by Chris Bedell
Someone hadn’t blackmailed us all to be in the same location, though. Mallory’s lawyer got her an insanity plea bargain, and Mallory was scheduled to turn herself into the police tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. And Kelly somehow agreed to let us have a party so long as we agreed not to get rowdy or leave the house.
Mallory tapped my shoulder while I stood in front of the table, pouring my tequila into my red Solo cup. Then, I mixed it with seltzer. “Everything okay?” she asked.
I chuckled. “I should be asking you that considering what tonight is.”
“I’m not angry,” Mallory said. “If I’m gonna be a person of interest, then I might as well take control of the situation.”
“That’s big of you.”
Mallory glanced at the other end of the living room—more specifically, Archie. He remained engrossed in conversation with Rebecca and Dan.
“Everything okay with you and Archie?” she asked.
I took a swig of my cocktail. “Why would you ask me that?”
“You two arrived separately, in addition to how you haven’t said one word to each other.”
“Dynamics change.”
“Did you break up?” Mallory asked, lowering her voice.
“It’s a complicated situation.”
She jabbed my shoulder, and I almost spilled my drink. “Give me the details. It’d make me feel better.”
“I thought you were okay with the arrangement?”
“Only because it spares you, Rebecca, Dan, and Archie.” Mallory brought her glass up to her nose, then swirled the contents. After that, Mallory finished her remaining wine in one gulp. “Now tell me what’s going on with you and Archie.”
“This isn’t celebrity gossip—it’s my life.”
She sighed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it that way.”
“Please. You’ve never been happy about my relationship with Archie.” I took a bigger sip this time.
“Where’s this coming from?” Mallory refilled her wine glass from the bottle on the table. “I thought we were in a good place?”
“Fine. I’ll keep my opinion to myself.”
“You’re right. I should apologize,” Mallory said. “I should never have come between you and Archie. And I now understand how our threesome was a big mistake.”
I did a 180 around the living room. Dan, Rebecca, and Archie remained engrossed in conversation. “We agreed not to talk about that night,” I said.
Yeah. Mallory should’ve gotten to the point like yesterday. I couldn’t think of a good reason to discuss our threesome. Not now. not ever.
“I knew your opinion of me wouldn’t change even if you slept with me. Yet I went along with it,” Mallory said.
“I wanna know one thing.”
“Shoot.”
“Why were you so desperate for me to love you?” I asked.
“Having anything to focus on was better than thinking about Tommy and Gemma.”
“You were that upset?”
Mallory gripped her neck. “Can you blame me? It hasn’t even been a year since Parker cheated on me.”
Parker. Couldn’t forget about the name even if I tried. I’d always wonder if Mallory might’ve had something to do with his and Jordon’s deaths thanks to Kelly’s newspaper clippings. Similar causes of death weren’t something I could forget about by snapping my fingers, proving how knowledge was more of a curse than a blessing.
Archie grumbled at me after shuffling towards the table. “Excuse me.”
I stepped to the left, and Archie grabbed more ice before pouring whiskey and Diet Coke into his cup.
Mallory snorted. “You suck, Archie.”
“You couldn’t be more wrong. Did you know I’m on your side for once?” Archie took a more than generous sip of his cocktail.
“You and Archie are good together and it’d be a shame for you to throw away your relationship over a silly fight,” Mallory said.
Having Mallory support my relationship with Archie at the most inconvenient time was exactly what the universe would do. If it gave me something good, then it’d be in the most ridiculous way possible.
Archie’s pupils dilated. “Did Chad tell you why we broke up?”
“No, but I’m sure it was for a stupid reason,” Mallory said.
“Weren’t you paying attention to what I said?” Archie asked, speaking louder. “I’m on your side, so you should be thanking me.”
“I’m not following you,” Mallory said.
Archie shot me a glance. “Do you wanna tell her, or should I?”
“There’s nothing to tell,” I said.
My back hairs rose. If Archie knew what was best, then he’d drop the topic. Nothing good would come from Archie outing what he knew about my scheme with Gemma.
Archie shrieked. “Bullshit. And it’s hypocritical of you to be here in light of what you and Gemma did to Mallory.”
Rebecca and Dan looked towards Archie, Mallory, and me.
“Will someone please tell me what’s going on?” Mallory asked.
“Gladly,” Archie said.
“Please don’t do this—you wouldn’t if you ever loved me,” I said to Archie.
“Too late,” Archie said. “Mallory is gonna know about the real you whether you like it or not. Actions have consequences, and you’re about to face yours.”
“Enough stalling,” Mallory said.
“Chad worked with Gemma and they planted the gun, diary, and flash drive in your locker,” Archie revealed.
“You’re saying that because you’re drunk,” Mallory said.
“Ask Chad yourself,” Archie said.
Fuck it. No point in denying my plan—it wasn’t like Mallory could do anything about it. The police and DA would’ve only thought she was crazy. And maybe, just maybe, I was entitled to a little fun. Scheming wouldn’t have been worth it if I couldn’t gloat.
I placed my cup on the table, then grunted. “Archie isn’t lying. I worked with Gemma to take you down. You deserved it after everything you did.”
Mallory screamed. “Have you forgotten you’d be dead if I hadn’t killed Tommy?”
“That doesn’t mean I’m in debt to you for the rest of my life,” I said.
“You could show some gratitude, though.” Mallory shook her head. “I’m not gonna argue with you again. I’m just gonna go to my room and think.”
Mallory went up the living room staircase and was soon out of sight.
“You should be ashamed of yourself,” I said.
“Don’t put this on me,” Archie said.
I scoffed. “Tell me something. Do you feel good about dropping your bombshell?”
“Yeah, I do,” Archie said.
Dan and Rebecca walked over to Archie and me. Except Archie’s wrath might not have been my only problem—Rebecca couldn’t stop glaring at me.
“Please tell me this is a misunderstanding?” Rebecca asked.
“I did what I had to do, and I’m not gonna apologize.” I grabbed my cup, then chugged the rest of my drink and belched. After that, I crushed the cup and it fell onto the floor. “I should go check on Mallory before she does something stupid.
I scurried up the staircase, then ran towards Mallory’s bedroom.
The door was open, so I didn’t bother knocking.
Mallory wasn’t in her bedroom and her backpack was no longer on her bed. I couldn’t forget about the chill permeating the air—the bedroom window was opened.
Wow. I just couldn’t believe Mallory escaped her own goodbye party.
I darted over to the window. There was less than a ten-foot drop from the window to the garden below. So, maybe, just maybe that was how Mallory fled—stranger things happened all the time. The ivy growing on the side of the house might’ve also provided a cushion.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2019
I blocked Archie in the hallway after running into him on the way to lunch.
“I’m tired of not talking,” I said.
“I’ve got noth
ing to say.”
“Either we’re together or we’re not, but you can’t have it both ways.”
He smiled. “Fine. We’re done.”
“You can’t end our relationship without a real conversation.”
Caring about seeming blunt didn’t matter. I’d do whatever it took to save my relationship with Archie. I wouldn’t let anything stand in the way of my happiness—especially since we didn’t have to worry about Mallory. She still hadn’t been found, and the police had an APB out on her.
Archie expelled a laugh. “I just did.”
“You’re being unfair,” I said.
“You can’t force me to be in a relationship.”
“Can’t you understand why I schemed with Gemma?” I asked. “It was because I didn’t want anything jeopardize our future.”
“You did that all on your own.”
Perhaps I misjudged Archie. I never once considered him to be cruel, yet how he could defend Mallory was beyond me. Especially because the situation involved more than my hurt feelings. Mallory risked his parents’ marriage with the leverage about his father losing his job.
“Have you forgotten what Mallory did to me?” I spat.
“That doesn’t justify framing her.”
“She actually killed Tommy.” I remained silent for a beat, drawing in a breath. “And have you forgotten about what you’ve done? Like your indecent proposal you agreed to last fall?”
“That’s in the past.”
“That proves you aren’t perfect—you did that to protect your father just like I wanted to protect our future.”
“Please don’t compare the two situations.”
“There’s something you don’t know,” I blurted.
“Nothing changes what you did.”
“It’s about something that happened with Tommy a few weeks before the start of freshman year.”
I sat on the floor with my back pressed against my bed a couple weeks after I turned fifteen. It was several weeks before I’d start high school and Tommy happened to be seated next to me.
I just closed my laptop—we finished watching a Netflix film—and Tommy hadn’t stopped looking into my eyes.
“Something wrong?” I asked.
“I was curious about something.”
“Ask away—I’ve got nothing to hide.”
“Was coming out as bisexual difficult?” Tommy asked.
“Why would you ask that?”
“I just wanted to know if your life has gotten more challenging.”
“No. I couldn’t be happier.”
“I’m gonna do something but you’ve gotta promise not to freak out,” Tommy said, stuttering.
“Okay.”
Tommy kissed me before I caught my breath, yet I didn’t push him away. I even let him shove his tongue in my mouth before we pulled away from each other a moment later.
“What was that about?” I asked.
“I wanted to know what kissing a guy felt like.”
If only I was high—Tommy couldn’t have said what he had. Guys like Tommy were supposed to end up with models for girlfriends. I’d also never once detected a “not-straight” vibe from Tommy.
“Well, you got your answer,” I said.
“There’s something else I want, but I wasn’t sure if you’d agree.”
“You’ll never know unless you ask.”
Tommy’s eyes beamed. “Would you consider sleeping with me once? It’d clear up some confusion.”
“I’ve never slept with anyone before,” I said.
Wow. At least now I understood where the expression “stranger than fiction” came from. Some events were too unusual to make up. Tommy wanting to sleep with me just couldn’t be rationalized no matter what way I looked at the situation.
He stroked my chin, and a tingling sensation shot through my fingers. “I promise you’ll be safe—I won’t hurt you.”
“I don’t know…”
“You’d be doing me a favor.”
“You’re gonna have to try harder if you wanna seduce me.”
I lifted my head off Tommy’s chest sometime later, then scooted right. No explanation necessary about how this moment would end sooner rather than later, so I might as well have been the one to end it.
Tommy craned his neck. “Something wrong?”
“I just like my personal space.”
“I kept my promise—I didn’t hurt you.”
“There’s a difference between physically injured and emotionally injured.”
He sat up in bed, keeping his half of the bed comforter wrapped around him. “You answered a lot of my questions. However, I want you to know this doesn’t change anything, and you’ll always remain my best friend.”
Please. Tommy’s response was what people always said before ghosting or gutting someone like a fish.
Several teachers and students shuffled down the hallway while Archie sighed at me. “I’m sorry Tommy cut you out of his life after you slept together, but that isn’t my fault,” he said.
“I didn’t do anything wrong—Tommy begged me to sleep with him.”
“I should be even angrier at you.”
I crossed my arms. “Why?”
“You lied about being a virgin.”
“It’s not like I know your entire sexual history.”
“True. But I never claimed to be something I wasn’t.”
A silence ensued. For once, I didn’t know what I’d do. Nothing I said changed the situation, and Archie and I might’ve been done for real.
How ironic. My reasoning for scheming was what might end my relationship with Archie and I now had another chapter to add to my memoir about how the universe enacted its twisted sense of humor on me.
He pressed his hands together. “Breaking up isn’t about punishing you—it’s about not liking the person that saving our relationship turned you into.”
“You just don’t get it,” I said, screaming. “I had to do whatever it takes to protect our relationship because I wasn’t about to lose something for a second time.”
“I’m looking out for you, Chad. Dating me shouldn’t make you compromise your character.”
THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2019
I sobbed while sitting in an empty hallway during lunch.
Shoes clicked against the ground, and I lifted my gaze. Perfect. An impromptu Gemma sighting would brighten my day.
“If you’re gonna ask me about Mallory, then save your breath.” I rubbed my eyes. “I already told the police I’ve got no idea where she is.”
“Have you been crying?”
“You must know about my breakup with Archie.”
“That can’t be easy.” Gemma slouched onto the ground next to me.
“Archie is something else.”
“I’m sure he’ll calm down eventually,” Gemma said.
I hissed. “He didn’t care about my reasoning.”
“You mean about protecting your relationship?”
“Yes, but there’s more behind my motivation.”
“Because Tommy ditched you after your afternoon of experimentation?”
I almost choked. “You know about that?”
“Mallory isn’t the only one who kept a diary—Tommy did as well. Journaling was his way of coping with our father.” Gemma coughed into her right arm. “That’s also why I haven’t been harder on you.”
“You don’t hate me?” I asked.
“Tommy’s dead, and nothing changes that fact.”
I once again shouldn’t have been surprised by the universe’s sense of humor. Whether unorthodox or not, I wouldn’t push Gemma away. Not when she was the only person offering me unconditional support.
BEFORE
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2018
I roamed through the school hallway before first period on the way to my locker, crossing paths with Mallory.
She glared at me. “We need to talk.”
“Something wrong?”
“Don’t play stupid wit
h me.” Mallory grabbed me by my shirt collar and dragged me into a nearby hallway. Then, she shoved me against the wall.
“What’s wrong?” I stammered.
“I know you took it.”
“You’re gonna have to be more specific.”
“My flash drive with a videotape is missing,” Mallory snapped, arms gripping my collar tighter.
“You’ve lost me.”
Mallory snarled. “This isn’t funny, Chad. You’ve got no idea how sensitive the video is.”
She needed a lesson in decorum like yesterday. If Mallory wasn’t careful, then I’d think she was even more unhinged than she already was. And that possibility was great. I so dreamed of her sneaking into my bedroom again. Doing it once wasn’t enough, and I was determined to traumatize myself again.
“Why I am your first suspect?” I asked.
“You hate me so much that you’d use what’s on the tape against me.”
“You’ve lost it.”
Mallory grunted. “You don’t wanna mess with me.”
“Okay. Let’s say I stole the flash drive. Wouldn’t I have already made my demand by now?”
“Fine.” She released me. “But I still don’t trust you.”
“The feeling is mutual.”
She pushed up her sleeves. “You and Archie are the ones who cut me off after the threesome.”
If only Mallory hadn’t brought up the threesome. Just like I wanted her to surprise me, I also hoped to relive every grueling moment of that Saturday night.
Like me stroking her hair before laying her down on the bed and having my way with her while Archie watched. Or observing while Archie had his turn and I oozed of jealousy. Sobriety wasn’t required for realizing how that night was a bad idea. If I had to do it again, then I wouldn’t have agreed to the tryst. Alienating Archie wasn’t worth discovering the truth about Tommy and bringing down Mallory.
Worse still, was when I lay on my stomach with Archie, hands touching while he leaned against me. Envy was one thing when I experienced it, yet the emotion was worse when the possibility of Mallory losing it lurked in the back of my mind. Like in the school hallway when she spied on my first conversation with Archie.
I sighed. “We’ve talked to you since then.”
“One lunch and a few words isn’t much.”
