I reached in the back for my phone so I could read the email myself, but Jay had put my bag right behind me and I couldn’t reach it. I gave up with a loud huff.
Curiosity was getting the best of me. “I didn’t check my email in class. What else did it say?”
“It said that the Yates family was spotted on campus meeting with the President and the other administrators yesterday. And that the PROs might actually be held accountable for something with new information coming to light.”
My eyes widened. “What new information?”
“It didn’t say.”
I thought about the notebook. “I don’t want to get my hopes up. But if Aiden or one of the cheerleaders opened up about the notebook, that might help someone get to the truth about what happened to Carter.”
“That would be great for everybody.”
“But I know we have to take the info in these emails with a grain of salt. We don’t know how they’re getting their information,” I reasoned.
“True,” he agreed. “You know what else I think is a good sign?”
“What?”
“When you were telling me about what happened at the meeting your coach called, when she asked if Dakota and Vivian were lying, you said that not everybody said no, right?”
The wheels in my head started turning. “Right.”
“Maybe now that they’re faced with being kicked out of school, they aren’t as loyal to the cause anymore.”
“But wouldn’t they have been motivated by jailtime?”
“Not if they didn’t actually do anything. If they didn’t actually light anything on fire or do anything to Carter, they probably never even considered they could’ve gone to jail. But with the threat of being expelled, they are realizing that they’re faced with consequences that directly affect them.”
I reached over and touched his arm. “That makes sense! Some of them hesitated, but some didn’t say anything at all. Even Coach Ainsley pointed out how Sonya was unusually quiet.”
“Sonya always has something to say.”
With narrowed eyes and pursed lips, I quipped, “I’m sure she does.”
He laughed and the sound made me smile. “Aw. Don’t be jealous.”
“I am not jealous,” I scoffed.
“You already know you don’t have any reason to be jealous.”
I swatted his arm playfully. “I’m not jealous!”
Chuckling, he grabbed my hand, intertwining our fingers. “Good. Because there’s no one but you.”
“Mm hmm.” I rolled my eyes, but I was grinning.
Bringing the back of my hand to his lips, he kissed it. “There’s never been anyone else but you.”
My stomach fluttered and my body heated. “Jay…” I swooned and then remembered what I had to discuss with him. “Oh, and about that…”
“What’s up?”
“Maybe we shouldn’t tell anyone we’re together right now. With you being Carter’s ex and Carter being my ex-best friend, it could look bad if we’re together now.”
“I didn’t think about it like that, but yeah… I see what you’re saying.”
“Let’s get through the funeral first and then…” I squeezed his hand.
“Okay, that’s cool.” He squeezed my hand back before letting it go.
We arrived at the funeral home for the wake. It was supposed to go until nine; however, Carter’s parents had already left. I’d only met Carter’s grandmother a few times during the first year of our friendship. The frail, yet stylish woman was the quintessential rich matriarch. Carter loved her but called her a snob on more than one occasion.
As she was barking commands at family and funeral workers alike, I didn’t want to, but I felt like I needed to say goodbye before I left.
“Hello, Mrs. Yates,” I greeted the white-haired woman in the formfitting black dress. “I’m Brooklyn Cage—”
“I remember who you are,” she interrupted, sizing me up. “You’re the one that took her to that dangerous neighborhood in one of the boroughs in the city.”
Ah. There it is.
My lips formed a hard line. “No. But Carter did visit my home in Prospect Heights a few years ago. I just wanted to pass along my condolences before we head back to campus.”
“We’re leaving soon as well. We’re preparing the estate for a gathering after the obligatory stuff at the church.” She stuck out her hand to shake mine. “Well, thank you for coming.”
I forced a smile. “Of course. I was hoping to see Mr. and Mrs. Yates before they left. Please give them my love.”
“They had important police business to take care of. If all goes well, this whole thing will be resolved very soon, and we can grieve properly.” Her thin lips twisted into a knowing grin. “Justice will be served.”
Before I could respond, her eyes flitted to the left. “And you must be James Williams. The basketball boyfriend.”
He reached out to shake her hand. “Yes ma’am. I’m James and I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Yes, thank you. I presume you two will be at the funeral tomorrow. If I’m not mistaken, Tom and Carrie have something for you. Or maybe they put it in the mail.” She waved it off. “I’m not sure.”
“Oh, okay,” I responded. “Thank you.”
She eyed us suspiciously. “Did you two come together?”
“Yes,” I answered nervously.
“Hm.” She caught a glimpse of something happening behind us and started snapping her fingers. “Find me tomorrow and I’ll let you know about the gathering. Now if you’ll excuse me,” she concluded, walking toward the person she’d just flagged down.
We could hear her cursing someone out as we left the funeral home. As soon as we got in the car, we exhaled. Between the occasion and the people, it was a lot.
“Why do you think they had the casket closed?” I wondered quietly as we pulled off.
“I don’t want to think of the reasons why,” he answered solemnly.
The drive home was long and contemplative. By the time we returned to Jay’s apartment, we ate, showered, and climbed in bed. We hadn’t been that somber since we’d learned that Carter had died.
“Good morning,” I greeted Jay when he opened his eyes on Saturday.
“Good morning,” he returned groggily. “What time is it?”
“It’s eight o’clock.”
“Have you talked to your mom? Did she leave at five?”
“She actually left last night and didn’t tell us. She was able to leave her shift early so instead of having to wake up early, she got to town late. She’s sleeping in, but she’ll be here at ten o’clock,” I informed him.
“Okay, I’ll get up at nine thirty to shower.” He pulled the covers up and over his shoulder and then stopped abruptly, sitting up a bit. “Unless…”
I smiled coyly. “As tempting as you are, I need to cook breakfast—”
“Cook breakfast?!” He reacted dramatically.
I rolled my eyes and stifled a laugh. “Yes! Don’t do that. Don’t act like I’ve never cooked!”
“Yeah yeah yeah,” he mumbled through a yawn.
“I’ll show you!”
I showered, prepped my hair, and then cooked a breakfast of bacon, eggs, and pancakes. By the time my phone rang, and I saw it was my mom, I just finished setting the table.
“Hello?”
“I’m parking now,” my mom announced. “After a six-and-a-half-hour drive and then sleeping like a log in that hotel room, I’m hungry! I’m going to need more than coffee!”
My mom’s voice brought a smile to my face. “I cooked breakfast!” I laughed.
Two minutes later she knocked on the door. When I swung it open, we both let out excited squeals. After a long, dramatic hug, Mom started to cry.
“You look beautiful,” she said, cupping my cheeks. “I’ve missed you. I’ve been thinking about you so much—even more than usual. I just can’t imagine what the Yates family is going through right now. I could not ev
en fathom losing you.”
My heart hurt as I pulled away. I hated to see her cry. And then I realized that she was going to be even more devasted by the news I had to tell her.
“Mom, stop crying. It’s okay.” I squeezed her hands. “I’m here. You’re here. And I made breakfast.”
She wiped the tears from her eyes. “Is it edible?”
We laughed.
“Go dry your tears.” I pointed to the bathroom. “I’ll get the drinks.”
She took off her jacket and handed me her handbag.
“Hey, Mrs. Cage,” Jay welcomed my mom as he walked down the hall.
“I don’t know how many times I have to tell you to call me Pamela!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms open for a hug.
As they made small talk, I washed my hands and grabbed the orange juice.
“This looks good,” Jay commented as he came and took a seat at the table. Looking over his shoulder to make sure my mom was still in the bathroom, he leaned over and kissed me. “You look good, too.”
I was wearing a pair of black leggings and one of his white UFIT t-shirts. He was wearing a pair of black basketball shorts and a white UFIT t-shirt.
“James, we match.”
He looked down and laughed. “Wow, I didn’t even notice.”
“Mom is going to think something is up.”
He made a face. “She already thinks something is up.”
“Yeah, but this”—I gestured emphatically between the two of us— “looks too cutesy.”
“Whose fault is that?”
“Yours! I was dressed first,” I argued.
“And you stole my shirt,” he countered with a raised eyebrow.
I nodded. “You’re right.”
We burst out laughing.
“What are you two laughing about?” Mom asked as she joined us at the table.
“Your daughter stole my shirt,” he ratted me out immediately.
I shook my head. “Let’s eat.”
Breakfast was delicious. I didn’t cook often, but when I did, I did it well. Once Jay finished, he excused himself. He said he was going to get dressed for the funeral, but I knew he wanted me to use that time to talk to my mom about what was going on.
As much as I wanted to tell her everything, I thought it would be best after the funeral. I wanted to give her time to process and give us more time to talk. I didn’t want it to be rushed.
Or that’s what I convinced myself I was doing.
Instead, I only told her about one part.
“I’m going to be staying with Jay for the rest of the semester. My housing assignment was messed up and then after what happened at the Cheer House, it made the most sense to stay with someone I love and trust.”
Mom peeked down the hall and then lowered her voice conspiratorially. “You love him,” she teased. “Oooooooooo!”
“Mom,” I laughed.
She shrugged. “One of these days you two are going to realize it. But let me tell you, don’t get pregnant. You two may be friends now, but when you realize you two love each other, make sure you have condoms and you use them every single time. It only takes one time to slip up and get pregnant.”
“Mom!” I yelped, swatting at her arm playfully.
“Are you okay though? Did they say why your housing assignment is still messed up?”
I shook my head. “But I’m going to worry about that after the funeral.”
Her hand covered mine. “I understand.”
We talked for a few more minutes before I turned on the television and left her to get ready.
Donning a formfitting black dress with my hair pinned up elegantly, I followed my mom and Jay out of the apartment. The church where the funeral was being held wasn’t far away from campus. It was a famously old, restored church perched on a hill. Behind the church, at the bottom of the hill, the famed cemetery was situated. We anticipated a lot of people in attendance, so we left early. But we were not prepared for the traffic we encountered.
“This is the Yates family church?” Mom asked as the church loomed in front of us.
I snickered. “The Yates aren’t religious people.”
“This is just the church people with money go to,” Jay informed her.
We parked and looked around in awe.
“I hope there’s somewhere to sit,” Mom whispered as we flowed with a crowd of people into the church.
The casket was open and as we were guided to the front to walk past it, I was stunned.
Carter looked beautiful. Her long reddish-brown hair was splayed out on a white pillow. Her face was covered in a makeup that gave her pale skin life and her lips were coated in red. Even though her big hazel eyes were closed, she looked like she was peacefully sleeping. It was unbelievable how alive she looked. I couldn’t stop staring at her face. But when I noticed the rest of her, I sucked in a sharp breath.
Carter was dressed in white. The pink and white flowers of the bodice and the white tulle skirt were almost identical to the dress she had on when she died. But as I looked closely, I realized that it was the same dress. It was the exact same dress. In a stark contrast to the image of her dead body that was emailed to the entire school, she looked exactly the way she did when she left for the party.
A chill ran through me.
Seeing her was a surreal experience and I was overcome with emotion. It wasn’t just the funeral that made my eyes water, it was all the nonsense that had gone on over the two weeks since the party. I dabbed at my eyes throughout the service.
Carrie Yates stood at the front of the church with dark sunglasses on and an oversized black hat. “As I said earlier in my eulogy, Carter loved being a cheerleader. She loved it so much that she gave up her position on the swim team.” She stopped and took a breath. “In order to honor Carter and something that she loved so much I would like to ask Carter’s fellow cheerleaders to join me before we head down to the cemetery.”
My stomach plummeted. What is this?
I looked over at Kim who was sitting on the other side of my mother. She looked just as freaked out as I did.
“If you’re a UFIT cheerleader or coach, please make your way through the door leading to the right atrium,” the funeral director announced. “Everyone else…”
As he gave directions on how people were supposed to exit the church, I made my way to the right atrium. After a few minutes, the entire team—except for Olive—stood awkwardly in a beautiful space with huge stained-glass windows, intricately designed columns, and high ceilings. The hellish women on the cheerleading team looked completely misplaced in such a heavenly environment.
“Thank you all for taking a few minutes to speak with me,” Mrs. Yates started. “Please gather around.”
We formed a semicircle around her.
“Carter spent her last night with you,” she continued. “The dress she wore to the party, the dress she was found in, was a special dress. We bought it together on a trip to Paris. It cost a little more than we were planning to spend, but it was worth it. She was a beautiful girl.”
Mrs. Yates paced, eyeing each of us as she moved from one end to the other. “I’m about to bury my little girl and I didn’t feel like I could effectively do that without the answer to a couple of questions.” She paused, pointing at one end of the semicircle. “The last time you saw Carter, what did she say to you?”
“I told her I couldn’t find my drink and she told me that if I put it down, I needed to get another one,” Holly answered first.
“She said she liked the song that was playing,” Caroline replied. “We were dancing.”
Clearing her throat, Dakota whispered, “She gave me advice about a man I was dating.”
“The last time I remember talking to her was at the house when she asked me to check her zipper,” Vivian said.
“I gave Carter the stats on one of the PROs and she said thank you,” Sonya divulged. “It was Matthew Hayes.”
She was checking him out when we first got the
re, I remembered thoughtfully.
“Carter asked me if I’d seen Dakota,” Lila admitted quietly. “I said no, and she said okay. That was the last thing we said to each other.”
A hush hung over the group.
“Carter asked why no one was hanging out in the basement anymore,” Kim stated. “When I told her, she catcalled.”
A sad smile pulled at my lips as I listened to Kim.
“Carter said she would hold my phone in her clutch since I didn’t have pockets or a bag,” I answered. “Her last words to me were ‘I got you’.”
Each team member answered. When everyone had finished, Mrs. Yates’ lips curved upward. “Thank you. I want to remember her as the beautiful, lively, fun-loving, kind girl that she was. My Carter was full of life. And it’s important for me to know the last things she said so I don’t imagine her last words being words of pain or suffering.”
That gutted me.
I didn’t know why she was having us tell her about our last conversations with Carter, but hearing her reasoning tore me up inside. I felt the stinging behind my eyes and needed to take a deep breath.
“While we’re here, in this beautiful church, I do have a request…” She stopped moving in front of Dakota. “Help me understand what happened to my daughter and how she ended up in the lake.”
No one said anything.
“Did anyone go to the lake besides Carter?”
Again, no one said a word.
“Okay,” Mrs. Yates whispered before turning to Coach Ainsley. “They won’t give me the information I need to bury my daughter in peace so do what you will with that. No one knows who went to the lake.” She shook her head. “God have mercy on their souls.”
“Dakota went to the lake,” Holly burst out, pulling at the cross on her necklace. “I’m so sorry, Dakota.”
“I did not!” Dakota hissed. Her face reddened as no one came to her defense.
Holly started crying. “And Vivian knew about it because she said something about them lighting the boat on fire the next day.”
“I did not light the boat on fire,” Vivian defended herself angrily. “That wasn’t me.”
Dakota glared at Vivian.
“So, Dakota and Vivian knew about the fire. But please explain to me how Carter got to the lake…” Mrs. Yates put her hands together as if she were praying. “If anyone knows how Carter got to the lake may the Lord be with you.”
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