Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Jessica Cunsolo’s young adult series, With Me, has amassed over one hundred million reads on Wattpad since she posted her first story, She’s With Me, on the platform in 2015. The novel has since won a 2016 Watty Award for Best Teen Fiction, and has been published in French by Hachette Romans, in Spanish by Grupo Planeta, and in English by Wattpad Books. Jessica lives with her dog, Leo, just outside of Toronto, where she enjoys the outdoors and transforming her real-life awkward situations into plotlines for her viral stories. You can find her on Twitter @AvaViolet17, on Instagram @jesscunsolo, or on Wattpad @AvaViolet.
Also by Jessica Cunsolo
She’s With Me
This story is dedicated to my mom, Carmela Cunsolo. Thank you for being my number one fan.
Prologue
Life laughs at you sometimes. Perhaps people like me are boring to watch, so every once in a while life goes, Hey, why don’t I mess around with Amelia a bit? Don’t you think that’ll be funny?
And then life’s friends, drama, pain, uncertainty, and unfortunate events, say, Hell, yeah, dude! We got your back. Watch the shit storm we can cause.
And they all get to work inserting themselves where they don’t belong, stirring up the pot. Then they sit around with cold beers clutched in their hands and some boxes of pizza shared between them and laugh uproariously. At least, that’s how I think it happens, because sometimes it seems like my time here on Earth is just one long episode of let’s see how we can screw with Amelia today.
There’s a man out there intent on murdering me: Tony. He has hurt and killed other people in the name of revenge. And I care very deeply about someone I’m destined to end up hurting—someone who discovered that he was being deceived from the start, and then was promptly arrested for murdering his stepfather, whom he’d been worried about harming his brothers ever since Greg was released from jail. Aiden is not a murderer; he’s not capable of doing something like that. Or is he? He’s a fierce protector of those he loves, and he would do anything to protect his brothers … but murder?
Aiden hates Greg with a burning passion—I’m pretty sure he abused Aiden as a child. But I can’t see Aiden taking his life then coming over to my house to watch movies like it’s any other day.
Why do the police think Aiden did it? He was at my house all night, and he was with Mason before that … right? When did Greg die, anyway? He’s been out of prison for a couple of weeks—wouldn’t he want to spend some time with his son, Ryan, and not bother with Aiden?
Ryan.
I wonder if Aiden’s stepbrother has heard about the death of his father. I wonder if he’s heard Aiden was arrested for Greg’s murder. Ryan hates Aiden for being Aiden; I don’t want to know what he’ll do if he thinks Aiden’s responsible for the death of his father. Before, this was just a petty rivalry, but now someone’s dead and Aiden’s in jail accused of murder.
I can’t lose Aiden. Not right now, not when he’s come to mean so much to me. Everyone here in King City has. All my friends are the people I never thought I’d ever have in my life; people who make me feel like I belong, like I have a family. I can’t let anyone, not Ryan, not Tony, and not even the police, take that away from me.
1
The police station hums with activity. Men and women in uniform are all over the place, either walking around like they’re in the middle of some important task or standing around talking like they have all the time in the world. An odd combination of disinfectant and dirt scents the air, and the constant ringing of a phone drills at my head. We’ve been sitting here for hours. No one has told us anything, as the only interaction between us and the officers has been them occasionally glaring at us for taking up practically the entire waiting area.
I hate police stations. I’ve been in plenty over the past year and it never gets better—the anxiety never goes away, and neither does the pit of dread that sits in the middle of my chest. Police stations remind me of Tony, and every person an officer leads past us in handcuffs makes me cringe. The only reason I’m sticking rooted to my seat instead of flying out of here as fast as my legs can take me is Aiden.
After the arrest, Julian, Mason, and Annalisa picked up the twins from their friend’s house like Aiden asked, and took them to Julian’s house for his mom to watch. Everyone else came to the police station, and Julian showed up a bit later with Annalisa and his father, Vince. Julian clearly got his height from his father, as well as his broad shoulders, but Vince has a stern face, and there’s a commanding presence about him that makes him feel trustworthy. Of course Julian would go to his dad for help, since we clearly need a responsible adult and it’s not like Aiden has another one to turn to. Plus, Aiden practically grew up with Julian.
A bit after Vince showed up, Mason arrived with his dad, Brian. The adults went to talk to the police about Aiden while the rest of us sat worriedly in the tiny reception area.
Mason gets his good looks from his dad, as their dark hair and tanned olive skin are almost identical, but Brian’s a bit shorter than his son. Brian’s dark eyes also lack that certain spark of mischief that Mason’s often hold—but then again, this isn’t a happy situation.
As the two dads talk to the officers, I sit straight up and study them intently, and it doesn’t look like it’s going well. Brian’s running his hand through his hair like Mason does when he’s frustrated, the gold wedding band sparkling brightly in comparison to his dark hair. My heartbeat hasn’t slowed down to normal since we sat down.
After a while, Vince is led by some officers to the back, and Brian comes to sit with us.
“What’s going on?” Mason asks his dad.
“They have Aiden in holding right now. He’s still a few weeks shy of eighteen, so they can’t question him without the presence of an appropriate adult and a social worker, and we’re trying to sort out who that is, exactly,” Brian explains, pulling out his phone and going through some contacts.
“But they can’t question him without a lawyer! Shouldn’t we be getting him a lawyer?” Annalisa exclaims.
“He doesn’t need a lawyer because he didn’t do anything!” Noah defends Aiden. “He has, like, seven alibis! Eight if you count the guy working the counter at the pizza place!”
Brian ignores Noah and stands up. “I’m calling a lawyer now. Hopefully, he’ll be here soon.”
And with that, Brian walks away to find a quiet place to make his phone call, leaving the rest of us to our unproductive worrying.
Half an hour later, a professional-looking man in a pressed suit enters the police station, and Brian gets up to shake his hand. They talk to some officers, who then hustle the man I’m assuming is Aiden’s lawyer into the back room.
Charlotte is sitting beside Chase, and they’re talking in hushed tones between themselves. Annalisa glares down everyone in the police station, and looks like she’s trying very hard to not punch anyone who looks at her the wrong way. Julian’s beside her, talking to Mason and Brian about what could possibly happen to Aiden a
nd what’s going on in the back. Noah’s beside me, his foot rapidly and incessantly tapping the floor, the sound slowly driving me crazy.
Since moving to King City, I’ve been lucky enough to meet all these incredible people—friends who have become like a family to me. I’ve never had friends like this, who have your back no matter what, and who stick by you through hard times. We’re all in a police station on a Friday night instead of out enjoying ourselves, and it’s all because we care about each other, about Aiden.
While I’m grateful to have my friends, I hate that I’m stuck in an uncomfortable chair in a beige room with awful lighting, incapable of doing anything except try really hard to ignore the pit of anxiety and worry building in my stomach.
After a while, I can’t take it anymore and slap my hand on Noah’s thigh. “Stop!” I snap.
“I know I’m irresistible, Amelia, but now is not the time or place to get frisky,” Noah says.
I pull my hand back, in no mood for his Noah-ness at this particular time. His foot has stopped incessantly tapping, but I don’t feel any better. What’s taking so long? Aiden didn’t do anything. All of this all should’ve been sorted out already. Right?
The minutes tick by painfully. Charlotte’s strict parents call, and then her older brother comes to pick her and Chase up, who has his own worried parents to get home to. We promise we’ll keep them both updated.
We’ve been here for how long now? Hours? It’s past ten o’clock. Why has the activity in the police station not slowed down? The phone hasn’t stopped ringing. I have half a mind to rip every single phone off its cord and chuck them all out the window. The last time I was in a police station this long was when Tony found me for the third time, and I’d had to go from the hospital to the station to give my statement, which was useless, clearly, since he’s still out there, searching for me. And just like that night, my flight response is kicking in—I want to run as far away from here as humanly possible, but I’d never leave Aiden behind.
It’s just after eleven o’clock when the lawyer and Vince come back out, unfortunately without Aiden. Brian goes over to talk to the other men, and we all sit up, ramrod straight, straining to hear the conversation. The dads talk for a while with some detectives, and then the lawyer and Brian depart with two other police officers, leaving us all staring after them, confused.
Vince heads over to us, looking tired but less frustrated, which I hope is a good thing. We get to our feet as he approaches.
“They’re going to hold Aiden overnight,” Vince says before any of us can interrogate him. “While they check his alibi.”
“Aren’t we his alibi?” Julian asks.
Julian’s father motions us over to the side of the tiny waiting area for some privacy from the other people here.
“Here’s what we know: Greg’s body was found dead in front of Aiden’s house, and he was pretty badly beaten. They found Aiden’s cell phone at the crime scene. Right now the cops have a tentative time of death around six in the evening. Aiden had been at Mason’s house since four thirty, and they were there until they left to pick up the pizza around ten to seven, and then they went straight to Amelia’s house. The security footage from the cameras in front of Mason’s house can prove the times are correct, and Brian just left to get the police the tapes to clear Aiden.”
We all look at each other, stunned. Greg’s body was found in front of Aiden’s house? With Aiden’s cell phone?
“His cell phone? I know for a fact that his phone was with him at Amelia’s house,” Mason chimes in.
“His old phone. Remember, he lost it a few weeks ago, at the Tr—school.” My awkward cover-up isn’t at all cool, but I’m not going to narc on anyone by saying “Tracks” in front of a parent.
“How did Aiden’s phone end up at the crime scene?” Annalisa asks, even though no one knows the answer.
“Never mind that, how did the dead body of Aiden’s despised stepfather end up in front of his house? Was it moved there?” Julian ponders.
Vince rubs his eyes. I seriously doubt that he ever thought that being a dad meant having to deal with a murder charge. “Forensics determined that it was the primary location, meaning that Greg died in front of Aiden’s house.”
“That does not look good for our boy.” Noah grimaces.
“He didn’t do it, Noah!” Annalisa snaps.
“Geez, I know. I’m just saying …” he replies, then under his breath adds, “Why do I always forget that she’s crankier than usual without sleep?”
“Noah’s right though,” Vince says. “With the location of the crime, Aiden’s phone, and the bruising on Greg indicating a recent fight—it doesn’t look good. Plus, Aiden and Greg’s past doesn’t help—it’s on record that Aiden petitioned against Greg’s parole. It could be reasoned that he had a motive. Even if we have an alibi for him, we have to prove that’s enough for them to let him go.”
This whole situation is ludicrous. I explain, “Aiden is one of the smartest people I know, book- and street-wise. He has one of the top GPAs not just in the school, but in the entire school district. I think if he was going to kill a guy, he wouldn’t leave the dead body in front of his house.”
Everyone smiles tiredly and nods at the truth behind my statement. I mean, really. No one can actually be so dumb as to kill someone and leave their dead body chillin’ in front of their house like no big deal while they go eat pizza and watch movies at their friend’s house.
But if Aiden didn’t kill Greg, who did? Why was the primary crime scene in front of Aiden’s house? Is someone trying to frame him? But why? There are so many more questions than answers, and that makes me uncomfortable. Oh God. What if they need to question me? He was at my house when he was arrested. What if they need to dig into me? What will they find?
“Listen, everyone,” Vince commands. “They’re going to clear all this up and Aiden will be out of here before you know it. You should all go home instead of sitting here worrying about him. He wanted me to assure you all that he’s fine, to go home, and that it’ll all be okay.”
Aiden’s literally in jail (or in police holding, whatever, there’s still bars) and still his first priority is his friends? That man cannot make me like him any more than I already do.
Vince lightly slaps Julian’s back. “Come on, son, let’s go home and get some rest. Everything will be sorted out soon. Annalisa, I’m guessing you’re staying at our house tonight?”
Annalisa nods and pulls on her jacket, and Vince looks at the rest of us. “Do you guys need a ride home?”
“Yeah, I do,” Noah says, looking up from his phone. “Maybe I should stay at your house too. I have nineteen missed calls from my mother and don’t feel like dying tonight.”
Noah’s humor breaks the tension. We’re all exhausted. “Tough break, kid. Judy’s one tough woman when she’s angry.” Vince looks at me and Mason. “Do you kids need a ride home?”
“I drove here,” I say, leaving out the part that I have absolutely zero intention of leaving.
Mason looks at me as if he can read my mind. “I’ll catch a ride with Amelia.”
“Okay, then, you guys get home safe,” Vince says. “Try not to worry, everything will be all right.”
We say good-bye to everyone and when they’re out of earshot, I turn to Mason. “You know I’m not leaving anytime soon right?”
He rolls his eyes at me and plants his butt firmly in the chair in the waiting area. “Of course I know that. I messaged my dad and told him that I’m hitching a ride with you once this is all sorted out.”
Taking the seat beside him, I slouch back, tired. Despite our rocky start, Aiden’s been here for me every moment of the last few months. He’s helped me out whenever I needed it, even if I didn’t ask him, even when I pissed him off or antagonized him. Like when he got Ethan Moore to take down the video of me that he had posted on the internet, without asking any questions about why I panicked so much. Or when he put up with all my attitude and tutored
me in calculus, helping me pull up my failing grade. Or when our archenemies Kaitlyn and Ryan trashed my car and he brought me to Charlotte’s to sleep while he dealt with the tow truck, the mechanic, and all the repairs, refusing to accept any money. Or like when he won $4,000 racing Ryan at the Tracks and gave it to me to spend however I wanted. Or how he’s basically raising his twin brothers by himself. Aiden’s such a good person with such a genuinely kind soul. The thought of leaving him in jail is unbearable. He might have told us to go home and stop worrying, but I can’t leave knowing that he’s here. I’d be abandoning him in a way, especially after he just found out the real truth about me and wasn’t scared away.
He knows my name isn’t Amelia—he found the shoe box that holds reminders of my past lives; he found out that I am a lying piece of garbage. He opened up to me, something that’s extremely hard for him to do, and I betrayed him. I’ve been lying to him while he’s been completely honest and transparent with me. He was so incredibly hurt when he found out that my entire identity is a lie. The look on his face, that flash of realization that I had been lying, loops around my mind like a car on a racetrack—his complete disbelief and betrayal.
But he understood. He wasn’t mad and he kissed me. He said that he’s all in—so I’m not going anywhere until he’s released. Because I’m all in, too, no matter what happens.
“What do you think he’s thinking about?” I ask, trying to distract myself from my thoughts.
“Probably his brothers,” Mason answers.
“He loves Jason and Jackson more than anything.”
“Do you think Ryan found out about his dad?”
“I don’t know. But I’m completely certain that this is only going to make the hatred Ryan holds for Aiden so much stronger.”
“You don’t think—” Mason pauses, hesitating like he can’t even say the words out loud. “You don’t think Ryan had something to do with this?”
Stay With Me (A Wattpad Novel) Page 1
