Chapter 28
CHAPTER 28
Presley
I t was Saturday, Halloween, and the last thing I felt like doing was celebrating. But Jennie’s party was the event of the season, and I knew skipping it would only raise questions I didn’t want to answer. So, I found myself staring at my reflection in the mirror, adjusting the ears of my sexy cat costume.
The black bodysuit clung to me, accentuating curves I normally didn’t think about. My makeup was dramatic—cat eyes and whiskers, a deep red lipstick that felt too bold for my mood. I sighed, pushing a loose strand of hair back into place. This costume felt like a mask, hiding the turmoil underneath.
What I’d found at Evan’s house still haunted me. The notebook—filled with intimate thoughts and observations—wasn’t his. It was his mother’s. Discovering it had been a shock, peeling back a layer of Evan’s life I hadn’t been prepared for. It made me see him in a different light, and not in a good way. The pages revealed a side of their family dynamics that was unsettling, and it explained a lot about his behavior, but it also made everything more complicated.
But there was something more involving Hudson and I couldn’t bear to tell him the truth. I’d been avoiding him for days, but I knew I would need to reveal what I knew, or I couldn’t live with myself.
My phone buzzed, a message from Jennie asking if I was on my way. I forced a smile and typed back a quick response before slipping the phone into my small black purse. I didn’t want to go, but staying home meant dwelling on everything, and I couldn’t handle that tonight.
I grabbed my coat and headed downstairs. My parents were in the living room, watching a horror movie and laughing at the cheesy effects. They looked up as I walked in.
“You look great, honey,” Mom said, her eyes lighting up. “That costume is perfect on you.”
“Thanks, Mom,” I replied, managing a small smile.
“Be safe and have fun,” Dad added, giving me a thumbs-up. “Call us if you need anything.”
“I will,” I promised, though I didn’t plan on needing anything but a distraction.
Neil bounded down the stairs dressed all in black and holding an old pillowcase in his hand. This would probably be the last year he would trick or treat.
“Where you going?” I asked.
“Out with Jerry and Tim. We’re going hard on some candy collection.”
I laughed but I was happy my brother was finally hanging around with kids his own age. At least I wouldn’t need to babysit him tonight.
“Have fun.”
He yanked the ski mask he had on his head over his face and slipped out the door in front of me. I followed, closing the door behind me as a group of young children made their way up the sidewalk. At least I didn’t have candy duty this year.
The walk to Jennie’s wasn’t long, but each step felt heavy. Her house was already buzzing with music and laughter by the time I arrived. Decorations sprawled across the lawn, and a giant inflatable ghost waved cheerfully at arriving guests. I took a deep breath and joined the throng, my eyes scanning the crowd for familiar faces.
Jennie greeted me at the door, her own costume—a glamorous witch—sparkling under the porch light. “Presley! You look amazing!”
“Thanks. You too,” I said, hugging her. “This party looks incredible.”
“You know I go all out,” she said with a wink. “Come in, get a drink, have fun!”
I nodded, but my heart wasn’t in it. I squeezed through the crowded hallway into the kitchen, grabbing a soda and leaning against the counter. The noise of the party swirled around me, but it felt distant, like I was watching it all from behind a glass wall.
And then I saw him. Evan. He was leaning against the doorframe, talking to a couple of his friends. He hadn’t noticed me yet, but I could feel the tension coil in my stomach. I didn’t want to deal with him, didn’t want to confront the confusion and hurt that his mother’s notebook had stirred up.
But hiding wasn’t an option either. I straightened my shoulders, plastered on my best party smile, and made my way into the living room. If I was going to survive tonight, I needed to play my part, at least for a few hours.
“Presley!” Reagan’s voice cut through the din, and she pulled me into a circle of friends. “We were just about to start a game. You in?”
My best friend. I could barely look at her knowing she was fucking my boyfriend. But I didn’t put it all on her. Evan was just as bad. I wondered how many people knew they were going behind my back.
“Absolutely,” I said, injecting as much enthusiasm as I could muster. Maybe, just maybe, I could lose myself in the festivities, if only for a little while.
I held up a red cup of punch. This was my third cup, and the potent mix of alcohol was making me sway. I stumbled onto the dance floor, twirling around. Evan was behind me, wrapping his arm around my stomach to hold me steady.
“You know how fucking sexy you look in that costume,” he whispered in my ear.
I ignored him, taking another sip of the punch and holding my arms high in the air. Some of the red liquid splashed onto the hardwood but I didn’t care. Evan removed the cup from my hand, handing it off to Reagan before he turned me around and pressed his lips to mine.
He tasted like vodka and vanilla. Earlier, I saw him with a bottle in his hand, taking sips from it as he and his friends passed it around.
“Come home with me,” he said.
I gagged. There was no way I would come home with him so he could take advantage of me. I slapped my hand over my mouth and broke away from him, running for the bathroom. The door was closed, and two girls were waiting in line. I had to find a toilet, or I would lose it all over Jennie’s multi-colored runner.
She had a bathroom in her bedroom, and I ran there hoping I could make it. As I threw up the top and buried my head in the white porcelain bowl, I felt my hair pulled back as I purged my stomach. Tears leaked down my face and my nose were running when I finished.
“Are you okay?” a male voice said.
I nodded, grabbing a piece of toilet paper to wipe my tears, nose and mouth. I sat with my face on the edge of the cool porcelain for a few moments before I rose to find Hudson behind me. My heart skipped a beat.
“When did you get here?” I asked as I hit the plunger and stepped to the sink to wash my mouth out.
“A few minutes ago. We need to talk.”
I slurped some water and swished out my mouth, spitting into the sink. “There’s nothing to talk about,” I said, pressing a towel to my face.
In the mirror, I saw his face – his mouth set in a hard line. I ignored him as I used some toilet paper to wipe the black marks on my cheek from my smudged mascara.
“What changed from last weekend?” he demanded.
I shrugged. “I just realized it is what it is. I’m dating Evan and that’s it.”
Hudson gripped my forearm, the heat of his hand sinking into my flesh. “That’s it? Stop lying. Did you find the notebook?”
I found a notebook and if I tell you what I read, it will devastate you.
“I’m done looking,” I said nonchalantly. “I just want to finish the school year and get to college.”
He pointed my thumb at the door. “With that fuckwit?” he asked incredulously. “What about us? I fucking love you,” he hissed.
My heart was breaking. I needed time to figure out how to tell him what I knew and there would be consequences for everyone involved. If I was around Hudson, I wouldn’t be able to hold it in. I know I shouldn’t, he needed to know, and my confession was at the tip of my tongue, but I sucked it down.
“There is no us. We fucked around and we’re done,” I said, holding back tears.
Without warning, he punched the wall, scaring me.
“You’ll regret this,” Hudson snapped.
Then he was gone. I heard the bedroom door slam, and I sank to the floor and sobbed. I loved him so much, but I was a coward, afraid to tell him something that would change his life and those around him forever.
I woke up with a hacking cough that clawed at my throat and stole my breath. Each gasp burned, a raw reminder of my poor decision to wear that skimpy Halloween costume and hang out outside without a coat. I had spent Sunday fighting a sore throat, downing Emergen-C before bed in a futile attempt to stave off the inevitable. Now, it seemed I’d lost the battle.
“Presley, you need to get up, or you’re going to be late,” my mother called from the other side of the door.
Another cough erupted, racking my chest. The door swung open, and she stepped inside, her expression shifting from mild annoyance to concern. “Are you sick?”
I answered with another rasping cough, clutching my ribs. “My chest hurts,” I croaked.
She crossed the room in three quick strides, placing her cool hand against my forehead. Her lips pressed into a thin line. “You’re warm.”
“I feel like shit,” I muttered, collapsing back onto my pillow.
Before she could respond, Neil poked his head through the doorway, his shaggy hair a mess of bedhead. “Who’s taking me to school today?”
My mother turned, ushering him back with a firm hand. “Not now, Neil.”
But he pushed past her, scowling at me. “The bus? You’re joking, right?”
I grinned weakly. “Bus.”
“No fucking way!” His tone was indignant, and I couldn’t help but chuckle, though it sent another cough tearing through me.
“Neil!” my mother snapped, glaring at him. “Watch your language.”
He lifted his hands in mock surrender. “Sorry, Mom, but I hate the bus.”
“I’ll take you,” she sighed, shooing him toward the hallway. “Go grab your backpack.”
With a dramatic groan, Neil shuffled out, and my mother turned back to me, pointing a finger like she was sealing a contract. “You stay in bed. I’m canceling my committee meeting this afternoon.”
I shook my head, wincing as my throat protested the motion. “I can survive on my own for a few hours. You don’t have to baby me.”
Her expression softened, but the resolve in her voice didn’t waver. “You might be eighteen, but you’re still one of my babies. Now, do you want anything from the store?”
“Honey cough drops,” I rasped. “The ones with the liquid honey in the middle.”
She smiled faintly. “Got it. Take it easy. I’ll be back in about an hour.”
The door clicked shut behind her, and her footsteps faded down the hallway. I waited a moment, listening for the front door to close, then threw back the covers and tiptoed to my desk. My legs felt like jelly, but I ignored the weakness as I slid open a drawer and retrieved the slim green notebook hidden inside.
The first time I’d stumbled across it had been an accident. I’d found it in the Braddocks’ den, mistaking it for Evan’s. When he’d walked in unexpectedly, I’d shoved it into the back of my jeans, heart pounding, praying he wouldn’t notice. He hadn’t.
Now, sitting cross-legged on my bed, I flipped through the pages. The looping handwriting was unmistakably Mrs. Braddock’s. Each entry revealed her tangled life—affairs, desperate confessions, and attempts to escape the loveless prison of her marriage. I’d kept the notebook out of curiosity at first, thinking it harmless.
Then I found it .
The passage was buried deep, six years old, the ink uneven as if her hand had trembled while writing. My stomach turned as I read the words again. A crime—cold, calculated, and unforgivable.
A chill swept over me, raising goosebumps along my arms. The Braddocks’ polished facade was a farce, their wealth and status hiding a black pit of moral decay.
I couldn’t keep this to myself. Not anymore.
My hands shook as I traced the damning words with my finger, bile rising in my throat. Evan would hate me for this. But that was fine. I hated him, too. He had no loyalty to his parents—why should I? They didn’t deserve it. None of them did.
Shoving the notebook under my mattress, I sank back onto my pillow, my chest tightening with the weight of what I knew. The knowledge gnawed at me, a sickening pressure I couldn’t escape.
I closed my eyes, coughing against the knot of dread rising inside me. How much longer could I bear this alone?