I turned my head. “Mika? Why the hell would I care about that? And, no, I didn’t know that.”

  “Well, all of Hidden Creek High does now,” Leo said. “Because of your girl.”

  “Aira?”

  “Yeah. She got wind of it and was waiting to use it. Revenge for what Mika did to her locker.”

  I pushed Leo out of the way and ran to his car.

  I jumped into the driver’s seat.

  “Hey, bro, get out,” Leo said.

  I put the car into neutral and pressed the pedal.

  The engine screamed with life.

  “Get in!” I called out.

  I counted to five in my head and both Leo and Flynn were lucky they got into the car.

  My hands were gripped tight on the wheel as I sped back down toward the school.

  “When did this happen?” I asked.

  “This morning, I guess,” Flynn said. “Charlotte heard it from Kaci. I don’t know. It’s been floating around. Charlotte, Emma, and Kailey were the ones who told Aira.”

  “How did they know?”

  “Through someone Emma knows.”

  “I guess Mika got knocked up last year,” Leo said. “Some out of town party thing. Rich people fucking rich people. Their parents worked it all out and arranged for Mika to… you know…”

  “Fuck,” I said. “And Aira did this?”

  “Who else would?” Flynn asked. “She was the one who knew.”

  “And your tit heavy girl was the one who put it in her ear to do something about it,” I said.

  “Don’t put this on me, Wes,” Flynn said.

  I curled my lip and drove faster.

  I blew through stop signs and red lights like they didn’t exist.

  Each time I did, Leo put his hand the dashboard, braced for me to crash the car. But believe me, the way I was driving Leo’s car, if I did crash, nobody was walking away alive.

  The drive felt like days, and when we got there, I parked the car, jumped out and rushed toward the old building.

  I darted through the front doors and the hallways were empty.

  I jogged toward Aira’s locker but was stopped when I saw something written across another locker.

  baby killer

  That was Mika’s locker.

  “Oh, fuck,” I whispered.

  I heard voices from around the corner.

  When I turned it, I saw Mika with her hands on her face, crying hysterically.

  She looked up and looked at me.

  “Why?” she asked. “Why…”

  “Look what you did to her,” I said in a cold voice.

  “That’s enough of that,” a voice said behind me.

  It was Henders.

  Miss Carson came out from one of the bathrooms and touched Mika’s shoulder.

  “Where is she?” I called out.

  “I said enough, Weslee,” Henders said from behind me.

  “Where’s Aira?” I called out.

  Miss Carson looked at me and shook her head. “I don’t know.”

  “What do you mean you don’t know?” I asked.

  “She didn’t arrive here yet, Mr. Jackson,” Henders said. “And I would strongly advise you to walk away right now before I remove you from this building myself.”

  I showed my hands and walked away from the messy scene.

  I stood in the middle of an empty hallway, my fists balled up tight.

  It was all starting to crumble.

  Worse yet, what if I was the reason Aira decided to push back like this?

  Chapter 22

  Aira

  “I don’t even want to go in at all today,” I said as I watched the waves crash to the shore. “Just want to waste the entire day here.”

  “That’s a good plan,” Kailey said. “I just know everyone will know.”

  “Why are you so worried?” I asked her. “Did you tell Emma yet?”

  “No,” she said.

  “Here she comes,” I said. “With Charlotte. Just say it in passing. Or I will.”

  “Don’t say a word,” Kailey said.

  “Fine.” I looked back at Charlotte and Emma again and raised an eyebrow. “Um. You might want to run.”

  “Me? Why?” Kailey asked.

  “Emma has her baseball bat.”

  “What?” Kailey asked as she spun around.

  She grabbed my hand and started to shake.

  “Hey, maybe she really liked Ryker,” I said.

  “No. She hates him.”

  “I don’t know. That baseball bat has your name on it.”

  “Aira, this isn’t funny.” Kailey looked at me. “I’m not that kind of girl. And not that kind of friend.”

  “Let’s just talk to her.”

  “She’s crazy,” Kailey said. “Beautiful and crazy. The worst kind. I’ve seen her do crazy things. Some guy wouldn’t stop following her so she grabbed his balls and squeezed so hard he burst into tears. And then she broke his foot.”

  “Wow,” I said. “Maybe you shouldn’t have slept with Ryker.”

  Kailey shut her eyes and took a deep breath.

  “Hey there,” I said to Charlotte and Emma. “What’s with that bat?”

  “I fucked Ryker last night,” Kailey called out.

  Everyone fell silent. Eyes wide.

  “What?” Charlotte asked.

  “I fucked Ryker,” Kailey said. “Last night. After everyone left… he and I… I’m sorry, Emma. I didn’t know…”

  “Sorry?” Emma asked. “I’m sorry for you. You slept with Ryker? Why?”

  “You’re not going to hit me with your baseball bat?” Kailey asked.

  “No,” Emma said. She laughed. “You thought… I do not like Ryker at all. Not even close.”

  “What are you doing with the bat?” I asked.

  “Giving it to you,” Emma said.

  “Why?”

  “Can’t believe you did it,” Charlotte said. “I heard she’s already crying.”

  “What?”

  “Mika,” Emma said.

  “Mika? What about her?”

  “The abortion,” Charlotte said. “You told everyone. Right?”

  My heart sank. “No. I didn’t tell anyone.”

  “Well, that’s not what’s happening right now,” Emma said. “Everyone knows.”

  “How?” I asked.

  “I thought it was you,” Charlotte said.

  “Me too,” Emma said. “I’m taking my baseball bat back now.”

  “This is crazy,” I said. “No way. I thought about… no. I wouldn’t. I couldn’t. Not a chance. And how is this my problem?”

  “Well, because of what she did to you,” Charlotte said. “I mean, it’s only obvious.”

  “You didn’t write on her locker?” Emma asked.

  “No,” I said. My heart pounded. “I didn’t say a thing. Someone else must have known.”

  “Nobody did,” Emma said. “I got that from someone that has nothing to do with Mika or this town. It was just the four of us that knew.”

  I looked at Kailey.

  “Don’t ask me,” she said. “I was…”

  “You fucked Ryker?” Emma asked. She titled her head. “You fell for that ass on fire, underwear thing?”

  “Hey,” Kailey said. “You don’t know what you missed out on. He’s…”

  “Wait,” I snapped. “This is serious. How could this happen. I still have the…”

  I touched my pockets.

  The piece of paper.

  With the rumor written on it.

  I covered my mouth.

  “What?” Kailey asked.

  My hoodie. The pocket. The note.

  It all came down to one thing.

  One horrible, terrible thing.

  Ryland.

  * * *

  I knew going to HCH was a risk. Everyone would be looking for me. Some to probably congratulate me for what I had so-called done to Mika. She was hated by many and it took someone brave to take her on. But I had already taken her on with my fist and I would have rather done it that way again. At the same time, there were some probably looking to punch me in the nose for what was happening.

  “You should go home and hide,” Kailey warned.

  “No,” I said. “I need to find Wes. I need to sort this out.”

  “You’re sure this was Ryland?” Charlotte asked.

  “Has to be,” I said. “I was on the pier and was going to throw the paper in the water. I wanted to be done with it. I didn’t want this to happen. If I want revenge I’ll do it my way. This is not… whatever. Ryland showed up and I hurried to stick my hand in my hoodie pocket. When I walked away from him, he touched my arm and I freaked out. I must have dropped it…” I lowered my head. “This is my fault.”

  “It’s my fault,” Emma said. “I’m the one who brought it up. Because of what she did to you. I hated that your house burned down and you came here and had to deal with this. It’s not fair to you.”

  “No, Emma. This is on me. It was my responsibility to keep that piece of paper hidden. Or destroy it. But I didn’t. I carried it with me every day. Wondering…”

  I looked forward and saw Wes at the end of the hall.

  It was like a scene out of one of those end of the world movies. Wes on one end of the hallway, me on the other.

  “Just wait here,” I said to Kailey, Charlotte, and Emma. “Or better yet, go to class and figure out what’s happening. Help me. I don’t care what anyone says, I did not do this.”

  I started to walk forward and Wes started to run.

  As he closed in on me, he called out, “Why, darling?”

  I shook my head. “Wes…”

  “Why did you do this? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Wes, it’s not that easy,” I said. “I swear. When they told me…”

  “You knew all along,” he said. “You’ve been hiding this.”

  “Not hiding. I just… I didn’t care about it. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I didn’t do anything.”

  “Then how did this happen?” he asked.

  The look in his eyes made me shiver. I didn’t want to tell him. If I say the name - Ryland - he would lose his mind. Last thing I needed was Wes going after Ryland.

  “Wes…”

  That’s when my eyes moved down a little and I saw his arm and his leg.

  I gasped.

  “Don’t worry about that,” he said to me.

  “What happened to you?” I asked. “You’re cut. Bleeding. You look…”

  “What?” he asked. “I look what?”

  “What happened?”

  “They made me drop my fucking ride,” Wes said. “That’s not the-”

  “Who made you?” I asked.

  “No, Aira. This is about you. What you did.”

  “I didn’t do anything,” I said to him. “Don’t you believe me?”

  “Then… why does everyone think you did this?”

  “I was with you all night, Wes,” I said. “How did I have time to spread a rumor or anything else they’re saying?”

  “But you knew. You were one of the few who knew, right?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “And I had no intention…”

  Wes shook his head. “They’re looking for you, Aira. Henders and Miss Carson. They want to talk to you.”

  “I didn’t do anything wrong. I don’t care. I’m worried about you. Is your leg okay.”

  I moved toward him and Wes stepped back. “You need to get ahead of this. Or alongside of it. If you know who did this…” Wes looked beyond me. Looking to Kailey, Charlotte, and Emma.

  “They didn’t do it,” I said.

  “You sure? Maybe Charlotte is pissed you’re with me? Maybe Kailey is pissed we ragged on her for fucking Ryker? Or maybe Emma got wind of Kailey and Ryker and decided to stir the pot.”

  “Wes, no,” I yelled. “They didn’t do anything.”

  “You know who did,” he said. He laughed. “You’re so worried about secrets, Aira. I’ve tried to protect you from all the secrets. To keep you out of the fire. And you just can’t help it. You fit right in here, don’t you?”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” I asked.

  My heart pounded again. Worse than before.

  I never saw Wes like this.

  And I couldn’t stop looking at his jeans. The way they were ripped up. Or his arm. His skin ripped up from the road.

  I wanted to hug him. Kiss him. Patch him up.

  Which was sort of becoming a thing for us. Some couples went out and had fun. I would clean up whatever wounds Wes had from fighting.

  “Aira,” someone called my name.

  I looked over my shoulder and saw both Principal Henders and Miss Carson walking toward me.

  Kailey put her hands together and forced a smile.

  Charlotte and Emma didn’t do anything.

  “We need to talk to you,” Miss Carson said.

  “Of course,” I said.

  “Mr. Jackson,” Principal Henders said. “Do we need to have the same conversation again? And do you feel like telling us what happened to you?”

  “Woke up on the wrong side of the bed,” Wes said.

  “Make yourself disappear,” Principal Henders said.

  I looked at Wes one last time.

  I reached for his hand. He made no gesture to grab my hand back.

  “Wes, please,” I whispered.

  “You fix it here,” he said. “I’ll fix it out there.”

  I turned away and Miss Carson touched my back.

  She led me away from Wes.

  I had the same feeling going through me as I did when I realized my house was on fire.

  * * *

  “This is retaliation,” Principal Henders bellowed.

  “It’s not,” I said.

  “Please,” Miss Carson said. “Everyone is emotional right now.”

  Principal Henders froze in place and folded his arms.

  “Aira,” Miss Carson said in a soft voice. “What’s been done today to Mika…”

  “I didn’t do it,” I said. “I swear. Did I know about that rumor? Yeah. I heard about it. And you want to know something? I could have spread that rumor to get back at her.” I looked at Principal Henders. “But I didn’t. I didn’t want to go down that road. Because it would never end.”

  “Then how do you explain this?” Principal Henders asked.

  “You realize how many people hate her?” I asked.

  “Let’s not go that way,” Miss Carson said.

  “I have nothing to say here,” I said. “I was with Wes last night. The entire night.” Heat rose to my cheeks. “I was late coming here for a personal reason.”

  “Personal?” Miss Carson asked.

  “A friend needed my help with something. Guy problems. I had no desire to even come here until someone told me what was happening. Then I came here to figure out what happened. Why would I come here if I did this?”

  I hurried to stand up.

  “Sit down,” Miss Carson said.

  “No,” I said.

  “You’ve been through a lot,” Miss Carson said. “We’ve had some good talks here.”

  “I’m done with this,” I said. “I told Julia the same thing. You want to search my room? Search it. You want to search my locker? I don’t care. Accuse me of what you want. I know the truth. I did not tell a single person about that rumor. That’s not who I am.”

  “Then who are you?” Principal Henders asked.

  “I’m the one who punched her in the face,” I said. “That’s what I did to Mika. And if she wants to run her mouth, I’d do it again.”

  “I do not condone violence in my building,” he growled.

  “I do not condone what she’s done,” I said right back.

  “You’re walking a fine line here,” Principal Henders said. “I think you’ve been spending too much time with Weslee. I’d hate to see you removed from this building. I know all you’ve been through. But I still have to hold the same standards.”

  “Standards,” I said with a laugh.

  “Okay,” Miss Carson said. “I have a lot to deal with here. Because now I have to help Mika through this. Understand what that rumor implies…”

  “I don’t care what that rumor implies,” I said. “That’s her problem.”

  “We will be checking into everything possible,” Principal Henders said. “Lockers. Recordings. Whatever is necessary.”

  “Have at it,” I said.

  “Aira, please calm down,” Miss Carson said.

  “And if I find out you have had anything to do with this, you will be removed from this building,” Principal Henders said.

  I didn’t say a word back to him.

  He looked at Miss Carson, gave a nod, and exited the office.

  I had my back to Miss Carson, which was good. I felt my face curled up in anger. And at the same time I felt like crying. But tears wouldn’t fix this.

  Fuck tears.

  “Aira, we’re alone now,” Miss Carson said. “We can talk about anything. I just need to know…”

  “You already know,” I said. “Mika can be your new project now. I’m done being the fucked up one.”

  I walked out of Miss Carson’s office and she didn’t follow.

  I went to one of the doors and paused as I stared through the glass pane.

  There was Mika.

  Hugging herself, head down, crying.

  A woman was next to her, a hand on her back. Not rubbing her back though. But pushing her. They stepped toward a large, black SUV. The driver got out and hurried around to open the door for Mika. She got into the backseat and the driver shut the door. He then opened the front passenger door for the woman. As she got into the SUV she dabbed the corners of her eyes.

  The SUV drove away.

  In a way, Mika got what she deserved.

  But it was my revenge to give. My decision to make.

  It all needed to end.

  And that started with me and Ryland.

  Chapter 23

  Wes

  I rolled up my jeans and threw them into the trash. Nothing was bleeding, which was good. It was just all scraped up. It stung but it wasn’t anything that would take me down for good. What bothered me worse than dropping my ride was Aira. This was the exact thing I was trying to keep her from. Because as rumors and fights continued, more people got hurt and lines were blurred.

 

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