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I cut my eyes to her, knowing she’s making a joke, but not finding it funny. I mean, fucking really? The entire town thinks I killed Zane?
Yeah, I’m at fault, but I didn’t do it on my own. I didn’t want to kill him.
“This is fucking bullshit!” I scream, my chest growing hot with anger.
Posie knows me. They all know me. I’m short-tempered, and I can’t deny it. And hearing shit like this? It turns me from zero to one hundred really quick.
“I need to go unpack. Where’s my room?” I don’t want to freak out on my friends, even though they had nothing to do with the situation. They aren’t at fault, and I know they weren’t pointing fingers. But it still sucks that it happened with a group of people, yet I’m the only one that gets the fucking flag.
“Am I going to go to prison?” I ask them, my voice squeaking on the end.
Posie stands up. “No, you aren’t. Whatever your parents did made the feds back off. It’s just a cold case now. No one is even talking about it anymore.”
I take a deep breath. Good.
“Go ahead and unpack, Lakyn. Maybe take a shower while you’re at it. You smell foul.” Eloise’s nose wrinkles as she shoves off the couch. “But tonight, we’re getting together with the guys.”
Both elation and hesitation ricochets through my body. My boys.
I miss them, yet I’m still angry with them. With every one of them. For what happened, for what they put me through.
“I don’t know if I want to see them,” I say, picking at my fingers.
Pick, pick, pick.
Vienna laughs. “You don’t have a choice, Lakyn. They’ve been planning this since we found out you’re coming home. You’re not getting out of it.”
I sigh, my head dropping in a nod. I should’ve known. My boys don’t back down easily. If they want something, they’ll do it.
“I’ll show you your room.” Posie nods her head toward the hallway, and I follow behind her, grabbing my suitcase before we head up the stairs. The hall splits into two directions. Posie points toward the left. “Down there is Eloise’s and Vienna’s bedrooms.” She nods toward the right. “Our bedrooms are down this way.”
There’s gothic-themed artwork decorating the wall, a large, antique wooden mirror hanging in the center, the carvings of wood detailed and spectacular. A black chaise lounge sits below it, with a pillow that saysI biteon the end. I know this was all Posie’s doing. We’re the most alike. Both a little crazy.
“I like what you did with the place, Pose.”
She glances over her shoulder, smiling at me. “I knew you would.” She points to the left. “This is my room. She shoves the door with her toe, and the door squeaks as it slides open. I peek inside, seeing a contrast of both light and dark throughout. Large green plants sit on her windowsill, and a gray tapestry hangs on one wall.
“And this…” She keeps walking, turning toward the right. “Is your room.” She shoves it open, and my eyes widen when I see most of the things from back at my parents’ house. Everything is even rearranged how it was back at their house, to the point this feels a little creepy. “George brought most of your stuff over late last week, so it’s been ready for you.”
I step through the doorway, dropping my backpack on the ground as I walk toward my old bed, with the same bluish gray comforter. My dark green dresser sits up against the wall, and my cream rug lays on my floor, in the exact same position it did at home.
“Wow. They really wanted me out of their house.” A pang hits my chest, and I bring the heel of my palm up to rub away the ache. I know my parents love me, but they’ve never really shown it. They’re cold, calculated, and would choose their political career every day of the week over hanging out with me. It’s how it’s always been, and it’s how it’ll always be.
“The bathroom is down the hall if you want to take a shower. Vienna said we’re leaving around six, so that gives you a few hours to get ready and relax a bit.”
I nod, my eyes still focused on my room.
“Hey, are you okay, Lake?” she asks softly.
I turn around, blinking at her. “I don’t really know, Posie. It’s just a lot to take in.”
She steps forward, and her small arms wrap around my waist as she pulls me in for a hug. “Don’t worry about your parents, and don’t worry about school. Classes start back up next week, and people are going to be focused on all the new drama and barely care about what happened last year.”
My chest rattles with unease. “Yeah, I hope so.”
She smiles, letting go of me and taking a step back into the hall. “It’s going to be all right, Lakyn. I promise.”
I smile at her retreating form, wishing I could feel even an ounce of her confidence.
