by Chris Bedell
“I left early because of a migraine,” Kelly said.
Rebecca lowered her jaw. “Okay. But what about the bookend?”
“I washed off the blood from it,” Kelly said. “Anyway, about that. I’m more concerned about us sticking to your Snowflake Ball alibi no matter what.”
“Wait. Have you seen what’s on the flash drive?” Dan asked.
“Yes, I know about Gemma and Tommy.” Kelly threw a gaze at Mallory, then coughed. “But I’m serious. You guys have your entire lives ahead of you, and don’t need to be boggled down by one mistake.”
“What are you gonna do if the police get a warrant to search your house?” Rebecca asked. “As you just stated, Tommy and Mallory were dating.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Kelly said.
“What if someone saw you in the woods at the park that night?” Rebecca asked.
“Nobody was around. Anyway, enough questions, so get back to class,” Kelly said.
BEFORE
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2018
The knot in my stomach grew while I sat at my desk in baking class.
Everyone else but me somehow partnered up. Well, almost everyone. A girl with jet-black hair extending a few inches below her shoulders remained in her seat, several desks away from me.
She cocked her head. “Partners?”
“Sure, Gemma.” I rose, then followed her into the kitchen, which extended from the classroom.
Yup. No reason to be stubborn. If the universe gave me an easy solution, then I’d take it. Nothing bad would happen from working with Gemma—even if she was Tommy’s sister. Tommy’s “abandonment” and disappearance was another thing I had to live with.
Gemma grinned a couple of minutes later while all the ingredients remained on the kitchen counter. “Wanna do the eggs?”
“Sure,” I said, nodding.
“Great. I’ll measure the flour, sugar, and oatmeal.”
“Sounds like a plan.” I grabbed an egg from the carton to the right of me. Then, I cracked it against the metal mixing bowl before repeating the action.
Perfect. Not so much as one bit of eggshell littered the bowl.
She played with a strand of her hair. “You’ve gotta stir the eggs, genius.”
“Sorry.”
“Relax. I was teasing.”
I grabbed a whisk and stirred the eggs. After that, Gemma mixed the flour, sugar, and oatmeal with the eggs while I lined the tray with aluminum foil. Having the oatmeal cookies stick to the tray was the last thing we needed. There was nothing like cookies that broke when lifting them off the tray.
“And now we wait,” Gemma said a couple of minutes later.
“We should be careful not to overcook the cookies. Most recipes overdo it with the suggested bake time.”
“I know. This isn’t my first-time cooking.”
My mouth opened, yet words escaped me. There was no right response to Gemma, because a part of me wondered if she wasn’t joking about subtly giving me a hard time. I couldn’t imagine what her life might’ve been like since July. The not knowing if Tommy was alive or dead must’ve been the worst part. If he was dead, then she’d have an answer. But no. The universe had other plans, as if Gemma was another doll for it to play with.
She giggled. “You don’t have to treat me like I’m fragile.”
“Come again?”
“I’m coping in light of Tommy.”
“I wasn’t thinking about Tommy,” I said.
Gemma gave me a look. “Yeah, you were, and it’s okay. I haven’t forgotten your history with him.”
“I don’t wanna discuss Tommy.”
She bit her lip. “Deserting you was cruel.”
I forced a laugh. “Shouldn’t you take his side?”
“Being related to him doesn’t mean liking everything that a person does. It’s no secret I wasn’t crazy about his relationship with Mallory.”
There it was again. The universe forcing me to think about Mallory. It wasn’t as if I didn’t already replay the image of Mallory and Archie kissing in town the other day dozens of times in my mind like a masochist.
I quirked my eyebrows. “Why would you be jealous of Mallory? You’re one of the most popular girls in school.”
“Popularity isn’t everything, and I still wanna kill Tommy for ditching you for the cool kids—in addition to that other thing he did.”
“What? Did you wish you had a boyfriend?” I asked.
Gemma clutched her moon-shaped pendant attached to the necklace looped around her neck. “Something like that.”
“There’s something that I wanted to ask about Tommy.”
“Go for it.”
“Wait. Chatting about Tommy isn’t too difficult for you?” I demanded.
“It’s nice—I’d hate to forget about him. Anyway, you were saying?”
“He didn’t cut me off because I came out, did he?”
The warm sugary scent from the oven wafted through the air, and my stomach grumbled. I felt as excited for those cookies as a little kid on Christmas morning waiting to open presents.
“No.” Gemma released the pendant from her palm, and it smacked against her chest. “He was just superficial. We have a gay cousin, and he was supportive of him.”
A guy from across the room glared at me. In fact, the look surpassed any scowl Mom gave me when I disappointed her. So, yeah. The tightness in my stomach returned. Just because Archie was in my baking class didn’t mean I enjoyed said fact. Especially since punching a pillow appealed to me. I wouldn’t have let my pride get the better of me in a perfect world and would’ve just been with Archie regardless of how Mallory chased him first.
“What was that about?” she asked.
“It’s complicated.”
Gemma snorted. “Let me guess, it’s about Archie and Mallory.”
“How’d you know?” I asked.
“I’ve seen them around school a couple of times.” Gemma sucked in a breath. “You’ve gotta be very careful—Mallory can’t be trusted. She’s poison, and Tommy shouldn’t have isolated himself to please her. That’s the least of my concerns, though.”
I cracked my knuckles. “What do you mean?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Mallory had something to do with whatever happened to Tommy,” Gemma said. “Disappearing within a couple days after they spent the Fourth of July together sounds fishy.”
“You must be mistaken.” My pulse drummed in my ears. No matter how low my opinion of Mallory was, I wouldn’t accuse her of murder. She couldn’t have the constitution for killing in light of how worked up she became over our drama.
“I’m not. If there’s one thing I learned, it’s that anything is possible,” Gemma said.
The oven chimed.
Gemma turned the oven off, and she shoved her hands into the mitts. Then, she took the cookies out.
Her warning kept ringing in my mind. Gemma hadn’t danced around an accusation, she actually made it.
So, yeah. Gemma might not have been completely wrong. Mallory pursued Archie just to hurt me, so there was no telling what she might’ve been capable of. However, I still circled back to my previous point. There was a big difference between scheming and killing. Even if the maniacal look in her eyes when she eavesdropped on my first conversation with Archie remained etched in my mind.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTMBER 26, 2018
Before first period, someone tapped my back after I finished taking a drink from the water fountain.
I whipped my body around. “What do you want, Archie?”
He pressed his hands together. “We’ve gotta talk.”
“We don’t have anything to discuss. You’re with Mallory.”
“That’s why I had to find you.”
Archie was gonna have to get to the point ASAP. It wasn’t like I had unlimited time—especially if he was gonna rub his relationship with Mallory in my face. I had more self-respect than to place myself in a position where I contemplat
ed whether being superficially polite was worth it.
“I don’t understand,” I said.
“Mallory broke up with me.”
“Why would she do that? She lives for hurting me because she can’t get over me not liking her.”
“Not this time.” Archie beamed his eyes at me. “Mallory knows what she did was wrong and has set me free.”
“You’re lying.”
Archie chuckled. “Go ahead. Find Mallory.”
No thanks. If I had to choose between associating with Archie and Mallory, I’d choose Archie. I wouldn’t have wanted anything to do with Mallory if she rescued me from a burning building.
“So, what?” I asked. “Are we just gonna be together?”
“We could if you want.”
I didn’t respond. Instead, I scratched an itch on the side of my head. The universe couldn’t have handed me a gift. Things didn’t happen that easily—even if I intellectualized how I deserved to be happy.
“I’m not angry you were too scared to be with me after you first exposed Mallory’s deception,” Archie continued.
“How do I know Mallory won’t pull something again?” I asked.
Yup. Anyone could say the right thing, but whether Mallory would follow through with her promise was another story. It wasn’t like Mallory swore on her mom or dad’s grave or on Kelly’s life.
Archie swallowed. “You’re right—there are no guarantees. But you can’t live your life in fear.”
“I know, I know.”
His cheeks turned bright red while he gritted his teeth. “I’m also sorry for mentioning your father. That wasn’t fair of me.”
“Thank you for apologizing.”
“Please consider giving us another chance.” Archie tugged my arm, pulling me against his body. Then, he pressed his lips against my right ear. My pulse soared. I was so close to getting what I wanted, yet I couldn’t shake the feeling of my happiness imploding at a moment’s notice. When I experienced events such as Dad dying, Mallory’s betrayal, or my romantic disappointment with Archie, there was no apologizing for my taking the cautious approach. I was my best advocate.
So, I shoved my skepticism aside despite almost dashing away from Archie. Archie and I stole a glance for the longest time before kissing, even though we were in the school hallway.
Archie’s hands drifted from my cheeks to the sides of my head, digging into my hair.
Yeah. Regardless of what the future held, Archie and I would always have this memory. No harm would come from prioritizing my own happiness and tuning out the rest of the world for one fleeting moment.
FRIDAY, SEPTMBER 28, 2018
I sat at one of the tables outside in front of my high school’s main entrance, eating lunch.
A slight drizzle pattered against the ground, yet the weather wasn’t my biggest priority in life. Minor rain wasn’t the end of the world when bigger issues lurked in the back of my mind. Like with Gemma implicating Mallory in whatever happened to Tommy, Archie wanting another chance, or whether Mallory would cause more problems for Archie and me if we reunited.
Footsteps shuffled against the sidewalk, then I lifted my gaze. Great. I so wanted to deal with Mallory.
Mallory cackled. “You’ve always been a morbid person.”
I stood. “I thought you were trying to be a good girl.”
“It’s only an observation.”
“What do you want?” I asked.
“You should try again with Archie. You deserve happiness,” Mallory said.
“Interesting.” I towered over Mallory—as if false bravado would make this conversation easier. “You could be setting me up only to knock me down. I’m not stupid regardless of how much you hate me.”
She huffed out a sigh. “I don’t hate you.”
“Could’ve fooled me. You seemed pretty proud of yourself for using Archie to hurt me.”
“That was wrong of me, and I wish I could take it back.”
“Give me one reason to trust you.”
The trees rattled in the wind while Mallory gave me a blink. Perfect. Her silence inspired confidence, and I was wondering if Mallory was figuring out how to continue whatever charade she planned.
“I’ve got nothing to gain by talking to you.” She grabbed a hair tie from her jacket. Then, she ran her fingers through her hair, and placed it in a ponytail. “Not if you’re just gonna bite my head off. Besides, you aren’t the one I wanna hurt.”
I smirked. “Let me guess. Gemma is your target?”
Her jaw shook. “What do you know about her?”
“She has a lot to say about you.”
Mallory gripped my hand, and my wrist almost ached. “Tell me everything.”
“Let go of me.”
“I’m sorry—I shouldn’t have grabbed you. That was wrong of me,” Mallory said. “But please answer my question.”
My gaze narrowed. “She’s suspicious of you, so I’d be careful.”
“What are you talking about?”
“She thinks you had something to do with Tommy vanishing.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Mallory touted. “Gemma is probably starting trouble to further drive a wedge between us.”
There she was. If Mallory wanted me to believe her—even for a moment—then she’d have to continue inflecting the same confidence she just had. Because if Mallory didn’t believe what she was saying, then she couldn’t expect me to buy her response.
“You’ve got that covered,” I said.
“Ouch.”
“I want you to promise me you aren’t pulling something with Archie wanting to get back together with me,” I said.
Her eyebrows knitted. “I’ll do you one better.”
“Excuse me?” I asked.
Mallory put her hands on her hips. “Do you hate me so much that you’d give up an opportunity to be happy just to spite me?”
Damn. No matter how close I came to cursing Mallory out, I couldn’t say she was wrong—she wasn’t. If I wanted to be happy, then I had to ignore the rest of the world like I did when Archie and I had our PDA in the school hallway.
I was about to sit at the table when Mallory hollered at me. “If you’re going to believe one thing, then believe my warning about Gemma,” she said. “You can’t trust her.”
“Sure. Whatever you say,” I said.
“I’m serious.”
“I’m gonna need more than conjecture if you want me to believe you.”
Mallory lowered her head. “It’s better if you don’t know.”
Okay. For a second, I almost believed Mallory. Her hatred of Gemma was something that didn’t make sense faking, yet the possibility of Mallory’s dishonesty loomed in the back of my mind. There was just no telling what I’d get with Mallory—one day she’d be my best friend, and the next she’d put a knife in my back.
So, tension existing between Gemma and Mallory was the only thing I could be certain of. I’d figured out what their bad blood was, though. Having leverage over Mallory was nothing to scoff at.
I almost kicked myself, though. I was no closer to figuring out what I’d do about Archie. Whether I liked the truth or not, I was the one who had to decide what Archie meant to me—not anyone else.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2018
I scurried through the hallway, heading to cafeteria, only to bump into Gemma.
“My bad,” I said.
She pulled her backpack strap higher. “Don’t worry; I’m not Mallory. I’m not gonna criticize you for an accident.”
I let out a small laugh. “Good to know.”
“Looking forward to baking class today?”
“Yeah, making apple pie will be nice. Although I’m bummed, we won’t have time to try it till tomorrow.”
“Some things are worth waiting for.”
“Patience is overrated,” I said.
She elevated her eyebrows. “Someone’s feeling frisky.”
“I’m sorry. I’ve got a lot on my mind.”
“Care to discuss it?” she asked.
“I don’t wanna burden you—it’s my problem to figure out.”
Gemma frowned. “You aren’t a burden, Chad, and don’t let anyone tell you that.”
How considerate of Gemma to take any interest in my life. We were only classmates, and she didn’t owe me anything. Especially since Tommy and I stopped being friends a long time ago. Wait. Perhaps Tommy caused Gemma’s curiosity into my life.
Whatever. No harm in confiding in Gemma. I might even gain new insight by talking to someone who was neutral. No offense to Rebecca, Dan, or Mom, but they weren’t exactly objective. Unlike Gemma, they had a vested interest in my happiness, because they could only deal with me moping around for so long.
“It’s Mallory,” I mumbled.
“Yeah, she inspires misery.”
“I’m serious, she was pretty determined about me giving Archie a second chance.”
“What’s the problem?” Gemma asked. “Archie’s hot, and anyone would kill to date him.”
“It feels so convenient.”
Gemma took a sip of water before responding. “Has anyone told you never to sabotage your own happiness?”
“It would be different if Mallory never tried to hurt me before,” I said.
“True. But I doubt Archie would hurt you.”
She had a point. Archie didn’t have a reason to hurt me—I hadn’t done anything to him. And he probably wouldn’t wait around forever. I of all people should’ve known. I wouldn’t have been able to wait the rest of my life for someone to decide if they wanted to be with me. Doing so would’ve just wasted a lot of time.
“I’m probably overthinking the situation as usual,” I said.
She squeezed my hand. “Don’t punish yourself—caring is a good thing. Just don’t let things fester too long.”
“Have you considered being a therapist?” I asked.
“Never. That’s the one thing I wouldn’t have patience for.”
“Don’t underestimate yourself,” I said.
A couple of girls sporting matching Gucci dresses clipped by us and were soon out of sight. Wow. How nice it must’ve been to be the Jameson twins. They were juniors like Mallory, Dan, Gemma, Rebecca, and me in addition to how their mother was related to the Vanderbilt family. So, what they wanted, they got.