Chapter 14 #3
Dandy stands and places his hands on my upper shoulders, comforting me. But I suddenly feel trapped. “Hallie, do you remember what Rebecca’s cheerleading number was?”
“No,” I reply, confused. “Why does that matter?”
Dandy looks over my shoulder at Kit.
“What’s happening?” I ask, panic in my voice.
“She wore number 11,” Dandy reveals.
Kit stands beside his brother, his face riddled with pain. “And her nickname was Legs. Legs 11. A British exchange student once called her that because she was tall with long legs, and she wore number 11. It stuck.”
Nothing makes any sense. I’m hearing Dandy and Kit, but I don’t understand what they’re trying to tell me.
“What? I don’t…? What does this mean?”
Dandy squeezes my shoulder reassuringly. “Remember I once told you Rebecca was rumored to be seeing an older guy?”
I nod.
I remember the night he told me. We were at the diner, right before I spilled an ice cream sundae over Robin and Rebecca. Rebecca was so pissed. I remember the utter hatred in her eyes.
“The guy was Arthur, and I’m quite certain the lighter you found in his car was Rebecca’s.”
I stare at Dandy, still unsure of what he means.
His expression falls as he reveals, “Rebecca is L11. Rebecca is…Legs.”
Time stands still.
“There’s n-no way. No. It’s not p-possible.”
“It makes sense,” Kit says, stepping in for a shaken Dandy. “She has a younger brother named Jack, goes by Legs, and Arthur—the guy she was seeing—had a lighter engraved with L11 in his car.”
“This is only a coincidence!” I insist, refusing to believe it. “It has to be her dad, then!”
But I know that it’s not.
“You’re right, but the signs make it hard not to believe it’s Rebecca.”
“But why?” I ask in an almost whisper.
“Why?” Dandy scoffs. “’Cause she’s a fucking bitch, that’s why. You embarrassed her, and this was her way of getting back at you. With people like the Blooms, there is no why. They do it because they can.”
And Dandy is right.
I can’t believe it. All along, my monster was far more terrifying than I ever thought possible. For some reason, discovering that Rebecca is the one haunting my dreams makes everything even worse.
A woman doing this to another woman is just…wrong. In a male-dominated world, I’d like to believe that when push comes to shove, when there’s a choice to be made between right and wrong, Rebecca would have put herself in my shoes.
That she would remember girl code, and no matter what differences we had, she would show compassion and never inflict such torture on another. But this proves Rebecca Bloom is evil.
There is no redemption for her.
Killing her becomes a need, not a choice.
“Hallie, you’re scaring me,” Dandy says, cupping my cheek in his warm palm.
“I’m scaring myself,” I confess in a whisper.
Kit stays silent, his frown showing he’s deep in thought. “Let’s be certain it’s Rebecca before acting.”
“Of course it’s that bitch!” Dandy exclaims, his eyes narrowing. “How much more proof do we need?”
Dandy is angry. It touches me that after everything I’ve done, he still cares. That’s true friendship.
“I know, but we have to be sure.”
“And when we’re sure?” Dandy questions.
“Then I’ll take care of it.”
“Whoa,” both Dandy and I exclaim together.
“That’s not your call,” I say, shaking my head. “I appreciate your chivalry, but this is my battle, and I intend to fight it my way.”
He snickers, and the gesture ticks me off. “In case you’ve forgotten, you’ve got a serial killer ex-best friend who is hot on your ass. We don’t know what she has planned, but I can’t imagine it’ll be good. You’re relying on her to get you out of this mess? Really, Hallie? Don’t be so naive.”
I understand Kit’s trying to help, but his “help” is nothing short of patronizing.
I face him, and say, “Remind me when this started being your problem, Kit.”
He flinches because it’s a low blow, but he doesn’t have the right to dictate how I handle this. He wasn’t there. He hasn’t been tortured by the memories for all these years. He doesn’t know what I lived through.
No one does.
And learning that Rebecca was responsible makes it even harder to accept.
“We do this my way. If you don’t like it, then there’s the door.” I point at his front door, which is ironic, since he’s being kicked out of his own house, but he gets the message.
He doesn’t budge. “Now isn’t the time to be stubborn. Or arrogant.”
“Arrogant?” I question, unable to keep the anger from my tone.
“Yes, don’t underestimate the Blooms and the power they wield in this town! You will get yourself killed!”
“Then so be it. But there’s no way I’m letting Rebecca get away scot-free.”
“No one is saying that. All I’m saying is let me do it my way.”
“Absolutely not.” My tone is firm. This is not open for discussion.
“Hallie!” Kit takes a step forward.
And so do I, eyeballing him. “Kit!”
“I think we all need a breather.” Dandy steps between Kit and me, sensing the impending battle.
But I refuse to back down.
I understand he’s trying to protect me, but I don’t need him to.
Kit eyes me angrily over Dandy’s shoulder. But he reads the room.
No one will surrender tonight.
“Fine.”
His cell rings, but he ignores it and storms through the front door, slamming it shut behind him.
I exhale when he’s gone.
Dandy looks at me like I’m delicate, and at any moment, I’m going to break down and cry.
But I don’t.
Tears won’t come because anger is the only emotion animating me.
“Hallie, I don’t even know what to say.”
“There’s nothing to say, Dandy.”
“All this time, I thought you left of your own accord. Or that I had done something wrong. But to know what happened, and to uncover it was Rebecca fucking Bloom’s fault hits different. Whatever you need, I’m in. That bitch needs to pay.”
There’s resolve behind his words.
“What a mess.” I slump into the chair and cradle my face in my palms. “I just want to run away and forget.”
Dandy sits beside me. “Don’t you dare do that again. You made me a promise. Remember? In the tree house? You promised we’d be best friends forever.”
I remove my hands and smile. But it’s weak. “I remember. I promise I won’t run.”
Dandy offers his pinky. “Pinky promise.”
I loop my pinky around his. “Pinky promise.”
He appears content and pulls me into a close embrace.
“We have a lot to catch up on. But for now, I think you should speak with Kit. I don’t know what happened between you two, and I’d rather never know.
But I’m guessing you lied to him. You knew who he was, but he didn’t know who you were.
You didn’t trust him enough to tell him the truth.
“Kit is many things, but he’s not a liar. I can see the way he looks at you. He has never looked at another girl that way. It’s obvious that he’s in love with you.”
I gasp for breath. “In love?” I somehow manage to say between wheezes.
Dandy nods.
I can’t even process his claims, but he’s right. I do owe Kit an explanation as well as an apology.
I stand, but Dandy quickly takes my hand. “Please don’t ever leave me alone again.”
His worry is apparent. I don’t blame him. I just left. But I will never do that again.
“I won’t. Best friends forever, right?”
He nods happily, with tears in his eyes. “Best friends forever.”
I leave him and go in search of Kit.
I have no idea where he’ll be until I see a huge garage out back. That’s where he’ll be.
I can’t prepare for this conversation. I’ll be honest and accept whatever decision he makes, even if he never speaks to me again.
God, the reality of that pains me beyond words. But it’s one I’ll need to accept.
As I enter the garage, I hear soft music playing over the radio. Kit stands before an old truck, his hands resting on the open hood. He’s on his phone but soon pockets it.
He knows I’m here, but he doesn’t turn around.
“Saying I’m sorry just sounds like an excuse.
But I am so very sorry. I wanted to tell you, but I was afraid.
I didn’t even know where to start. Everything was just so messed up.
One lie led to another, and soon I found myself surrounded by lies.
I didn’t even know who I was anymore. I still don’t. ”
And that’s the God’s honest truth.
But Kit remains quiet.
“I know I did wrong. But what I said, my feelings for you were never a lie. Being with you reminded me of who I was. I missed that girl. But that girl is dead, Kit. She died the night in the woods. I did what I needed to survive. I know it doesn’t make sense, but being honest meant I had to face what was done to me, and what I’d done to deal with it.
“There’s blood on my hands. I’ve done some very bad things.
Jupiter didn’t force me. I’m just so fucked up,” I confess, running my fingers through my snarled hair.
“Why the hell would you want me? And that’s why I didn’t want to tell you the truth.
I was afraid of you never looking at me with that look in your eyes. ”
There’s the truth. That’s me being vulnerable.
But Kit is still unmoving.
I’m not angry, however. I always knew this time would come.
Jupiter was right all along.
“For what it’s worth…you made me feel safe. Thank you.”
I turn to leave because he’s made his feelings crystal clear, but he stops me dead in my tracks when he speaks. “What did I say to you that first night in the kitchen?”
I remember it like yesterday. “If I ever needed help or wanted something, just ask.”
Kit’s shoulders are stiff. “So why didn’t you?”
“Because so much had changed. And how could you help when I didn’t even know what to ask?”
Kit sighs, hanging his head low. “I don’t know what’s a lie or what’s the truth.”
Neither do I.
Everything is so muddled.
“I knew something was…off.” He settles for that after searching for the right word. “You always felt so familiar. Maybe deep down I always knew. I just…fuck, Hallie!” He slams his fist onto the hood. “I don’t know what to think anymore.”
I hate that I’ve done this to him. I’ve hurt him. I’ve hurt someone who always protected me.