Free Falling (Cedar Ridge #2)

Scout

Three Months Ago

“ D ie, douchebag! Die!” I shouted, palms aching and fingers trembling as I clutched the controller tighter in my hand.

Lindsay’s scream pierced my eardrums through the headset, and I winced.

Her character's body exploded on the screen, all the golden loot she’d carefully found over the last thirty minutes now laying on the pixelated grass.“I can’t believe that guy killed me!” she cried.

I ignored her ranting as I set my sniper scope on the murderer. With a deep breath, I pressed the trigger.

Headshot.

“Holy crap.” She let out a long breath. “That was amazing.”

“I know.” I laughed, reaching for the soda on the coffee table. I took a sip as my character danced on screen, celebrating the crowns I just won for us. Grabbing my phone, I unlocked it, expecting a text from Mom, but nothing yet.

She must’ve been having a really great date.

“Are you listening to me?” Lindsay sighed, and I dropped my phone back into my lap. Another map began loading on the TV, and I settled in for the next round.

“Yeah, of course,” I said, and she snorted.

“I said Tyler texted me again today.”

I rolled my eyes.

“I don’t know why you like him,” I muttered.

“You’ve never met him,” she countered, and I shrugged even though she couldn’t see it.

I’d seen enough pictures of him to know he smelled like pencil erasers. And Lindsay could do so much better than that weirdo.

Even though she lived on the opposite end of the country and we’d never met in person, she was my best friend—my platonic soulmate.

“Anyway, he invited me the movies next week.”

“What’d you say?” I shoved a fistful of popcorn into my mouth.

“Yes, obviously.”

Muffled shouting filtered through the paper-thin, stained walls, and I turned up the volume on my headset to ignore them. The couple next door seemed to only speak in their outside voices.

I’d lived in the Bronx my entire life, but we’d moved from apartment to apartment a lot. This was the first one we’d stayed at longer than a year, and it was finally starting to feel permanent. Like home.

Mom was just promoted and was working less, she was dating Kyle, and summer break just started.

Everything was…perfect.

“What about you?” Lindsay asked quietly. I clenched my jaw as I stared at the screen. “Any boys ask you out?”

I scoffed. “You know the answer to that.”

Sometimes I thought there was something wrong with me because all my friends seemed to have crushes and were dating, but it just didn't appeal to me. I didn’t like any of the boys at my school. They were all smelly and gross, and they made the most annoying jokes ever.

I checked my phone again. Still nothing.

I told myself it was fine. Mom was probably laughing at something Kyle said, or maybe they got dessert, or maybe they were in the car and she didn’t want to text while he was driving. Or maybe the service was bad wherever they were. That happened sometimes.

But still…

She usually texted.

“Scout, you’re not listening,” Lindsay whined, and I shook myself.

“Sorry. What?”

“I said I think Tyler’s gonna kiss me at the movies.”

“Gross.” I made a gagging sound and could feel her roll her eyes. Laughing, I reached for my soda again.

“What’s that noise?” she asked, and I pushed one side of my headset off. Someone was pounding on the door, and my brows bunched together. I wasn’t supposed to answer when Mom wasn’t home, but it didn’t seem like they were going anywhere soon.

But then they shouted, “ Police !”

My stomach dropped.

“Oh, my god. The cops are here.”

“What?” Lindsay gasped, but I ignored her as I dropped the headset onto the couch.

I hesitated with every step across the small living room, my bare feet brushing along the stained carpet. Why were the cops at my door?

I pushed onto my tiptoes and peered out the peephole. Two people stood in the hallway—a cop, and a blonde woman with a white button up and slacks. She said something to the cop, and he nodded a few times. Lifting his fist, I winced as he banged against the door again.

They waited for a few more heartbeats, then they stepped back from the door. What did they want?

My stomach twisted as I slid the chain off the lock, then flipped each lock on the door. The hinges squealed as I pulled it open.

The woman paused, her brows lifting as she took me in. I was in sweatpants and a sweatshirt—I was home, and it was late, why would I be dressed?

But then her face softened as she looked back at me.

“Scout Levitt?” she asked, and I nodded. My hand tightened around the doorknob.“My name is Elizabeth, and this is Sergeant Dawson. Do you think we could come in?”

I glanced over my shoulder at the little apartment—faded wallpaper, the brown couch Mom had saved up for, the massive floor lamp in the corner. The coffee table was littered with candy wrappers and soda cans, and the bowl of popcorn sat on the end table.

“I’m not allowed to let strangers into the house when my mom isn’t home.” I swallowed thickly as I looked between them. Dawson roughly cleared his throat.

“We really need to talk to you,” Elizabeth murmured.

“Are you a cop, too?” I asked.

“No. I’m a social worker.”

I twisted my lips to the side. I didn’t know what that meant, or why she’d be here.

“Okay.” I nodded a few times and stepped back. Mom was going to kill me for letting people in while the place was a pigsty.

“You have a lovely home,” she said, and I snorted, taking her by surprise.

It wasn’t a lovely home , but it was ours. We’d made it as homey as we could.

“Thanks. Um. Let me clean off the couch—sorry for the mess. My mom isn’t home right now, but she should be soon. I was going to clean up before she got back.” I started gathering trash in my arms, but Elizabeth rested her hand on my forearm, stopping me.

“It’s okay,” she said gently. “You don’t need to clean up for us.”

But I ignored her as I rushed to the kitchen, dropping the wrappers and cans into the trash. I bounced on the balls of my feet, trying to get rid of the weird anxious energy buzzing through me.

Why were they here?

I made my way back, my feet dragging with each step. Dawson spoke quietly to Elizabeth, but when he saw me, he stopped and smiled.

“Okay,” I said, shoving my hands in the front pocket of my hoodie. “What do you need? I can tell my mom you came by when she gets home?—”

“Why don’t you sit down?” Dawson said softly.

I could hear Lindsay talking through the headset as I sank onto the couch. Muting her, I gave them my full attention. Elizabeth sat on the coffee table in front of me, her knees almost touching mine.

The game raged on behind her, my character crawling around on all fours while Lindsay obliterated the opposite team.

“Your mother is Sarah Levitt, right?” she asked.

“Yes.” I flicked my gaze to the cop. “Is she in trouble?”

She took a deep breath as she grabbed my hands. “She was in an accident.”

“What?”

“She—”

“Is she alright? Is she in the hospital?”

What was I supposed to do? Who was I supposed to call?

Pulling my hand from hers, I smoothed it over my hair. “What hospital is she at?” I asked.

My gaze flicked to Dawson as he and Elizabeth glanced at each other.

“She didn’t make it, honey,” Elizabeth murmured. “Do you understand what I’m telling you?”

I blinked at her.

She didn’t make it? But that meant…

“She died in the accident,” she explained, her voice soft. “She didn’t suffer. She was gone on impact.”

“No,” I whispered. I leaned away from her as I shook my head. “No. She said she’d be back tonight. She’s coming back. She’ll be here—she’ll be here soon.”

Elizabeth licked her lips. “Scout.” She scooted closer, but I moved farther away.

“You have the wrong person,” I said, shoving to my feet. “My mom—she’s fine. She’s not?—”

I shook my head, my messy blonde hair swinging around me.

“I know this is a lot?—”

“ No ,” I snapped. “ My mom doesn’t die .”

Silence fell over the room, so thick and suffocating I couldn’t breathe.

“Do you have anyone you can call?” Dawson asked. I shook my head.

Call? No. I had no one. It was me and Mom. That was it.

“I want my mom,” I said, my throat tight.

“I know,” he said softly.

“We need to get in touch with your father,” Elizabeth said. “Do you have a number for him?”

“My father?” I shook my head again. It felt like I was falling through honey—everything was happening quickly, but also impossibly slow.

“I don’t—I don’t have a father.”

“His name is on your birth certificate. Theodore Caldwell?”

Shouldn’t I be crying? Why wasn’t I crying?

“I don’t know who that is,” I rasped.

They glanced at each other again.

“You’re sure it was her?”I asked.

“Yes,” Elizabeth murmured. “She was in a car accident, Scout.”

I squeezed my eyes shut.

“The man—the man she was with?”

“He didn’t make it, either.”

My heart was beating too fast. My breathing was too shallow.

But my eyes were bone dry.

“What am I—are you sure?”

“You need to come with us, honey,” Elizabeth said. “I can help you pack a bag.”

“You’re positive?” I repeated.

Dawson nodded. Elizabeth nodded.

My mom was dead.

She was gone.

I was never going to see her again.

My mom was…dead.