by Evelyn Dar
Reggie snorted. “We?”
“Fine,” Stacy said. “You take the money. I don’t care. But you don’t have to do this.”
Reggie chuckled. “Damn, so what? You been on their side the whole time?”
“What?” Stacy asked. “Nah, man you’re my brother.”
Silence.
“Give Juice your phone,” Reggie instructed.
“Come on, bro.”
Avery heard rapid footsteps and another gun cocking.
“Don’t make me repeat myself…bro,” Reggie said.
“You gonna shoot me?” Stacy asked, his voice breaking. “Your own brother?”
“Why don’t you ask the 9-millimeter that’s up against your dome? Now give Juice your fucking phone.”
Silence.
“No.”
The sound of a chamber clicking was drowned out by a scream, and the scream was drowned out by a deafening crack that exploded and seemed to come from everywhere.
Avery’s legs buckled, and she fell to the ground, landing hard on her shoulder.
Someone was crying. Someone was laughing.
“Get her ass up.”
A large, meaty hand grasped Avery’s upper arm and pulled her to her feet. The moment she regained her balance, she was shoved so hard her feet lost contact with the ground. Avery flinched, and braced herself for the bone crunching impact, but instead, was caught by strong, soft arms.
“Laylah?” she whispered and cracked her eyes open.
“Keep ‘em shut,” Laylah whispered and helped Avery stand.
“Bro, why you crying? You really thought I was going to shoot you?” Reggie laughed. “I was just playing. You know I love you, man.”
“You’re sick.” Stacy sniffled. “For real.”
Reggie laughed. “I ain’t kill her, did I?”
Avery heard a car door shut, and moments later an engine roared to life.
“Well, motherfuckers, it’s been fun.” Reggie laughed again. “Y’all be good now, you hear?”
“What about me?” Stacy asked.
“What you mean?” Reggie snorted. “Ain’t these your little friends? Go play with them.”
The engine revved loudly, and the car screeched away.
++++
Avery opened her eyes and was met with a concerned pair of hazel-green eyes.
“Are you okay?” Laylah asked.
Avery nodded and took in the scene. They were standing in a wide, dimly lit alley. Stacy leaned against a beat-up SUV holding his right ear, and Maddy’s arms were wrapped around his shoulders. Kendrick sat on the hood of the SUV, smoking a blunt with shaking hands.
“What happened?” Avery asked. “Did someone get shot? I-I heard a gunshot.”
“No,” Laylah replied. “Juice held the gun to Stacy’s head, but he shot past him.”
“Oh my God. For a second, I thought you’d been–” Avery couldn’t finish the sentence and looked down.
Laylah tilted her chin up. “I’m okay.”
Avery stared at Laylah for as long as she could. She wanted to tell Laylah everything. About Teddy. And Charlotte. And even Wyatt.
She was suddenly struck with the absolute certainty that she loved Laylah Carter, but the guilt from their last interaction held her tongue in check, and instead she asked, “Um, does anyone have a pair of scissors?”
“I got ya.” Maddy pulled an innocuous looking can opener from her back pocket.
Avery frowned. “I don’t think that’s going to work.”
Maddy squeezed the side of the can opener, and a medium-sized blade shot out.
“Oh.”
“A girl can’t be too careful.” Maddy sliced through the laces.
Avery rubbed her bruised wrists and rotated her shoulder. “Thanks.”
The three of them stood in a half-circle and stared at each other.
“You guys,” Maddy said. “Is this really over? Like do we go back to regular life now?”
“Either that or prison,” Laylah said.
They stared at Avery, the unspoken question hanging in the air.
Avery clenched her jaw. “He belongs in prison.”
“If you want to get technical…” Maddy cleared her throat. “We were his accomplices – granted some of us more than others – but still.”
“What?” Avery shook her head. “No, I was talking about Teddy.”
“Oh,” Maddy said. “Yeah, he’s way worse. Honestly, if you want to forget we were involved, that would be clutch.”
Avery turned to Laylah. “You drugged me.”
Maddy raised her hand. “That was actually…well, me.”
“Maddy, you don’t have to,” Laylah said.
Maddy shushed her. “It was supposed to be truth serum. Not roofies. But I couldn’t find any and long story short–”
Laylah held up her hand. “It doesn’t matter.” She turned to Avery. “I drugged you, and I’m sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen. You were never supposed to get hurt.” She looked down. “Not like this.”
Avery hugged herself. “Why’d you do it?”
Maddy opened her mouth.
“Harvard,” Laylah said. “You don’t deserve Harvard.”
“I know,” Avery said softly.
“Not because you’re not smart. You could have gotten accepted without Teddy’s help.”
Avery snorted. “Right.”
Laylah sighed. “Look, I didn’t mean what I said before. I was angry and–”
Avery held up her hand. “You don’t have to lie. I won’t turn you guys in.”
“Oh, thank the baby Jesus.” Maddy clutched her chest.
“I’m not lying.” Laylah stepped closer to Avery and despite the cold, Avery felt suddenly warm.
“If I could take it all back, I would,” Laylah whispered.
“You were right,” Avery said. “I was complicit. It’s just – Teddy’s my father. He’s supposed to love me, but most of the time he looks at me like I’m something stuck to the bottom of his shoe.”
“I know why you did what you did,” Laylah said quietly. “And it’s okay.”
“No, it’s not,” Avery replied. “I’m not some poor little rich girl. I knew what I was doing, and I helped him destroy Principal Carter.”
Laylah chewed on her lip. “Maybe it’s not too late.”
“What do you mean?” Avery asked.
“You can still do the right thing.” Laylah bit her lip. “But you’d have to give up Harvard.”
Avery narrowed her eyes. “Fuck Harvard.”
Laylah smiled. “Maddy?”
“Dear God, what now?”
“You recorded the drop, right? And the audio?”
Maddy groaned. “No?”
“Maddy.”
Maddy sighed. “As much as I want to go home and pretend like the last two days was a bad Netflix original movie…yes, I recorded the drop, but all it proves is Teddy’s a shitty person whose daughter’s life is only worth twenty-thousand dollars.” She cringed at Avery. “No offense.”
“None taken,” Avery said. “But she’s right. Not to mention Teddy has a million-dollar PR team. They’ll spin the hell out of the video.” She shook her head. “It won’t be enough, unless…”
“Unless what?” Laylah asked.
Avery gasped. “Siobhan.”
Laylah frowned. “Siobhan?”
Avery smiled. “Siobhan.”
****
Laylah tried not to stare at Avery while they waited at Siobhan’s backdoor – make that, one of Siobhan’s many back doors.
“Shit.” Stacy whistled, his head craning up to take in the mansion. “Is yo homegirl Bill Gates?”
Avery laughed in the moonlight, and Laylah was certain she’d never seen a more beautiful sight.
“Almost,” Avery replied. “Her mom’s a programmer for Google.”
Stacy turned to Laylah. “You got to go to school for that?”
“Nope. In fact…” Laylah raised an eyebrow at Maddy. “Maddy c
odes. She could probably teach you.”
He smiled at Maddy. “Word?”
Maddy smiled shyly back. “I dabble.”
“Yo, I might be into that shit.”
Stacy and Maddy locked eyes and Laylah glanced at Avery. She was smiling at the future love birds and Laylah’s stomach fluttered. Avery glanced at her, then looked away, a blush spreading across her cheeks.
Kendrick groaned. “Yo, can y’all get a room already?”
Stacy gave him the finger, and Maddy rolled her eyes.
Laylah nudged Kendrick in the ribs and whispered, “Be happy for them.”
He shrugged. “I am, I guess.”
Laylah looked at him doubtfully.
“It’s just going to take some time to get used to.” He shrugged. “I might not be able to tackle her ass anymore but…she’s still my little homie, you know?”
“Yeah, she is.” Laylah patted him on the back.
Maddy pocketed her phone. “Okay, text sent. Now we wait.”
“What exactly did you text her?” Avery asked.
“I told her two Falcons players invited me to hang out at their hotel tonight and I needed a ride or die bitch to tag along.
Avery made a face. “Siobhan may be a little superficial, but I don’t think she’d–”
The back door swung open and Siobhan’s eyes flew to Kendrick. “Hey, what’s up? I’m like the hugest Falcons fan ever.” She squinted at him. “Wait, I know you.”
Avery stepped forward. “Hey, Siobhan.”
Siobhan gasped. “Oh my God! Avery?”
Avery nodded, and Siobhan practically jumped into her arms, squealing.
“Are your parents home?” Laylah asked.
“Yeah.” Siobhan sniffled and extracted herself from Avery. “But they’re in the west wing, so it’s cool.”
“Your house has a west wing?” Kendrick asked.
Maddy stepped forward. “Not to interrupt the reunion, but can we come in? I’m literally freezing my balls off and I don’t even have them anymore.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she gasped, her eyes darting to Stacy. “I uh, I meant…I didn’t mean it like that.”
Stacy laughed. “You funny.”
Maddy looked visibly relieved.
They followed Siobhan to her bedroom that looked less like a bedroom, and more like a luxury studio high-rise.
Siobhan sat cross-legged in front of a roaring marble fireplace and smiled gleefully. “Oh my God, you faked the whole thing. I fucking knew it. This is just like A Simple Favor. That’s why I made so many videos.”
“I didn’t fake anything,” Avery said. “I was kidnapped.”
Siobhan eyed Laylah, Stacy, Maddy, and Kendrick. “By the Scooby gang?”
“No,” Avery said.
“Kind of,” Laylah said.
“Pretty much,” Maddy said.
“Yeah, we did it,” Kendrick said.
Stacy cleared his throat, and everyone looked at him. “What?”
Avery waved her hand. “I’ll explain later. That’s not why we’re here.”
“So what’s up?”
“We need your studio.”
Siobhan raised an eyebrow.
“And your followers.”
++++
Avery hit the refresh button for the hundredth time. It had been fifteen minutes since they’d left Siobhan’s house and now, as they waited in the parking lot of the Atlanta Police Department, her anxiety skyrocketed.
She growled and dropped the phone in her lap. “Why is it taking forever to upload?”
Laylah reached for Avery’s hand, then stopped.
“It’s okay,” Avery whispered.
She grabbed Laylah’s hand and even in the darkness of the car, Avery could make out the slightest glow on Laylah’s cheeks. It warmed her insides, and she scooted closer to Laylah in the backseat.
“You have no idea how beautiful you are, do you?” Avery whispered.
Laylah cheeks reddened even more, and she tried to turn away, but Avery held her chin.
“Don’t,” she whispered.
Laylah looked at her, and Avery swallowed. She leaned forward and parted her lips.
“Oh my God, you guys, it’s up.” Maddy turned around, waving her phone. “We can watch it on my– oh.”
Avery groaned quietly, and pulled away from Laylah’s lips.
“Sorry,” Maddy said, “but the video’s live.” She held her phone sideways, and they all crowded around it.
Avery cringed as a makeup-less version of herself appeared on the screen next to an immaculate Siobhan. “Why did no one tell me I looked like the crypt keeper?”
“Oh, please.” Maddy rolled her eyes. “I would kill for those jaw bones, now shut up.”
The video was aptly titled “Avery’s back!!!! NOT CLICKBAIT!” which Avery thought was a bit much, but Siobhan assured her, was necessary.
“Hey Bon-Bons, it’s ya girl Siobhan and yes, Avery is back.” Siobhan wrapped an arm around Avery and gave her a squeeze.
“Obviously,” Siobhan continued, “we have some major news to drop but first, my girl’s going to catch you up on the past two days.”
While the video version of herself explained the kidnapping (well, a highly edited version of the kidnapping in which Maddy and Avery didn’t drug her and Kendrick and Stacy were coerced into participating with deadly force by Reggie), Avery couldn’t tear her eyes away from Laylah.
She was aware the road that stretched ahead of them was far from smooth, in fact, it was the opposite of smooth. Once Teddy saw the video, he would undoubtedly come after them with everything he had. They both had so much to lose and even more to fear.
But as Avery gazed at Laylah, a calm, unlike anything she’d ever felt, washed over her. She squeezed Laylah’s hand and Laylah looked at her with so much warmth and affection, her heart swelled.
Avery mouthed the words, ‘I love you.’
Laylah held Avery’s hand to her mouth, placed a soft kiss on her palm and mouthed, ‘I love you, too.’
“Damn,” Stacy said, interrupting the moment. “I still can’t believe your ol’ boy did that.”
Avery forced her eyes back on the screen long enough to see the video had shifted from Avery’s explanation of the kidnapping to Maddy’s shaky phone footage of Teddy and Stacy.
She watched as Teddy – her father – all but gave her kidnappers permission to kill her. Although the clip had confirmed Avery’s deepest fear, it didn’t have the devastating effect she’d expected.
Not only did Teddy not love her; he didn’t care if she lived or died. These were the facts. But while she listened to his tinny, muffled voice call her a selfish bitch, she realized those facts had nothing to do with her. Avery rested her head on Laylah’s shoulder and Laylah wrapped and arm around her.
Teddy’s lack of love didn’t mean Avery was unlovable.
Avery’s face filled the screen.
“That was my father, Georgia’s Attorney General Theodore Bradley, essentially asking my kidnappers to kill me.”
Avery’s lip quivered.
“But being an awful human being and the world’s worst father isn’t a crime. But spearheading the most extensive standardized test cheating ring is.
The screen changed to an image of Gale Carter.
“Two years ago, this woman – Former Lovett Academy Principal, Gale Carter – uncovered the truth. When Principal Carter questioned me about my fraudulent test results, I verified my father’s role in the cheating ring but then”–Avery took a shaky breath–“I recanted…I lied to protect my father thereby allowing him to destroy Principal Carter’s reputation. And her life.”
Laylah pulled Avery closer.
“And the SAT cheating ring is only the tip of the iceberg. I implore the proper authorities to begin an investigation into Attorney General Theodore Bradley and I will assist however I can.
“I also implore the people of Georgia to take off their rose-colored glasses and see Teddy for the cri
minal he is. If the court of law won’t do its job, it’s time for the court of public opinion to take its place. We the people cannot let him get away with this.”
The photo of Gale reappeared on the screen.
“And finally, to the known and unknown victims of my father’s crimes… I am so, incredibly sorry. A man like Teddy Bradley should have never been allowed to rise to power. And you have my word, I will do everything in my power to right his wrongs.”
The video faded to black, and the car was silent.
Avery wiped her face.
“Are you okay?” Laylah asked, her own eyes shining.
“I think so.” Avery smiled. “You?”
Laylah looked out the window at the lights of the police station. “Ask me again in about ten minutes.”
“I told you,” Avery said. “I won’t let them arrest you.” She looked at Maddy, Kendrick, and Stacy. “Any of you.”
“I get the sentiment, hon,” Maddy said. “And it’s touching, but you don’t have Daddy Teddy’s help anymore.”
Avery held her head high. “I don’t need it.” She glanced at Laylah. “I never did.”
Laylah smiled.
“Okay, Joan of Arc.” Maddy raised an eyebrow. “Lead us to the promised land, girl.”
Avery grimaced as they climbed out of the car. “Can I be someone who wasn’t burned at the stake?”
Maddy took Stacy’s hand, and Avery took Laylah’s. Laylah held out her free hand to Kendrick, who rolled his eyes and stuffed his hands in his pockets.
“Hmm…a great female leader who wasn’t burned at the stake?” Maddy bit her lower lip. “Kylie Jenner?”
Laylah opened her mouth, then shook her head.
“What?” Maddy looked at them as they reached the front doors. “You could do worse than Kylie.”
“You’re right.” Avery opened the door to the police station. “But I think I’ll stick with Joan.”
Laylah’s grip tightened around Avery’s hand and they walked into the police station together.
EPILOGUE
“May I interest you ladies in an order of our locally grown shiitakes?”
Laylah raised an eyebrow at the menu. “Um…”
“Or perhaps you’d prefer our parmigiano-reggiano yellowtail sashimi? It was rated five stars by the Times and even garnered us our first Michelin.”