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No.
They thought that they could just drive me out like that, but I wasn’t going to go.
“I didn’t kill Brett.” Turning around, I searched my friend’s faces for a response. “You guys, I didn’t kill him, I promise. He was driving, and the car came up behind us. It hit us and we slid down the embankment, but he was alive. I swear to you, he was alive.” Even though I wanted to cry, I focused hard on keeping my voice calm.
I needed my friends to hear me, to hear each word I had to say, and they couldn’t if I was sobbing.
“We know. Kaleb and Jackie told us the truth, Rose. We know that he was alive.” Maggie linked her fingers through mine and squeezed, causing a rush of relief to pour through my body.
“And you believe me? Even though nobody else does?”
Harper nodded and pulled me into a hug, stepping over the noose to get as close to me as possible. Even though I was soaking, she still pulled me to her. “Of course, we do, Rose. You’ve never lied to us, and people have wanted you out of Taylor Prep from the beginning. Why would we think that you were lying to us now?”
* * *
Itried to keep my head held as high as possible when I walked into the dining hall with my girls. Even though I was fighting a limp, I wasn’t going to let it be obvious. I knew now that the harpies were looking for any sign of weakness that they could find so that they could exploit it, but I was done being their victim.
They thought that I’d killed Brett?
Somehow, I would have to prove to them that I wasn’t a murderer.
They thought that I didn’t deserve to be here?
I knew that that was wrong.
I was at Taylor Prep to stay. There were only a few more months to go, and there wasn’t any way that I was going to back out now.
The entire dining hall fell silent as the three of us walked through the doors. The harpies were sitting at the front table like they were waiting for me, but they didn’t know what was coming.
Before I even made eye contact with Kaleb and Jackie, I walked up to Amelia, slamming the noose down on her lunch. Her plate clattered and bounced, but she didn’t flinch, not even when her food flew all over the table.
“Back the fuck off, Amelia.” My voice was stronger than it had been in days and it left my mouth in a low growl. I could practically feel everyone in the dining hall leaning forward in their seats as they tried to hear what was going on, but this was between the two of us, and I ignored them.
“You didn’t like my gift?” She tilted her head to the side and batted her eyes at me. “It just seemed so useful and fitting for you, Rose. Need me to come by later and show you how to put it on?”
“Only if you go first.” She scoffed at that and rolled her eyes, but I wasn’t done. “I’m not going anywhere, Amelia, so you might as well get used to seeing me around. You think that you can just drive me away? Well, you can’t. I’m here to stay and you’re going to have to get used to it.”
“Kinda like Brett’s mom is going to have to get used to him being dead? Or your slut mom had to get used to your dad being dead? It really would be better for the entire world if you’d kill yourself, Rose.”
“Whatever. Fuck you.” I turned to leave, but she reached out and snapped her hand shut around my wrist, pulling me back. I sucked in a breath, trying to keep from blacking out at the pain that shot through my wrist. Standing up, she leaned over the table, her eyes locked on mine.
“Listen, bitch. You don’t belong here. You didn’t before, and you sure as hell don’t now. You think that this is going to just go away? You’re crazy. I’m not going to let you rest until you leave school or you die, do you understand? You deserve to be punished for what you’ve done, and nobody else around here has the balls to do it.”
“Is that what you’re hiding under your skirt? Big ole balls? No wonder nobody here wants to sleep with you, Amelia.” My skin felt like it was burning at her touch and I pulled my hand back. “Back the fuck off, Amelia, I mean it.”
She scoffed. “Die, Rose. I mean it.”
My right hand balled into a fist. All I wanted right then was to hit her so hard that her neck snapped back. I imagined her eyes bugging out as I hit her and I leaned back, ready to put power into it, but before I could do anything, someone’s hand closed gently over my wrist.
“Rosita.” Jackie’s voice was soft in my ear and I immediately felt my body deflate. I didn’t want to stop—I wanted to hurt Amelia the way that she continued to hurt me, but Jackie was there. He was always there, him and Kaleb, and I was beginning to see that even though things had changed and we’d lost Brett, they weren’t going anywhere.
I loved them both for that.
As much as I loved him, though, I still couldn’t move. My eyes were locked on Amelia, like I was daring her to do something. I didn’t trust her, especially not now that she had put the noose in my doorway. She wanted me gone, but I wasn’t going to leave.
I wouldn’t give her that pleasure.
“Cousin, you’re not involved in this.” Amelia’s voice was tight and she’d stopped looking at me long enough to stare at Jackie. The look she gave him was withering, but he didn’t flinch.
