by Calia Read
For twenty years, Mae was a teacher at St. Xavier’s Girls Academy. She retired two years ago. Mae was the teacher that missed nothing and while most people complained about her, it was only because she didn’t allow any bullshit in her classroom.
“I need answers,” I explain quietly. Looking down at the ground, I slide off my baseball cap and grip my hair in frustration. “I need you to tell me everything you know about her family.”
I look back at Mae. All my hurt is clear in my eyes. Her eyes flit away and look down at the ground before she gives me a brief nod and stands on shaky legs. She motions for me to follow her into the dining room and she points to the cabinet across from the table. “Open that up for me, and grab the second book from the bottom.”
Frowning, I bend down in front of the cabinet and see stacks and stacks of scrapbooks. I count fifteen as I grab the second book. There’s nothing decorating the front. It’s a plain green scrapbook.
Mae sits down at the head of the table and I set the book down in front of her and sit next to her.
She flips through the first few pages and a small smile appears on her face. I peer over and see they’re just pictures of her students. When she reaches the middle, she stops and slides the book over.
Mae points her small, wrinkled finger at a picture. “That’s Emiliana’s sister, Elizabeth.”
I look closer at the girl. Elizabeth has shoulder-length hair that is a dark shade of red. It is thick and straight. Her smile is bright and filled with happiness. Perched on top of her small nose is a pair of glasses. The similarities between Emilia and her sister are there. Elizabeth just looks so young and sweet.
Looking up at Mae, I point to the picture. “When was this?”
She looks over at the picture. “2008.”
My eyes are glued to the picture. I stare into Elizabeth’s face, trying to figure out how the hell I’m linked to her. “Emilia said her sister wrote in her journal about me.”
“Oh yes,” Mae says confidently. “Then you are definitely talking about Elizabeth.”
I glance over at her. “Is there more than one sister?”
“Yes, there is one more girl. Eden is her name, I believe. She is a few years younger than Emiliana and Elizabeth.”
My frown increases. “Are Elizabeth and Emilia twins?”
“No, they were triplets.” Mae pauses and absently stares at the table. I wait impatiently because the story is starting to unravel. I realize I know nothing about Emilia—nothing at all. “Now I know his name but I can’t remember…”
“Aniston,” I supply darkly.
Mae snaps her fingers. “Yes! That’s his name.”
I didn’t know Aniston. I just knew of him. He grew up in New York while I was in and out of the city. We had a few friends that ran in the same circle, but he was a dick. I never bothered talking to him.
“Elizabeth was a sweet girl.” Mae says sadly. She laces her fingers in front of her, while her eyes trail over the picture. “She had struggles her whole life.”
“What do you mean?”
“Macsen, I love you, but this is all confidential. I can’t tell you.”
Resting my hands on the table, I lean close. “Please—” I let the single word hang in the air. I’m desperate. “I’m in the dark with all of this. Everyone seems to know everything except me.”
Mae shakes her head back and forth and looks down at the scrapbook.
“She had a mild case of cerebral palsy, and that caused some brain damage. Elizabeth struggled in school, but I swear she never gave up.” Mae lets out a deep breath and stares down at the pictures. “She was in the same grade as Emiliana but mentally she was behind her brother and sister. I saw Emiliana with Elizabeth and she was great. She treated Elizabeth like nothing was wrong. It was the best thing for Elizabeth,” Mae confesses.
She turns the page and points to a picture with Emilia and Elizabeth. The two of them were dressed in the St. Xavier uniform. Emilia has her arm wrapped around her sister tightly and the two of them look like best friends. That picture makes it hard to hate Emilia because the smile on her face is one that I have never seen from her.
“I loved when she came into my classroom. I had her every other day for history and math and she was a chatterbox, always telling me something. She was such a joy to teach,” Mae says sadly.
My eyes narrow suspiciously as I replay Mae’s words over in my head. “You keep saying was.”
“Macsen,” she sighs out and shuts the scrapbook. She laces her fingers and solemnly looks me in the eye. “She died in 2009.”
Mae’s confession makes me instantly sit straight in my chair. I release a deep breath, take off my hat, and tightly warp the bill in my hands.
“How did she die?” I ask.
“Elizabeth killed herself,” she confesses. “I don’t know much, except that her brother found her.”
I sit back in my chair as the air whooshes from my lungs.
“Holy shit,” I mutter.
Mae glances at me disapprovingly before she purses her lips and stares at me. That makes me nervous.
“What?” I ask cautiously.
“She used to talk about you … a lot.”
My chair suddenly feels uncomfortable and it’s quickly becoming harder to breathe. I shoot out of my seat and pace the floor in front of me before I turn and look at Mae. “What would she say?”
“That you two would talk for hours. She had quite a crush on you.”
I feel like I’m in some fucked up vortex of confusion because even Mae thought I had talked to this girl. My innocence is the only thing I have at this point and even that feels like it’s hanging by a thread in the eyes of others. Others who have always known me, understood me.
Rubbing both hands down my face, I stare at the polished dining room table and shake my head. “I don’t know her.” I look up and stare Mae directly in the eye. “I have never seen or talked to her before in my life.”
“She talked about you constantly—said that the two of you talked all the time.”
“But it wasn’t me!” I grip the chair in front of me until my knuckles are white. “You think I would lie about this?”
“Macsen, calm down. Elizabeth was young and sweet and I’ve seen so many girls have crushes. I assumed you were just that.”
My head hangs low and I breathe deeply through my nose. “But I clearly wasn’t just a crush. Not when she was telling people I was talking to her, when I never was!”
“Then you should clear your name,” Mae says firmly.
“Do you want to tell me how?” I push myself away from the chair and start to pace again. “Everyone thinks I did something to this girl … a girl I didn’t even know existed until a few days ago!”
“Talk to your Emiliana.”
A short laugh escapes my lips. “She’s not mine.”
Mae tisks lightly. “Your eyes tell me that she is.”
I stop walking long enough to look at her solemnly. “She isn’t.”
Mae shrugs as if it’s old news. “Then talk to her brother. What’s his name again?”
“Aniston,” I say automatically, but my mind is on other things. “They both think I did something to her. That’s not a good idea.”
“Then you do nothing, my boy.” She stands, grabs her walker and gives me a stern look. “Stand still and do nothing, while the past runs over your reputation. Or you can be the Macsen I know and fight for yourself.”
I give her a blunt nod and slam my hat on my head before I slowly walk back into the living room with her. When Mae is settled back in her chair, I clear my throat. “You believe me, right?”
She grabs the People magazine next to her and drops it onto her lap before she looks up at me. “Macsen, I’ve watched you grow up and I know when you’re lying. You’re terrible at it.” She starts to flip through the pages and gives me a pat on the hand. “Of course I believe you.”
Silently, I nod my head and walk out the door.
At
least someone believes that I’m innocent.
The flat screen television mounted in the corner is stationed to ESPN. Ironically, Thayer’s jersey fills the screen as he makes a steal and runs down the court. I turn away from the screen and look around the bar.
Sitting here on a Friday afternoon isn’t what I had planned, but I know Aniston comes here twice a week.
Deciding to take Mae’s advice, I called up a few of my high school friends that know Aniston. They told me where to find him. Emilia isn’t really an option right now. How could she be? I can’t think straight around her.
The door opens and I keep my face straight and watch Aniston Wentworth walk in. He picks a table in the middle of the room and sits down casually.
I figured out quickly that when he’s not in class, he works at his dad’s law firm. I found out his dad is a prominent lawyer in New York with one simple click of a button. It’s amazing what Google can tell you in 0.30 seconds. When I typed in the name Emiliana Wentworth there was next to nothing on her. Every link was directed to her dad, Gregory Wentworth. Her family has money and they had apparently used it to cover up their daughter’s death because other than one obituary, I found nothing on her suicide.
She’s the forgotten girl—completely erased from the world.
A waitress comes up to take his order and he doesn’t smirk or flirt. He does nothing but bluntly tell her what he wants.
Impatiently, I wait until his beer is in front of him before I make a move. He watches the screen and nods his head at the game. His guard is down and I take that opportunity to step off my barstool and walk toward his table.
He doesn’t even notice me until I clear my throat.
Aniston shoots out of his chair and slams his palms on the table. “Walk away, Sloan.”
I give him a glance and sit down in the seat across from him. “Shut the hell up, Wentworth. We need to talk.”
Aniston doesn’t move. His arms are clenched tightly to his sides and I know he’s barely holding back. Aniston is like a crazed animal, looking for a fight, looking for a kill. He holds my stare without blinking, and I think the crazy asshole is completely balls to the wall. He could break his beer bottle in half and cut me to death without blinking.
“Sit down,” I tell him darkly. “I just need to talk to you.”
“I have nothing to say to you.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I give him a smirk. “Well, I have something to say to you.”
He mutters curses underneath his breath, most of them ending with ‘go fuck yourself’ and sits down loudly in his chair before gulping back his entire beer and ordering another drink.
Aniston never looks at me, but when his head becomes lowered, I decide to speak up. “Look…” I start out, “I never knew Elizabeth.”
His head snaps up so quickly, I’m surprised it doesn’t break. “I’m not Emilia. I’m not going to believe anything that you say.”
A new beer is placed in front of him and he quickly takes a drink while I talk.
“I’m telling the truth.” Aniston grunts and I keep talking. “I’ve never talked to Elizabeth before in my fucking life.”
“Bullshit.” Aniston slaps his hand on the table and leans close. “My sister was happy until you fucked it up.” He points a finger at me and I’m about two seconds away from grabbing his index finger and breaking it in two. “Elizabeth thought the world of you.”
“If you knew that I was talking to your sister, why didn’t you say something? We went to school together, you could have talked to me.”
His eyes veer down to the table as he clinches his jaw. “I didn’t know until it was too late.”
“And afterward?” I push.
“I didn’t know about you until a year ago,” Aniston admits darkly. “Emilia’s known a lot longer. She has the journals with your name in them.”
“Someone used my name,” I explain solemnly. “I wouldn’t lie about this.”
Aniston leans back and loosens the tie around his neck. “Liar,” he grits out and crosses his arms. A few seconds later he changes his mind and quickly leans closer. “Is that what you do?” Aniston ask darkly. “You lure innocent girls on the computer?”
Pushing my beer aside, I lean my face closer. “What?”
I heard the word computer and that’s all I can focus on because I rarely get online. I’m illiterate when it comes to computers and all the social networks. I rub my hands against my jeans as I try to find all the pieces to the most fucked up puzzle ever created.
“Nothing to say, Sloan?” Aniston taunts.
“I’ll say the same thing I’ve been telling you: I didn’t do this.”
“You fucked her mind up!”
My elbows slam on the table as Aniston keeps making jabs at me. I rub my temple as he keeps hissing out words. He shoves his face close, and I look in his cold, brown eyes. “You told her how much you loved her, you sick fuck. You kissed her, you led her on, and you humiliated her. You drove her to kill herself.”
I shoot up from my seat before anything else escapes his mouth. Reaching over, I grab the collar of his dress shirt and yank him clear across the table. Customers around us stop talking and watch the two of us.
Aniston’s eyes widen for a second before he tries to jerk out of my hold. I tighten my grip and stand to my full height and drag him over the table like a rag doll. Our beers tip over and shatter to the ground, and there’s broken glass everywhere.
“Stop!” I shout loudly and pull him closer. “I’m sorry about what happened to her, but I didn’t do it!”
Aniston breathes harshly and I tighten my hold on his shirt. We’re in this silent standoff. Both of us are waiting for the other to crack. But I’ve been broken and fucking shattered to pieces by his sister’s hands. I have all the time in the world.
A few seconds tick by. Aniston stops fighting and I think he’s close to breaking down.
“Sir, you need to leave,” the bartender calls out nervously.
I give Aniston a hard look before I let go and shove him back. He falls and lands on the ground. He’s sprawled on the floor, as I turn my back on him and push the front door open loudly. It bangs shut behind me and I walk down the street with more anger than I’ve ever felt.
When I’m a block away, I stop to breathe. My back thumps against the brick wall and I close my eyes.
I know who did it.
Not only have I been betrayed by the girl I loved, but I’ve been betrayed by someone I have known my whole life.
My jaw clinches tightly as I pull out my phone and dial a number that I know by fucking heart.
“Hey … I can still go to that charity event if you want me to.”
I listen to the voice on the other end and clench my jaw.
“I’ll see you tonight, then.”
I hang up quickly and smirk darkly.
Tonight will be fun. I am about to take all my anger out on this one person—the catalyst—the person who started it all.
I see no better way to break all the wrong that has come my way.
Julian Langley was born into money.
He is the only child to Edward and Charlotte Langley. They’ve given him everything he could want. Ask and Julian shall receive.
I’ve known him since I was a child, and when I moved back to New York for my last two years of high school, I was right back in his circle.
Clutching the glass in my hand, I look at him. He’s dressed in a tux almost identical to mine. His light brown hair is trimmed and pushed back from his face. Growing up, Julian had this charming quality that made every parent in the room praise him for being such a stand-up man. But the rest of us knew that behind the smile was a cunning personality. I knew it, but I didn’t think it would extend to innocent girls.
Never.
But now it’s different. I’ve been brought into this. It affects Emilia and her entire family. And I’m fucking pissed.
Julian leans against the bar and looks at the women around
us. Tonight’s event is in another ballroom, similar to the charity function that Emilia’s parents hosted. The people around me see these events as parties, not as a way to ‘give back’ with the money they always flaunt. If they do give money, it’s only so they can check off their good deed for the year.
“You see that girl over there?” Julian asks. I look to the right and see a blonde. I try to look interested. His blue eyes flick in my direction “I fucked her at this event last year, in some closet.” He smiles wickedly. “She’s crazy.”
This is a normal conversation for us. Before I would have laughed off his words, but now they have a different effect. The picture of Elizabeth flashes in my mind and I wonder if he had ever said anything about her.
I snort and that’s as close as I can get to laughter. Julian doesn’t notice. His eyes slide over every girl. “So what’s up?” he asks casually. “I’m surprised you wanted to come.”
Leaning against the bar, I shrug my shoulders. “It’s my last night in New York. I figured we could start out here and then go to a bar.”
“Just like old times.” Julian lifts his whiskey in the air, and I clink my glass against his reluctantly. He downs the entire drink in seconds. I sip on my water.
For the next thirty minutes, I keep up the small talk and bide my time, waiting for him to fade out and become wasted.
“I’m ready to leave this fucking thing,” Julian slurs out.
My gaze cuts to him, and I give him a brief nod. “Then let’s go.”
Julian’s eyes are bloodshot and he walks like he’s been at sea for a month. I help him down the stairs, toward the door. A doorman holds it open as we pass through.
He grips my shoulder and looks over at me with a sloppy smile. “It’s good to have you back, Mac. You should just transfer and get the hell out of there.”
Grinding my teeth together, I give him a tight smile. “I was thinking earlier about all the shit we used to do in high school.”
“Those were great times,” Julian agrees.
I’m waiting for the alcohol to take over and for him to say he regretted it all. But the truth is, he probably didn’t regret it.
