Killer Moves (Horror High Series Book 3)

by Carissa Ann Lynch

  “Yes, I know. It seems a little unlikely that someone from Chattanooga did this, wouldn’t you say? Bad luck seems to follow you, Sydney, no matter how far you go…”

  “I don’t know. I don’t know what to think right now,” I said, feeling overwhelmed. My head was throbbing again. Everything seemed like a bad dream and my heartbeat was echoing in my ears.

  I stared at the paint on my nails—they were painted in alternating colors of red, gold, and black for the competition. I focused on the colors, willing myself not to pass out again.

  “We called your parents, Sydney.”

  “They’re not coming,” I said, repeating the same thing I’d told the nurse.

  “Children left to their own devices…well, I can understand why you might be angry. Maybe a little bored, even? Maybe looking for a little excitement?”

  I jerked my head up, glared at the detective. “What does that mean?”

  “We found the note in your bag, Sydney. It was your bag. The chant you wrote about blowing up the team? It was pretty clever.”

  Shaking my head from side to side, I said, “That’s insane! I don’t know what you’re talking about. You are so wrong, wrong about everything…this whole situation is wrong.” I felt the life draining out of me…I can’t go through this again.

  I’d been accused of being the sociopath before. I’d even spent time in juvie last year because of it. I can’t go back there again…

  “I might be wrong. But there’s one thing that you’re wrong about, young lady.” I narrowed my eyes at him, waiting.

  “You got your parents’ attention. Is that what you were aiming for? They are coming here. They’re headed to the airport, as we speak…and I told them to bring a lawyer.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Winter

  Six weeks later…

  Flipping through rows of tank tops and skater skirts, I let out a deep sigh. There’s nothing like shopping for new clothes, especially back-to-school clothes, but today I just wasn’t feeling it. Going back to school was supposed to be fun—but not when your school is nicknamed Horror High.

  “Who the heck really wears this crap?” my brother said, pointing at a side tie top with tiny little puppies embroidered on it. He snickered.

  “Shut up. Why’d you even come with me, anyway? Shouldn’t you be shopping for your own clothes?” I looked him up and down, frowning. He was wearing a pair of torn basketball shorts and a gray sleeveless muscle shirt that hung down so low on the sides I could see his belly button. “That shirt is just gross,” I mumbled, walking to another rack of clothes.

  Jordan followed. What the hell does he want from me today, anyway?

  “I heard Amanda got back yesterday…” And there it is.

  Rolling my eyes, I ignored him, picking through t-shirts made to look faded and fuzzy.

  “Well, I heard her mom’s out of rehab and Mimi is still doing well…that’s good news, right?” he asked, pretending to examine a strange shirt that said, “Kill Your TV” on the front.

  “It means you should read more,” I said, pointing at the shirt. I turned around to look for the shoes.

  “So, maybe we should have her over tonight,” Jordan shouted, trying to catch up with me as I darted through a narrow aisle of flats and high-topped sneakers.

  “Not a chance,” I said, turning around to look at my brother. “If you want to make amends with Amanda, then you’ll have to do it yourself. I refuse to be your go-between when it comes to girls.”

  Jordan huffed and puffed, the way he always did when he was mad. “Here, hold these,” I said, piling up pairs of shoes in his arms. “And, Jordan?”

  “What?” he snapped, struggling to balance all of them.

  “If you want to talk to Amanda, she’s right over there. In the panty aisle, of all places.”

  He whipped around so fast, he dropped nearly half the shoes. Smiling, I said, “Hey, Amanda!”

  She turned around, the pale moon-shaped scar on her neck still glistening pink. I still wasn’t used to seeing her scars. Dakota’s were even worse…

  “Hey, girl!” Amanda said, holding up a handful of underwear and bras to wave at me. But then she saw Jordan, waving at her from behind me. She scowled, turning back to her shopping.

  “You used to be such a ladies’ man,” I teased, abandoning my brother to go talk to my friend.

  “How are you?” I asked Amanda breathlessly.

  “I’m great. Better than ever, actually. My mom’s out of rehab and Grandma seems better, although I still can’t figure out how, since she’s not doing any treatment. I think all the fresh air from traveling really helped her.

  “And Sydney’s home too.”

  I gasped, surprised to learn they’d let her out of juvie.

  Amanda saw the disappointed look on my face, her own lips tightening. “She didn’t do it, Winter. She would never try to hurt us. Didn’t any of us learn anything from last year? There’s someone out there pulling the strings, making people point fingers…

  “Making some people kill each other,” she quietly added, referring to Mariella’s shooting spree.

  “Who put the note in her bag, then? It had to be someone,” I said, gnawing on my cuticle beds.

  “It was someone, all right. But it wasn’t one of us. We need to stick together, more now than ever. We can’t let anyone tear this team a part.”

  I cleared my throat, wishing I’d never come over to talk to her. Better now than never…I have to tell her sometime.

  “I’m not trying out for the team this year. I no longer want to be a cheerleader,” I said, finally getting the words out.

  Chapter Twenty

  Sydney

  Relieved to be home in my own bed, I kicked off my shoes and burrowed beneath the covers, sucking in the sweet scents of lavender and lilacs from my pillows.

  “You okay?” My mom stood in my doorway, her eyes laced with concern.

  I stuck out my lip a little bit, milking this for all it was worth.

  Ever since they’d picked me up from juvie, my parents were acting differently—in a good way. Best of all, they’d made me a promise. They were sticking around for the rest of the school year—no trips to New York or Tahiti, no last minute flights to Belgium.

  I was feeling fine—great, actually—but that didn’t stop me from relishing in their attention.

  For the first time in a long time, I felt what it was like to be parented…

  “I’m doing okay. Just a little overwhelmed with coming home,” I said, finally answering my mother.

  “Do you think you’re well enough for visitors? Lauren and Dakota are downstairs…”

  “Yes!” I tried not to sound overly excited, but the truth was—I was bursting at the seams to see my friends. Life in juvie is lonely. Sure, there were other girls, but most of them were troubled, and there was rarely anything fun to do besides write or do arts and crafts…

  “I’ll send them up,” my mother said, smiling.

  Moments later, they burst through the door, leaping on my bed in excitement. I was surprised to see Lauren and Dakota getting along so well, but the sight was truly pleasing. Lauren hadn’t received many injuries from the bombing, but Dakota had a long, jagged scar that ran from her bottom eyelid to her nose. It pained me to see it, but I smiled at her, pretending I barely noticed.

  Maybe the bombing will bring the team closer together instead of pulling us apart the way the sociopath planned…

  “I’m so glad you’re out, Syd! I thought I’d die of boredom without you!”

  “Hey! What are you saying—I’m crappy company?” Lauren teased, nudging Dakota.

  “Lauren’s had to keep me occupied. I was so worried about you!” Dakota said, squeezing me tighter than she ever had.

  Lauren was new to the team, but Dakota and I had been friends forever. Ever since we became blood sisters in second grade, poking the tips of our fingers with a crusty needle.

  I winced, remembering how much i
t hurt when I first drew blood.

  “What happened? How did you finally get out?” Lauren asked, breaking up mine and Dakota’s hug.

  Taking a deep breath, I told them about my charges. “Everything was dropped. They had no proof I was involved in the bombing. The only link between me and the actual bomb was that stupid note in my bag. Obviously, someone planted it there. Honestly, it could have been anyone. But anyway, my lawyer argued it was only circumstantial. Plus, he pointed out that I did run back inside the building, trying to warn you guys. If I was truly the bomber, would I run right inside, only to put myself in the path of my own bomb? I don’t think so.”

  Dakota and Lauren nodded, agreeing with me.

  “How’s Gabi?” I asked, dreading the answer. Lauren just shook her head.

  “Got room for one more?” Amanda stood in the bedroom doorway, her eyebrow raised.

  I smiled, motioning her to join us. “We’re all here,” Amanda said as we exchanged hugs.

  It feels good to be with my teammates again, I thought. “Now all we need is Winter,” I joked, winking at Dakota. Despite a year’s worth of cheering together, those girls still couldn’t get along. And all over Andy McGraw…it seemed so silly.

  “Bad news,” Amanda said, clearing her throat. “Winter isn’t trying out this year. Which means we’ll be two short for the squad.”

  “What? Why not?” Lauren demanded. Simultaneously, Dakota muttered, “Good.”

  I nudged Dakota’s knee, giving her a warning glance.

  “Well, it’s true. She didn’t show up on competition day. And…well, you guys know how I feel about her,” Dakota defended.

  “Didn’t the bombing teach you anything?” Amanda asked, shaking her head at Dakota angrily. Of all the girls, Amanda was the only one who seemed to get along well with Winter.

  Don’t get me wrong—Winter is perfectly nice. But I think all of the other girls were scared to get too close to her, or else piss off Dakota.

  “Somebody has to talk to her, get her to change her mind,” I said. Dakota jerked her head at me in surprise. “I mean it. After what happened, we should realize more now than ever…pulling us apart is exactly what the sociopath wants. We can’t let him, or her, have their way. We need to stick together, girls. We’ve been through hell together…and some of us have the scars to prove it. Let’s vow not to let anything, ever again, pull us apart.”

  I stuck my hand out, waiting for them to join me. I know it seemed childish, but even now, I believed in the sanctity of making a pact. The girls looked at each other. I could tell Lauren was fighting back giggles.

  “Nothing comes between us, from here on out,” Amanda said, placing her hand on top of mine.

  Lauren stuck her hand in silently. We all looked at Dakota, waiting.

  She stuck her hand on the very top. “Fine. I’ll go talk to Winter,” she mumbled, surprising all of us.

  Chapter

  Twenty-One

  Winter

  The last day of summer, I thought glumly, soaking my arms and legs with tanning oil and using my hands to spread it all over my body. My lawn chair was right by the edge of the pool, in perfect alignment with the raging hot sun and cool water to keep my toes wet.

  This pool was here when we moved in, but I’d barely used it or laid out at all.

  Maybe I’ll take up swimming instead, I thought, admiring the way the top of the water glistened from the glow of the sun.

  I leaned back in the chair, pulling my sunglasses down from the top of my head, and placing the oversized vintage shades over my eyes. There was a paperback beside me, but I didn’t feel like reading. I just wanted to enjoy this one last day of summer. One last day before returning to school…

  Changing schools was like changing clothes for me. I’d gotten used to it.

  That’s one reason things never blossomed with Andy. My dad was in the military, and his too…we were always traveling, sometimes in different directions. But when we moved to Crimson County, I thought we’d stick around for a while.

  But then plans changed and my dad decided to retire early. Now I was stuck here, rotting away in Harrow Hill. Bored out of my mind. And now that I can actually be with Andy, he’s moved on.

  I heard the sounds of footsteps sneaking up from behind me. “Jordan, I swear, if you push me in again―” I jerked up in my seat, expecting my brother.

  “Great. It’s you.” The person standing behind me was even worse.

  I lay back in the lawn chair, readjusting my sunglasses.

  Dakota took a seat in the chair beside me. Surprisingly, she lay back, sticking up her own feet, wiggling her sandaled toes.

  She sat there lounging next to me…and for a moment, it felt like we were actually friends.

  “What are you doing here, Dakota?”

  “We were having a moment,” Dakota said, letting out a bored sigh. “Weren’t we?”

  “Uh huh. Are you here to rub it in, about me giving up cheerleading?”

  Dakota was silent for a couple minutes. But then she said, “No. I’m actually here to—” She started coughing, like the words themselves were lodged in her throat.

  Yanking off my sunglasses, I turned to look at her. “Go on.”

  “I’m here to ask you to stay. I don’t want you to quit the squad. I want us to be together. All of us. And that includes you.”

  “Really? You expect me to believe that?” We were sitting knee-to-knee now, a Mexican standoff of sorts…

  From this close up, I could count the number of freckles on her nose and cheeks. Even with the scar, she looked like somebody Cover Girl would hire. I narrowed my eyes at her glossy lips and big brown eyes, hating her for stealing Andy. But we were teammates…

  “I’ll think about it.” I plopped back down in the chair, waiting for her to leave.

  But she didn’t.

  “Is anyone home, besides you?” she asked, her voice slow, tentative.

  “No. Why?”

  “I want to swim.” Dakota stood up and shimmied out of her tiny gym shorts and tank, revealing her underwear and sports bra.

  Surprised, I sat up just as she dove into the deepest section of the pool.

  I waited for her to come up, and when she didn’t, I peered over the edge of the pool, squinting. I could see her at the bottom of the pool, her dark hair cascading around her face as she swam laps beneath the water.

  “Why not?” I muttered, taking off my glasses and shoes. Unlike her, I can’t stand the cold. I sat on the edge of the pool, sneaking the tips of my toes in the water.

  “Ahh!” Dakota popped up next to me, laughing when I jumped.

  “Bitch,” I muttered, jumping in the rest of the way. I could touch the bottom and keep my head above water, but I had to stand on my tip-toes.

  “Must suck being short,” Dakota said, wading out deeper to show off her long legs.

  “This would be the perfect opportunity to drown you,” I teased, swimming after her.

  “Want to race?” she asked, holding on to the ledge of the pool.

  “Want to lose?” I countered, pushing off the wall with my feet.

  Chapter

  Twenty-Two

  After a couple hours of swimming and laying out, Dakota somehow convinced me to try out for cheerleading. “What else will you do with your time?” she’d asked me.

  She has a point there.

  Wrapping my pool towel around me, I said, “Okay. I’ll do it. But that doesn’t mean Coach Davis will let me back on the team. You should have seen her, Dakota. After what happened in Tennessee, I don’t think she’ll ever look at me the same way. I almost feel like she blames me…as though because of me, she wasn’t there to save you all.”

  “Don’t be silly. Nobody could have stopped it from happening. If she was there, she would have gotten injured too…or worse, she would have died. And…the same goes for Andy. Because of you, he wasn’t there, either. You not showing up actually saved a couple people from getting harmed.”
<
br />   I’d never thought of it that way.

  A loud whistle cut through the air. I rolled my eyes at my brother. Ronnie was with him, and they were both carrying basketballs under their arms.

  Dakota used her hands to cover up, her underwear and sports bra revealing too much. She quickly shuffled to the side of the pool, slipping her tank top on, although it still didn’t hide much.

  “What are you two losers doing?” Jordan smirked, looking from me to Dakota. Ronnie dribbled the ball, trying to look cool in front of Dakota. They used to date—Ronnie and Dakota—but that was ancient history, supposedly.

  “I was kicking Winter’s butt in the pool,” Dakota said, smiling. “Not literally. We were racing,” she added, when my brother gave her a questioning glance.

  “Bet you can’t beat me,” he challenged, cocking his head to the side.

  My brother can be such a cheesy douchebag sometimes.

  Dakota looked like she was considering a race. If she falls for my brother’s flirting routine, she is as dumb as I thought.

  “I’m heading in to shower and change,” I said briskly, leaving them all outside.

  I needed to be alone. Needed to think things over. Was going back on the squad really a good idea? What did I get out of cheerleading, anyway?

  With all of the crazy pranks and violent incidents, it didn’t seem worth my time. But I did love to cheer, and I really wanted to see Andy running up and down the basketball court.

  I shook my head side to side, pushing out thoughts of him. I turned the water in the shower up until it was hot enough to blister my skin.

  I sang the words to a Lady Gaga song, trying not to think about anything. This is my last day of summer. I should enjoy it; not worry about what tomorrow brings…

  When I came out of the shower, I changed and checked my email. Some of my old friends from Crimson County had been trying to reach me, but I’d been avoiding their calls and messages. Seeing the Crimson cheerleaders in Chattanooga was bad enough…