Chapter 13
When I go out to the living room, nobody’s there. From the sound of the music upstairs, I’m guessing Trystan’s in his room. Braden is probably still with Brock in his office.
Hurrying to the kitchen, I grab a pen and the notepad Ana uses to make grocery lists and scribble down a note.
Out taking a walk. Be back later.
I leave it on the counter where they’ll see it, then head to the door, tiptoeing so I don’t make any noise.
“Where are you going?” Trystan asks from the stairs.
“On a walk. I thought you were leaving.”
“I am, but not for an hour. I thought you were studying.”
“I was, but I needed a break. I need some fresh air.”
“I’ll come with you,” he says, running down the stairs.
Is he serious? He’s never offered to walk with me, and now suddenly he wants to?
“You can’t,” I blurt out as he meets me at the door.
“Why not?”
“Because your dad needs you to stay here. In case they need to question you.”
“They don’t need to question me. They already know everything from what I told them before. And Dad said the cops wouldn’t be sending anyone over today.”
“Really? Why?”
“Something about them needing more time with the evidence.”
“They still need you to stay here.” I open the door. “I’ll see you later.”
“Who told you I need to stay here? My dad?”
“Yeah. Bye!” I hurry out the door, hoping I can get away before he finds out I lied. I text Jackson.
On my way.
When I reach his car, which is parked on a side street, I jump in, and he takes off.
“What’d you tell them?” he asks.
“That I was going on a walk. I told Trystan. Brock and Braden weren’t around. Trystan wanted to come with, so I had to get rid of him.”
“Why’d he want to come with?”
“I don’t know. I think he was bored. Or maybe he didn’t believe I was going on a walk. He doesn’t believe anything I say. He always thinks I’m lying. I’m surprised he doesn’t follow me everywhere I go.”
Jackson glances at his rearview mirror. “I don’t see him.”
“I told him Brock wanted him home, in case he needed to be questioned. He’s probably already found out I lied, which will make him trust me even less.” I let out a breath. “I hate this. I hate everything that’s going on. I hate living there. The only thing that’s good right now is you.”
Jackson reaches over and takes my hand. “I feel the same way.” He glances at me. “Like I’ve told you before, come over whenever you want. Even if I’m not home, you can stay there and hang out to get away from them.”
“I can’t. You’re the enemy, remember?”
“Maybe not for long,” he says with a smile.
“What do you mean?”
“Can’t say. I’m still working on it.”
“Working on what?”
He pulls off the road to a gravel path with trees on both sides. The path seems barely wide enough for his Range Rover.
“What are you doing?” I ask, holding on as he drives fast on the bumpy road.
“Going someplace people won’t find us.”
An uneasy feeling comes over me, my mind going back to Andrea. There’s no way Jackson did it, but if, for some crazy reason, he did, I don’t want to be out here alone with him.
“Let’s turn around,” I say.
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“I don’t like it out here. It’s freaking me out.”
“You don’t have to be scared. You’re with me.”
I don’t respond.
He slows down, then comes to a stop. “Rumor, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just want to go back.”
“Why? Are you scared of being out here?” He pauses. “Or scared of me?” When I don’t answer, he says, “I didn’t do it. I promise you I didn’t.”
“I’m not really big on promises,” I say, gazing out the side window. “Axl promised me forever and, well, you know how that turned out.”
“I’m not Axl. And I’m telling you I didn’t do it. If you don’t believe me, then—” He lets out a breath. “We shouldn’t keep doing this.”
Turning to him, I see him looking the other way.
“Jackson.” I wait for him to turn to me. “I want to believe you. And for the most part I do, but sometimes I just wonder.”
“Wonder what?”
“Why you do things. Things that make me question you.”
“Like what?”
“Hanging out with Kristen. Everyone seems to hate her, me included, so why are you friends with her? What do you see in her that other people don’t?”
“I’ve already explained this. I’m helping her. That’s it.”
“Helping her with what?”
“Family stuff. I’ve already told you this.”
“And I don’t understand. So she hates her mom. Big deal.”
“It’s not just about her mom.”
“She hates her stepdad? Who cares? Her mom will probably divorce him soon and he’ll be out of her life.”
“We’re not here to talk about Kristen. We’re here to talk about the case. It sounds like the investigators need more time to go over the new evidence. My lawyer said they wouldn’t tell him what it is until they’ve verified it’s legit.”
“They think someone faked the evidence?”
“Maybe. Or they might be questioning who gave it to them.”
“But you don’t know who it is.”
“It had to have been someone who was at the party that night.”
“You were there that night. Do you have any idea who it might be?”
“The only person I could think of is Alyssa.”
“Alyssa? The girl in my class?”
“She was best friends with Andrea, or had been until a few weeks before Andrea died.”
“Why’d they stop being friends?”
“Andrea got pissed when Alyssa accused Braden of trying to rape her.”
“Braden raped Alyssa?” I ask, shocked she’d still be friends with him after that. She sits right next to him at lunch.
“She said he tried to rape her, but she got away. She said it happened at a party when they were both really drunk.”
“Did she tell the police?”
“No. She told the school. They, of course, took Braden’s side, not wanting anything to happen to their star football player. They called Alyssa into the office and after that, she said it was all a misunderstanding.”
“But she never said it wasn’t true?”
“No, but she didn’t mention it again. Andrea was pissed at Alyssa for making Braden look bad and stopped talking to her.”
“Wait, did this happen during football season?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Braden said he doesn’t drink during the season.”
“He doesn’t before a game but after a game? Hell, yeah, he drinks, or he did. Maybe he doesn’t now.”
“Why would Braden come to your house and tell you there was new evidence? If he hates you, why was he trying to help you?”
“He wasn’t helping me. He was helping himself. He panicked and had to tell someone and I’m the only one he could tell other than his dad, but Brock wasn’t around.”
“He could’ve told Trystan.”
“Trystan would’ve told him he was screwed and then laughed. He’s not someone you go to for support. When Braden and I were friends and he’d panic like he was doing today, I was the only one who could calm him down. I think he was hoping I’d do that today.”
“And did you?”
“Fuck no. Not after all the shit he’s done to me. I’m done helping him.”
“Going back to Alyssa, if she’s the one who turned in the new evidence, why would she wait until now? Why wouldn’t she have given it to the cops right away?”
“I don’t know. I don’t even know if it’s her. I’m just guessing here. The only reason I thought of her is because she has motive. If Braden really did try to rape her and got away with it, she might be wanting revenge.”
“I can’t believe that happened. She’s always so nice to Braden. And sometimes I swear she’s flirting with him.”
“She does it to survive.”
“Survive? She thinks he’ll hurt her if she doesn’t pretend she likes him?”
“I meant survive socially — at Twisted Pine. She can’t risk pissing off Braden. She knows she has to be nice to him or the school will turn on her. If she accused him again, it’d be even worse than last time. He’s their star player now. He can get away with anything.”
“That’s wrong.”
“It’s why I don’t want Twisted Pine building another school. They cover shit up. Silence people who tell on them. The place is corrupt.”
“Which is why you shouldn’t be hanging out with the principal’s daughter.”
He sighs. “Just drop it, okay? You don’t know what’s going on.”
“Because you won’t tell me.”
“When it’s over, I will. Until then, you just have to trust me.”
We both get quiet. I’m angry he won’t tell me what he’s doing with Kristen. It’s bad enough he’s keeping a secret from me, but it’s even worse that the secret’s about Kristen.
I feel Jackson’s hand wrap around mine. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” I whisper, my anger being replaced with sadness, but I’m not sure why. It’s the kind of sadness that comes on suddenly and overwhelms you.
“It’s not nothing,” Jackson says, giving my hand a squeeze. “I could tell when you got in the car that something was wrong. Did something happen with Brock?”
I shake my head. “It’s my dad.”
“What about him?”
“I found a business card. It fell out of Brock’s desk. It was for the rehab place.”
“So you found Devon. That’s great! Where is he?”
“I don’t know. I called and they said he left weeks ago.” I pause. “Shayla said she saw him here on the beach around the same time.”
“That doesn’t make sense. Why would he be in La Jolla? Was he here to see Brock?”
“Maybe. She doesn’t know.”
“Was she sure it was him?”
“No, but she said it looked like him. I don’t think she’d tell me this unless she really thought it was him.”
“Did you try calling him?”
“Yeah. No answer. And I haven’t had any more strange phone calls.”
“So what are you going to do? Keep calling him?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. I guess that’s my only option.”
“What if we went to his apartment? If he’s not there, we could wait. See if he shows up.”
My eyes go to Jackson’s. “You’d really do that? You’d take me there?”
“Of course, if that’s what you want to do.”
I reach across the seat and hug him. “I want that more than anything. I need to find him.” I sniffle as a tear slides down my cheek. “I need to find out why he doesn’t want me.”‘
Jackson gently pushes me back. “I’m sure he does want you. He’s probably just too messed up to do anything about it. Sounds like he can’t even take care of himself right now so there’s no way he could take care of someone else.”