They wanted details? What was I supposed to tell them? That the guy I liked was a vampire with a crazy family curse and because he liked me, my life was in danger? Or that a boy they’d known their whole life had been a witch practicing dark magic? Yeah, that wasn’t a conversation I wanted to have. In fact, just thinking about it had me laughing, and soon, I was giggling so hard I couldn’t catch my breath.
Ellie scowled at me in the rearview mirror. “What is wrong with you?”
“Nothing,” I gasped, clutching my stomach and doubling over.
Eventually, all three of them were laughing along with me even though they had no idea what was so funny. Finally, I managed to stop and compose myself.
“Seriously though,” Ellie said, wiping tears from her eyes. “I wanted tonight to be fun. Then Abby runs off with Isach, and you take off with Trent. This one over here,” Ellie hooked her thumb over her shoulder to point at Tonya, “spends the night making out with Luke. And then we’re run out of the party because you had a meltdown.” Her mouth formed an O as soon as she realized what she’d said.
All the humor was sucked out of me in an instant. I wasn’t going to talk about that anymore. Instead, I turned to face Tonya. “You were making out with Luke?”
“Yeah,” she said with a dreamy sigh. “He’s so nice.”
“Good for you.” I smiled, genuinely happy for her. Luke was a nice guy. And I was glad she wasn’t into Nick.
“He’s taking me out tomorrow night.” She grinned. “Chloe! We should totally double date.”
“Um… Yeah, I mean, I can ask Trent.”
Yeah, not gonna happen. Selfishly, I didn’t want to share my time with him this weekend—it might be the last I had with him.
“Wait, you two are really a couple now?” Ellie asked.
I shrugged, unsure what to say. We hadn’t really talked about being a couple, but I wasn’t sure what else we were, so it seemed easier to agree with Ellie’s assessment.
“Then Gina’s right.” Ellie smiled. “You need to give us details, girl.”
I was relieved Ellie wasn’t worried about me anymore, but I wasn’t thrilled that they wanted a confession about Trent. I couldn’t give it to them. Partly because I still didn’t know everything and mostly because he’d sworn me to secrecy. I’d tell them as much as I could without telling them all the weird vampire stuff.
The rest of the ride to Ellie’s house was filled with excited chitchat, and I prayed the remainder of the night would stay that way, too, that the focus would be on anything other than me and Trent. Or my horrific freak-out at the falls.
“Hi, girls. How was the movie?” Ellie’s mom greeted us as soon as we got inside.
My mom always used to wait up for me, too, and when I’d get home, I’d sit and tell her all about my night. Well, most of it.
“It was good,” Ellie said, shrugging. “Abby got sick though. She threw up all over the floor right in front of the concession stand. It was so gross.”
Mrs. Morrison frowned. “Is she still out in the car?”
“No. I drove her home. That’s another reason we’re late. Chloe’s going to drive Abby’s car home tomorrow.”
I listened with awe at how easily Ellie lied to her mom. Lying was a skill I didn’t possess.
“Oh, that poor thing.” Mrs. Morrison shook her head. “I should give her mother a call and make sure everything’s all right.”
Ellie’s eyes widened in panic, and she whipped around to look at me. If Mrs. Morrison did that, we were all busted.
“Uh.” I cleared my throat. “Actually, Aunt Beth, I mean, Abby’s mom, was asleep when we dropped her off. I took her inside and helped her into bed. Then I left a note for Aunt Beth.” This was why I didn’t lie. I sucked at it, and I fumbled over my words.
“Well, I don’t want to wake her. It is late.” Mrs. Morrison glanced at the time on the stove.
We were in the clear. For now. But if Mrs. Morrison decided to call Aunt Beth in the morning… The four of us were going to have to figure a way out of this one.
“Yeah, besides, Abby promised to call us first thing in the morning to let us know how she’s doing.” The smile returned to Ellie’s face. “You can talk to her mom then.”
“Okay.” Mrs. Morrison nodded. “All right, it’s late. You girls need to be getting up to bed. Please keep it down. Your father is sleeping and has to get up early tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Ellie gave her mom a kiss on the cheek and then led us upstairs. Once we were in her room, she closed the door and leaned against it, blowing out a heavy breath. “That was close.” She laughed. “Good save, Chloe.”
“I hope it works. Did Abby really say she’d call?” I asked.
“Yes,” Tonya said. “One of us should text her and explain what happened so when she calls the house tomorrow morning, she can lie and say her mom isn’t home or something. That way, Mrs. Morrison won’t be able to talk to her.”
“That’s a great idea,” I said.
It was so simple it might actually work. Of course, it all hinged on Abby keeping her promise, and knowing she was with Isach, it was very likely she wouldn’t. And then we’d all be in trouble. Abby would be in a lot more, though. Aunt Beth and Uncle Dean would totally freak out if they found out Abby spent the night with a boy. At least Abby was alive, though. The situation could have been a lot worse if everything I’d seen had been real.
“I can text her,” I said.
Aunt Beth had been able to have my old phone turned back on, and I was happy about that, but it was weird to be using it again after everything that had happened. The sparkly red case was familiar in my hands, though, and just having it made me feel a little closer to Mom. All my pictures of her were saved in my gallery.
I sent Abby a quick message, then said, “Dibs on the bathroom!”
After changing into my pajamas, brushing my teeth, and putting my hair in a braid, I settled into a sleeping bag on Ellie’s bedroom floor. She opted to sleep on the floor with the rest of us instead of in her bed, which was dumb, in my opinion. Her bed was uber soft, and the floor wasn’t.
When everyone else was settled, I looked at Tonya. “So, where’s Luke taking you?”
She shrugged. “He said something about driving to the city, but I doubt my parents will let me. We’ll probably go see a movie or something.”
“It’s not like there’s much to do in this stupid town,” Gina grumbled.
I laughed. “No kidding.”
“I bet you didn’t have this problem in Florida, did you?” Tonya asked.
“No. There was so much to do. And the theme parks weren’t that far away, so me and my friends would spend the day at the park hanging out. Not to mention all the malls. There was this one mall that had a huge arcade in it, took up almost an entire floor. It was great.”
“You are so lucky,” Tonya said wistfully. “I’d give anything to get out of this dead-end town.”
“It’s not so bad,” I said, surprising myself when I realized I meant it. The town itself wasn’t anything to brag about, but the people in it… They were pretty great. “I mean, honestly, I’ve made more friends since I’ve been here than I ever had in Florida.”
“Shut up.” Ellie laughed. When she noticed I wasn’t laughing with her, she turned serious. “Oh, you weren’t joking. I’m sorry. It’s just, you’re so nice. I can’t believe you weren’t the most popular girl in your school.”
“Nope.” I shook my head, refusing to let this conversation get me down. I did miss Florida, but only because that’s where I grew up. With Mom.
“For what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re here now.” Gina smiled.
“Me too,” I said.
“Okay, Chloe, it’s time to spill. Tell us about Trent,” Ellie said with a huge grin.
I groaned and covered my face with my pillow, but I couldn’t contain my smile. “I’m not sure what there is to tell. We got assigned to be partners on a history project, so we skipped scho
ol and—”
“You skipped school with Trent?” Tonya shrieked. “Chloe!”
I laughed. “What? It’s not that big of a deal. In fact, the day we skipped, we were working on our project. He took me to Roaring Brook Falls to—”
“Make out with you,” Gina said in a singsong voice followed by loud, obnoxious kissing noises.
“Or maybe he wanted to do more than make out.” Ellie gave me a dramatic wink.
“It wasn’t like that. We did some research and had lunch.” I was not going to tell them we’d been at his house, alone, because they’d never let it go. “Then he drove me home. No big deal.”
“Huh… So, when did things change?” Tonya asked as she lay down, tucking her arm under her head.
“A couple days later. I don’t remember exactly, but then he showed up at the party tonight, and now it’s official, I guess.” I glanced down at my sleeping bag and fiddled with the zipper.
I wanted to tell them everything so they could give me advice on how to handle it, but Trent’s warnings raced through my mind. I didn’t want to put anyone else in danger.
“Aww,” Ellie cooed. “I’m glad you two are a couple. You look good together. Oh! You should invite him to sit with us at lunch.”
“Okay.”
I had no idea if he would or not, but it couldn’t hurt to ask. Talking about him made me realize how much I missed him already. I’d just seen him an hour ago, but it felt like an eternity since I’d been with him. If only I was as brazen as Abby; then I’d be able to pull off a major lie and cover-up so I could spend the night with my boyfriend, too.
Boyfriend.
That word warmed me from the inside, sent tingles through my body. We sat up and talked for another couple of hours. Our topics ranged from boys to other girls in school to teachers we liked and hated to our personal lives. I learned so much about Ellie, Gina, and Tonya, and when the chatter started to die down, I was left with only one thought: I really liked these girls. They were like the sisters I never had but always wanted.
“I’m exhausted,” I said around a yawn. I lay down and yawned again. My eyelids became heavy and shut on their own volition. “Thanks for inviting me, Ellie.”
“Any time, Chloe.” Ellie yawned, then reached over and squeezed my hand.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX:
Secrets
I LAY AWAKE FOR A LONG while, my mind replaying the night and the conversation I’d had with Trent. Soft snores filled the room. I was surrounded by people I actually liked. And trusted.
Even though I had a small group of friends in Florida, they weren’t people I chose to get close to. It wasn’t that they weren’t nice—they were—but they all had perfect families and perfect lives, and I didn’t. Sure, I’d always been close with Mom, and I’d shared almost everything with her, but it wasn’t the same as having someone my age to share secrets with, to gossip about guys. And now, I finally had that.
“Chloe? Are you awake?” Ellie whispered.
“Yeah,” I whispered back. “Are you?”
She stifled a laugh. “I can’t sleep, and I’m starving. Want to get some food?”
“Yes.”
We tiptoed out of the room, careful not to wake Tonya and Gina. Ellie quietly closed her bedroom door and motioned for me to follow. The entire house was dark, and I trailed my hand along the wall so I wouldn’t lose my way. Once in the kitchen, Ellie flicked on the lights, and I squinted against the brightness.
“What’re you in the mood for?” She headed toward the fridge. “We have popcorn, chips and salsa, crackers…” She opened the freezer, pulled out a bag, and held it up victoriously. “Pizza rolls!”
“Yum.” I laughed.
She dumped the pizza rolls onto a plate and stuck them in the microwave. “Water or soda?” Her head was once again in the fridge as she rummaged around.
“Soda.” I took a seat at the table and tucked my foot under me.
Ellie handed me a can and then busied herself with piling every snack she could find on the table. “Should we wake Tonya and Gina? I feel bad leaving them alone in my room.”
“If it were me, I’d be angry if you woke me up to eat,” I said.
“I hate being woken up, too, especially for something stupid. Not that food is stupid. I love food.” Her face was animated as she bustled around the kitchen gathering paper plates and napkins and plastic silverware.
“Do you want help?”
“Nope.” She retrieved the plate of pizza rolls and placed it in the center of the table. Then she sat across from me. “Is this enough? There’s some ice cream in the freezer.”
“Seriously?” My eyes widened. “There’s enough food here to feed a small army. I think we’re good.”
She giggled. “I always overeat. It’s a miracle I don’t weigh a million pounds.” She filled her plate with food and dug into it.
We ate in silence for a few moments, and it was comfortable. The only other person whose silence didn’t make me feel awkward was Trent. “Thanks for inviting me.”
Ellie beamed a huge smile. “I’m so glad you came. I only wish Abby hadn’t bailed.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“Is she really okay? She hasn’t been acting like herself lately. I mean, I know she’s dealing with Rachel and Marc’s deaths, but…” She shrugged. “I don’t know. It seems like there’s more than that.”
My stomach churned, and I pushed my food away. “I don’t think there’s anything else wrong, but we really haven’t been talking much. I’ve been giving her space.”
“I’m just so used to seeing her happy all the time.”
“Me too.” I grabbed a chip and popped it in my mouth.
“It’s good that she has you, though. If you weren’t here, I think it would be a lot harder on her.” She reached for more pizza rolls. “I can’t believe I forgot the ranch dressing!” Getting the bottle from the fridge, she poured a generous amount on her plate. Dipping a pizza roll into the dressing, she took a bite, groaning. “So good.”
I laughed.
“I wish Nick would’ve asked me to dance with him tonight. I really like him.”
I frowned. “I meant to talk to him when he got there, but then Abby pulled me away. I promise to do it first thing Monday morning.”
“Thanks.” She took a long drink. “I should ask him to prom. If I’m still here…” Her voice dipped low, and she hung her head.
I adjusted in my seat, uneasy with her sudden change in demeanor. “What do you mean if you’re still here? Where would you go?”
“If I tell you something, promise not to tell anyone?”
“I won’t,” I promised. If she only knew how good I was at keeping secrets, she wouldn’t have even had to ask that question.
“I think my parents are getting divorced.” Her shoulders fell with her admission. “They don’t sleep in the same room anymore; they rarely talk to each other and when they do, it ends with an argument.” She swirled ranch dressing around on her plate. “And I heard my mom on the phone the other day talking to my grandma. She said getting married was cheaper than getting divorced.”
“Ellie.” I reached across the table and put my hand on hers. “I’m sorry. If it makes you feel any better, my dad walked out on me and my mom when I was seven. One night he was there, and then he wasn’t. He just disappeared. No note. No phone calls. To this day I don’t know where he is.” I pulled my hand back. “I know it’s not the same thing, but it’s not so bad having parents who aren’t married.”
“Thanks.” She gave me a grateful smile. “If they are getting divorced, I know my mom will expect me to stay with her, and all of her family is in Manhattan.” She scrunched up her face. “I don’t want to live in the city.”
“The city’s not so bad.”
“It is when you’ve lived in the country your whole life. I love it here. I don’t want to leave. All of my friends are here.”
“I felt that way about leaving Florida and coming here. I was
convinced it was going to be awful, but it’s not. Thanks to you.”
“See? That’s exactly my point. There’s not going to be anyone like me in Manhattan. I’ll be a total loser with no friends.” She sounded convinced of that fact, and her expression was so serious I couldn’t help but giggle. Soon, Ellie was giggling, too. “I don’t want to be a loser,” she said in between fits of laughter.
Taking a deep breath, I attempted to compose myself. “Look, I get it, probably better than anyone else, but I promise you, moving and having to make new friends is not the end of the world. Not even close.”
“I know. I guess I’m just… shocked. Like, how long are they going to wait to tell me? And will they give me a choice about where I want to live?”
“I hope they do,” I said, and I sincerely meant that.
“I don’t even know if I want to have a say in it. I mean, how do I choose between my mom and dad?”
“Trust me, you want to have a choice. I didn’t, and that sucked.”
“Can I ask what happened?” Her tone was soft, almost cautionary. “If you don’t want to tell me, that’s okay.” She frowned. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. That was rude.”
“No, it’s okay.” I swallowed hard. “It’s getting a little easier to talk about her.”
I only hoped I didn’t break down into a blubbering mess, but I was tired of carrying around the guilt of what I’d done, constantly having this secret hanging over my head. Right before I’d left Florida, the grief counselor had told me not to be afraid to unburden myself when I was ready. And I was finally ready.
I took a deep breath. “I killed her.”
Ellie’s gasp wasn’t unexpected, but it still stung. “You killed her?” she asked with disbelief.
I nodded. “It was a Friday night. My friends decided at the last minute to go out, and they invited me, after they were all already at the beach party.” I scowled, remembering how upset I’d been at them for only inviting me after the fact. Just more proof that I was never truly one of them. “I wanted to go, and Mom said it was okay, but she had the car. She promised she’d be home soon, but an hour later, and she still wasn’t home. So, I started blowing up her phone.”
Eternal Curse: (The Cursed Series, Book 1) Page 21