“I’m glad you’re awake,” Winter said, placing a hand on Gabi’s leg.
She was attached to monitors that beeped continuously, rows of wires protruding from her hands and arms leading to clear bags of liquids that dripped and dripped.
“We’ve missed having you on the team,” I said, finally clearing my voice and speaking up. “It’s not the same without you. But don’t worry, we’re holding your spot for when you’re ready to come back.”
Dakota knocked on the doorframe, but didn’t step inside the room, probably afraid to break the nurse’s rules. Amanda stood behind her. “The time is almost up,” she said, her eyes focused on Gabi in the bed.
Gabi looked over at Dakota too, then her eyes darted back to us.
“Bye, sweetie. I can’t wait for you to come home,” Lauren said, leaning forward to kiss Gabi on the forehead.
Winter and I said our goodbyes too, then started to shuffle out so we could give Dakota and Amanda some time with her.
“Mm. Mm.” I froze, turning back to look at Gabi. She was pressing her tongue against her lips, struggling to say something to us.
We all rushed over to her side, even Dakota and Amanda, despite the three-visitor rule.
“Mm. Mm,” Gabi tried again, her eyes wide. I noticed the fingers on her hands were curling, trying to clutch the blankets. Was she afraid?
“Y-you,” she spat out, her eyes moving back and forth. They stopped on me.
“I-it w-was you,” she said finally. “Y-ou d-did this t-to m-me.”
My own eyes widened. Was she saying I’d caused her injuries?
Suddenly, she was coughing and choking, the beeping sounds on her monitors picking up speed. Then the nurse rushed in the room, telling us to get out. Our visit with Gabi was over.
Chapter Forty
“Why would she say that to us?” Lauren demanded.
We were standing outside the hospital now, the air cool and crisp despite yesterday’s hot weather.
“I don’t know,” I said, shaking my head, still trying to process what had happened.
“Maybe she holds us responsible,” Winter said quietly. “She resents us for being okay while she’s not.”
Dakota was quiet, chewing her lower lip. “Are we sure that’s what she even said?”
I rolled my eyes. “Of course it was! We were all there. We all heard it. She almost looked…scared.”
“Why would she be scared of us?” Amanda asked, almost looking angry.
I shook my head. “I don’t know, but let’s let her rest. When she gets better, she’ll tell us. Maybe she’s just upset, or maybe her brain isn’t working right, although I hope that’s not the case…the doctor did say they weren’t sure of the extent of the damage…”
We all stood there in the parking lot, unsure what to say or do next.
“All I know is that we need to stick together now, guys. We’ve all pointed fingers, maybe Gabi is too. We can’t let the sociopath win this time,” Winter said.
Easier said than done, I thought, images of all that had happened in the last two years flashing before my eyes. Maybe they should just close it down.
Amanda’s phone was ringing and she walked away from our group to answer. “It’s Jordan,” she mouthed, looking at me. There was a hint of a smile in her voice.
She walked back over a few minutes later, looking apologetic.
“What was that about?” Dakota asked.
“Jordan wanted to know what kind of ice cream I like. For the party tonight, remember?”
“Do you really think a party is a good idea right now?” Lauren spat, her eyes still red from crying. Of all of us, she seemed to be taking Gabi’s condition the hardest.
“What else do we have to do? And I don’t want to be alone tonight…” I whined.
Lauren’s face softened. “Happy birthday, by the way,” she said to Amanda.
Amanda smiled. “Thank you.”
Quietly, I climbed in the passenger seat of Dakota’s Cavalier. What I’d said was true—I didn’t want to be alone. But there was something else…something I was missing.
I glanced in my passenger mirror at the girls in the back and then I glanced over at my best friend driving. Was Gabi right? Was one of the Harrow cheerleaders responsible for what happened to her?
I know we’d agreed—no more pointing fingers. But I couldn’t stop wondering…could one of them be the sociopath?
Chapter
Forty-One
Dakota dropped off me and the other girls. I’d wanted her to stay, but she had to get ready for the party. I needed to get ready too, but I just wasn’t feeling it. I walked around my empty house, jumping at every shadow.
Finally, I opened my closet, sifting through the shirts and pants on hangers, wondering what to wear. Nothing looked appealing.
I really needed a shower, but the thought of standing in there alone—vulnerable because of the sounds of the water…gave me the creeps.
Moving to my dresser, I opened and closed drawers. I just needed to throw something on…
That’s when I spotted the money on the dresser. I’d nearly forgotten about it.
I’ll just go buy something to wear, I decided.
A perfect excuse to get out of this dark, empty house…
Chapter
Forty-Two
There was one empty spot in the lot behind Cali’s, a local trendy department store on Main Street. In a tiny building squeezed between a sandwich shop and a baby clothes shop, it barely looked big enough to house more than a few racks of clothes.
But it was organized well, clothes stacked in bins from floor to ceiling. A shoe and accessory display made up the middle, neat modern costume jewelry and handstitched purses laid out neatly on a table.
Releasing a heavy breath, I felt at ease for the first time in days. There’s nothing like a trip to Cali’s to make me feel better.
I made my way straight to the shoes, grabbing flats and high-topped sneakers off the shelves. I needed something cute to wear tonight…something that said, “Hey, my high school isn’t nicknamed Horror High.”
Finding a hip, multi-colored sofa in the back of the store, I plopped down, my arms full of shoes. I tore off the Kaepas I practiced in, and pulled on a pair of pink and green hightops with tiny little hearts on the sole.
I stood in front of a full-length mirror that was leaning against the wall. “Looks great on you, Syd.” I smiled at Cali in the mirror. She was older than forty now, but she still looked young and hip in her skinny jeans and funky side tie tee.
“Haven’t seen you in a while,” she said, bringing me a tiny pink necklace and ring set that matched the shoes perfectly. Now I just needed the perfect outfit…
My phone chimed but I ignored it. I knew I was late for Amanda’s party, but I just wasn’t ready to see them again…not after what happened with Gabi. It’d gotten to the point where hanging around my own cheer squad did nothing but bring back traumatic memories.
Maybe I should ask Cali for a job and give up cheerleading all together. I can spend my extra after school hours folding clothes and getting discounted sneakers.
A group of girls came in the shop, followed by another girl I recognized. Ashleigh Westerfield.
Even when I try to get away from Horror High, it brings itself to me…
She was headed straight for me, her dishwater-colored hair pulled up in a bun. She was wearing a bright yellow Gap t-shirt and attractive hip-hugging jeans.
“Hi, Sydney!” she said, grabbing me in a hug as though we hadn’t seen each other just yesterday.
I pointed at her Gap shirt. “You don’t shop where you work? Shouldn’t that be against the rules?” I teased.
Ashleigh gave me a sheepish grin. “I love the Gap, but I spend my hard-earned money at Cali’s. I’m trying to build my style a bit, and get a nice wardrobe started for college.”
“Good for you, Ashleigh,” I said, feeling happy for the girl. She seemed less like the insecure, easi
ly manipulated girl I’d known a couple years ago.
The girls who’d come in before her were giggling by stacks of jeans and tank tops. Narrowing my eyes, I recognized one of them. It was Mia from the competition, one of the cheerleaders from Crimson.
“It was great seeing you again,” I told Ashleigh, eager to get back to my shoes. I stole a glance at my cell phone. It was thirty minutes past eight. The party for Amanda at Winter’s house had already started without me…hopefully.
“Want to go get a bite to eat or something?” Ashleigh asked, following me back to the sofa.
“Oh,” I said, caught off guard. “I’d love to Ashleigh, but I can’t. Winter and Jordan are throwing a party for Amanda’s birthday.” I wasn’t sure if I should invite her or not. “But maybe we can get together for dinner one night before you go back to school,” I added.
Ashleigh’s face crumpled; she was obviously disappointed. I half expected her to ask to come to the party, but then she said, “Yeah, sounds good. See you later.” She wandered to the other side of the store, browsing purses and scarf sets.
I tried not to feel bad, taking the sneakers off and picking up a pair of sandals. And then someone plopped down beside me.
Mia stared at me, almost like she was expecting something. I noticed she didn’t have any scars or war wounds from the bombing.
As though reading my mind, she rolled up the sleeves on her loose fitting blue blouse. Jagged marks and pale pink burn marks mottled both arms.
“I’m sorry,” I said, not knowing what else to say. “How are you?”
“As well as can be expected,” Mia said, adjusting her purse on her lap. She eyeballed her two friends, who were still picking through clothes in the bins.
“How’s cheerleading?” she asked, her face and voice soft.
“Fine,” I said, drawing out the word. Why did she want to know?
“I heard you were accused of being involved in the bombing. How’d you get out of that?”
So, this is what she wants, I realized, feeling my cheeks getting hot.
“There was no evidence…which I didn’t expect there to be, because I wasn’t involved. Someone obviously planted the note in my bag. But the cops don’t seem too worried about figuring out who did it, and now our own local detective was murdered…”
“I know. I saw. I even heard they might shut down Horror—Harrow High. What are you guys going to do?” Mia asked, looking genuinely concerned.
“I don’t know,” I said, shoving shoes back into boxes. Suddenly, I’d lost the desire to shop.
“Well, if you guys come to Crimson, we’d love to have you join our squad.”
Her words surprised me. I cleared my throat. “Well, thanks. I hope it doesn’t come to that. Surely, they won’t really close the school…”
“We’d be happy to have all of you, except Winter, of course.”
I scrunched up my face at her. “What? Why not Winter? I thought she cheered there before she came to Harrow?”
Mia’s eyes widened. “You don’t know? She got kicked off the squad.”
“What?” This information surprised me.
“I love her brother, Jordan. That boy is fine, and sweet too. But Winter…she’s got a few screws loose. She attacked one of the girls on the squad. She was obsessed with her. She even had to take out a restraining order against Winter.”
I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stiffen. “Is that why Winter changed schools?”
Mia nodded. “I just figured you knew. I thought everybody did. She and her brother aren’t related. You did know that, right?”
I shook my head, still processing the first bit of news she’d given me.
“They were both adopted. He turned out fine, but I think she’s got some issues. They moved from school to school because of her dad’s military career. But when she came to Crimson, she laid down roots. She thought Laura—that’s the girl she harassed—she thought they were best friends, and because of that, it was like nobody else could hang out with her. So, she started doing little things to sabotage the other girls on the team. To make a long story short, she was dismissed from the team. But it didn’t stop there, and once the restraining order was issued, she had to switch schools to Harrow. Rumor has it, her dad retired so they could stay put and get her some psychiatric treatment. I know she used to date Andy, and I can’t believe she hasn’t given you or Dakota any trouble yet…”
“I got to go. Thanks for the info,” I said. I left my shoes and accessories on the couch, apologizing to Cali on my way out the door. I had to go confront Winter.
Chapter
Forty-Three
It was raining again, a storm brewing in Harrow Hill. I drove slowly, trying to get my thoughts straight. Winter had a history of stalking. She’d been kicked out of her last school. My thoughts were headed toward a dark place…could Winter be the sociopath?
But she didn’t even go to Harrow High freshman year. She couldn’t have been the person tormenting us…
I turned down Bagpipe Boulevard, making my way toward Winter’s large gray-brick McMansion on the corner. From here, it was well-lit and welcoming. Hard to believe a sociopath might live inside…
We promised not to point fingers, I thought, parking my Mini Cooper at the curb.
But this seems like a fair exception.
I walked around the house, surprised everybody wasn’t hanging out at the pool. I knocked on the sliding glass door, trying to see who was inside.
Winter’s pale round face popped up in front of the glass, and I jumped back, surprised.
“Why so jumpy?” she said, smiling as she opened the door. “Everybody’s in the basement. I can’t believe you’re late! But we’re about to do cake, and Jordan made this kickass punch you have to try…”
“Winter, we need to talk.” I stood in the doorway, not moving.
She was halfway across the room by now, eager to join the others. She whipped around, her pale white hair covering half her face. Why had I never noticed before—how different she and Jordan looked?
She’d never once mentioned being adopted before…
“What do we need to talk about? Please tell me it’s not more crap about school shutting down…that will never really happen, Syd.”
“It’s not that.” I felt sort of silly, honestly. But then I remembered Mia’s words. I couldn’t not say something, and I had to tell Dakota.
“I ran into that girl from your old school. The one you used to cheer with? Mia?”
Winter’s face fell. “That girl is a drama queen. So? What did she say?”
“She told me about Laura, how she had to take a restraining order out against you.”
Winter took a seat in a kitchen chair, looking distressed. “Sydney, it’s not true. I mean, yes. Laura did take out a restraining order against me. And I did get kicked off the squad. But it was someone else harassing Laura, someone pretending to be me. Someone hell-bent on ruining my life…”
“Oh, I don’t buy that crap. Are you telling me that you had a sociopath at Crimson High too? If that were the case, then why didn’t you ever mention it?”
“Because I just assumed it was Mia. Or one of the other girls. They were always jealous of me and looking for ways to get me off the squad. I never considered the possibility of it being one and the same person, but now that you mention it…”
“Where’s Amanda and Dakota? Where’s Lauren?” I asked, fidgeting from foot to foot.
“I told you. We’re about to do cake. They’re downstairs. Andy’s down there too,” Winter said, looking at me like I was crazy.
Maybe I am crazy…this all seems a little extreme. Winter couldn’t possibly…
But I remembered Gabi’s face in that hospital bed. She’d been terrified by one of us. And Winter was the only one of us who wasn’t at the competition. She could have been hiding in the crowd, waiting to set off the amateur bomb. I remembered the hooded figure in the crowd, and the person who came in my house the night
before we left…the person I thought was a hallucination in the dark.
I took a few tentative steps inside, toward the door to the basement. “Dakota! Where are you?” I shouted.
Sounds of music drifted up the stairs, a song by Katy Perry. “Amanda?” I shouted next, stepping up to the doorway.
“Come on! We’re down here!” I heard Amanda shout breathlessly. Letting out a sigh of relief, I made my way down the stairs. Winter followed behind me.
I’d nearly reached the bottom of the stairs when I heard Dakota say, “Run! Syd—!”
But then her voice was cut off. I rushed down the steps, slipping on the bottom one. My butt hit the carpeted floor of the basement.
Jordan stood over me, holding out a hand to help me up.
“Welcome to the party, Sydney.” His voice sounded strange, a low gravelly tone to it, a familiar sound…
In his other hand was a gray metal baton. I put my hands up, but it was too late. The metal baton crashed down and I was consumed by a velvety pool of blackness.
Chapter
Forty-Four
The Sociopath
Honestly, how stupid can these girls really be? They give cheerleaders all over the world a bad name…
I smiled at Jordan, watching him tie up my final victim in the chair. Sydney was unconscious, her head slumped over her chest as he tightened the straps around her chest and arms.
Dakota, Amanda, Lauren, and Andy were lined up next to her. Andy was trying to tell me something, his voice muffled by the sock I’d stuck inside it and secured with tape.
Lauren seemed to have given up, her eyes rolling back, and she threatened to pass out. Dakota and Amanda fought against the straps, wasting their time…and mine.
“Why are you doing this?” Dakota spat, just as the chair tipped over. I watched her fall against the floor with a hard thump, enjoying every second of it.
“Gag them too,” I told Jordan, pointing at her and Amanda. Finished securing Sydney in her chair, Jordan walked over to Amanda, shoving the gag in her mouth.
Killer Moves (Horror High Series Book 3) Page 10