“Um, sorry. Okay—” I exhale hard, bringing my hands to my cheeks. I’m shaking. Badly. “I need to wrap my head around this. Thank you for telling me, though. That’s certainly not anything I was expecting. And a really bizarre thing for her to do.”
Cassie shakes her head. “I thought so, too, but some of the girls said maybe she just really wanted her little sister to be the cage girl.” She glances down at her Apple Watch and gestures to the door. “Let me know if you want to discuss it further. Right now, though, we’re due out back on the lawn for the memorial.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m going to say it again, even though I know it’s not my fault. I’m so fucking sorry for everything. I don’t know what’s happening. Or why.”
I give a little shrug, not wanting her to know just how thrown I am. Why the hell would Freya have done that? Forced me into being Royal’s cage girl. Abandoned me at the warehouse after it was over. She wasn’t looking out for me at all, but we already knew that. Hadn’t been there earlier that weekend for the bonfire either. But… my mind clicks around and around, searching for why Freya would have targeted me the way she seems to have, but I still come up empty.Dammit. What am I missing?
I wander outside, falling in with the rest of the sisterhood. I smile and say hello to a few of the girls. Christine and Samantha are together, as usual, whispering away to each other. Jennifer has an arm around Allie, who seems to be having a tough time with all this.
The backyard is set up much like it had been during the Bid Day brunch, with tables and chairs set up for everyone. There’s also a small buffet with assorted cookies and little sandwiches. I might have been interested in it if my stomach weren’t feeling so upset over what Cassie just told me.
There’s a crowd over near a display that’s been set up… photos, I think. I get an odd, sinking feeling. I should take a look. But no way am I going over there right now. Ireland and Savannah are there, rather loudly retelling the story of how they’d been talking to Freya and Zane right before they must have been killed.
Sure, ladies. Because that’s what’s important here—the fact that you may have been the last to speak to them before they died. Bile rises to the back of my throat as a vivid image of Freya’s and Zane’s nude, blood-splattered bodies lying so still in the middle of Beckham’s bed hits me out of nowhere. Squeezing my eyes shut for a moment, all I can do is breathe.
“That Echo girl over there? She’s the one who discovered the bodies. Along with some of the guys from SIN.” My eyes pop back open, but I can’t quite tell who said that, because there’s a growing group huddled in front of the photos. My chest clenches, and I stumble, unsteady as I grip the back of one of the chairs.
“Maybe you should sit down, Echo.” Cassie appears at my side out of nowhere. Her hand is firm but gentle on my shoulder, and she pulls out the chair I’d been gripping and urges me into it. “It’ll be over soon. I won’t blame you if you leave as soon as we say a few words. Don’t feel like you need to subject yourself to this any more than you have to. I know it’s upsetting.”
I clutch at her arm, feeling sick again. “You don’t expect me to say anything, do you?”
She shakes her head. “No. No, sorry. I didn’t mean to freak you out. I wouldn’t put you through that.”
I swallow down the vomit at the back of my throat. “Okay. Thank you.” I exhale in a slow, steady stream. “I’m fine.” She gives me a wary look, and I shake my head. “Promise.”
A moment later, Shani sits down beside me and pats my back, then Christine, Samantha, and Jennifer fill the rest of theseats at our table, and all the girls who’d been gathered in front of the photo display disperse.
Once everyone is settled, Cassie gets our attention and says a few things that I don’t even pay attention to because all the blood in my body is whooshing through my head with the furious beats of my heart. I blink, trying to pay attention as some girl I haven’t ever seen before gets up and introduces herself as Halee, Freya’s TZE big sister. I close my eyes and try to breathe for several counts of ten while she talks about how much fun it had been getting to know Freya.
Panic is rising in me, though, and I don’t know if I can stop it. I don’t have a firm grasp on why I feel this way, except there are so many photos of Freya and her friends and family over there. It’s like she’s looking directly at me in every single one. I grip the sides of my chair and will myself to get through this. The urge to jump up and closely examine the photos is nearly overwhelming.
Finally, Cassie and Halee finish their tribute, and it’s as if the entire TZE sisterhood breathes a sigh of relief. Many of the girls gather around the alumni present, and others get food and drinks to chat over.
Shani lays a hand on my forearm. “Can I get you anything? I’m going to check out the refreshment table.”
“N-no. I’m not staying long. Thank you, though.” Slowly, I rise from the seat and make my way around the tables. I look at the information provided. Freya Golden, survived by her parents, Krista and Jeremiah, and her brother, Smith.
My heart begins to race. Wait. Smith? I chew on my lip as I look frantically at the photos. Freya is in all of them, smiling back at me, dark hair and eyes that I’d come to be familiar with, even though she wasn’t around much. My teeth scrape over my bottom lip, and I chew on it as I try to jog my memory. Feeling sicker than ever, my gaze travels to the other photos. There are a ton of them with Freya and a girl. A girl I feel like I shoulddefinitely recognize. My throat goes dry as I study their happy smiles. She’s in photo after photo with Freya. Like they’re best friends.
A chill runs down my spine as my eyes dart to a small bit of wording under a photo that appears to have been taken at a school dance. Cypress Pointe Prep. The rival elite academy in the area. The kids from Cypress Pointe always used to get together with those from Kingston Academy for our big bonfire bashes, complete with those stupid fucking car races.
I don’t realize that anyone’s near me until Savannah taps the family photo. “That’s her twin. He goes here, too. I feel so bad for him.”
Oh, fuck. Wait. Her brother. Smith. SmithGolden. The other driver in the car accident that changed all of our lives forever. And the girl. Oh my god. My entire body jerks, and I step backward. Oh my god. Oh, fuck. I stare at the board of photos that tells the story of Freya’s life breathing hard. Because now, some of the puzzle pieces slot into place.
This girl in all the photos with Freya… I think it’s Alicia.
THIRTY-TWO
BECKHAM
This kid is the cutest.Royal’skid. It’s been pretty cool to hear the little guy referring to Royal as Daddy—he’d been hesitant at first, rolling it over his tongue like he was experimenting with it, then more confidence bloomed as the day wore on. As much as that’d warmed my heart, I think I’m going to miss Chase calling him Woyal. I snicker to myself, listening to the deep sound of Royal’s voice as he reads the part of a daddy dinosaur.
Royal, Wilder, and I have been taking turns for the last thirty minutes acting out the parts of Chase’s books like we’re on stage performing for him. Toddler giggles are the fucking best, and of course, it doesn’t hurt to know he thinks we’re funny as hell.
Chase’s bedtime was twenty minutes ago, but none of us have wanted to stop. We’re having too much fun. And it’s a Saturday. If the little guy sleeps in because we kept him up a hair late, even better.
