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It’s not even entertaining. It’s just boring.
Vienna sits down in the chair, kicking her feet up on the ottoman. “Yeah, Lake. Like, where the hell did you go? And why? We thought you went to some boot camp and were never coming home. Suddenly your mom calls us last week and says you’re coming back, and you’ll be staying with us. Like, what the fuck? Of course, we want you here, but we’re just shocked.”
I puff out a laugh, shaking my head. Of course, they wouldn’t even ask the girls, just directly tell them.
Also? Screw them for not wanting me in their house. I don’t want to be there, anyway, but still.
“What’s up, Lakyn?” Eloise asks, sitting down next to me, resting her hand on my knee. “You seem different.”
I let out a sigh, leaning back on the couch as the cushions mold around me. “I woke up the morning after…” I wince, and they follow suit. “My dad’s men came and shoved me into their car. No warning, no choice in the matter. I was just manhandled and brought across the country to go live with my weird aunt and uncle in Montana.”
Vienna shakes her head, her face screwing up in disgust. “Montana. That sounds worse than fucking boot camp. What the hell is there to even do in Montana?”
My mind plays memories of nothing but grass, mountains, and trees. And a shit ton of animals.
“I literally did nothing. They made me work the entire time, and if I wasn’t working, I was doing schoolwork, so I didn’t fall behind.” I lift my head, narrowing my eyes. “They didn’t say anything about where I was?”
Posie laughs. “They said nothing except you were gone and won’t be back anytime soon. Any time we tried to figure out where you were, it was like hitting a brick wall. I even had my mom call your house to get some information, and she got hung up on.” Posie’s jaw clenches, and I feel the same. “Your parents are fucking bitches, Lakyn.”
I rub my hands down my face, wondering how tomorrow at dinner is going to go. “I just can’t believe I wasted almost an entire year of my life sitting in a fucking cabin and cleaning up horse shit.”
Eloise’s eyes widen as she shakes her head. “I don’t know how you did it. I wouldn’t have survived.”
I shuffle to the side, kicking my feet up on the couch and tucking them under Eloise’s legs. “Enough about my terrible half of the year. Tell me everything.”
The air grows stiff.
My brow furrows. “What?”
Posie sticks her nails into her mouth, biting on the edges. “I mean, what are you asking?”
“Don’t act stupid, Pose, tell me what the fuck happened after that night.”
“A bunch of interviewing and investigating that led to nothing but dead ends. It’s still an open case,” Vienna says, pulling out her ponytail. She shakes her hair free, the blonde tresses slightly wavy.
My lips pop open. “Interviewing? Like, you guys got interviewed?”
Eloise winces. “We all did. Multiple times.”
I gasp. “What?”
They’re all silent, and it puts me on edge. “What the hell aren’t you telling me?” I ask them.
Eloise turns toward me fully, her face twisted in distress. “There’s something you should know.”
I watch her uneasy face, how she looks like she’s in physical pain. I slip my feet out from under her legs, standing up until I’m facing all three of them, crossing my arms across my chest. “Tell me.”
Vienna leans forward. “A lot of people think it was you, Lake. Like, a lot.”
My eyes widen into saucers. “What?! Me? How? Why?”
“Because you were fucking him and then he died, and you disappeared. People pointed fingers.” She takes a deep breath as she leans forward. “A lot of fingers.”
I take a step back, my ears ringing, my heart nearly thumping from my chest.
“Fuck,” I whisper.
“Did you learn any anger coping tactics in Montana?” Posie asks sarcastically, knowing I’m the least levelheaded out of all of us.
