AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Oh good, you’re both here. I heard what happened. Nice work. I hope it makes the news, it would be great publicity for the restaurant.” Evan glances over at me, and I fold my arms across my chest, suddenly chilled without Zaden beside me. “I’m going to cut y’all first since you can’t work like that anyway.”
“Thanks,” I state, picking up my boots off the floor and moving past him toward the door.
“Leela,” I hear Zaden call after me, and glance back over my shoulder, past Evan, my eyes locking with his. “You still coming to the concert?”
I think for a moment, then nod. “I’ll be there.” A hint of a smile lifts at the corners of his beautiful lips, and I turn and walk out.
Chapter 10
Ivy
Iwalk into the Sandbar locker room, clean and dressed, and searching for Mia. She glances up as I enter, and emits a low whistle.
“Holy shit, girl,” Mia says. “Could you be any hotter?”
I laugh. “You did say concert, right?”
“Now I want to see what concerts in Nebraska look like,” she comments approvingly. I approach the floor-length mirror and run my fingers through my hair. Luckily I packed a concert-worthy outfit when I left Gray’s Cove, although I don’t know why. It’s my favorite top, so it’s probably just a security blanket thing.
I smooth my hands down the tank of black lace skulls, low-cut and skin-tight, showcasing the black lace bra beneath. I adjust the buckle on my studded belt, and do a quick turn to test the flare of my purple plaid schoolgirl skirt. Fishnet stockings disappear into my black combat boots, and I prop my foot up on the wooden bench to tighten the laces.
“What do you have to set up?” I question, dropping my foot back to the floor.
“AV equipment. Set up the LiveStream to the socials. Check the lighting and the sound. Tonight will be especially fun because it’s probably going to rain, so I need to make sure everything is set where it won’t get wet.”
“You’re like a one-woman production crew,” I comment, and she smiles.
“I’m waiting for Raven to hit it big, then I’m going to make a play for the manager position.”
I nod. “I’d hire you.”
She pulls on a pair of jean shorts and a cute sheer but flowy top. With flip-flops, obviously. I can tell Mia’s closed-toe shoes clock out when she does.
She grabs what appears to be a camera bag from her locker, and I hear the jingle of keys as they fall out onto the floor. The silver keyring flashes in the light, and I feel my breathing catch as I lean down to retrieve them, running my finger over the emblem for the Caldwell School of Art and Design. My hand tightens around the ring until I can feel the impression of the emblem in my palm, then I reluctantly hand them back to Mia. She sits down on the bench.
“These aren’t mine,” she says, staring at the floor.
“Oh,” I comment, hopefully more nonchalant than I feel. “Just leave them on the bench. Maybe someone will claim them.”
She shakes her head. “I know who they belong to. She’s just not here to get them.”
I swallow hard. “She’s off today?”
She shakes her head again. “She’s gone. Likegone, gone. Shit,” she curses, taking a deep breath and standing to pace up and down the wall of the small room. “They’re Paige’s.” She glances over at me. “Did you know she was my roommate? We only lived together for two months, but we were really close.”
“I’m sorry,” I reply. “She doesn’t sound like the type of person capable of everything the news is accusing her of.”
“She wasn’t. I don’t know what happened. I saw her that night, before she left. Both Evan and Natalie said she was drunk, but I never saw it. Paige didn’t drink.” She plops back down on the bench.
Fucking right. That’s what I thought. My heart pounds faster in my chest.
“Did you tell the police that?” I ask, sitting down beside her.
She nods. “I don’t think it mattered. It was almost like I was discredited because I was her roommate. Like I was trying to cover for her.”
I shake my head. “The news was pretty quick to paint her as the bad guy,” I admit.
Mia shrugs. “I always knew she had secrets. She would disappear sometimes. Hiding things when I walked into the room. I don’t know. Everyone has their own shit going on, I just dismissed it. Maybe I missed something, though. Something that could have changed everything.”
