by Kate Kessler
Kendra’s face turned white. “I feel so bad about that.”
She looked guilty, Alisha thought. Good. “Yeah? Why? You have something to do with it?”
Lucy swatted her on the arm. “Shut up.”
But Alisha kept her gaze focused on Kendra, whose eyes were filling with tears. “It was an accident. A mistake. I would never hurt Luke, you know that.”
Alisha didn’t know shit. “Well, he is hurt. Pretty fucking bad too.” She had no sympathy as a tear trickled down Kendra’s pale cheek. “He said you lied to Josh.”
Lucy snorted. “If anyone’s lying, it’s Luke. Fucking Truth Girl should be asking him what happened that night.”
“Why?”
Lucy turned her bright gaze toward her. It felt like being stuck with a pin. “He was the one she was fucking around on, not us. We were her friends. He was the jealous asshole.”
“Luce,” Kendra said, chastising her. “That’s not fair.”
“Oh, wake the fuck up, Kendra! We all know Tala was screwing your brother. That’s why she broke up with Luke—not because he couldn’t get it up, but because she was already getting it from Kyle. Luke found out about them and killed her. It’s simple.”
“Shut your damn mouth,” Alisha ordered. “You don’t know shit.”
Kendra was staring at Lucy. “You knew about Tala and Kyle and never told me?”
Lucy shrugged. “I thought you knew and didn’t want to talk about it.”
“No, I didn’t know!” Kendra was pissed. “Jesus, you’re supposed to be my best friend.”
Lucy’s gaze narrowed. “Yeah? I’m your bestie again now that Tala’s dead? You had no fucking time for me when she was alive.”
“That’s not true!”
“Sure it is. You were so jealous of her and so horny to break her and Luke up that you spent every moment with her, and fucked off on me.”
Alisha shook her head. “I really don’t want to be part of this.”
“You already are,” Lucy informed her. “Why do you think she’s so interested in you now? It’s because she knows Luke likes you. She’s fucking obsessed with him, even though he popped her cherry and then dumped her.”
Kendra flushed from the neckline of her shirt to her forehead. “Shut up, Lucy. You don’t know shit.”
“Oh no?” Lucy said, challenging her. “Tell Alisha what you told me. Tell her how Luke broke up with you like two days after having sex with you.”
Alisha stared at Kendra. “Is that true?”
Kendra nodded, tears trickling down her cheeks. “I heard he did it to his last girlfriend too.”
“He’s like a virgin collector,” Lucy said. “Fucks and leaves.”
Alisha’s appetite vanished. Suddenly, all she wanted was to be as far away from them as possible. “I have to go.” She grabbed her backpack and leapt up from the table. She moved as fast as her legs would carry her, her stomach churning with dread.
Then she thought of Luke’s beaten face, and how he’d pleaded with her not to trust Kendra.
Ducking around a corner, Alisha waited two breaths before peeking around it to where she’d left the girls. They were sitting closer together, talking quietly. She watched in disbelief as Kendra—not a tear in sight—grinned at Lucy and high-fived her.
It had all been a big show—designed to make Alisha turn her back on Luke. And she’d almost fallen for it. God, how stupid did they think she was? They were the stupid ones if they thought all their manipulation would ever convince Luke to get back together with Kendra. And just how far was Kendra willing to go to eliminate the competition?
Alisha checked her phone. She had fifteen minutes before class. Instead of going to her locker, she headed to the library. There was no one around, so she logged in with Tala’s information and went straight to Twitter.
TroothGrrl: Best Actress goes to @Kendrahh69 for her display of waterworks in the caf at lunch. Funny, she was all smiles 2 secs later w/ @LuceeVeeMD.
And then, because she was really pissed:
TroothGrrl: Hey @TrippyLish, hope you didn’t fall for @Kendrahh69’s fake tears.
She logged off that account and left the library. A few minutes later at her locker, she logged in on her phone and tweeted @Kendrahh69 @LuceeVeeMD WTF?
When the bell rang, she went to class, took her seat, and waited for Kendra and Lucy to walk in. When they did, they didn’t even look at her. Alisha bit back a smile. They thought they could fuck with her head? She was a Tripp. She’d show them how head-fucking was done.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
You don’t need to come with me,” Jake told her as they got ready to leave for his ultrasound on Thursday. “It’s no big deal.”
“I’m coming.” She grabbed her purse. “You think Gracie would have let your grandfather do this alone?”
He actually chuckled. “Not a chance.”
“Well, then get your skinny ass in the truck and let’s go.”
Neither one of them was overly worried about the outcome of the tests. Audrey was pretty certain it was just going to be a cyst or something equally benign, but there was still that whisper of “what if?” in the back of her mind. Jake had it too—she could tell. She supposed they both had a sense of the macabre—not that anyone could blame them. They had lost a lot of time together because of pride and hurt. They had a shared fear that something would happen to cut short the time they had left.
It made her all the more aware of her mother’s struggle with cervical cancer. It didn’t run in the Pelletier family, and Jess hadn’t had any issues, but that didn’t mean Audrey wouldn’t. It had been too long since her last exam, and so she’d made an appointment with her gynecologist for later that month just to be on the safe side.
“How’s the crew making out on the girls’ dorm?” He asked as they drove.
“Pretty good. They should be done by the end of June.” The benefit of having an old farm as the basis for the facility was that there were plenty of outbuildings to remodel. Audrey had decided that the main house would serve as dining hall, recreation area, and classrooms, with a couple of the upstairs bedrooms reserved for teens who might not feel safe with a roommate.
“Angeline planning another visit soon?”
“July, when she makes a trip up to the Cambridge office.” She sighed.
He shot her a glance. “You losing your love for the place?”
Audrey shook her head. “Hell, no. I’m anxious to get it done. I want it open and working. But sometimes it feels like we’ll never get it all done.”
“You will.”
“I couldn’t have done half of this without you.” He was not only her main emotional support, but he’d invested a lot of money in the place. So had Angeline. Even with the extra funding they’d managed to obtain, she was humbled by the amount both of them had sunk into her dream.
“Guess you’d better stick around then,” he joked. “You still going to love me if I have to lose a nut?”
“I’ll knit you a falsie.”
“Use something soft. You know how delicate I am.”
She smiled. “Yeah, right.” It was funny: because he was fairly quiet and lean, people always assumed he wasn’t strong. Wasn’t tough. The man was fast as a snake and deceptively strong. He’d been the only person—other than her father—who thought her choice of fight over flight was a positive trait.
When he reached across the seat for her hand, she met him halfway. Their fingers twined together like vines.
“Did you remember to wear shoes?” she asked, glancing down at his feet.
Jake laughed. “Yes, mum.”
“You’ve forgotten before.” He hated shoes and wore them as little as possible. Audrey was not a fan of flip-flops or anything that got between her toes, but they were Jake’s footwear of choice if he had to wear something. That day, however, he was wearing a pair of gray slip-on sneakers she’d gotten him at Target. They were half a size too big, just to meet his psychological need for room.
When they got to the hospital, they had to wait about twenty minutes before he was called in. Since they had no idea how long it might take, Audrey decided to check in on Luke—partly for Alisha and partly out of family duty. Her mother would never let her hear the end of it if she knew Audrey had been at the hospital and hadn’t looked in on her cousin.
And partly because she needed to see if she got any kind of dangerous vibes off the kid. So far she hadn’t, but she’d been wrong before, and this time and she wasn’t prepared to risk Alisha’s emotional or physical well-being.
She took the elevator up to Luke’s floor and made her way to the room number her mother had given her. As she walked down the quiet corridor, she saw a familiar form walking toward her, her head bowed, sobbing into her hands.
“Kendra?”
The girl stopped and looked up, hastily wiping at her swollen eyes. “Dr. Harte. Hi.”
Despite the fact that the girl’s lies had gotten Luke hurt—and that that she’d been trying to manipulate Alisha—Audrey felt compassion for Kendra. She was a hot mess, obsessed with a boy who no longer wanted her and desperate for attention. In a way, she reminded Audrey a bit of Maggie, and of herself. At seventeen she’d been so in love with Jake she couldn’t see straight. She’d considered not going to college to be near him. And then he slept with Maggie—the one thing he knew would make sure she left.
As much as she loved him, there was a part of her that would never forgive him for that, that would always feel the sting of that betrayal, no matter how noble the reason. He’d known how to play her and he’d done it with precision purpose.
“Are you okay?” It was a stupid question, because obviously the girl wasn’t, but it was the least intrusive one she could think of.
Kendra shook her head, her long brown hair drifting around her shoulders. “Luke won’t see me.”
Had the kid really thought he would after all she’d done? “He’s probably tired and in a lot of pain.”
Her eyeliner was half an inch below her eyes, smudged and wet. “He saw Alisha.”
As much as Audrey liked working with teens, she knew better than to think of them as unaware. So Kendra’s defiance and tone when she said Alisha’s name sparked a feeling of protectiveness. She kept her tone low and neutral, however. “Alisha didn’t try to get him in trouble with Josh.”
The tears fell again—harder this time. “I didn’t mean to! I was just so mad.”
Audrey was totally unprepared when the girl threw herself at her. The next thing she knew, she was being held in a viselike grip around the ribs, and getting mascara stains on her shoulder. She gave Kendra’s back an awkward pat. “Once he’s better you can apologize and try to make it up to him, if you want. Right now, he’s hurt and angry and not in a place where he can hear it.”
The girl nodded and Audrey lamented not wearing black. She tried not to grimace. “Dry your eyes now, and go on back to school. Do you want me to tell Luke you’re sorry?”
Kendra’s head whipped up. “Would you?”
Jesus, the little thing was a mess. “Yes. Why don’t you go splash some water on your face and fix your makeup? It will make you feel better.”
“I will.” Kendra hugged her again. “Thank you.”
Audrey watched her walk away, then continued down the corridor. Linda watched her from the door of Luke’s room.
“Thought I heard her carrying on to someone. Sorry it was you.”
She smiled. “It’s all right.”
Her cousin’s face hardened. “No, it’s really not. She ought to be ashamed of herself after what her actions did to Luke.”
Audrey wasn’t about to argue with an upset mother, especially not one who was family. “How’s he doing?”
“Good. Better than expected, but it’s going to take a while for him to heal.”
“It will, but he’s young and that helps.” When Jake had gotten beaten up last fall it had been so hard to watch him recover, but now there was no indication anything had ever happened to him. The same could be said about her own injuries when she got into a fight with Matt Jones almost a year ago.
“It’s so hard watching your child in pain.”
That was something Audrey could not relate to, and to be honest, she had no desire to. She saw what her sister and brother-in-law went through with the girls, and she’d seen how devastating a miscarriage had been for them. It wasn’t an experience she was prepared to face.
Plus, there was all that poop.
“He’s sleeping right now, or I’d have you come in and talk to him.” Linda’s brow furrowed in concern. “I worry what kind of effect this is all going to have on him.”
“I can only imagine how hard it’s been. You know, I can recommend some good therapists if you think he might benefit from one.”
Linda nodded. “Thank you. And thank God he has friends like Alisha and Lucy. Both of those girls have been there for him, especially Alisha.”
Pride blossomed in Audrey’s stomach. “She’s a great kid. Very loyal to those she cares about.”
“Yes, well, I think Luke cares about her too.” There was a wealth of meaning in her tone. “I appreciate Yancy allowing the friendship to continue despite all the rumors. More than a few mothers have gone out of their way to tell me they don’t want my son near their daughters.”
“They just want to protect. They don’t care if the rumors are true.”
Linda nodded. “I suppose I can’t fault them for wanting to keep their children safe, but when it’s my child they’re calling a monster…well, I understand now what your mother went through.” A heartbeat. “Oh. Audrey, that came out so damn wrong. I’m sorry.”
Audrey had no regrets about what she’d done except for the pain it had caused her family. She didn’t like thinking about what her mother had gone through. “It’s okay, Linda. I imagine it’s very hard, but the difference between Luke and me is that I actually did it.” She wasn’t totally convinced of Luke’s innocence, but again, they were family. She wasn’t going to say that to his mother.
Her cousin grabbed her hand and squeezed hard. “Thank you for believing in him. Can I…may I ask a favor?”
Audrey wasn’t sure, but there was no way she could refuse to listen. “Okay?”
“You’re a smart woman. You helped the police find killers before.”
“I think the killers found me.” She wasn’t joking. Since coming home she’d found herself stumbling upon a variety of terrible secrets and the people who kept them.
“Will you help my son? Help prove Luke is innocent?”
Seeing the dark circles under her eyes and the strain in the lines of her pretty face—so much like Audrey’s mother’s—Audrey could not refuse her. “I can’t make any promises, but I’ll do what I can.” So much for telling her father she’d stay out of it.
They talked for a little while longer, until Jake texted that he was done. His tests had gone way faster than Audrey expected. She said good-bye to Linda and gave her a hug and then walked toward the elevator. As she walked past a waiting room she heard a familiar voice: “Can you believe his fucking mother wouldn’t let me see him? I’m his alibi for the night Tala disappeared. You’d think she’d be nicer to me, the fucking bitch.”
Audrey put her back to the wall near the doorway and listened.
“Yeah, I was going to stay until she left and try to see him again, but I think she spends all her time here…No, Alisha hasn’t been here yet. I bet fucking Linda will let her in to see him…That shrink the school hired was here…She’s the only person who’s been nice to me about all of this. You know I didn’t make Josh and Kyle beat Luke up. All I want is to apologize to him…Would you really…? Thanks so much, Luce. You’re the best…I’d better get going. Mom doesn’t know I cut class to come here. I’ll see you in a bit.”
Quickly, Audrey backed down the corridor, then started walking again. She met Kendra just as she came out of the visiting room.
“Hey,” Audr
ey said in greeting. “Still here.”
“Yeah.” Kendra smiled sheepishly. “I needed a minute to calm down. I’m going to school now. Did you see Luke?”
“No. He was sleeping. Can I offer you some advice?” Audrey hit the button for the elevator.
Kendra looked hesitant. “Okay.”
“Give Luke and his mother a little time before you try to visit again. Right now she’s really worried about him, and incredibly protective.”
The elevator doors opened and they both stepped in. “But I would never hurt Luke.”
“In her mind you already have.” Audrey tried to put it as gently as she could. “Obviously I can’t tell you what to do, and you have to do what you think is right, but I think they both need a little time.”
Kendra was still silently mulling that over when they arrived on the ground floor.
“See you, Kendra. Have a good day.”
“You too,” the girl replied absently. “Hey, Dr. Harte? Thanks.”
Audrey smiled. She felt absolutely no guilt about trying to worm her way into Kendra’s confidence. No shame in manipulating a teenage girl. After all, she had been one once, and she knew how devious they could be.
She found Jake standing in the waiting area, looking restless. “Well?” she asked as she approached.
He looked tired. “We wait for the doc to call with the results.” He took her hand. “How’s Luke?”
“Didn’t see him. He was sleeping. Talked to Linda, though. She asked me to help catch Tala’s killer.”
“And you said?”
“That I’d do what I can, not that it’s very much.”
“Oh, give it some time. You’ll do something that brings whoever did it right to our doorstep.”
“You don’t look worried about it.”
“I’m not. Son of a bitch comes after you, he deserves what he gets.” He squeezed her fingers. “Let’s go get some lunch.”
