“She needs to tell the truth!” I exclaimed and then flinched when I heard someone cough in the next aisle. We moved to the other end, near the berry colored carpeting. “What did you tell her?”
“I told her to tell the truth.”
“And what did she say?”
She sighed. “She’s scared. I don’t know what she’s going to ultimately do, but she’s scared of whatever it is Dakota has on her.”
I felt dizzy. “So, I could go to jail because all of them are willing to lie on me. I had nothing to do with any of it! I spent the whole night in the basement with…” I averted my eyes.
It wasn’t so much that I was trying to protect Aiden and his presence at the party. It was mostly because I was embarrassed that I had publicly made out with a man who wouldn’t stand up for me when I needed it most.
“Yeah, with Aiden,” Kim finished the sentence with a peculiar look. “I was going to meet someone down there, but when I got halfway down the steps, I saw you two all over each other.” She cocked her head to the side. “You didn’t think that was a secret, did you?”
“I mean I know people saw us talking in the basement. But when we started getting personal, everyone had gone back upstairs. I didn’t think it was a secret, but I didn’t know anyone saw us making out.” I sucked in a sharp breath. “Will you tell the police you saw me in the basement with Aiden?”
“Of course. I can tell them I went down and saw you two.”
“Thank God,” I exhaled. If I were one to cry, I would’ve cried. “Because it was just the two of us down there, I need someone to back me up.”
“They didn’t believe you and Aiden?”
I took a deep breath. “Aiden’s worried about press so he hasn’t told the police anything. He won’t even confirm he was there.”
Her eyes turned into saucers. “Does he know the extent of what’s going on?”
I nodded. “Yeah. He knows. He said he needed to talk to his lawyer before he could get involved.” I shook my head. “So, that’s why I need you to go to the police and verify my story.”
“Wow, that’s surprising. I kind of get why he would be concerned about press, but the way you two were making out, I wouldn’t have guessed he’d leave you hanging.”
“Yeah, me either,” I sighed. “It’s crazy to me that I liked Aiden, yet Dakota did all of this because she thought I liked Trevor.” I gestured wildly. “She is trying to ruin my life because she thought I was sleeping with Trevor.”
“And the crazy thing is… I’m the one sleeping with him. I was going to have him fuck me in the laundry room that night.”
My eyebrows flew up. “What?”
Although it wasn’t the most shocking of the bombshells she dropped, I didn’t see it coming.
She shrugged. “Dakota’s a bitch and at first it was just to get back at her for all the stuff she was doing to us and then”—she smirked— “the sex was good, and we were having fun.”
I closed my eyes. “Kim…”
“Don’t judge me! Obviously I’m going to end things with him because he’s part of this.” She put her hands on her hips. “And you dated a PRO, too. What was his name?”
Why does everyone keep bringing that up?
“I’m not judging you!” I waved off what she was saying. “It’s not even about you and Trevor. Date who you want. Fuck who you want. But this whole thing started because Dakota thought it was me.”
She gave me an apologetic look. “You’re right.”
“I told the police everything I knew, but if all the cheerleaders are saying the same thing, it’s my word against theirs.”
“That’s why I wanted to talk to you in private. I didn’t want to get mixed up in any of this, but after what Olive told me, I wanted to go to the police. But after what Trevor said, I knew it was bigger than all of us now and I had to get in touch with you.”
I blinked incredulously. “What did Trevor say?”
“Trevor’s dad is trying to tie Carter’s death in with the boat fire.” After a pregnant pause, she continued, “They’re saying she helped you start the fires and you were able to swim away but she got stuck and drowned.”
My stomach roiled and I felt like I was going to vomit. “Who is saying that? That’s bullshit! I wasn’t anywhere near any fire!” I hissed.
She licked her lips. “I don’t know who originally came up with it, but both the PROs and the cheerleaders benefit from it.”
I put my hands on my knees and let my head hang. I felt like I was going to pass out.
“Br—”
“Give me a minute,” I huffed. Numb, I gathered myself and then stood. “Okay.”
“Trevor was talking to his dad while I was there on Thursday and that’s how I got in on that conversation. He hasn’t said anything else though. I haven’t ended things with him yet, so I can see what other information I can get out of him. But then that means…” Her voice trailed off.
I didn’t even try to guess. I was too emotionally spent from all the information she was dumping on me.
“It means what?” I
