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25
After I drop Kaitlyn off at her car, I call Aiden on Bluetooth.
Since Kaitlyn announced it herself to all of Sweetie’s, I was given permission to tell my friends about what we were up to. I would’ve told them some version of the story anyway, but at least now I won’t feel bad withholding the whole truth from them, even though I really don’t owe Kaitlyn my loyalty, no matter how much we bonded today.
Aiden picks up right away, and his deep voice fills the car, the mere sound of it adding to the joviality in the air. I briefly explain to him what I was up to after school, and he sighs. “I’m proud of you, but I wish you would’ve told me. I could’ve helped. What if something went wrong?”
“Would you have let me go alone if I told you?”
He pauses. “Fine. I’m just glad it all worked out. You love scheming, huh? You’re good at it.”
He laughs, and I join him. “I would think I was a secret agent in a past life or something, but I’m a terrible improv actor.”
There’s noise of people talking in the background, and it gets quieter as I assume Aiden leaves the room. “We’re all at my house right now since we wanted dinner after the bar. Want to come and tell them the good news yourself? We could use some.”
Checking my rearview mirror, I change direction on the road and head for Aiden’s house instead of home. “Why, what happened at Greg’s bar?”
He tells me that the manager confirmed Luke was there that night. He also said that Luke showed up and started a fight with Greg and they had to be pulled apart. He said they were both kicked out around 4:20, and told Annalisa that he had already submitted this evidence to the police. All it proves is that Luke was the one in the fight with Greg, which doesn’t help his case at all. It could be argued that Luke went back to finish the fight. But we still don’t know where Luke was at the time of death, and the others don’t know how Greg ended up dying at Aiden’s house.
I don’t point out that we know what actually happened to Greg in case one of our friends overhears. “He was at Howard’s Convenience alone at five-ish though? Where was Greg?”
“I don’t know. But on the way home I drove past Howard’s on purpose. There’s a gas station down the street with cameras that point out. I know a guy who works there, his name is Ben. He makes a lot of money off of me from the Tracks, so I called him and asked for a favor.”
A shiver runs down my spine and I check my rearview mirror again. Is someone following me? Is Ryan coming back for revenge? I didn’t really give him a chance to say his piece. I check my mirrors, and no one is even remotely near me, so it must be the adrenaline.
I shake it off and focus on what Aiden’s saying. If those cameras caught anything, that could help us figure out where Luke went next, and clear Luke’s name without having to bring attention to Jason and Jackson. “Did the guy at the gas station find anything?”
“He said he doubted it, since the gas station is a bit down the way from Howard’s, but he told me he’d take a look and get back to me.”
“Have you told anyone?” I ask him as I turn onto his street.
“No. Let’s just keep this between us for now until we hear back from him.”
We can just add it to this list of things I’m keeping from my friends. By this point I’m pulling up in front of his house, so we hang up and he opens his front door for me.
He hugs me so tightly my feet lift off the ground, and I giggle.
“I’m so happy you’re okay,” he says, his breath tickling my ear.
He kisses me and finally sets me down.
“I’m fine,” I reassure him. “And now Kaitlyn isn’t being hurt anymore, either, and Anna can graduate with—”
I pause for a second and listen. “Is Anna crying?”
Aiden closes the front door once I walk in. Everyone is in the kitchen, but I can still hear her sobs from the front door.
Aiden runs a tired hand through his hair. “Yeah, she’s saying Luke’s going to rot in jail. It hasn’t been a good day for her.”
I lower my voice to a whisper. “Should we tell her about the twins?” It’ll help ease her mind knowing that Luke’s innocent and won’t be in jail forever.
Aiden shakes his head once. “Anna’s all wired up. She’s going to jump the gun before we can get it all sorted out, and I’m not going into it without a solid plan. I’ve been calling the lawyer, Alan, but only getting his voice mail, and I’m not leaving a voice mail about what I need help with. So we can’t say anything yet, not until I figure out the best thing for the twins.”
I take off my shoes and follow him through the house. This one isn’t my call to make, so if Aiden wants to hold off on saying anything, I’ll support his decision.
“Where are the twins?” I ask him, and he gestures upstairs.
“They’ve been doing their homework, but they’ll probably make an appearance soon since Mason and Noah promised to play video games with them,” he says as we enter the kitchen.
Everyone is sitting at the table, empty pizza boxes scattered around them, and their eyes all turn to me as I enter. They say hi, but Annalisa looks at me with an expression that looks broken. Her makeup is smudged and her eyes are swollen.
“How was your date with Satan?” she sneers at me.
She’s still upset, I get it. We didn’t end things on the best foot when I left school today, and now she’s feeling hopeless about her brother. Hopefully, telling her that she doesn’t have to stay at Commack anymore will make her feel better.
“It wasn’t a date. But it actually was amazing. I have good news. You don—”
