Investigative Reports

Ramsey slipped out of the top-floor suite before Dr. Tarver could wheel Sean out of Whitney's bedroom. Sensing that the penthouse was about to explode into cheerleader chatter, the more studious teen opted to avoid the annoying banter. Instead, she figured that now was a good time to talk to a friend more like herself. Checking the time on her phone, Ramsey didn't bother sending a message. Knowing tonight's setup, she guessed that her friend would be in one of two places inside the hotel at this time.

The school newspaper editor's first guess proved correct as she spotted a dark blonde with glasses sitting in one of the lobby's armchairs. Ramsey smiled as she recognized how Daisy Kirby appeared to watch the guests entering the hotel on one side while she actually studied several subjects on the opposite side. Walking a few steps over, Ramsey moved forward in a direct line with the dirty blonde's body. Nor did the strawberry blonde bat an eyelash when Daisy spoke to her while seemingly never glancing in her direction once.

"About time you got here," the school's sports reporter and unofficial assistant editor remarked.

"Who's the subject?" Ramsey inquired, all-business.

"The couple standing near the entrance to the hotel lounge," Daisy revealed, barely flicking her eyes up from her notebook in that direction.

Acting as if she stretched a sore neck, Ramsey spied a man and woman in their mid-to-late twenties. They appeared to be in the middle of a mild argument. The female half seemed the more aggrieved of the two individuals.

"Who are they?" the newcomer asked.

"No clue. I'm calling them Sketchy Steve and Carly Cute. Apparently, the dustup was sparked by Barbie Boobs in the lounge. Carly saw how Steve's eyes followed Barbie's abundance of cleavage and swaying butt. She is not happy. I suspect he's had a wandering eye in the past," Daisy narrated.

"Is this another practice article?" Ramsey asked, knowing that Daisy loved to do these practice runs with strangers. Unlike herself, the dirty blonde preferred a sensational approach to these imaginary articles.

"Of course. I had to pass the time somehow. Looks like I'll have to do a follow-up later," Daisy said as the couple finally entered the lounge. "You know, you should try writing yours down rather than doing it in your head. It's easier to recover and study down the line."

"I prefer to keep my practice articles in my head. Better that way than someone discovering them," Ramsey admitted. "I suspect that these are the non-staying guests arriving."

"A mix. Most of those with rooms have already arrived, based on the number of turnaways at the front desk. So how's life in the clouds?"

"Growing cheerleadery," Ramsey revealed, earning a laugh from her friend. "I escaped when they started checking social media for what the Sugarbees and other popular girls are wearing tonight."

"I am not writing the dress review article. Norah needs to pay her dues."

Ramsey almost forgot about that Buzzy Bee tradition with all the recent excitement. A long time ago, the newspaper only featured write-ups and a few pictures of the various prom and homecoming courts, along with the Miss Snowflake winner. Unfortunately, in Ramsey's mind, an editor added full reviews and awards for the outfits once The Buzzy Bee unveiled its wonky website. She also suspected a clothes-horse reporter was responsible for the New Year's Eve edition. Granted, it does bring in readers when the news is slow after winter break.

Glancing down at Daisy, Ramsey noted that her bookish friend wore a mildly surprising dress. Black lace with ruffled shoulders and hem, the dress was partially transparent above the chest and at the hemline. Sleeless with a high neck, Ramsey would later learn that it featured a keyhole at the back. Realizing that even her less clothes-obsessed friend fit in better with modern styles, Ramsey wondered about her dress.

"Uh, does this make me look like a 1950s housewife?"

Finally prying her eyes away from her notebook, Daisy surveyed the mint green dress for the first time. With an apologetic shrug, she agreed. "Kinda. Maybe early 1960s if you want to stretch it. Why? Is that what Whitney said?"

"I'd suggest handing over the dress review article to her, but we'd upset most of the people getting reviewed," Ramsey speculated.

"Maybe, maybe not," Daisy replied, pondering the selection of a different guest reviewer if Norah threw up too much of a stink.

"Hey, Swift, make me a sandwich. Extra mayo too, sweetie-pie," Dennis Conway shouted rudely after chuckling at her dress. The annoying small forward of the basketball team walked with several teammates.

Unaware of recent gossip, Ramsey studied Denny's bandaged nose in curiosity.

Next to him, his best friend, Louie McCall, cringed in embarrassment. He mouthed sorry at Ramsey before punching Denny in the arm.

"Shut up, Denny. Or do you want another bone broken?" Evan Naylor threatened with a wink for Daisy. Starting over toward his girlfriend, he greeted, "Hey, Dais--"

"Sorry, Buzzy Bee business."

"Oh, okay. I'll catch you later." Evan hid his disappointment.

"You got one of those bullet bras on underneath? I'd be willing to check," Denny asked Ramsey with a smirk.

"Fuck off, or I'll write an article mocking your Denster nickname with bullet points," Daisy threatened, flipping her boyfriend's teammate off. She felt terrible as Ramsey's face reddened in embarrassment. Then, shifting away from the fashion topic, she focused on the headline. "Okay, tell me what happened at Wasp Lake."

Happy for a distraction, Ramsey switched her reporter mode on. She rattled off everything that happened from memory, beginning with ice skating and ending with Whitney's return to the cabin. Despite being used to her fellow reporter's ways, Daisy still marveled at how Ramsey could describe the memorized scene exactly the way that she would eventually write the article. Her recounting never sounded like a normal person telling a story.

"Damn, that sounds like an intense holiday vacation. Did Sean say why he went off by himself?" Daisy questioned, noting the odd circumstances of his walking back alone.

"Not exactly," Ramsey fudged before admitting a partial truth. "I, uh, didn't interview him yet."

"Really? Well, okay, I guess he was in the hospital."

"So you said in your message that you were working on an angle," Ramsey recalled, pushing the subject away from her role with Sean.

"More than one angle. I convened a staff meeting at my house yesterday and issued assignments to everyone."

"Even Geoff? Oh, I bet he enjoyed that," Ramsey said, showing rare delight in another person's discomfort. One couldn't blame her, considering how Geoffrey Inch had reacted since getting passed over for editor. Every weekly issue of the paper was a battle over Geoff's bitter critiques.

"I lied and told him that I was voted acting editor whenever you're unavailable," Daisy revealed with a bright smile.

"And he believed you?"

"Norah never missed a beat. Dex took a bit longer, but we all agreed that the vote happened at the start of the semester. Geoff bought it as he complained about my brother getting a vote, then that sophomores shouldn't vote, and flipped out when he thought Odette might have had a say. We told him that she didn't," the dirty blonde explained.

"Got it. I'm sure I'll get the third degree the next time I see him. Is he coming tonight?"

"No clue. We don't share our day planners," Daisy smirked, knowing that Odette repeatedly hacked Geoff's phone and changed his calendar. "So I assigned him the medical explanations. One of us will need to inform him of the updates on Whitney and Sean. Besides that aspect, I assigned Nora the reactions from the sophomores and juniors. I'm handling the seniors while assisting Dex."

"What angle is your brother covering?" Ramsey inquired, curious whether she had gone easy on him.

"Sean's biographical information. Everyone knows Whitney's, so we only need a quick recap. Sean's a different animal, and surprisingly an interesting one. Weirdly, it turns out that even if you talk to a person almost every day at school, you don't truly know them."

"I'm learning that more and more," Ramsey admitted, feeling the guilt return for the name mixup. "What did you discover?"

"First off, Sean's connected to far more people at school than I would've ever expected. Second, while I knew he was a smart kid, it turns out we completely blew it in not asking him to join The Buzzy Bee."

"How so?"

"Tarver's very analytical. Turns out he's loved mysteries since early grade school, and it shows. In the third grade, he solved a beach puzzle contest that used sandcastles while on vacation in Hawaii. It sounded strangely compelling. Then, in sixth grade, Sean won that reading contest that The Worm Bookery held. I remember crying my eyes out over not winning."

"I thought I broke a toe in anger," Ramsey admitted. She felt even more shocked that she didn't know Sean's name because of that contest. It had consumed her life as a twelve-year-old for weeks.

"Boy, do I wish he had gone to the same junior high as me. In eighth grade, Sean started a mystery book club over at Fairwater, but it never took off. Only lasted a year. Nobody at Harborside tried that," Daisy moaned.

"Wow. I mentioned the same idea to a few people in ninth grade, but Meadowmilk Junior High wasn't ready for it. That's impressive that he managed to get one even started," Ramsey remarked, wondering if Lacey had been right about her mutual interests with Tarver.

"That's not all. He even solved a mini-mystery that same year." Daisy paused for dramatic effect.

"A mystery?!"

"As I said, a mini one. Marcie Huff's dog got loose from her backyard. No one could find the poor thing for several days. Sean lived a few blocks away on Boxwood Court. It sounds like he's a dog person and felt awful. So he went over to offer help. Rather than just wandering around, screaming the dog's name like everyone else, Sean asked Marcie a series of questions based on where her family usually took the dog. With that information, Sean found the dog near her grandparents' house in a small wooded area. Turned out that before her grandparents' dog passed away, that was a favorite spot for taking the two dogs for a walk."

"Poor Marcie. I'm sure she was terrified." Ramsey understood that fear, as she once had a housecat escape out the door. That had been the longest week for the grade-schooler until the cat showed up at the back door.

"And here's a doozy that no one knows. In the fourth grade, Sean got into a nasty fight with a boy who bullied Newt Denton. You'll never believe the name of the bully." Daisy's dramatic pause annoyed Ramsey, but she waited. "Austin Rusk."

"Austin?! Austin bullied Newt? Why would he bully Newt?" Ramsey's brain went into overdrive as she pieced together all the tiny bits that she knew of Austin and Sean. "Sean won the fight, didn't he?"

"Yep. How did you know?"

"It fits with the way that Austin treats him. Wow, talk about tarnishing the golden boy. Is the source reliable? I don't want your brother blundering the Bee into a correction. How is this not known? I fully doubt that Lacey knows," Ramsey questioned, knowing that if they published this bit of information, it could hurt Austin's image. Maybe not. It happened in grade school. People do change. Note: Question Lacey.

"Um, they're fully reliable, but we can't use them. We'd need another source willing to go on the record. But I entirely believe what they told me," Daisy insisted. She couldn't tell Ramsey that her source about the fight and bullying was Ms. Graff, the school librarian. "Do you think that Sean might confirm it?"

"We could try Newt," Ramsey suggested. Poor Newt. Why would anyone bully him? Why would Austin do that? Newt's a quiet, harmless guy. If anything, I'd have thought of Austin as a protector for kids like Newt. Where did I misjudge him? Or was it a young age thing, and he grew out of it? Note: Question Newt.

"It seems somewhat suspicious that it's never been mentioned. Austin has come under heavy scrutiny since bursting onto the scene as a late-season varsity addition as a sophomore. If Lacey doesn't know, then that's intriguing—her boyfriend and family friend. Honestly, I was surprised to learn how close the Strattons and Tarvers are. Never picked up on that, given how little they interact at school. I guess they run in different crowds," Daisy surmised. "Although Sean was a minor basketball star in junior high school."

"He was?"

"Starting shooting guard his last two years at Fairwater—quite a backcourt duo with Jayden Cooke. I remember them torching Harborside before I was kicked off the Beacon. You see? **** is best served cold on Geoff."

"Yes, I remember Sean saying something about the reasons why he didn't make the Honey Hollow High basketball team," Ramsey said, ignoring Daisy's comment on her junior high infamy. Instead, she recalled the first night of the trip in the hot tub when Sean mentioned those reasons. Oh, no, Sean tried to talk to me, but I was infatuated with Jared that night.

"I feel bad for him. Sean sounded snakebitten when it came to making the team," Daisy commented before dropping another bomb. "Did you know that Coach Grimm had it out for him?"

"I hardly doubt that a teacher or coach would--"

"No, Grimm did have it out for him. My source said that Grimm has a grudge against Sean's mom," Daisy revealed.

"Dr. Tarver? Why?"

"It started the last time Honey Hollow High won the state basketball championship. Supposedly, Mrs. Tarver was a senior and did something that made the coach furious. Whatever it was carried over to a decade later when her younger sister was a cheerleader. Brandy and Grimm feuded constantly. He once had her thrown out of the gym during a game."

"How did Dexter find this out, or was this your work?"

"Oh, I got this part. I heard it from Ms. Graff."

"The school librarian?" Ramsey felt mildly surprised, although she knew that Daisy saw Ms. Graff as a mentor.

"Fawn and Brandy have been best friends since they were little. You should hear the tales they tell. Sean's mom, Bridget, is a fascinating subject. I bet we could do a whole edition about her," Daisy hinted. "Did you know that she had a bitter feud with Gemma Harlow, who had that scandal a few years back? It sounded as bad, if not worse, than the Strattons and Zuccaros. Funny thing is that it didn't carry down to their children. If anything, I hear that Harley likes Mrs. Tarver and--"

"Happy New Year's, girls," a friendly voice greeted.

Ramsey and Daisy looked over to see Topaz Brass, their English Composition teacher, cheerleader coach, and former Buzzy Bee advisor. A fellow strawberry blonde, Ramsey noted how gorgeous their teacher looked in her Parisian blue ball gown.

On the other hand, Daisy marveled at Mrs. Brass's confidence in wearing such a daring dress with her huge breasts. She also noticed another interesting aspect of her teacher, but held her tongue until after they wished her the same back.

"Hmm, I wonder where Mr. Brass is at. Have you noticed how her husband seems to have vanished?"

"Can we stick to the story at hand, Dais?"

"Right. Sorry." Daisy checked her notes before continuing. "We've been slower than I like in getting reactions. Too many classmates are out of town or busy. Still, the early indication is concern and sympathy for Whitney. Some negative comments are coming in based on the articles by The Stinging Truth."

"We need to combat that misinformation fiercely. The same goes for Nosy Nectar," Ramsey responded passionately. She'd never been shy about vocalizing her intense dislike for the two websites.

"Oh, Nosy Nectar has been fine. Really taking their time to get the facts straight," Daisy defended, but rushed on before her friend could start complaining. "As for Sean, the early indication is that his peers are impressed. Most people call him a good guy, nice, and smart. Some sections of the student body have no idea who he is, and only a smattering of people appear to have a negative view of him. That's mainly coming from the football team. Hmm, much of that might be based on his past with Austin."

"I don't know how you can like Nosy Nectar as a journalist," Ramsey stated, barely noticing what her fellow high school reporter said after that.

Used to Ramsey's criticism over the gossip site, Daisy changed the subject slightly. She felt that Ramsey held too narrow a view of what could be viewed as news. And it was useful to know what their readers heard from other venues.

"Honestly, from what we've learned so far--and that's with Dex still waiting for the right moment to interview Zoey Gibble--I'm surprised that Sean hasn't dated more. Based on our research and knowing him in class, he's got a great reputation with girls in all three grades."

"Does he?" Ramsey asked automatically. She could already tell this tangent might head into unpleasant territory.

"Having a girl as a best friend is rare and earns him points," Daisy said before noting that it doesn't always matter. "I should correct myself and say that JoJo, as his BFF, helps his reputation, unlike Fletcher and Paige. There are obviously other factors in play with that boy-girl duo. The funny thing is that some girls think that Sean and JoJo are secretly dating."

"Yeah, I don't think so. JoJo Gibble had her eyes and hands all over another guy at the cabin."

"Really? Do tell," Daisy encouraged, her eyes lighting up at the nugget of golden information.

"Not my business to tell. That's gossip, not news," Ramsey stated firmly.

"Buzzkill," Daisy pouted, using the favorite insult around the newspaper office. "Besides, I already knew that Sean and JoJo were a non-starter. Beyza Baris shut that talk down this morning during my interview with her. Although for a girl who dumped him, she sure praised Sean."

"You interviewed his ex?" Ramsey definitely didn't like the direction this conversation had taken.

"Well, I couldn't have Dex do it. He still turns into mush around a pretty girl. Mom's still surprised that he can talk to you." Daisy saw Ramsey's annoyed face. "Sorry. So we met at The Gassy Spout, with Delilah tagging along. Interestingly, when Beyza went to the restroom, Lilah let it slip why that relationship ended. Seems as if Beyza thought that Sean had a long-term crush on another girl. What if his saving Whitney leads to a romance with that girl? I'm already envisioning our big Valentine's romance story: Hero Saves Queen, Gets Crush. Hey, you alright?"

Daisy asked because Ramsey had fallen into a coughing fit. The always-prepared Girl Friday reached down into her bag, pulling out a bottle of water. Ramsey gratefully took several long sips.

"Thanks. I didn't realize I had such a dry mouth," the strawberry blonde lied. "Um, let's save planning the Valentine's Day edition for another month."

"Sure," Daisy acknowledged, yet still pressed the idea. "Perhaps you could ask a few feeler questions about the mystery girl when you interview Sean."

"I'm not interviewing him!"

"You're not?!" the other reporter repeated in shock. "Sure, Whitney's the star of the story, but that's nothing new. Sean's the new shiny object. Besides, I thought you might be better prepared as you've spent time with him at the cabin."

"Uh, that's precisely why I can't," Ramsey responded, drawing awfully close to the truth. "I need to be an objective observer. We, um, should have Dex interview Sean!"

"Seriously? I love my little brother, but I'm not sure I'd trust him with a big interview yet. He's still working up the nerve to approach Zoey. I think after that, he'll be mentally wiped out."

"Then, Norah can interview with Sean, and we could have Geoff talk to Whitney. That should shut him up for a few weeks," Ramsey suggested.

"I guess we could do that. It'd be fun to see the queen bee of Honey Hollow High turn the tables on Geoff." Daisy smiled at the vision of Whitney unleashing a savage, verbal lashing. "But what will I be doing?"

"I think it's time we dig into Austin," Ramsey suggested, causing her friend to perk up with intrigue. "It will have to be an ultra-secret investigation. Lacey might kill me otherwise."