first period quiz after school, but at least she had handled some business and gotten the FBI off her tail…and gotten their help.

Around mid-morning, she messaged Matthew to ask if she had made the right choice. He thought she had, but Fern knew how the others would feel. Muffy would be the angriest, she knew, though Arthur might appreciate the effort. She needed to tell them, so she asked Francine via text message when they could meet up. The group agreed to have dinner at a pizza place nearby, so Fern messaged her mom about the meeting. Matthew was invited too, so she messaged him and got him to agree to go. With everything arranged, Fern got back to her day, glad to have the wait of those interviews off her shoulders.

Chapter Text

The pizza place thankfully wasn’t crowded as the group took their table. They got a large table at the back of the restaurant, and the group took their seats around it and debated what to order based on how hungry people were and what they wanted. Buster got his own personalized calzone, but the rest of the group agreed to split an extra large pepperoni pizza.

Once their order was placed, Fern cleared her throat and the group turned to her. Fern exhaled softly and looked up from her drink, “I got pulled in by Agent Carter today to discuss my asking questions.”

Muffy scoffed, “That doesn’t even surprise me. They’re all so fucking nosy.”

“Well, to them, I’m the nosy one. I had to talk to Sue Ellen to see if I could find Brain, and I think she told her dad. He’s the one who was concerned that I was going to hurt the investigation, but…I told Agent Carter what they needed to do differently, and I agreed to help them,” Fern said.

Francine’s mouth fell open, “What?! Are you trying to make yourself a target?”

“No, she was trying to get help with things that were beyond us, all of us,” Matthew clarified, turning to the rest of the group, “Fern’s questions have gotten some answers. This is much bigger than a few topless photos and make-out sessions edited to show other people. We need their help to go deeper.”

Muffy scoffed again, “This is ridiculous. Why can’t you keep doing what you’re doing? I don’t understand what the problem is.”

“Technology things we can no longer do without someone help with the credentials. What we’re looking for was deleted, but it must be attached to the account somehow. When this started, they locked that account first, so we need one of them to get us in. And, honestly, we’re not equipped for this. We need their help before we face charges ourselves,” Fern said firmly.

Arthur shook his head, “I don’t follow. What kind of charges?”

“Tampering with evidence, interfering with a federal investigation, and the list goes on,” Matthew replied.

Buster whistled, “Federal crimes are the hardest to deal with.”

“Exactly. Sue Ellen’s dad is already rightfully concerned that something will happen, so we need to be careful,” Fern said.

Muffy sighed, “I don’t understand why you have to work with them. I mean, shouldn’t they figure this out themselves?”

“I gave them tips on that too,” Fern replied, continuing, “I told them to be more approachable and to expand their questioning. I didn’t ask about these incidents at all but other things. This goes way beyond photos and what’s happening now. This has been happening for years.”

Francine exhaled, “Okay, so, where do we go from here if they’re looking into this instead of you? I don’t trust them.”

Fern shrugged, “I don’t exactly trust them either, but what choice do we have? Like Buster said, federal charges are hard to fight…but that’s why we need to work with them. I’m worried about them fingering the wrong person once we get somewhere.”

“So there are suspects?” Muffy asked.

Matthew shook his head, “No, but we know how many people could be considered suspects now. It wouldn’t be hard for the real culprit to set someone up to take the fall. However, it will be hard to convince the authorities that person is innocent should that happen. We need to help them get this right the first time and stop this cycle once and for all.”

The waiter arrived with the group’s food and they quieted down. Francine picked at her slice of pepperoni pizza, the smallest from the one closest to her. Muffy followed her eyes and realized who she was looking at. Arthur was right next to Francine, yet she was eyeing Matthew across the table, who was next to Fern and smiling about something.

“Hey, Francine, I’ve got to go to the bathroom. Will you join me?” Muffy asked.

No one said a word as the girls disappeared into the women’s restroom, which was really a one room gig. Muffy locked the door behind them hoping the staff wouldn’t see that two teen girls just went into a single-occupancy room.

“What’s going on?” Francine asked, aware that Muffy was up to something.

“You like Matthew,” Muffy replied sternly, “don’t you?”

“Yeah, whatever, but I’m going to stay with Arthur. He doesn’t even know I exist,” Francine muttered.

“Yeah because he’s all over Fern,” Muffy said firmly, gesturing behind her, “He’s been getting closer and closer to her. I bet he’s liked her longer than you’ve liked him.”

Francine sighed, “Probably, but what of this? Did you seriously call me back here to lecture me?”

“No, just getting answers. Don’t screw up with Arthur on this, okay? He needs you right now,” Muffy whispered.

“I’m aware of that,” Francine said as someone knocked on the door. Muffy ran the air dryer for a few seconds before stepping out. Francine followed her back to the table, where Matthew and Fern were cutting up about something while Buster joined them.

Francine sighed and took Arthur’s hand under the table. She was trying to get some normalcy, but she could tell he was still shaken up. DW was a mess, and their parents were trying to get her in to see a therapist without much luck. Apparently the Tibble Twins had crank called her about the incident. Just leave it to the worst boys in the city to make DW’s life worse.

When their dinner meeting was over, they split the bill and went their separate ways. Arthur took Francine back to her apartment while Buster and Muffy left alone in their own vehicles. That left Fern with Matthew, who drove her up to an ice cream shop a few blocks away. She agreed to split a serving of rolled ice cream with him, and the two watched at the glass while the skilled chef put the dish together.

“I think I watched four plus hours of these videos straight one night when this first got big,” Matthew whispered.

Fern laughed, “Same here. My mom got really obsessed with it for a while, but I could never eat one of these alone.”

“I’ve got you. I could eat two by myself even after all that greasy pizza,” Matthew grinned, turning back to Fern, “So, do you think they accepted this?”

“I hope so,” Fern sighed, rocking on her heels, “This is a huge deal, and we can’t do this on our own. The feds are already onto us thanks to Sue Ellen and her dad.”

“Well…I don’t know if you realized, but I planted a seed tonight,” Matthew said, accepting their order from the chef. Fern grabbed two spoons and followed him to a small table in the back.

Fern took a bite and looked up to Matthew. He continued, “I said it wouldn’t be hard to set someone up. I know you’ve grown up with these people. I mean, I feel that when I’m around all of you. You’ve all got history with each other, practically ancient history, or as ancient as history can be between teenagers. I get it, but one of them did this. I can feel it.”

“So, when a suspect comes out, you’ll know? I don’t understand,” Fern said.

Matthew sighed, “I mean, that part is complicated. The FBI will make progress using what you told them, so a suspect very well could come out, but…I think it’ll be a red herring. I think someone in that circle is going to set someone up now that I’ve planted the seed. We just have to convince the feds of this before that person goes down for whatever charges they’re going to end up with.”

“I don’t think we have enough influence to stop something like that,” Fern whispered.

“To be completely honest, I don’t think anyone does at this point. I mean, I don’t think that circle realizes how serious this is either. I mean, look at Muffy. High class, clearly rough around the edges due to whatever has happened in her life, and she’s clearly got enough clout still to get her pretty self out of trouble. Well that’s not how it works and you know it. If she ends up the target, she won’t be able to bat her eyelashes and get out of this, but I don’t see us being able to convince her of that,” Matthew explained.

Fern nodded, “You’re right on all counts. Are you sure they you just met us?”

“Well I knew you, but the others were strangers. I took photos of Buster at an eating contest a few years ago when the paper was still a thing--”

Fern gasped, “That was your story! That was my favorite from the year!”

“Really? Well,” Matthew smirked, shifting in his seat, “I guess I did get somewhere in that publication. Let’s be honest, I’ve seen hobby blogs with better craftsmanship than that school newspaper.”

“I offered to take them online for that reason, but they refused,” Fern said, shaking her head, “I think they were done with it long before they told us.”

“I got that feeling too,” Matthew nodded. He sat back in his seat, “I just…I can’t read the others in your group, getting back to them. I’ve encountered them a few times now, and I’ve seen them around since we started high school together, but I don’t know who I would point out from them.”

“I wouldn’t know either. We were close in elementary school, way back, and even then, it was them and not me,” Fern whispered.

Matthew shook his head, “No, you had friends--”

“Yeah, just not them,” Fern replied.

“Oh,” Matthew said flatly, grabbing another bite of ice cream, “Well, I guess we’re both in the same position. We need to keep an eye out on any red herrings. If any suspects come out, you’ll have to share with me.”

“I don’t mind that, unless they tell me not to, and then I guess I could drop hints and see if you can figure it out,” Fern smirked.

Matthew laughed, “Well, why don’t you try that? You’ve got all my contact info, so send whatever you need to my way when they figure this out. I just hope whoever she fingers can handle the shitshow that’s going to come from this.”

Fern exhaled slowly, “Same here.”

Sure enough, Fern only ate a few bites, but Matthew cleared out the ice cream. After dropping a tip in their jar, he drove her home. Fern went upstairs and sat on her bed thinking about the evening. She knew the point of the evening was her meeting with the group and their discussion about Fern working with the FBI on the case.

But all Fern could remember was her time with Matthew and what they talked about at the table. For a while, he was her only focus. She hadn’t been in that situation before, but she knew what it meant. She had enough friends with crushes and classmates with relationships to translate everything. She just wondered what she was noticing: her feelings for him, his feelings for her, or a strange mix of both. It was hard to figure it out, so she tried to put it out of mind as she got ready for bed. She was unsuccessful, so as she tried to go to sleep, she thought it all out.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Fern took the long way to class hoping to find Brain. She was nervous about running into one of the agents, but thankfully they tended to stay in their corner of the school. Fern used this to her advantage and walked slowly through the hall.

Sure enough, Brain appeared behind some other students, so Fern flagged him down. He didn’t look especially eager to see her, but his expression was fairly blank. Over the years, he had become less expressive and more concerned with academics. The honor classes didn’t help; Brain had been ahead of the class for years and wasn’t ashamed to let them know.

“I was wondering if we could arrange a meeting so that I could ask you a few questions,” Fern said, pulling out her phone, “Anything is good, time or day,” she stammered.

Brain nodded, “Sue Ellen warned me that you wanted to ask questions. I’ve decided I can meet you this afternoon at my mother’s ice cream shop, say around four-thirty. I have to run by the Elwood City Library first, but I don’t want to meet there. I want this to be private.”

“Oh, okay, that works,” Fern nodded, putting the note in her phone. Now that she had taken so long, she had to rush back to her class. Thankfully she made it in time and plopped into her seat.

When school let out, Fern worked on some of her usual posts for yearbook club before making the long, cold walk to the Allen’s ice cream shop. Brain worked there regularly in elementary school, at least until a new health inspector came along that put a stop to the child labor. Now that he was of age, he was working for real, except for today. Today he was using the shop as a meeting place, so he led Fern into a back room and shut the door. It was a storage closet, but they could sit on the sturdier items.

Fern pulled out her phone to take notes and looked up to Brain, “I’m sorry I had to track you down like this, but I had some ideas I wanted to look into. So far, my theory has been confirmed, and I was hoping you had something to offer as well.”

“I doubt that I will be able to help, but I don’t mind answering your questions. I’ve heard about the scandals and want to help,” Brain said, nodding for her to ask her questions.

“Well, I’ve been asking our classmates about anything that’s been done to them that would be an equivalent of what’s happening now. So, for example, Jenna faced issues when we were freshmen,” Fern explained.

Brain nodded, “I understand the question, but I’ve never been bullied. I mean, people have called me names because of my intelligence, but that’s jealousy and I ignore them. No one has ever done anything to this level to me on a personal level.”

“What about professionally?” Fern asked, sensing the gap in his wording.

Brain pondered her question for a moment before cocking his head, “That was unusual. When we were in eighth grade, my mother helped me apply for a special program through Harvard University that would allow me to pursue an accelerated curriculum in a high school near the university. The program would allow me to attend high school and college simultaneously, which would allow me to not only graduate sooner, but to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in the program of my choice.”

Fern took notes as Brain continued, “Around the time of spring break, I was called to the administrator’s office. I thought it would be good news, but when I saw the school counselor, my advising teacher, as well as the principal of the school, I knew this wasn’t good news. They all looked so disappointed.”

“Wow, what happened?” Fern asked.

Brain shrugged, “I never figured it out, but they said I was accused of copying my entering essay. They had evidence! My mother argued on my behalf, but my fate was sealed. If I’m being honest, my fate is still in the hands of my accuser. I haven’t committed to any colleges or universities, but that’s because none have accepted me thus far. I’ve talked to the school to see what they know about my permanent record. I mean, they say a permanent record doesn’t exist--”

“But if it doesn’t exist, why are you being rejected?” Fern finished, shaking her head, “This certainly matches what I was talking about.”

“How so? This was something professional. Someone thought I stole their work and called me out on it. I’m sure it happens. I’ve read enough on the subject to know this,” Brain countered.

Fern shook her head, “But who at Elwood City Middle School would be able to make such an accusation? I mean, how would we know you were even entering into the program? This is the first I’ve heard about it, and we had some classes together that year. We sat beside each other at lunch and I still had no idea.”

Brain thought about what she had said for a moment before shaking his head, “I’m beginning to see that this was a possibility. It does match the current goings on in weight.”

“I need to know who the suspects were, or we at least need to talk to the FBI agents to see what they can dig up from the staff members involved,” Fern suggested.

“Well, the teacher retired last year, but everyone else is still at the school. I’ll go see the agents tomorrow with my concerns. I want to thank you for this. I thought I would get nothing from it, and while I hate to be wrong, if this helps find out who did this to help those involved, then I’m glad to be of service,” Brain said, shaking Fern’s hand. He also offered her an ice cream to go, but Fern refused and headed home.

Once she was face to face with her bulletin board, Fern added the latest development using an old yearbook picture and an index card with a description of the event. Fern then stepped back and looked over her notes. This was certainly a lot bigger than they had ever realized.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Arthur and Francine were enjoying a movie in Francine’s living room. Her parents were out late, and now that Arthur’s parents were more focused on DW, Arthur could do whatever he wanted again. He wanted to get things back to normal with Francine, but he could sense that something was different with her. She was so distant, but he tried to ignore it.

When a knock sounded at the door, Arthur grew irritated. They hadn’t ordered take out, so who could be knocking at the door this late? He shifted to allow Francine to get up.

Francine checked the peephole and gasped before yanking the door open. Suddenly Catherine appeared in all her glory. She was wearing a bright red snow suit and had several bags with her.

“Catherine! What are you doing here?!” Francine exclaimed, hugging her sister tight.

“I decided to have an extended holiday visit this year,” Catherine replied, peering around behind her, “Plus, it looks like I need to stop you from getting knocked up in the living room.”

“Oh, stop, we were just watching a movie!” Francine hissed.

“Yeah, sure you were,” Catherine grinned, unzipping her snow suit, “I’m just playing with you, Arthur. It’s good to see you again, and I’m sorry to hear what happened. Did Mom give Mrs. Read that number to call?”

“Arthur, did she?” Francine asked. Arthur didn’t know, but he knew that he might as well text his mother to ask. It’s not like they would be doing much else. He turned off the movie a moment later as the girls chattered in the kitchen.

A few minutes later, Francine made them all hot cocoa, and they sat around the table to discuss her visit. Catherine was already planning on staying at the apartment from Thanksgiving through Hanukkah, but when she found out about everything going on, she decided to come back early. She could work from the apartment, so it’s not like she would be missing anything important.

“Well, I have some friends that are upset, but they’re Christian so I’ll just head back in time for all that,” Catherine sighed, looking them over, “You both look miserable, by the way. I mean, Mom told me everything, but I just…I didn’t expect this.”

“Yeah, it’s been pretty brutal,” Francine murmured.

“And they don’t even know who’s doing it?” Catherine asked.

Arthur shook his head, “No, but they’ve made it known that whoever edited those photos of DW could be going away for child pornography charges. The police want to throw the book at whoever did this to set an example.”

“As do the feds, I heard,” Catherine said, shaking her head, “The FBI roaming around Elwood City High. I never thought I’d see the day, but, then again, we just let loose animals or TPed the front lawn. We never did anything like this.”

“Sure you had rumors,” Francine argued, adding, “I remember everyone gossiping about who lost their virginity first or who had their first kiss.”

“But we were never vindictive about it,” Catherine countered, shaking her head again, “We never created false evidence to ruin relationships or distributed naked photos of people that had been messed with. I mean, yeah, stuff like that existed, but only because those people were doing those things. You can’t exactly hurt people with the truth. Well, you can, but it’s a different kind of hurt.”

“Well people are lying here, and it’s worse than we thought,” Francine said.

“How could it be worse?” Catherine asked shrilly, glancing to Arthur, “You didn’t really cheat or bring your sister to a drinking party, did you?”

“No, not like that,” Arthur sighed, continuing, “A girl working for the yearbook started looking into the case. We’ve gone to school with her forever. She was even in my preschool class.”

Catherine leaned forward, “Well, what did she dig up?”

“A lot of things,” Francine said.

Arthur nodded, “We’re not the only ones this has happened to. We’re just the first people who have been really hurt by stuff like this.”

“Really? Are you sure it wasn’t just typical high school rumors?” Catherine asked.

Francine shook her head, “No, it was done the same way starting back in ninth grade year. I kind of remember it happening, but not really. I don’t have much to do with the band kids.”

Catherine groaned, “Well…your big sister is here to kick some butts should anything else happen, and I know some people if you need help with anything.”

“I think there are too many people working on this already,” Arthur muttered.

“Hey, you’re not wrong, but since you still don’t know anything, clearly they need help. I won’t butt in anywhere, but I do want you to keep me updated. Who is this girl you’re talking about? Wait, long-time classmate…? Is it that mystery writer girl?” Catherine asked.

“What?” Francine asked.

Arthur lifted his head, “Oh yeah, Fern did do that. I don’t think she’s into it anymore.”

Catherine scoffed, “Well, yeah, because she has the real thing. And we’re sure she isn’t just making stuff up?”

“Positive, she just wants to help,” Francine said quickly.

Catherine lifted her mug of cocoa, “Well, I’ll take your word for it. These are your classmates, not mine, but…I’m here if any of you need me. And seriously, Arthur, did your mom get that number? They know a good friend of mine, so I called in a favor. They just have to give the keyword.”

Arthur nodded and looked at his phone, “Yes, Mom said she’ll call them tomorrow.”

With that settled, they finished their cocoa. Arthur decided to drive home as Francine worked to get her sister settled into her room. There was only one larger bed in the room now, which meant that Francine would have to sleep on the couch, but she didn’t mind. Having her sister home was a plus, but she didn’t know how things would turn out from here. She wanted to confide in Catherine about her crush on Matthew and how it almost cost her everything with Arthur, but she wasn’t sure if they were in the clear. Things felt so cold between them now that she knew he could feel it. She didn’t know if it could ever get better, but she knew to wait. Maybe things would get better. She would just have to wait and see.