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Ice cream makes everything better.
Clicking on the picture that’s attached, I smile at the photo of her with Kingston sitting on her lap, him holding an ice cream cone, the two of them grinning at the camera. The stitches above his brow are so delicate they wouldn’t be noticeable if it weren’t for the bruise that accompanies them.
“Shit, she’s got you smiling at your phone,” Miles mutters, and I click the side of my cell, turning the screen dark.
“Don’t be a dick.” I send a glare his direction.
“Just saying it’s nice to see you happy.” He grins, and my chest gets tight, because fuck me, I am happy, and that scares the shit out of me. “Is Kingston feeling better?”
“He and Miranda are out getting ice cream.”
“Ice cream makes everything better,” he mutters, and I shake my head.
“Heads up.” He nods past me, and I glance out the window as kids begin to flood out through the doors of the school.
It takes a while for Carrie to appear, and when she does, she’s alone, head down, baggy jeans dragging on the sidewalk, and backpack so heavy she’s hunched over from the weight. When she begins to walk toward the road, my hand goes to the key in the ignition but hovers there when I see two girls in cheer outfits approach her.
Dr. Marvin Harvey, the principal at the high school, gave us a list of students a month ago when we asked him about anyone who had regular contact with Kristen, and both Livy and Isabel were on it. Unfortunately, he didn’t know that Kristen had a falling out with both girls last school year when Kristen started, wearing darker makeup, dressing differently, and hanging with Carrie.
When we spoke to the girls, they were visibly shaken by the recent news that Kristen had been murdered and immediately jumped to the conclusion that Carrie had something to do with it. When we asked them why they thought that they told us Carrie was into witchcraft and worshiped the devil because she wore a pentagram necklace.
“Shit,” I mumble when I see Livy push Carrie, who visibly pales as the girls say something we can’t hear.
“I’ll go.” Miles hops out of the truck and looks both ways before he jogs across the street toward the school.
As I watch him approach the girls, Carrie looks surprised to see him, but Livy and Isabel almost appear… gleeful? Hitting the button for my window, it rolls down, and I listen but can’t hear shit between the traffic and the sound of kids messing around after being set free after a day of having to keep quiet. When Miles places his hand on Carrie’s arm as he talks to Livy and Isabel, their shoulders slump, and a couple of seconds later, they turn and walk off, their ponytails bouncing behind them. Turning toward Carrie when the girls are out of earshot, I see him jerk his chin my way, and she looks in my direction before nodding and dropping her eyes to her feet.
“Fuck,” I mutter to myself when the two of them start across the street toward my truck. Opening the back door for her, he waits until she’s inside, and I look at her in the rearview mirror when she’s seated, but she keeps her eyes on her lap.
“We’re gonna take her home,” Miles says, getting in, and it’s on the tip of my tongue to say something sarcastic, but I bite it back.
“Everything okay, Carrie?” I ask as I pull out into traffic.
“Yeah,” she murmurs, and I glance over at Miles, and he shakes his head.
Our plan today was to follow her on her walk home, keep out of sight, and see if she stopped to visit anyone on the way. With that plan now gone to shit and her now going to be on the lookout for us in the future, we are fucked.
“Are you going straight home?”
“Yes,” she answers quietly, and I head in the direction of her apartment, which is only a couple of blocks from the school. When we arrive, I scan the lot for Miranda’s car, and its nowhere in sight, so she’s probably still out with Kingston.
Parking, I look over at Miles when he starts to speak.
“So, what happened with those girls today?” he asks her, and I look at her in the rearview mirror.
“I didn’t tell Isabel I was going to kill her, if that’s what you’re asking,” she says, her voice tight like she’s trying not to cry. “They are…” She snaps her mouth shut and looks out the window.
“They’re what?” I ask gently.
“Mean. Everyone thinks they’re so nice, but they’re not.”
“Why did Kristen and they fall out?” Miles asks, and she drags in a breath before she looks his way.
“I don’t know. She never told me. They were all friends, then Kristen started having lunch with me, and….” Her chin wobbles. “At first, I thought she was playing a game, you know? Trying to be nice to me, only to be mean, but she wasn’t.”
