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“Promise?” I ask.
He leans in, capturing my lips once again, sealing the vow with a kiss that leaves me breathless and wanting more. “Promise.”
Twenty-one
Despite the weekend being one of the worst of my life, but also one of the best, I somehow manage to go to school on Monday morning. Iamstill trying to qualify for scholarships, and that means attending school and getting my grades up.
Jackson drives both me and his brother to school, and we split up once inside to go to our lockers. But just as quickly as we separate, I wish we hadn’t, because something very strange is going on. The usually noisy hallway is dead silent as I approach groups of kids who whisper and stare at me, giving me a wide berth as I pass them.
Even Thompson won’t meet my eyes, and we’ve always had an amicable but silent friendship.
It’s different than the first time this happened, when Brandon told the school I slept with him and shared explicit details that never happened. That time was excited, curious gossip; this time the silence and stares feel deeper, more pronounced.
I find Nyah at her locker, sorting through it, and rush to get to her. “Nyah!” I exclaim, glad to be with a friendly face, but she startles.
“Oh, hey, Siena . . .”
I duck my head to escape the unnerving stares and whispers. “What the hell is going on?”
Nyah’s eyes shift from side to side, and she takes an awkward step away from me. “You, uh . . . haven’t heard?”
I’m more confused than ever, and her behavior isn’t helping. “No, please tell me.”
Nyah closes her locker and chews on her lip, like she’s debating exactly what to say. She’s spared, though, when I notice Gia at the end of the hall. My sister spots me and breaks into a run. Everyone sidesteps her, pointing and whispering like they were doing with me, and my heart drops.
“Everyone knows!”Gia cries breathlessly when she reaches me.
Everyone knows? Oh, shit. Everyoneknows.
The blood drains from my face as realization dawns on me. Brandon did it: he sent out the photo evidence of what happened in LA, of my past and the fact that I was arrested,whyI was arrested. With everything else going on this weekend, I completely forgot about Brandon and his threats, and clearly so did Gia.
“Everyone is talking about how you killed Stan!” Gia exclaims, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Oh, fuck,” I mutter, my temples pounding. I thought I’d have this under control, thought this scenario would never happen. Even though Brandon threatened me with it, I didn’t think he’d do it.
“They’re also . . .” Nyah clears her throat, and she can’t look at me as she tries again. “They’re also saying you had something to do with Lily . . .”
I stare at her, and she tucks her arms across her chest.
I can’t tell if Nyah’s not looking at me because she feels bad telling me or if she kind of believes it.
I’m stunned I even have to clarify, but I still declare,
“I had nothing to do with Lily!”
“Everyone is saying you did!” Gia says, dragging a hand down her face to wipe at the wetness. “Everyone keeps asking me what happened with Stan, if you really did something to Lily, and I’ve only been here for five minutes!”
The whispers and stares seem to be louder, more intense now that I know exactly what everyone’s saying.
The walls of the school close in, and my head spins. I reach out a hand and plant it on a closed locker when a wave of dizziness hits.
They know I was arrested for killing Stan, and they know Lily disappeared when I showed up. Rumors have spread farther and faster with less information than that, and now my reputation here in King City is marred forever. Nobody will ever think differently of me no matter how much I protest or get to know them. EvenNyah, one of my only real friends here, has changed the way she views me because of this. The kicker is that she actuallyknewme, so I can only imagine what all the people whodon’tare thinking.
“There she is,” Brandon announces as he passes with his friends. “There’s the murderous whore.”
I don’t want to deal with Brandon right now; I’m too busy trying to breathe through the squeezing of my chest in the shrinking hallway where everyone is looking at me like a circus attraction.
Brandon stops in front of me, and I try to turn away from him. Unfortunately, he either doesn’t take the hint or simply doesn’t care, because he moves so he’s right in my face.
