by Hart, Rebel
This whole thing was planned. Someone had to have been waiting out there for him to make his move just so they could get the picture, and once they had it, they worked fast. Fast enough for it to have already been sent out by the time I made it back over to Emmett’s.
I’m convinced that Lily had to have been the one to take it. Why else would she be hanging around here right now, acting just as delusional as Malcolm? I want to interrogate them some more, but it’s obvious neither of them is going to own up to anything. But I am determined not to leave here until I have some sort of proof or explanation for Emmett.
My eyes dart across Malcolm’s expensive equipment, and it hits me. He has to have security measures in place to protect all of this stuff. All rich people spend just as much money on protecting their things as they do on the things themselves.
“Security cameras!” I shout. “You have cameras outside?” I grasp desperately at this last straw.
“What are you talking about?” he grumbles in annoyance.
“The footage would show who took the picture,” I insist. The two of them don’t move. I know it’s hopeless. They’re probably behind the photo, even if I can’t figure out why. Maybe Malcolm was just mad that I refuted his advance and decided to get revenge. Maybe he thought that once Emmett was out of the picture, I’d come running back to him. But I’m half-tempted to try and get a hold of the footage anyway. Just as I am inching towards the door to see if there are cameras, my phone rings. I hope it’s Emmett calling. Maybe he’s ready to listen to me. But it’s a number I don’t recognize.
“Excuse me. I have to take this,” I explain as I step outside, but I know it’s pointless. They could care less if I’m here right now or not. They’ve already had their fun, and at this point I’m just a source of entertainment. They’re enjoying watching me go mad as I try to figure all of this out.
I step out into the backyard of the main house, which happens to be Malcolm’s front yard, and answer the call.
“Ophelia, it’s me. Granger.”
“Coach Granger,” I answer apologetically. “Sorry I missed practice today…I…I wasn’t feeling well and…”
“Are you alone right now?” he cuts me off.
“Sort of,” I answer lightly, looking through the window to make sure Lily and Malcolm are still in sight on the couch. I quickly realize he’s not calling to yell at me about practice. “Coach, what’s wrong?”
“Where are you right now?” he snaps back urgently.
“Everything’s a mess,” I groan, not knowing where to begin. Where I am right now doesn’t feel as a simple question as it should be, but I try to get myself together. “I’m at Malcolm Henderson’s,” I say finally.
“Does he know you’re talking to me?”
“No, I don’t think so,” I reply, the concern in my voice growing at the panic in his. “I stepped outside to take your call.”
“I don’t have much time to explain,” he huffs. “I’m on my way there. But you have to be careful, Ophelia. Malcolm’s dangerous.”
My heart pounds. An asshole definitely, but it hadn’t occurred to me that Malcolm could be more dangerous than refusing to take no for an answer. But Coach Granger doesn’t sound like he’s playing around, not even a little bit.
“What do you mean?” I question with caution, keeping my eyes glued on them through the window. “Lily is here, too.”
“Don’t trust either of them,” he orders. I already didn’t trust them, but it’s becoming obvious that something much bigger than I realized is going on. “The reason I was away those few weeks…” he explains slowly, clearing his throat. “My son died.”
“Oh my god…Coach…I’m so sorry,” I gasp, my heart breaking for him and a lump in my throat. “I had no idea. That’s terrible!” I feel awful for not knowing this whole time, for not being able to offer my condolences in some way. “But I don’t understand,” I continue carefully. “Why are you telling me this right now?”
“He was a recovering addict, Ophelia,” he answers. “He relapsed and overdosed on heroin.”
“Heroin…” I trail off, making the instant connection between what Lily and Vivian did to me and what happened to Coach’s son.
“My son was doing better than ever,” he explains vehemently. “We were very close. I knew what the signs of a relapse were, and he showed none of them. I knew the Elites had to be behind it somehow because of the timing of it all. I just didn’t know how. Until you told me what Vivian and Lily did to you.”
“I believe you,” I offer immediately, needing to show him the same trust he showed me when I was in trouble at school. Ironically, those are also the same words I am longing to hear from Emmett right now. “You think they did the same thing to your son?”
“The stuff they found in his room around his body, Ophelia…it was all wrapped in a bow. Like someone planted it there just for him, knowing he wouldn’t be able to resist,” he illuminates chillingly. “After you told me what Vivian and Lily did, I called up a detective friend of mine and had him look into it. There was DNA on the items that matches two people from WJ Prep.”
“Lily and Vivian,” I announce confidently.
“No. Lily and Malcolm,” he corrects me.
“Why would Malcolm do that to your son?” I exclaim into the phone, quickly softening to a hushed tone so they won’t hear me inside.
“Ophelia, where are they right now?” he asks, the panic in his voice returning.
“They’re inside,” I reply. “I can see them through the window.”
“It’s not safe for you there, but I need you to try and make sure they don’t leave until I get there,” he instructs. “The police are on their way, and so am I. Can you do that for me? Without getting hurt?”
“I think so,” I say timidly. “I can try. But I don’t think either of them want to physically harm me…Just ruin my life.”
“No, they’re dangerous,” he reminds me. “Be very careful. I’ll be there as fast as I can.”
20
Chapter Twenty
I walk back inside trembling, trying to hide my fear. I feel stupid for not realizing how much danger I could be in when I charged in the first time, and I am still having a hard time believing what Coach Granger said.
I never knew Lily to be vicious until recently. Same with Malcolm. I knew when the old Elite gang was together, they were capable of some pretty monstrous things, but Lily and Malcolm were never a part of that. They were supposed to be the good guys. But now it appears as though they may be the worst ones out of them all.
“So…you never said what it was you were doing here exactly,” I say carefully to Lily as I shut the door behind me, wishing I could leave it open as a means of a quick escape. “I didn’t know you and Malcolm were friends.”
“What…you think you know everything about me just because we hung out a couple of times?” she shoots back coldly.
“Obviously not,” I mutter, clenching my fingers around my phone before slipping it into my pocket.
“Who were you talking to on the phone?” she asks in a sly, questioning tone.
“Oh…uh…it was my mom.” I laugh nervously. “Just wondering where I was.” It feels like the energy in the room has shifted, but I can’t tell if I’m just being paranoid. I swear they know that I know something, and I suddenly feel like a rat thrown into a snake’s cage. “Can I use your restroom?” I blurt, needing some kind of retreat to collect myself.
They say nothing, but Malcolm lingers behind me, vaguely waving his arm towards the back of the room. So, I direct myself to the door I saw Lily coming out of before. I brace my back against the door as I close it behind me, blowing sharp breaths from my cheeks as quietly as possible. My shaking hands reach for the faucet, turning on a rush of water on to drown out the sound of my panic attack.
I lean over the sink and splash some water on my face. My heart is breaking for Coach Granger. Even though Lily and Malcolm didn’t murder his son with their own hands
, what they did seems worse somehow. To plant his weakness in front of him wrapped in a bow. They just left it there and waited, letting him take care of the rest. Coach sounded confident that his son would have never relapsed on his own, had it not been for their little gift.
I swallow down the sickness rising in my chest and try to regain my composure. With one last deep breath, I flush the toilet and turn off the water. I reach for the door handle to go out, realizing I have zero plan for what to do until Coach Granger gets there.
I frantically try to wrap my brain around some sort of explanation for my lingering presence and to keep them occupied, when I am frozen at the sight of both of them lurking on the other side of the door, waiting for me to come back out.
“Hey,” I gulp innocently.
“Been talking to Coach Granger, huh?” Lily’s voice burns as I blindly feel for my pocket and realize my phone is gone.
“Looking for this?” Malcolm teases as he holds my phone up in the air. He must have grabbed it just as I was walking past to the bathroom.
I lunge forward to grab it back, which is pointless because it’s obviously too late. Lily pounces on me from behind and wrestles me to the ground as Malcolm swings his hand back, snatching the phone from my reach. I squirm as he joins in, helping her pin me to the ground.
I’m terrified of what might happen once I am fully restrained, but suddenly the front door bursts open, slicing through my fear. I expect to see the police or Coach Granger standing there, but I’m shocked to see Emmett instead. He freezes at the sight of them tackling me.
“Emmett, help!” I scream out as he rushes over.
Emmett pulls Malcolm back by the hair and punches him in the face with enough force to scare Lily off of me. Malcolm stumbles off to the other side of the room, holding his hand over his eye and cheek while I pull myself to my feet and cower behind Emmett.
“Coach Granger and the police are on their way here,” I announce over his shoulder. “They know all about what you two did.”
“Your girl has officially lost it, Emmett,” Lily sneers, trying to play innocent.
“What’s going on?” Emmett asks, looking at Malcolm like he could kill him.
“He found your DNA on the needles and drugs you gift-wrapped for his recovering son,” I explain. “It’s all over now. He knows what you did and can prove it. He’s on his way with the police!”
Lily and Malcolm are still before us like deer in headlights, but Malcolm quickly bolts for the door. Emmett chases after him but doesn’t catch up in time. I see him sprinting across the yard out of sight as Emmett quickly locks and blocks the door so Lily can’t escape.
“What’s all this about, then?” he asks as he instinctively guards the escape. He’s smart enough to know to act and then ask questions. I’m glad he still has at least this much faith in me. “What are you talking about?” he asks again.
“I told you someone made sure Coach Granger wouldn’t be around when things came to a head with the rest of the Elites,” I remind him. “They’re the ones who did it. They made sure his son would use again, and it’s the reason he died.” I watch his expression as he pieces it all together before turning back to Lily. “How could you do something like this, Lily? Why were you helping the Elites?”
A look of defiance comes over her for a moment, but it quickly fades. She knows I’ve talked to Granger and that I know everything. Emmett knows now, too, and the police will be here soon. She accepts that she’s been caught. Her eyes close, and then she turns to Emmett in desperation.
“I did it for you,” she cries softly in his direction.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” he thunders back.
“I’ve always loved you,” she sobs. “Ever since freshman year. You knew I had a crush on you.”
“What does that have to do with Coach Granger’s son?” I redirect her, growing impatient. If there’s any chance of getting a real explanation from her, it has to happen now, before the police show up.
“I don’t have to tell you anything,” she insists. “Malcolm promised nothing would happen to me.”
“He’s gone, Lily,” I remind her with a pitying, reprimanding stare. “He left you. He’s not going to help you.”
“I was furious with you and the Elites for ruining my chances for college,” she explains desperately. “And it was all your fault. All because I was stupid enough to try and help you and be your friend!”
I could never believe that those Elite monsters would stoop so low as to ruin Lily’s entire educational future just because she wasn’t in their good graces. It changed my entire view of the world, realizing that even the most prestigious institutions could be swayed by the right people in the right places. Nothing is sacred.
And now they have stooped even lower in the aftermath, reducing Lily to a love-raged murderer. She always seemed so bright and above all of the bullshit around here. But I guess maybe that was just an act. Maybe she was just trying to keep me close out of jealousy for Emmett.
I never realized how unhinged Lily was. To think she caused so much damage all because of me. “Why would you get mixed up in all of this, Lily?” I try to understand. “Emmett fixed your chance for that scholarship at Juilliard. But now that’s over with because of this. Why would you do that?”
“You did that for me, didn’t you?” she pleads with Emmett. “Because you love me, too?”
He shakes his head. “I’m sorry, Lily,” he says lightly, but with certainty. “No. I did that because I thought you were Ophelia’s friend. I was trying to make things right.”
I see her recoil, but something stays persistent. I don’t think she accepts his rejection any more now than she did freshman year. She has obviously been clinging to some hope of being with him ever since, refusing to admit that it was all just a cruel prank.
“I just wanted to make sure the Elites got away with whatever they had planned for you,” she continues. “I knew Coach Granger was the only one who would have helped you.”
“But I thought you cared about me…” I gape in shock. “You tried to help me! Why would you want the Elites to hurt me? Why would you risk ruining your own future just to get back at me?” I shake my head in disbelief. “Jesus, Lily. Because of you, his son is dead!”
“Because it’s not fair!” she screams through her tears. “I know Emmett had real feelings for me! Vivian just came along and fucked it all up! Made him turn on me!” she insists before reaching out to Emmett. “I thought if I just kept my head down and stayed out of the way, Vivian would eventually fuck off and you’d come back around. You’d realize that what you felt for me was real.”
“That was just a prank, Lily,” Emmett confirms with real remorse. “It was awful. I know. But I didn’t feel anything for you then.”
“Because Ophelia came along. Everything was fine before then. Everyone knew you were just with Vivian because of your families. You had no choice! It never would have lasted!” She flies into a mad and desperate rant. Her words spill out quickly, leaving no room for any other possibility. “But then you showed up and it was so obvious—the way you secretly fawned over him even when he treated you like shit!” she bellows at me. “And then I was stupid enough to help you and ended up right back as one of the Elites’ main targets. You ruined everything! I wanted to make sure they took you out of the picture for good!”
“So you helped kill someone!?” I shriek, wishing she could hear how crazy she sounds.
“I didn’t know he’d die!” she defends frantically. “It was Malcolm’s idea! I thought he would just start using again and Coach Granger would be distracted trying to help him. I hated him for being on your side. Emmett, college—everything—all ripped from my hands because of you!”
“Lily, I had no idea you felt that way,” I reply in astonishment. “You should have just talked to me.”
“I wanted to punish Coach for going against the Elites. Both of you act so above everything. Like you can do whatever you want,”
she says, shaking angrily. “Like you’re the only ones who can just ignore the way things work around here and get away with it. After everything they did to me and my family for not respecting the hierarchy of things!”
“But now you’re going to be investigated for murder, Lily!” I try to give her a reality check. “Just because you were angry with me.”
“That’s not all of it,” she persists. “I did it because I love you, Emmett. And I knew once she was gone, you’d finally come around to how you really felt about me. You do still feel the same way, don’t you? Isn’t that why you’re hanging around Vivian again? Because of me?”
Emmett’s eyes cut to mine with a knowing glance. We both know what he has to do. The sirens are wailing in the distance, but Lily is growing more frantic and anxious. He has to play along with her before she hurts herself or one of us. Or before she tries to make another run for it.
“Yes, Lily,” he sighs. “You’re right. I do love you. That’s the only reason I have been trying to spend time with Vivian. So I could be around you.”
“I knew it! I knew you felt the same way!” she shouts ecstatically as she throws herself into his arms. “Run away with me, Emmett! I can’t stay here and go down for this. You have enough money. We could go wherever we wanted to. Away from all this Elite bullshit. We could start all over again!”
He says nothing but cradles her, keeping his eyes glued to me the whole time. I wait pensively until I see Coach Granger and the cops surrounding us outside. They burst into the room, but Lily is so far gone she doesn’t seem to hear or see them. All she cares about is that Emmett just confessed his feelings for her and is finally holding her in his arms.
“She confessed to everything,” I announce, almost hating to ruin Lily’s delusional fantasy.
“I can prove it,” Emmett says as he pushes Lily over to the cops. He pulls his phone from his pocket and begins playing Lily’s recorded confession back to them. He must have clicked the recording on as soon as I said the police were coming.