The suspense is killing me, and my heart is racing so fast I feel dizzy; I can’t move. Please let it be Spencer, I think, putting every ounce of energy inside of me out into the universe. Unfortunately, that bitch never listens to me.
“Seriously, an unlocked door?” Ranger snarls as he storms in with Church behind him, both of them soaking wet and pissed-off. “Do you three have a death wish?”
There’s this rush of disappointment and sadness in me, but I push it aside. At least it’s not any of my attackers, right? But also … Spencer. Poor fucking Spencer.
“Ranger and I walked all the way over to the headmaster’s house, and even climbed the trellis, only to find that Charlotte was missing.” Church crosses his arms over his chest, his cool, businesslike gaze traveling from Micah to me, still sitting in Tobias’ lap. He blinks in rapid succession, a small blip of surprise on an otherwise stony face. Even though I know I have nothing to feel guilty about, I slide off Tobias’ lap anyway.
“You climbed my trellis?” I ask, momentarily pleased. I’ve never had a guy climb my trellis before, virgin jokes aside. “But wait, why were you guys at my house anyway?”
“To give you this,” Ranger says, moving into the room with Church on his heels. He passes over a box with a brand-new iPhone in it before turning that intimidating glare on the twins. “It’s a fucking phone, like the two of you have. Check your goddamn messages.”
“We …” Micah pauses, shoving the controller down to the end of the bed. “Yeah, we fucked up. Sorry.” He puts his face briefly in his hands, and I have to look away. Our little bubble of happiness has just been popped, and the agony on his face is almost too much for me to bear.
“You got me a phone?” I ask as Church sits down on the end of Micah’s bed, watching me carefully.
“We weren’t sure how long it’d be before the headmaster got you a new one.”
“As in, maybe he couldn’t afford it?” I say as I power the phone on. I’m not really that well-acquainted with my father's finances, but either way, I'm grateful. He spends an arm and a leg for Mom’s rehab, so who knows? Maybe the purse strings really are tight right now? “Thank you,” I add, before the Student Council boys can say anything else. I hold the phone against my chest for a moment, closing my eyes tight.
“Sorry we scared you,” Tobias says, and Church nods, like that's the end of the discussion. “We just … none of us could sleep.” He looks down at his comforter and picks at a loose thread as Ranger leans his shoulder against the wall, sighing heavily.
“Same. I'm so tired I feel like I could drop, but …” He trails off because there's no reason to put into words what we're feeling, this creeping dread that Monday will bring news and pain that we can never wash clean. “I was thinking of investigating both the attic and Mark's room, see if we can't find signs of that hole.”
“Also,” Church begins, closing his eyes briefly. “Someone broke all the bulbs in the hallway. It's dark as sin out there.” He opens them back up and stares at me. “They weren't like that when we left.”
“This is so fucking creepy,” Micah growls, scrubbing at his face again. “Someone murdered … someone, and it's like we're the only people in the world that know or care.”
“Whoever is responsible for this mess clearly has an in with the police,” Church says, like he's been thinking on this for a while. “What bothers me is that the school board doesn't seem all that concerned either.”
“Which would mean what, exactly?” I ask, and the way Church looks at me gives me chills.
“That they're in on it, too.” He pauses and uncrosses his legs. “At least, some of them are.”
“Why would the school board want Charlotte and … whoever was hanging out there in the woods dead?” Ranger asks, like he, too, has been thinking on this for days. “It doesn't make any sense. Besides,” he gives me an apologetic look, like he's already sorry for what he's about to say, “if they wanted her dead, any one of them has enough money to, you know, hire the job out.”
“You mean, like, hire an assassin?” I choke, because really, is this reality we're living in? An assassin?! For me, Charlotte Farren Carson? What did I ever do to warrant being put on a hit list? “That's insane.”
“Insane, but true,” Church says, standing up and brushing his hands down the front of his blue and white striped pajamas, swiping away imaginary dust. “I'll speak to my mother about it.”
“Your mother …” Ranger starts and sighs. “Talking to your mother comes with serious consequences, Church. You know that.”
