Pretty Dead Girls

by Monica Murphy

  I don’t want to, though. I like him. I think he likes me.

  “Are they still in the room?” I ask minutes later, when I finally tear myself away from his lips.

  “I don’t know,” he murmurs against my neck just before he starts kissing it. His lips are warm, his teeth graze my sensitive skin and make me shiver. I clutch him close, frustrated by the stupid hoodie he’s wearing, frustrated that we’re curled up together in Courtney’s stupid closet when I wish we could be somewhere else. Anywhere else…

  “Should we check—” I start, but he cuts me off.

  “Sshh.” Cass gently places his mouth on mine, his teeth tugging on my lower lip, making me whimper in surprise. “Forget them,” he whispers just before he kisses me again.

  Well. More like he devours me. I can’t even blame alcohol for what I’m doing with him at this very moment. I am completely sober. And I am also shoving my hands beneath his hoodie and his shirt, so I can touch his bare skin. My fingers roam over the width of his back and he shivers. I skim my nails along his skin and he sucks in a sharp breath. And then his hands are beneath my sweater and he’s touching my back, my hips, my waist, my stomach…

  I pull away, his hands falling from underneath my sweater, his eyes lit with surprise. His breaths are coming fast again, and so are mine, though for a different and better reason this time.

  “I think they’re done,” I whisper when I realize they’ve gone silent on the other side of the closet door.

  We stare at each other, the both of us quiet as we wait to hear something come from the bedroom. I focus on calming my breathing, my racing heart. I look down, needing to break away from the intensity of his stare, and his fingers trace my hairline before tucking my hair behind my ear.

  Glancing up, I find he’s watching me, his eyes full of confusion. “What just happened?” he asks.

  I frown. “Out there? I don’t know. They’re not even talking anymore.”

  “No.” Cass shakes his head. “Right here. Just now. Between us. What was that?”

  “We, uh. We kissed,” I whisper.

  “Yeah. We sure as hell did.” He runs a hand through his hair, making it stick up all over the place, and I’m tempted to reach out and smooth it back down just so I can touch it. Touch him.

  But I restrain myself. For now.

  “You don’t regret that, do you?” he asks me.

  I slowly shake my head, hoping that being honest won’t backfire. “No.”

  “Good.” His gaze meets mine, his eyes sparkling. “Me either.”

  Chapter

  Twenty-Five

  Courtney and Brogan finally left her bedroom a few minutes ago, after hurriedly getting dressed, Courtney hissing at Brogan the entire time that he needed to hurry up.

  “You’re so uptight after we have sex,” he told her, sounding like a petulant child. “You talk a good game before it, but you always make me feel guilty afterwards. Sucks, man.”

  “Oh, grow up,” Courtney snapped. “What do you want me to do? Tell you how great you are like Dani does?”

  “At least she seems into me most of the time,” he muttered. “Not like you.”

  “You’re such a dick.” Courtney’s voice dripped with contempt.

  And with that, they left.

  “Well, that was pleasant,” I say once they’re gone.

  “How long do you think we should wait until we leave?” asks Cass.

  “I don’t know.” I move away from him, giving myself much needed distance. I’m still blown away by Cass’s expert kissing skills. Fine, I’m completely rattled by it, rattled by him. My hands are shaky. My head is spinning. He has great lips—and I can’t help but stare at them. They’re full and swollen and still damp from when we kissed. His hair is mussed and his eyes are glazed and he’s staring off into space, like his mind was just epically blown.

  I sort of love that look on him. Makes me proud that I’m the one who did that.

  “We should wait at least a few minutes, just in case they’re fighting in the hall or on the staircase or whatever,” I tell him.

  “Yeah. You’re right.” He nods, still appearing a little dazed. “Gotta make sure the coast is clear.”

  “Please tell me you’re finished searching through her room.” I stand and stretch my arms above my head. My legs are achy and my feet tingle, like they’ve fallen asleep. We’ve been cramped up in the closet for a while and I’m dying to get out. See other people, get some fresh air.

  Hopefully we won’t run into Courtney.

  “Yeah, you’re right. I’m done.” He shrugs and glances around. “If she has any other secrets, I don’t know where to look for them.”

  Probably the closet, but I’m not going to make that suggestion. I am so done going through her things. What we did…it wasn’t right. We’re just lucky we didn’t get caught.

  After a few more minutes, we exit the closet and leave Courtney’s bedroom, sneaking down the back staircase and along the short hall until we’re in the kitchen again. The party is still just as wild and loud as it was before we went upstairs, and I head out to the backyard, in search of Dani.

  But she’s not on any of the loungers where Brogan said he left her. There are a few couples on the lounge chairs snuggled up together and/or kissing and groping each other. There are two girls cuddled on one, both of them looking pretty wasted and trying to sleep.

  There’s no Dani anywhere.

  “Where do you think she went?” I turn to look at Cass, and he frowns at me.

  “Who are you talking about?”

  “Dani! Brogan said he left her out here.” I wave a hand at the row of lounge chairs. “But now she’s gone.”

  He scans the backyard before his gaze returns to me. “I don’t see her. Brogan’s over there with his friends.” He points. “Maybe you should ask him.”

  I shout his name and he looks up, grimacing when he sees it’s me. I wave him over, thankful Courtney is nowhere to be found. “Where’s Dani?” I ask when he reluctantly approaches.

  Brogan shrugs. “I dunno. I left her out here a few minutes ago, but I guess now she’s gone.”

  I cross my arms in front of my chest. “You shouldn’t have left her alone, Brogan. She was really drunk. Where’d you go anyway?”

  His cheeks turn ruddy and he looks away from me. “I did a few shots with some friends, then I had to take a piss. Why, what’s it to you anyway? If you’re so concerned about Dani, then you should’ve stayed with her.”

  I’d give anything to punch him right now. Just sock him right in his stupid face. Courtney was right. He’s a total dick. “I thought you were staying with her. She was pretty trashed, Bro. You shouldn’t have left her alone.” I give him a pointed look and he flicks his gaze away from mine, guilt written all over his face. “I just want to make sure she’s all right.”

  “When I left her here on one of the chairs, she was perfectly okay. She was just a little sleepy, you know? I asked if she wanted to come with me, and she said no. She was perfectly fine when I last saw her, I swear,” Brogan whines.

  “If you see Dani, tell her I’m looking for her,” I say, my voice dismissive. Brogan hangs his head and walks away from me to rejoin his friends. The moment he’s back standing with them, though, they all laugh and I glance up to find them watching me.

  Jackasses.

  I check my phone for text messages or Snapchats from Dani, but there’s nothing. And it’s so cold outside, the fog slowly billowing in, making me shiver. Cass puts a hand on my shoulder, startling me, and I turn to face him.

  “Let’s go inside. You’re cold. I bet she’s in the house.”

  “I don’t know. Last time I saw her, she was still outside.”

  “Yeah, and she probably got cold and wanted to get warm inside.” He’s talking slowly to me, like I might not understand him, and all I can do is nod as he takes my arm and guides me over to the door. “We’ll find her, Pen. Don’t worry,” he murmurs as he walks me back into the hou
se.

  I can’t help but worry. What if Dani’s in danger? There have been too many scary things happening lately. I leave her alone for a few minutes and now she’s gone. Where did she go? Who is she with? What if the killer found her…

  If something happened to her, I could never forgive myself.

  “Will you help me look for her?” I turn to Cass, grabbing hold of the front of his hoodie and giving him a little shake. “Please? I’m worried. What if—”

  “Don’t worry,” he says, his voice soft. “Yeah, let’s go. I’ll help you. Dani’s gotta be here somewhere.” He takes my arm and guides me through the crowded kitchen, down the equally crowded hall, the both of us entering the living room, which is absolutely huge. It’s almost obscene, how grand their house is. I look around, seeing all kinds of familiar faces, but not the face I want to see the most.

  “Is Dani familiar with the house?” Cass asks me as we wander around the living room.

  “Yeah, she’s spent the night here a lot.” I’m not really listening to what Cass is saying. I’m too busy checking everyone, searching for Dani, and getting more and more frustrated—and scared—when I can’t find her.

  “Maybe she’s on the other side of the house?” Cass suggests when we stop in the mostly empty foyer. “Looks like Courtney is keeping the party on this side, so maybe Dani went to find a quiet spot.”

  “I don’t kn—”

  A blood-curling scream rips through the air, rendering both Cass and me completely still. We stare at each other, our mouths hanging open as we wait to hear what comes next and oh, boy, does it ever come next.

  “OH MY GOD!!!”

  Cass takes off in the direction where the screams are coming from, heading up a staircase that leads to the east wing of the house. I follow after him, the sounds of the continuous screaming getting louder and louder…

  We stop at the top of the stairs, Cass holding out his arms like he doesn’t want me to get past him. “Hold on, Pen.” His voice is weak. I’ve never heard him sound like that before. “Stay here.”

  “What? Why? No, let me go.” His arm curls around me, his hand braced on my hip and keeping me behind his back. I struggle against his hold.

  “Cass! Thank God you’re here! Help me! Help meeee! Oh my God! You’re too late! You’re too late!”

  The hysterical voice is familiar. Female. I know it. I know who it is, I know, I know.

  “Shit,” Cass mutters, shaking his head, a whimper leaving him. It’s gotta be bad. Whatever he’s not letting me see, it has to be awful. I push hard against his arm, breaking away from his grip, and the moment I see it, I wish I would’ve stayed behind his back.

  Courtney is crouched on her knees in the middle of the hall, completely covered in blood. It’s in her hair, on her face, all over her clothes and her arms and her legs. Her hair and her eyes and her teeth are stark white against the glistening, deep-red blood, and I stare at her, horrified. She looks like she’s walked straight off the set of a horror movie. It doesn’t look real.

  But it is real. And that’s what makes it even more terrifying.

  My gaze hops everywhere, too afraid to look at one particular thing for too long. Courtney is crying as she bends over and picks up a body that’s cradled in her lap. A body I didn’t even notice at first.

  “No, no, no,” Courtney cries, rocking back and forth with the body in her arms. She lifts her head and looks right at me. Her eyes bug out of her head. “I didn’t do it! I didn’t do it! I swear to God, Penelope! It wasn’t me!”

  She’s holding a girl. Her head is thrown back, her throat cut wide open. I only recognize who it is because she’s wearing a floral print dress with a short skirt.

  It’s Dani.

  And she’s dead.

  Chapter

  Twenty-Six

  I’m screaming the word no over and over again. I’m as hysterical as Courtney is, the both of us screaming and crying and yelling and sobbing. More people run up the stairs and Cass tries his best to block their path, but they all barrel past him, coming to a stop when they see Courtney and Dani.

  “Dude! What the fuck!”

  “Is this for real?”

  “Is that Dani?”

  “Holy shit, Courtney killed her!”

  “Someone needs to call the cops!”

  “Call 911!”

  They are all screaming and yelling and pointing fingers and making accusations. Most of them run away. A few of them whip out their phones and actually take photos, maybe even video. If someone Snapchats or Instagrams this or worse—slaps a video up on YouTube of Courtney and Dani covered in blood—I will freaking lose it.

  Crap, I’m already losing it.

  Cass turns us away from the hall where Courtney is at, his body shielding my view. He holds me close in his arms, and I press my face against the front of his soft, warm hoodie. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and calmly calls 911, reciting Courtney’s address and reporting that there’s been a murder.

  “They’ll be here soon,” he reassures me when he ends the call. He tightens his arms around me and murmurs words of comfort that I’m not really hearing. All I can think about is Courtney covered in blood, holding Dani close to her. Dani’s throat ripped open, the cut jagged and vicious, the blood everywhere.

  Everywhere.

  It’s all I can see, the blood. I squeeze my eyes closed and bury my face against Cass’s chest, crying uncontrollably. He runs his hand over my hair but stops talking, thank goodness. The words are useless. Meaningless. My best friend is dead. Two other girls are dead, too. All girls I know. Only Courtney and I are left.

  And I think Courtney might’ve done it. I think she killed those girls.

  I lift my head away from Cass’s chest and stand on my tiptoes, trying to see over his shoulder. Courtney is still in the hall with Dani in her arms, but people are surrounding them, trying to offer help while others are saying don’t move and they shouldn’t disturb the crime scene.

  The cops show up in less than two minutes, Detectives Spalding and Hughes leading the way. Spalding stops in front of us, his expression somber. “I thought we told you not to come to this party.”

  Cass just glares at him as I start to cry even harder.

  “You two stay right here. We need to talk to you.”

  “How’d you get here so fast?” Cass asks.

  “Surveillance. We’ve been watching the house since the party started,” Spalding explains.

  “Big help you were,” Cass mutters.

  “Who found them first?” Hughes yells as he jogs over to where Courtney and Dani are.

  Cass sighs, and I can tell he’s reluctant to answer. “We did.”

  “Uh-huh.” Spalding shakes his head and whips out his trusty notepad. “And briefly, tell me what exactly did you see?”

  “Courtney in the hall, cradling Dani in her arms. There was…blood everywhere.” Cass’s voice hitches and he clears his throat. “Dani was already gone. I couldn’t tell if Courtney was hurt.”

  Spalding scribbles furiously on his notepad before stashing it inside his front coat pocket. “Don’t leave the premises. You understand me? I’ll need a statement from the both of you before you go.”

  “Yes sir,” Cass says with a little salute.

  Spalding glares at him for a long moment and then he’s gone.

  It’s total chaos after that. A fleet of cops enters the house, and they guide us all back downstairs as they secure the initial crime scene upstairs. EMTs arrive, running a stretcher up the stairs, another team just behind them with another stretcher.

  I can’t help but wonder where the body bag is. And that starts me crying all over again.

  Because I know I’m going to be in a world of shit if I don’t tell them the truth, I text my mom and dad and sister to let them know what happened and that I’m all right. My parents want to come to Court’s house and get me, but I tell them I can’t leave and they essentially have a total meltdown moment, calling me and dem
anding that I come home as they practically scream into the phone. They’re so mad that I came in the first place.

  All I can do is sob and blubber incoherently, so Cass takes the phone away from me and eventually calms my parents down. Then he calls his grandma and reassures her that he’s fine, that someone was hurt at the party but we’re going to be okay. I even hear her yell at him over the phone, “You better take care of that sweet pumpkin Penelope! She’s a good girl! Protect her, Cass!”

  Any other time I might’ve laughed. At the very least I would’ve smiled.

  Now I just cry.

  We’re all downstairs crowded in the living room and kitchen, the cops watching over us, guarding the doors so no one can slip through and escape. Cass and I are sitting on a couch and I’m leaning forward and perched on the edge of the seat, Cass continuously rubbing my back, trying to comfort me. It’s like I can’t even feel it, though. I’m completely numb, my throat raw from all the crying, my eyes stinging from the continuous tears. I sniff every once in a while and glance around the room—and I swear I can feel them all staring at me. Watching me. Wondering if I know what happened.

  They probably think I’m cursed, and I can’t help but think I’m cursed, too. That I’m next. I have to be. Thank God they found Courtney before she could kill someone else. Maybe I’m making assumptions, but she looks guilty as hell. Why else would she be holding Dani like that, covered in blood? She hated Gretchen. She hated Lex, too. She has motive. I didn’t think Courtney could be a murderer but I guess she proved me wrong.

  And Dani. Poor, innocent Dani. I left her alone with stupid Brogan who abandoned her. If I’d stayed with her, she’d still be alive. Instead I was locked in a closet with Cass, kissing him.

  I’m a terrible, selfish human being.

  “What are you thinking?” I glance over my shoulder to stare at Cass. I need to focus on something else or I’m going to lose it.