AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No kidding.” Kerri reached into her pocket and withdrew a business card. She passed it to Sue. “There’s just one thing.” God, she hated to do this part. At her old schoolmate’s expectant look, she went on. “I’m going to need you to keep my visit here to yourself for now. I’m not the detective assigned to the case. Technically, with my daughter in school with Cortez, I’m not supposed to get involved.”
“I may not be a mother, biologically,” Sue said, “but I know what a good one is. What kind of mother would you be if you didn’t get involved?”
Good question.
17
Noon
Brighton Academy
Seventh Avenue
Birmingham
They were talking about her.
Tori stared at her lunch tray. She couldn’t eat. She’d barely slept last night. This morning when her mother asked if she was okay, she’d lied and said she was. She wasn’t. How could she be?
Brendal was dead.
Her mom had wanted her to stay with Aunt Diana today. She had assured Tori again that she and the other detectives would get this straightened out. Not to worry. But Tori couldn’t stop worrying. She’d known that if she didn’t show up at school, the ones talking about her would make something even worse of it. She couldn’t give them any more ammunition.
She had to be strong.
An assembly had been called this morning to announce the news. Like there was anyone who didn’t know.
Everyone knew.
And everyone thought Tori had something to do with it.
Without daring to raise her head, she stole another glance at Sarah and Alice. They were huddled together, whispering. Tori knew they were talking about her. Otherwise they would have sat at her table. She and Sarah had been besties since kindergarten. She always sat with Tori. Always.
Tori was certain Sarah and Alice had seen her when they headed this way from the lunch line, but they’d pretended not to. They’d sat at a table with the two meganerds who never sat with anyone much less talked to anyone. The nerds were at one end of the long table, while Sarah and Alice were at the other.
Two of the extra counselors the school had brought in were walking around the cafeteria, asking kids if they wanted or needed to talk.
Tori couldn’t talk to them. She couldn’t talk to anyone. Not her mom. Not anyone. Not about her secret. She couldn’t do it.
But Alice had plenty to say—to Sarah.
And Alice knew.She’d sworn Sarah did too.
They glanced at Tori, not even attempting to hide the fact that they were doing just that—talking about her.How could they be so mean?
Tori stared at the food she couldn’t eat if her life depended upon it. She wished Amelia were still alive. Tori could talk to her. She could tell Amelia anything. She missed her so much.
Her whole life had fallen apart in the past year. First her dad left her for a new family. He hardly ever even called anymore. When Tori called him, he was always too busy to talk more than a minute or two. He had a new child now, a three-month-old baby boy. He had no time for Tori. She instantly felt bad. Her dad had called her last night and talked for a whole hour. He missed her. Was worried about her and wanted her to visit as soon as school was out. He was trying. That was what her mom said. But it hadn’t felt that way for a long time, especially last year.
Worse, Amelia had gotten murdered. Even after that her mom still worked all the time. Tori didn’t really like spending a lot of time at Aunt Diana’s. She loved her aunt, but she was always so sad.
On top of all that, this year Tori had started to get pimples instead of bigger boobs. No one took a second look at her. People were looking at her now because they were all suspicious of her about what happened to poor Brendal.
And now she was losing her best friend.
As if all that wasn’t bad enough, she’d failed her algebra test this morning. She had never failed a test in her whole life. She was an A student! Always on the honor roll. But not this time.
She’d failed that test.
