by Jillian Dodd
“I love you. I’m pissed and scared that you outed yourself but, at the same time, I’m proud of what you did for Peyton. Seriously, Keats, you've changed. I like it.”
Cooper motions for me to follow him.
“Thanks, Damian. I gotta go.”
I follow Cooper into a room where the press, three reporters and two cameramen, have gathered. All of them are young.
And, hopefully, hungry.
I was going to emulate my mother. She handles the press so well.
But my mom didn’t go through what I did with Vincent.
I’ll just be me.
I smile, shake each one of their hands, and introduce myself. “Hi. I’m Keatyn.” After that, I address them. “So, I have a huge favor. I'd like for you not to report what you just heard.”
“Are you kidding me?” the short, blonde reporter says. “Abby Johnston is big news.”
“You’re right. She is. But I’m not her. I mean, what would you report exactly?”
“That you’re at a boarding school using a different last name than hers. Trying to hide who you are.”
I nod, agreeing with her. “Except that my mom and I have had different last names my whole life. Douglas for me. Johnston for her.”
“But you lied about it.”
“So what? I didn’t want people to judge me. I wanted to make friends because of who I am, not who my mom is. Not exactly a scandal. I doubt your editors would even print it.”
She looks defeated, but the other reporter narrows her eyes. “Why do I get the feeling there’s something more to the story?”
I give them my slow smile, the one that’s exactly like Mom's.
“Because you’re a good reporter.” I turn to Cooper. “I’ll take that paper now.”
I show them the snowflake and my purple glitter pen. “I’m going to write up a simple non-disclosure agreement. If you sign it and agree not to tell anyone, I’ll tell you the truth.”
“But we can’t talk about it?”
“Yes. The story has purposely been kept out of the press.”
They all look at me like I'm nuts.
I start writing, reading aloud as I do. “This says, I agree not to disclose any details about Keatyn Monroe, Keatyn Douglas, Eastbrooke, or Abby Johnston. I will not discuss what Keatyn tells me with anyone. If the truth comes out before the specified time, I will be subject to a damages lawsuit. This contract will become null and void upon two events: Keatyn's death or when she gives written consent otherwise.”
I turn the paper around and place the pen on top of it.
No one moves.
“In return for doing me this favor, I will give you two things. The first is that when my story is ready to be shared with the press, you will get that story exclusively.”
The looks on their faces tell me they aren’t really all that excited about a possible future story, so I dangle the bigger bait. “The second is a story you can use now. One every entertainment reporter in the country has been dying for.”
“What’s that? Is Abby pregnant again?” the red-haired reporter asks, perking up.
“Are she and Tommy breaking up?” her photographer asks.
“Is it true that Tommy is having an affair with the nanny?” another says.
“If you agree to my terms and sign the NDA, you will get to report on and photograph the first public date of Damian Moran and his new girlfriend. The date will take place in New York City. It will include dinner, a romantic carriage ride through Central Park, and a kiss. Who knows, maybe they’ll even window shop at Tiffany’s. You’ll be given a media packet with pertinent information about the girlfriend along with the story of how they met.”
None of the reporters can hide their surprise.
And I’m sure none of them ever thought coming to a high school dance would net them a story like this.
I hold out my pen to the blonde closest to me.
“I think we can all agree to those terms,” she says, quickly signing the agreement.
Once everyone has signed, I turn to Cooper. “Would you please sign as a witness?”
I photograph Cooper signing the snowflake, take another of the document itself, and forward them to Sam.
“Now that the business part is out of the way, I’ll tell you my story. If something happens to me, you'll have the inside scoop—”
I’m interrupted by pounding on the door.
Cooper and I share a glance, mine probably more panicked than his.
Could Vincent have found me already?
And would he knock?
Cooper cracks the door and says, “Not now.”
“Keatyn, we’re not leaving!” I hear Riley yell.
Did he say we?
Tears start prickling my eyes. I rush to the door and motion for Cooper to open it.
And that’s when I see all of them.
Riley, Ariela, Jake, Dawson, Maggie, Logan, Dallas, Bryce, and even Katie and Annie are standing outside the door.
“We're not leaving,” Riley states. He’s standing straight and tall with his chin confidently jutting out.
“And we know you're lying,” Jake says, surprising me.
“I’m not lying, Jake. Abby Johnston is my mom.”
“That part I believe. It’s the rest of it. About why you came here. You didn’t come to act. And don’t think you can fool me. I recognize your mean girl character from drama.”
“And you better have a damn good reason for lying to your best friends,” Dallas pipes up.
I look at Annie. Her eyes are full of tears. She mouths, I’m sorry.
Cooper moves between us. “They need to go, Keatyn.”
I remember being in Malibu and wondering who my true friends were. I close my eyes for a moment and make a decision. “Why don’t you all come in and have a seat.”
Cooper shakes his head. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”
“I trust them,” I say loudly, as much to them as to Cooper.
I give everyone a hug, ask them to take a seat, and then address them. “I’m about to tell you a secret. It’s very important that this secret doesn’t get out. If you don’t think you can keep the secret, it’s okay. We’ll still be friends, but I’ll have to ask you to leave for a bit.”
No one moves, so I go to Annie. “Are you sure?” I ask her.
“I’m sorry for what I said. I was hurt and just reacted.”
“I’m sorry for what I said too. While you listen, can you do me a huge favor?”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Take everything off the Kiki Kiki profile. Delete all the photos. Unfriend everyone. Then delete the account.”
I take a deep breath as I walk to the front of the room.
Then I start talking.
And don’t stop until I’ve told them every bit of the truth, from the moment I met Vincent until the moment he tried to kidnap me.
“Why isn’t he in jail?” one of the reporters asks.
“There wasn’t enough evidence to prove attempted kidnapping, so they let him go. Basically, it was his word against mine. He told the police that we were friends. That I invited him to the party. That there was a commotion and he was trying to help. When we were back home, I remembered he mentioned a van out back. The police found a van with duct tape and drugs in it, but it was stolen so they couldn’t trace it back to him.”
“Sneaky bastard,” Dallas says.
“Yeah, well, it gets worse.”
“Keep going,” Riley encourages.
“So, we were back at home, just trying to wrap our heads around it all. How I knew him. How they could let him go. What it would mean—when a house alarm went off down the beach at my boyfriend’s. It was quickly discovered that whoever broke in took just one thing.”
“What was that?” one of the reporters asks breathlessly.
“My bikini. The one I was wearing when I first met him on the beach.”
“Oh, that’s sick,” she says.
“He also lef
t us something.”
“What?”
“An envelope addressed to my mom. Inside were photos of me. From everywhere. School. With friends. Boyfriends. He’d been following me for months.”
“Wow,” Maggie says.
“And that’s why I was sent here. And why I had to lie about who I am. I’m hiding.”
“So, are you going to hide out forever?” Riley asks.
I tell them the rest. About Vincent following my friends. About the break-ins at the rehab centers. About Vincent showing up at the surf tournament and later in Miami. About the nationwide search for the next Abby Johnston. About the photos of Tommy and Brooklyn with their heads blown off.
About going back to the club to see Vincent.
About the girl’s death.
“That’s why I lied. I wanted everyone to hate me because I need to protect you. Protect Eastbrooke. Because if he finds out where I am, he’ll come here. And it won’t be pretty.”
“What are you going to do now?” Maggie asks.
“I’m fighting back. I’ll probably end up kidnapped or dead but, hopefully, he’ll end up in jail.” I shut my eyes tightly, not loving my odds. I look directly at the reporters. “Either way, you’ll have another story.”
Cooper escorts the press out of the room while I get hugs and words of encouragement from my friends.
Riley wraps an arm around my shoulder and whispers, “You told me the truth. Mostly.”
“Yeah, I did.”
“I got it all done,” Annie says, handing me back my phone. “You should have told us.”
“At first, I didn’t know you well enough to trust you. Once I did, I was afraid to put you in danger.”
“You were going to take me home to meet your parents,” Dawson says flatly. “Your real parents?”
“Yeah. I was going to tell you the truth on the plane.”
“And I fucked it up. I’m sorry.”
“Which really made me afraid to trust any of you.”
“Okay,” Cooper says, heading back into the room. “I think you should all either go dance or head out. It’s getting late.”
Dallas narrows his eyes at me. “Coach Steele is being awfully helpful.”
“After the Miami incident, he was brought in to babysit me. Be my bodyguard.”
Maggie gives me a smile and a wink. “Lucky girl. Have a good Christmas break. Be safe. And I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too.”
“You better be coming back to Eastbrooke.”
“If I can’t, at least now you’ll know why.”
Dallas joins the hug. “If you don’t, you better stay in touch.”
“I will. I promise.” I turn to Riley. “Hey, can I catch a ride to the hotel with you and Ariela?”
Riley looks around, seemingly surprised. “Where’s Aiden?”
I put my head down. I don’t want to say it. My heart hurts.
“Is he meeting you at the hotel?”
“He walked out and didn’t want me to follow him.”
Riley shakes his head. “Why would he do that?”
“I don’t know, Riley!” I snap.
“We’ll give you a ride,” Ariela says sweetly, comforting as always.
“Thank you. I’ll meet you out front in a couple minutes.”
As soon as everyone leaves the room, Cooper says, “I’m coming to the hotel with you. And you need to explain to me what really happened.”
“Whitney was going to share something about Peyton. It was bad, Cooper. Something that should not have been shared. I couldn’t let her do it.”
“So you outed yourself for a friend?”
“Yeah, I guess so. It just all happened so fast. In retrospect, I should have confessed to having an affair with you or something like that. We could have dealt with it a whole lot easier. I mean, big deal if you got fired and I got expelled. I didn’t tell you this, but I was going to tell Aiden the entire truth tonight as soon as we left the dance. I guess it was what was on my mind. And you don’t need to come to the hotel. I’ll be fine there. Just meet me at my loft on Monday morning, as planned.”
“Look, I know you want to call the shots. I get it. I like your bravery and your boldness, but you need to listen to me and do what I say.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Let me guard you 24/7. I believe it’s in your best interest. At least until we know if this is contained.”
“You’re probably right.”
His eyes get big and he laughs. “Did you really just agree with me?”
“Yeah, I did. I don’t think I’ll be in danger at the hotel. Even if it gets out, Vincent won’t know where I am. Everyone else is staying at another hotel near here. It’s where all the parties are. Riley and Aiden wanted us to be somewhere . . . nicer . . .” I sigh, thinking about the amazingly romantic night I was supposed to have.
“What’s your room number?” Cooper asks, getting out his phone.
“1214.”
He calls the hotel and makes himself a reservation, securing an adjacent room. “Don’t leave the hotel room without me.”
“Aiden walked out when he heard the truth. If he’s gone when I get to the hotel, I’ll want to go home. To my loft.”
“Sounds reasonable. I need to tie up a few loose ends with the dean and break the news to Garrett.”
“Do you have to?”
“He has computer experts who can monitor social media sites. They’re skilled hackers, which may come in handy. We need to be sure you aren’t compromised.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Don’t let him yell at you. It’s not your fault.”
As I leave, I can’t help but glance back at the students dancing to a slow song and wish Aiden and I were still out there.
Riley hands me a flask the minute I get into their limo.
I shake my head. “I’m okay.”
“How did you speak so calmly about almost being kidnapped, the stalker, and possibly dying?” Ariela asks.
“It’s been four months since it happened. I suppose I’m just used to the facts. I hope I didn’t ruin your night.”
Riley grins at me. “Some of the events were a bit unexpected but, you gotta admit, it’s been an interesting evening.”
Ariela nods in agreement. “Was it hard for you to lie?”
“At first, it was easy. All I was really lying about was my parents. But the more I got to know people, became friends with them, the harder it got. That was another reason why I almost didn’t come back to Eastbrooke after Thanksgiving break. I felt like I was being eaten from the inside out. I love you guys. It was killing me.”
She pulls me into a hug. “I’m glad we know the truth.”
My phone starts buzzing. I look down at it, hoping it’s Aiden. Instead, I see the name of someone I don’t want to deal with.
“Shit, I better take this,” I say. “Hey, Garrett.”
“What the hell were you thinking?!”
I hold the phone out as Garrett continues to yell at me. About Vincent finding me. About how stupid what I did was. How he’s going to come get me himself.
Riley and Ariela start making funny faces at me.
It feels so good to have them on my side. To not have to hide all this.
I start to laugh.
Loudly.
Like I’m high.
I used to wish I were dreaming. That this whole thing was just some epic, weed-induced dream. But I’m glad it’s not. Because I would have missed out on making some amazing friends.
“What the hell are you laughing about?!” I hear.
I put the phone back up to my ear. “Nothing. I’m with some friends.”
“Did you hear anything I said?”
“Kinda hard not to. Are you done?”
“Excuse me?!”
“I don't need to be yelled at, Garrett,” I say calmly. “I know what I did was not good for me, but it is what it is. I can’t change it. Why don't you take some of that passion
and use it to motivate your computer wizards. The dean threatened students with expulsion if they didn't comply, but I need keywords relating to my family and all the students’ social media monitored. If anyone posts anything, it needs to be deleted somehow. I need major damage control. Vincent cannot find out about Eastbrooke.”
“You know you’re not going to be able to go back there now.”
“I know I can’t. Um, I have to go. I’ll text you,” I tell him because I don’t want Riley and Ariela to hear what I need to say.
Me: Just because I can’t go back doesn’t mean I don’t want to protect the school. Please monitor it. Please, do whatever computer magic you can to keep it and my friends safe.
Although it probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do, Keatyn spends Christmas in France with her family. And she gets to give them the extravagant gifts she bought them in person.
When Mom opens the gorgeous diamond Chopard cuff I gave her, she says, “Keatyn, this is beautiful. How did you—” She stops and puts her face in her hand. When she looks up, her eyes are full of tears. She motions with her head for me to come to her.
I drop to my knees on the floor in front of the ottoman she’s perched on, take the bracelet out of the box, and put it on her wrist. “I knew it would fit you perfectly.”
“Your gifts are very extravagant this year.”
I nod, tears filling my own eyes. “I bought the girls each a pair of earrings that match your bracelet. Sam, my financial guy, has them. You know, just in case, like, something would happen. They’re a bit extravagant, too, but let them wear them, okay?”
Mom nods, pulling me into a hug. “With all of us here—with the wedding—I almost forgot about it, you know?”
“Me too. It’s been an amazing few days. I’m so glad I got to be here.”
“Your grandfather told me not to worry, but I overheard him telling Garrett that he is worried.”
“They weren’t talking about me, Mom. I’m going to be fine. I promise,” I lie. “The gifts for the girls aren’t because of Vincent. I just realized life is short. And, if anything happens to me between now and their sixteenth birthdays, I just wanted things to be in order. Grandpa gave me a big trust and I needed to be certain it would all go to them someday. But I hope that I can give them the gifts myself.”
