Katie’s eyes widen. “What? You think they could have? I heard she had cocaine under her nose. They determined it was an overdose.”
“I mean it could have been, I guess. Did Shannon do drugs?”
She shrugs. “I don’t really know. Shannon was a bitch and kept her distance. Since she knew these people, I would assume so, but I never saw her do it herself.”
“When did all this start?”
“What do you mean?”
“When did Shannon offer this solution?”
She thinks back. “August.”
“She died in December. So that means you did your one-time job in August and then she dies months later before they decide you owe them more? Seems coincidental.”
“I try not to think about it too much. I don’t want any more trouble. I wish we had said no from the start. This isn’t worth going to State.”
Poor Katie. She is so sweet and innocent. My heart aches for her.
“Too late to put the genie back in the bottle now. We have to keep pushing on.”
“You’re right. I figured you should know, though. Since you weren’t here in the beginning when it started. Tiffany should have told you more before letting you get mixed up in this. It wasn’t fair to you.”
I shrug. “We’re a team, right? That means your baggage is mine. We are going to get through this together.”
Katie’s eyes tear up. “I’m really glad you joined the team. When all this shit started going down, I was really freaking out. You have a calming presence to you.”
“I’ll be here for you, girl.”
I mean it too. From the sounds of it, Katie’s innocent. She didn’t choose to get mixed into this shit. Shannon made that choice for them and now that she’s gone, these girls are left with her mess. There’s no doubt in my mind that it was not a coincidence. Shannon may have been into drugs, but her being found in the girl’s bathroom overdosed before practice? That seems a little suspicious to me. Even if she was doing them, I have a hard time believing she would overdose at school.
Then again, what do I know? I try to avoid drugs.
“Can I get a glass of water or something?” Katie asks, trying to hold back her tears.
I give her a sympathetic smile.
“Sure.”
I head down the hall to the kitchen. Instead of getting a glass, I grab a bottle of water from the fridge. I buy it with my own money since our tap water is questionable. The little money the State gives me as an allowance helps with that. I thank the Lord for my social worker. She goes above and beyond for me when it comes to that.
When I get back to the bedroom, Katie isn’t where I left her. Instead, she is standing by my dresser.
“Everything okay?”
She turns, her face still red, but the tears are gone.
“Yeah. I should probably go.”
“All right. I’ll see you tomorrow?” I hold out the bottled water.
She smiles as she takes it. “Yep. Just keep a low profile. The girls will get there with you.”
“Thanks.”
I walk her to the door, closing it behind her. When I get back to my room, I lay back on my bed thinking about the information she provided me.
“What the fuck were you thinking, Shannon?” I mumble to myself.
