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“Yes, of course.” She sat up straight and took a deep breath. “You’ll let us know if you hear from Amerie at all?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I will.”
I met Piper at the front door, and we headed out to the car in a tense silence. We drove in silence too, with me gripping the wheel tightly and clenching my jaw while Piper gazed out of the passenger window.
When we pulled into the school parking lot, she finally turned to look at me. “I can’t believe Amerie is really gone,” she said in a low voice.
“Me neither.” I turned off the car and stowed my keys in my pocket. “Do you have any idea where she might’ve gone?”
“I know exactly where she is,” Piper muttered, turning to look out the window again.
“Where?” I asked, heart thudding painfully fast.
She looked back at me, lips parting slightly as her eyes flashed. I could sense she was on the precipice of making a decision. She wasn’t sure if she should jump and risk all the possible danger or keep quiet and remain safe up on the ledge.
“Piper?” I said in what I hoped was an encouraging tone. “Where do you think Amerie went?”
Her gaze dropped to her lap. “Howland,” she said. “That’s where all her old friends are. She’s probably on a bus there right now. Or hitching a ride.”
Goddammit.
I had to keep her talking. Had to make her open up all the way.
“Hey.” Face softening, I lay a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I really should’ve asked earlier. How are you doing with all this stuff?”
She bit her bottom lip. “I don’t know,” she muttered. “Everything’s so fucked up.”
“Yeah, I noticed you’ve been stressed. Even before all this shit with Amerie happened,” I said, pulling my hand back. “I mean, that thing last night… it was crazy. I didn’t know you had nightmares like that.”
“It was the first time.” Her voice was wobbly now, and I knew I’d struck a nerve. “It was so real.”
“But it was just a dream, right?” I said, raising my brows. “You don’t think someone was actually in your room?”
“I don’t know. Maybe,” she murmured. She lowered her eyes to her lap as she spoke, trembling hands twisting on her skirt.
I could tell she was teetering once more on the cliff’s-edge of a decision. So close to breaking down and telling me everything. She just needed a little push.
“Piper.” I leaned closer and put a hand on her knee. “I meant what I said the other day. At your locker.”
She bit her bottom lip, eyes lingering on my hand. “What did you say?”
“That I think you deserve better than all this shit,” I said, gently rubbing her leg. “I said it because I care about you. So if you need to talk about anything, I’m here. Everything you say stays between us.”
Flirting with Piper was a low-down, dirty trick that made me feel like hurling, but I knew it was probably the most effective tool I had in my arsenal for someone like her. She was like most of the other girls at school. They wanted me—that much was obvious from the lusty expression in their eyes whenever they looked at me—but they never made a play for my affections because they were scared of rejection. Instead, they sat back and waited for me to notice them. Waited for me to make a move.
“There is something,” Piper finally said, voice scarcely above a whisper. “But I can’t talk about it.”
I plastered on a sympathetic expression again, looking her right in the eye. “I swear, I won’t judge you.”
Her lips twisted. “I really can’t say anything.”
“You can.”
“Do you promise you won’t tell anyone?” she said in a reluctant tone. ”No matter how crazy it sounds?”
“I promise. I just want to help you.”
Piper buried her face in her hands and shook her head. “No, I shouldn’t say anything. I really shouldn’t.”
