True Crime with Kimbyr - Adrienne Reynolds' Final Search for Belonging: A Troubled Teen's Path to Tragedy

Episode Date: May 8, 2025

In this gripping episode of True Crime with Kimbyr, we dive into the heartbreaking story of Adrienne Reynolds—a spirited teen caught between family struggles, bullying, and her desperate need for acceptance. Moving from Texas to Illinois for a fresh start, Adrienne found hope at a new school and even dreams of the Marines. But when a friendship with the school's most rebellious girl blossomed, her path took a dark and irreversible turn. What happens when the desire to fit in leads to betrayal and horror? Tune in to True Crime with Kimbyr for this chilling deep dive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The overwhelming desire to belong and fit in during our teenage years is something most of us can remember, no matter how long ago it was. It's a time of our life when we're so impressionable, vulnerable, impulsive, but also secretly craving security and acceptance from our friends and wider peer groups. If you're lucky enough to have formed lifelong connections during such a turbulent time, these friendships are a gift. But what happens when those around you not only take advantage of your desire to belong, but take the things to an unimaginable and sinister step? That's what happened to one young woman. And this is her story. Hi, everyone, welcome back to my channel.

And if you've never been here before, I'm Kimberlea. It's nice to finally meet you. I want to start today's story by introducing you to Adrian Reynolds. Adrian Lee Reynolds was born on September 12th, 1988 in the city of El Dorado and Union County, Arkansas. When Adrian first came into the world, her birth mom Carolyn was only 16 years old and was no longer with Adrian's father. So it was decided that it would be in Adrian's best interest for Carolyn's mother, Beverly. Own it all. Pay off your home, travel for life, drive a Ferrari.

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And I think it's very honorable for Beverly and Tony to help Caroline this way and take Adrian in and raise her as her own child. It gave little Adrian the stability she probably wouldn't have had at the time. Beverly and Tony truly considered Adrian their own daughter. Unfortunately, when Adrian was just three years old, Tony and Beverly decided to get a divorce. But the good news is that it was amicable, and they aimed to keep things as normal as possible for young Adrian. Tony wasn't just going to step out of his adopted daughter's life.

Even though they weren't blood-related, they were still very close, and he was helping raise her, even though the marriage between him and Adrian's maternal grandmother didn't last. Adrian was an adorable kid with striking dark hair and eyes and a lot of freckles across her cheeks. She was happy, bubbly, and talkative, and like so many other little girls, her favorite color was pink. Due to her petite size, Tony actually nicknamed her a little bit. She absolutely loved riding in Tony's 1969 Ford Mustang. The two of them sing along to their favorite country music,

and Adrienne loved telling Tony to make the car mad, which meant that, squilling the tires and burning rubber. Obviously, this was done in a safe way, and father and daughter both got a real kick out of it. They had a lot of fun together. They had such a close bond. And then when Adrian was almost six, Beverly moved to her daughter Carolyn,

Adrian's 22-year-old birth mother to Longview, Texas, where Beverly had grown up. But Tony was still in Adrian's life. He saw her regularly. At this point, since Adrian's birth mom was older, Adrian actually went back into her care, and by now, she had another child.

However, Beverly and Tony were still very involved in Adrian's life. She grew into an outgoing, spirited, energetic young woman who had a lot of spunk about her. She was bubbly and curious, and despite having a tougher start to life than many of her peers, this didn't impact her innate drive to make new friends and to want to get to know people. During fifth grade, she met Carleen Warren, and the two of them became best friends for many years. By now, Adrienne also showed a talent for singing, and she was absolutely obsessed with the reality show American Idol and her ultimate dream was to one day be on the show. So she spent hours practicing for her school talent shows so that maybe she could make it there.

The very first song that she ever sang for her family was her favorite. It was amazing grace. And the rendition took their breath away. Singing was a feature of the Reynolds family get-togethers. And when the karaoke machine came out, everyone laughed and sang along as they passed around the microphone. They love to share Adrian's love for music and performing. Being a creative soul at heart, she also loved to sketch. And she harbored a dream of one day becoming a fashion designer or painting detailed pieces on cars.

Adrienne's birth mother, Carolyn, eventually married a man named David Franco, and began working at a convenience store as a manager. But as inevitably happens in many families, before Adrienne even hit her teen years, she began to clash with both her mom and David in a major way. By her 12th birthday, Adrian was running with a rough crowd, and she was skipping class at school. She'd actually fallen behind with her schoolwork, and she actually suffered a burst appendix at the time. She recovered from surgery, but things did not improve academically, because aside from the social aspect, Adrian absolutely hated school. I know there were a lot of people out there like that. Let me know how you did when you were in elementary in high school. I know for me, I actually kind of liked it. But for poor Adrian, Carolyn and David, they weren't around a lot to give her the care and the level of supervision that she required.

Adrian eventually spent a short time in rehab for getting into smoking pot, abusing alcohol, and even taking prescription drugs. She was willful and defiant, as so many kids are from troubled backgrounds can be, but she also began engaging in harmful behaviors like cutting, and had sadly tried to take her own life as well. Things were obviously not looking very good for the preteen, and something had to change. Even living with different relatives locally did not seem to help her, nor did homeschooling, which Carolyn did try when Adrian was in eighth grade. But soon, the Department of Family and Protective Services got involved. As I was researching for this case, I couldn't help but wonder if things would have been different if Adrian would have stayed living with Beverly or Tony

instead of going back with her birth mother. But ultimately, things got so bad that it was decided, it would be better for Adrian if she went back into the care of her adoptive father, Tony. But of course, so much had changed in Adrian's life ever since she went back to live with Carolyn. However, Carolyn agreed that Adrian would be better off away from the bad influences in Longview, Texas. By now, Tony had moved to East Maline in Rock Island County, Illinois, where he had grown up. He also got remarried, now to his high school sweetheart, a woman named Joanne. There was a bit of a back and forth when Adrian first started. moved up to Illinois in October of 2003. She was only in East Maline for eight months before she

actually returned to Texas because unfortunately, the kids in Illinois started to bully her for her strong Southern accent and Adrienne wasn't one to back down and be picked on. So she stood up for herself. I've actually been following a current story right now of a 13-year-old girl named Aubrey Wyatt and she took her own life recently due to apparently being bullied at school, which just blows my mind that kids can bully someone to death. It's very scary and it's heartbreaking. And for Adrian, things were not stabilizing in Texas either. And despite wanting to stay there,

six months later in mid-November of 2004, 16-year-old Adrian again made the move up north. This time, it was for good. She told her best friend, Carleen, that she didn't want to leave her friends and go back. But she had no other choice because Carolyn felt Adrian would be safer in East Maline. and I feel so bad for all of the back and forth that this poor girl had to go through.

The community Adrian moved to was home to about 21,000 people. It's in a region known as the Quad Cities area, where the Mississippi and the Rock Rivers meet. The Quad Cities region includes Molin and Rock Island in West Illinois, and over the nearby border with Iowa. East Malin was a working-class mid-sized city with a heavy focus on manufacturing, industry, and food processing as key to the local economy, like much of the Midwest. but it also had a family-oriented small community feel, where most people knew each other. It was safe with a relatively low crime rate.

This time when Adrian moved back, Tony and Joanne decided to enroll her at a school called Black Hawk College Outreach Center. Now though it has the word college in its name, it was actually for students of various ages and education levels, including high school. But this was not your typical mainstream high school, but a similar type of educational institution for students that were age 16 and over that were struggling to do. struggling to fit in at other schools for either behavioral or academic reasons. It's an alternative school, a place where these students had a second chance at finishing their high school diploma or earning their high school equivalency or GED and start to make their way in the world. It was a much smaller school with only about 80 students, so it definitely created a more close and nurturing environment compared to a larger school where students could feel that they were not included.

It was for students who needed more support and who could easily feel like they were falling through the cracks. So this was perfect for Adrienne because we know she was being bullied. She wasn't fitting in and she really needed the support. The change of scenery had given Adrienne a lot to consider. She knew that if she didn't buckle down and do well in school, this would stop her from her dream at the time. Her new dream was to join the U.S. Marines. To help her get serious about her future and start earning her own money, Adrienne also got a job as a clerk at a local fast food restaurant called Checkers.

I don't know if you remember checkers. We still have them here. I definitely remember them from my childhood. I love their french fries. Adrian soon made friends with the entire staff and she started feeling like she fit in and she proved herself to be very valuable employee, coming in early and staying there working late. That Christmas, Adrienne received something the many teens dream about having, her very own guitar, which she wanted to learn how to play so badly. It was black and it featured a striking design of red and orange flames all over the front of the instrument. Adrian was in love with her guitar. She played it so much that one of the strings actually broke. And Tony and Joanne had planned on throwing Adrienne this huge graduation party when the time came. They were so

proud of her, so proud of the progress that she was making and turning her life around. Now because of the complex issues this teen had to deal with from her childhood, the family was actually in therapy, which was huge for everyone. Tony worked long hours as a truck driver and Joanne worked at the local grocery store, but the couple were totally committed to helping Adrienne turn things around and give her the stability that she so desperately needed. One of her favorite things to do was actually go with Tony down to the YMCA where he worked out. There was a dedicated space for teens to hang out, and Adrian loved to sing while she was there. One of the most daunting experiences that we can encounter as a child, but even more so as a teenager,

is actually moving cities and having to integrate into a new school. You want to meet meet new friends and you want to quickly fit in and Adrian was so far away from everything that was familiar to her. Not only did she have to focus on getting her grades back up so that she could graduate, but she was understandably worried about making new friends. She had gotten to know her adult stepbrothers, Joshua and Justin, and their families who lived with Tony and Joanne, but her biggest fear was remaining completely isolated socially from her peers. She desperately wanted to find her people so that she could settle into her new surroundings and feel accepted, which is something that many of us know is a big deal to teenagers.

For a teen moving from the south to the Midwest, it was somewhat of a culture shock in a lot of ways, wanting to meet people, but also feeling unsure of yourself. That's the way Adrienne felt. So she was pretty quiet when she first started at Black Hawk. But as she started to figure out the social hierarchy in the lay of the land, she began to style herself so that she would blend in. She didn't want to draw attention to herself with anything outrageous, or alternative.

The thing is, as soon as she opened her mouth, Adrienne stuck out because she had this text in drawl. It gave away the fact that she was a newcomer, and this led other students to affectionately nickname her Tex or Texas. But at least they weren't making fun of her. She was also known as Pinky. Then, Adrian couldn't believe her luck

when one of the most popular girls at the school, if not the most rebellious, actually showed an interest in befriending the new girl from Texas, having someone like that take you under their wing offers you an instant feeling of security and acceptance that so many teenagers crave and so many struggle to find it. It reminds me of the movie Clueless if you know, you know, when Cher takes an interest in the new girl's high. She does this whole makeover on her except this wasn't Beverly Hills, and these teens were a lot darker, I would say Gothic even. The popular girl I'm talking about

at Black Hawk was 16-year-old Sarah Colb, and her style could be described as, is kind of grungy, kind of gothic, alternative. She definitely stood out in a crowd, and she wasn't only opinionated, but very confident. And she flaunted her attitude and her ascetic. And many of the East Maline conservative parents found this very offensive. She wasn't the type of friend that you would be very excited to bring home to your parents. They would definitely be judging her because Sarah dressed in all black.

She wore a lot of band t-shirts, combat boots, dark makeup. and she even had facial piercings. Sarah also didn't really care for authority figures. She was a fan of the Detroit rap and hip-hop duo insane clown posse. I know if you're my age, you probably know who they are. And she actually called herself a juggalo or a juggolette. And this is the name for the group's fan base.

The juggalo's vibe and aesthetic was intended to appeal to people who felt like outsiders, always on the fringe and misunderstood, so that definitely described Sarah and maybe even Adrienne. These were the kind of people who found people who found a sense of identity and being part of the counterculture. There was definitely a distinct style to their look, with juggalo's often painting their faces like clowns, getting multiple tattoos, piercings wearing black baggy clothing, and even colored contact lenses with really weird

designs on them. Sarah was the sort of person who would be kind and generous among her social circle. She was actually well liked by those she chose to befriend. Otherwise, anyone on the outside of her circle could actually kind of be afraid of her. For many of the kids at Black Hawk, her popularity was appealing. Sarah had the kind of magnetism and edge about her that attracted those who didn't necessarily want to follow the rules. And as a teen, isn't that everyone? Her dark sense of humor and the general vibe that she carried with her meant she was admired by a lot of the kids at Black Hawk who looked up to her as someone who was tough and cool. This can be a very attractive proposition for kids who are easily influenced or feeling lost or insecure.

So many teens are yearning to belong, and they want a leader, someone to follow, to look up to. When Sarah approached Adrienne during a cigarette break at school, Adrian was over the moon that not only did someone want to be her friend, but it was someone that everyone seemed to like. The most popular girl's school, Adrian was impressed and flattered whenever Sarah brought her to lunch or gave her rides home because she had a car of her own.

And Sarah also worked. She worked at a movie theater called Cinema 53 in nearby Davenport, so she would even get cheap tickets for her and Adrienne. And at this point, Adrienne felt like she had hit the friendship jackpot. Remember these things matter to teens at the time. Many of them can't see past life in high school. And they tend to be emotionally immature, falling fast into friendships and relationships and making them their top priority.

Things had been unstable in Adrian's life for so long, but now she felt like she had a good friend who was always there for her. They became best friends really fast. And soon, there was a hint of something more. And that's because Sarah was openly bisexual at the time, when it was still very much taboo for teens to be comfortable in their own skin this way. This is most likely what drew Sarah to Adrian in the first place. She was attracted to Adrienne, even though Adrian had always been straight, with all the attention that Sarah was giving her. She began to feel open about possibly exploring her sexuality. And in their letters to one another, the girls would discuss this topic

and entertain the possibility of being more than just best friends. Now, I want to just mention that this sort of experimentation can be completely normal as part of adolescents as teens who are learning who they are and who they want to be. And the two of them seem to have a mutual attraction that only made them get closer and closer. The young women spent hours talking on the phone together. and Adrienne felt that she found her kindred spirit. Her confidence was growing under Sarah's influence, and Adrienne began expanding her social circle,

meeting other students, including two guys, Matt Mitchell and James Kettering. She also made friends with another girl named Amber Earhart. But soon, Adrian's family and friends noticed that she was changing. It started with the way that she was dressing. She was now emulating Sarah's style. She was dressing in black. She cut her hair. She was wearing that dark makeup and nail polish.

She even changed her taste in music. Instead of listening to the latest pop and country, Adrian was embracing heavy metal. There was one thing that Adrian was told she was not permitted to do. She could change her style and she could change her music, but her parents did not want her getting any piercings. But much to Tony and Joanne's dismay, she disobeyed their roles. Adrian came home with a DIY eyebrow piercing courtesy

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Of, of course, Sarah. Yes. She pierced it herself and I'm like, ouch, because I had an eyebrow piercing as a teen and I got it done professionally and it still hurt. I can't imagine someone just sticking a safety pin into my face. But you know how teens are if you try to stop them? They tend to rebel even more. So Tony and Joanne had to just let it go for now. As Adrian's friendship group expanded through Sarah, she soon met 17-year-old fellow Black Hawk student Harley Quinn. Now, I know you're probably thinking, Harley Quinn. Really? So at this point in the story, I want to explain something very quickly

because I need to provide some context to avoid any confusion moving forward because this can get confusing, and that's the last thing I want for you. This is because this part relates to the future and evidence that will be very important later on in this case. Now, some of you might already be familiar with this case and the people involved, but I have to address this briefly for those that are not. Many years after Harley and Adrian were first introduced, Harley commenced gender transition.

While she was designated male at birth and went by a former name Corey Gregory, which does appear in court documents and much of the reporting on this case, she is a trans woman, and I will be referring to her today as Harley. But just understand that at the time that Adrian met Harley, she had not transitioned. She was living as a male and going by her legal name, Corey.

I hope that all makes sense. At the time, Harley lived back and forth between her parents Bert and Teresa and had originally attended Moline High School before transferring to Black Hawk at Sarah's urging. Sarah wanted Harley there with her. She originally met Sarah down at the North Park Mall in Davenport around early 2004, and they actually had a short romance. So they were a couple and only lasted a few weeks. And by the time Sarah introduced Harley to Adrian, Harley and Sarah were now just friends. They were pretty close, they were best friends,

but they no longer had a romantic relationship. Sarah just wasn't feeling it. But Harley, on the other hand, was so enthralled by Sarah. She took whatever scraps her friend was offering if it meant that she could still be in her life. It's almost as though Harley wanted to be Sarah. She was that infatuated with her. Now, prior to Adrian arriving at Black Hawk,

Sarah and Harley were pretty much inseparable. whether they were at school or not. But Harley was a very different type of personality to Sarah. Whereas Sarah was brash and outspoken, Harley was more reserved, even compliant. It was a friendship where Sarah held all the power, which Harley didn't seem to mind. Harley's parents were very much aware of how this dynamic played out,

how Harley followed Sarah around like a puppy dog, totally captivated, pretty much willing to do whatever Sarah wanted, which can be very concerning as a parent, to know that another teen has so much power and influence on your child, even more so than their parents do. Along with their other friends, Sarah and Harley spent their spare time drinking and smoking pot. And soon, it was Sarah, Adrian, and Harley.

They were like the three musketeers. They were all best friends, and they were spending a lot of time together. But Sarah's general look and demeanor didn't endear her towards Tony and Joanne or instill in them any confidence that Adrian Adrian was hanging out with someone who had her best interests at heart. The Reynolds first met Sarah when she came to pick Adrian up for a party.

And the family dog actually growled at Sarah. She was a stranger on their doorstep. So Joanne and Tony weren't exactly thrilled that Adrian was hanging out with Sarah, but what could they do? They wanted her to be happy, and this was the friend group that chose her and that she chose to be with. Now, Sarah was known by other kids as someone that was prone to being very moody, who easily manipulated people. If she was upset with you, instead of just talking it out, no.

She just let it marinate and stir and stir. And obviously, this is not a healthy approach to conflict resolution, especially during the teen years with everything that's so dialed up when it comes to relationships, and everything just feels way more intense. Sarah's friends, on the other hand, typically knew her as someone whose bark was way worse than her bite. She was a show-off. She would threaten people all the time with her words if they dared to annoy her. but she would never follow through, so no one ever took her seriously.

She was angry, sure, but she would issue these empty threats. It was just part of her reminding people who was in charge. One night in early December, Sarah actually invited Adrienne to join her in Harley at a place that's known as the Party House. It's located at the Fox Point Apartments on 7th Street and Rock Island. Now, this residence was rented by a group of young people, including Jane DeClerc, Corey Allison, Justin Morrow, and Brandon Cummings. The party house was a place where anything goes. Teens would come to listen to music, to dance, to drink alcohol, to do drugs, and to hook up. I don't know.

I think most of us has been to a house party before, so that's what you should picture in your mind. Typical house party. Adrian was so excited to go. She had never been to a house party before. So this was a big deal. And it was also a big deal that Sarah extended this invitation to her. But the thing is, Sarah had something. else on her mind, another reason that she wanted Adrian to be there. She hadn't given up on the

idea of actually becoming romantically involved with Adrienne, and she hoped that this could possibly take their friendship to another level. Maybe she could get Adrian alone. They could go into one of the rooms at the house party, and things could progress from there, but that didn't happen. Adrian was just so excited about making new friends at this party, especially with a guy named Corey. she was flirting pretty hard with him. And by the end of the night, she ended up going down to the basement with him, not Sarah. Everyone who knew Sarah knew that she had set Adrian up, that it was some kind of like twisted test to see whether she was really interested in exploring things with Sarah or not.

And she couldn't believe how quickly Adrian just went and hooked up with this guy. Sarah decided that she didn't want to pursue anything with a girl who was so quick to engage in, casual sex. Even though, quite frankly, it's none of Sarah's business who Adrian decided to sleep with or do anything with because they were not a couple. Adrian was free to do as she pleased, but Sarah was infuriated when she learned that Adrian had been intimate with Corey. In Sarah's mind, she'd done Adrienne a huge favor by inviting her to this party, letting her hang out with her friends, and now she was just off sleeping with some guy she just met. Usually your friends would be really supportive of you in this situation, but not if they have feelings for you. It becomes a lot of

jealousy. Sarah felt that Adrian was not only ungrateful, but not the kind of girl she wanted to explore a relationship with, maybe not even be friends with. Sarah clearly only wanted one thing. She wanted to get what she wanted, whatever that was at the time, and she wanted Adrian. So of course, the rejection did not sit well with her. Now, Adrian took Sarah's completely unjustified overreaction as a sign that maybe it was better to make other. friends. By now, Adrian was much more confident and comfortable with who she was than she had been when she first started at Black Hawk. And at heart, she was a gregarious social young women. So she thought, why not expand my social circle? Adrian didn't want to have to rely on just one

person to be close friends with, especially someone with intentions that she wasn't on board with. And there were plenty of boys that were very interested in dating Adrian. And there were just more and more people that wanted to hang out with Adrian and for any teenage girl the high of being popular can be intoxicating. And now feeling braver than ever, Adrian returned to the party house by herself in the following days. She knew that her friend Justin was going to be there and she had been getting to know him that that night someone else turned up that Adrian didn't expect Sarah with Harley in tow. And when she saw Adrian, she was absolutely furious. She felt like Adrian was flaunting the fact that she didn't need Sarah anymore and Sarah began yelling and cursing and getting right in Adrian's face, embarrassing her

in front of everyone. And much to Adrian's shock, I did not believe that this happened when I read it. Sarah pulled out a knife and she told Adrian to get the hell out of the house and stay away from her friends, even calling Adrienne a slut and a whore. Adrian's fear soon turned to confusion. She didn't understand why Sarah was doing this. She could tell that she was clearly. jealous. But this was an extreme. Adrian was shocked by Sarah's aggressive outburst that she burst into tears and ran down to the basement. After this outburst, Sarah just turned around and promptly left infuriated. And that's when she called her friend Amber, ranting about Adrian and how she felt publicly disrespected. Amber was concerned about how unhinged Sarah actually sounded,

telling Sarah that maybe it was best that her and Adrian just kind of cool off, that they're not in the same place at the same time, at least for that night. Following this party, Adrian told Andrew that Sarah had threatened her with a knife in front of everyone, and still, Adrian was intent on spending more time with Justin. It wasn't going to scare her away from doing what she wanted, and a few days later, she returned to the party house once again, and one thing led to another, and her and Justin ended up hooking up. Again, Sarah turned up there, and she was not happy. It was as though she was going there just to catch Adrian doing something that she didn't agree with. Kind of like a stalker ex. And they hadn't even been in a serious relationship. Again, Sarah pulled a knife out,

threatening Adrian by telling her not to F with her. Thankfully, things did not escalate further, and Justin took Adrian home. Now despite how aggressive and threatening Sarah had been, Adrian was so kind-hearted and forgiving that she still wanted to be friends with Sarah if she would take her back. Of course, she was hurt by Sarah's possessive behavior. She couldn't see why everyone couldn't just get along together and be happy, and there'd be a happy medium instead of all this all for nothing. But that is how Sarah was and what she'd thrived on. Adrian was a good person, and she wanted to believe that underneath Sarah's bravado

and all of her harmful words and actions, she was still the girl that she had first met, who showed her the ropes at Black Hawk and took her under her wing. She had been her first friend, the first person to make her feel welcome. So Adrian took a different approach and decided to show Sarah kindness. It's like that saying you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Adrian thought surely this would break through Sarah's tough exterior and things would just go back to the way they used to be. If they could only just have an honest conversation, things could work out.

Adrian then began writing Sarah letter after letter and coming by her house multiple times a day. But this strategy had the opposite effect. Sarah made it clear. She didn't want to be friends with Adrian anymore. She told her she actually hated her and took to bad-mouthing her all over the entire school. It's like if she couldn't have her obsessing over her and only her and devoted to her, then Adrienne couldn't have any friends. And Sarah was going to make sure of that. She wanted her to go away and leave her alone, just disappear. Now the lack of response from Sarah sent Adrienne into a spiral and she began self-harming again.

On the front of one of the notes to Sarah, she begged her to read it. saying she couldn't change what was in the past, but she swore that she could change now. Adrienne then began showing up at the movie theater where Sarah worked, and even had other people go in the theater to try to talk to Sarah for her. Adrian was obviously desperate to make things work. And for Sarah to stop badmouting her, she was hoping to convince Sarah that they could still be friends. And I really think this must have stemmed more out of not wanting Sarah to continue doing the bullying

and the bad mouthing than it did with her really wanting to be friends with her, but she was a very compassionate and kind-hearted person. However, on the other hand, Adrienne still very much wanted to genuinely connect with other people her age, and she wasn't going to give up on her new friendships either. She knew that when she was friends with Sarah, it seemed like all of her time was monopolized by that one person, and she didn't want that no matter who it was. She also realized that true friendship wasn't meant to be abusive and turbulent, and it wasn't her purpose, and it wasn't her problem if Sarah was jealous? So Adrian bravely wrote Sarah a long letter saying she would not tolerate her bullying and she called her out on her toxic behavior. Adrian wrote it was a mistake

for her to have slept with the boys at the house party, but she wasn't going to accept the way that Sarah was treating her regardless. As part of exploring her new friendships, by January of 2005, Adrian was now spending a lot more time with the third person and that was Harley. Remember the three them used to be so close. But of course, that was when Sarah was there. She was the common theme between them. However, over time, Harley was getting sick of the way Sarah treated her as well. Adrian's gentle, easygoing personality was a refreshing change from Sarah's intensity and abrasiveness. And Adrian realized that Sarah had a sense of ownership over Harley, who Adrian felt had been reluctant to push back against Sarah's dominance. So she felt bad for Harley. So Adrian and Harley began

writing cute notes to one another, kind of how, you know, Sarah and Adrian used to do with one another. Adrian sent one saying that she actually loved Harley because she was respectful, cute, nice, and honest. Adrian felt that Harley was one of the sweetest people she had ever met, which opened up Adrian to trust her more. The pair spoke for hours on the phone, and by mid-January, they were hanging out together without Sarah all the time. I'm sure you can guess that Sarah would not be happy about this. And it wasn't exactly a secret either. Adrian didn't feel like she should sneak around to spend time with Harley, but when Sarah found out, she was actually mad at Harley.