“Cherri, I’m glad you called. I was just about to do it,” Avery said when we were all on the phone. “We have to talk about what happened, and we can’t do it with any of Nathan’s minions. Ali thinks he could be involved.”
“Involved with what?” I asked. “I don’t know what happened.”
“You at least know the broad strokes, I’m assuming. Can you believe Miss Abrams is dead?” Colette asked. “Cherri, I can’t even imagine how you must feel. Probably a little bitter-sweet, huh?”
My brain exploded in my head. “She’s dead?” I muttered. “How?”
“Well—” Colette started, but Alistair quickly cut her off.
“No, no, no. There are too many people too closely related to Cherri in this story for your gossip,” he said. “The truth is, Cherri, no one really knows what happened. A few people saw Deon go into Miss Abrams’s class, and it’s unclear what happened after that. All of sudden, she flipped shit, and then one of two things happened. Either she jumped, or he pushed her.”
“I heard he pushed her,” Colette cut in, “because she wouldn’t sleep with him.”
My stomach flipped over. “No. That doesn’t sound like Deon.”
“I heard the opposite,” Avery said. “I heard that Deon went in to get help with his schoolwork and she flipped out and jumped.”
That didn’t really sound like Deon either. “No one else was in there? No one knows? What about Sicily? Annika said it was half his fault that Deon was in trouble.”
“Wait, what?” Avery said. “Who’s Annika?”
“Sicily’s sister,” I replied, “and Deon’s current.”
Avery and Colette’s jaws dropped. “He’s seeing someone?” Colette asked.
Alistair waved his hands. “Not important. Cherri, what did she tell you?”
“She just screamed at me, mostly, that I don’t get to be worried about him because it’s half my fault he was in trouble. I wasn’t anywhere near there, though,” I said, and then the realization washed over me. “Oh my god. I told Sicily to bug the classroom.”
“Why?” Colette asked.
That time, it was Avery who shook her head. “Not important. Cherri, do you think Sicily dragged Deon in as a distraction?”
“That’s almost what it sounds like.” I raked my hands into my hair and clawed at my skull. “Oh my god. Because of me, he’s going to get in trouble! He could be expelled.”
“Worse than expelled,” Colette added.
“Colette!” both Avery and Alistair barked.
“What? I’m just being honest!” Colette said.
“Worse?” I asked. “What do you mean?”
“Honey, he’s a reformed convict. He’s probably on parole. If they even think he had something to do with her death, he’ll be thrown back in jail.” Colette sighed. “Probably for the rest of his life.”
After a day of emotions, my stomach finally gave. I was glad I felt it coming because I was able to get to my bathroom, but I couldn’t make it to the toilet. I hunched over the sink instead. Sour bile came spewing out of me as it lurched into the sink, filling it with the regurgitated remains of my lunch.
“Cherri!” Avery called. “Are you okay?”
My chest started to cave in on itself, and I didn’t even feel myself start to cry, but tears were streaming down my face. I rushed back over to my computer and looked down at my friends. “What do I do?” I whined. “What do I do?”
“Cherri,” Alistair said calmly. “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing you can do. We just have to wait and see what happens.”
“But…” My nose burned. “I don’t want to lose him again.”
The thought that Deon would disappear again sat worse in me than seeing him with another girl. I couldn’t imagine never seeing him again, never talking to him again, never hearing his voice, never touching him.
“Cherri,” Avery said. “Calm down, baby. You’re panicking.” The knot in my throat felt like it was getting bigger and bigger. “Shit. Colette, don’t let her off the phone,” Avery said, and then Avery’s line went dead.
“Cherri, listen to me, sweetheart. You’re having a panic attack. You have to calm down.”
“Calm down?” I repeated. “I can’t.”
“You have to,” Colette said. “It’s out of our hands now.
My vision started to blur, and my hands started to shake. It felt like any heat I had in me was rushing from my body, leaving me cold and unable to catch my breath. I clawed at my chest, but it didn’t help.
“Cherri.” I fell over on my bed, watching Colette stare back at me, wide-eyed. “Cherri! Just hang on! Avery’s coming!”
It was the last thing I heard before I passed out.
23
Deon
All I could do was sit with my head in my hands. My mom’s face kept flashing across my brain. I’d let her down. Annika was right. I should never have gone with Sicily to that classroom. I was on parole. What the fuck was I thinking? If I violated my parole and had to go back to prison, I would never forgive myself. Venom would probably kick my ass if I went back in after everything he did to make sure I got out.
How dumb could I be?
After sitting in the principal’s office alone for what felt like an eternity, the door opened, and Principal Hix came walking in, along with the school cop that had brought me down. “Deon Keane. You’re eighteen, which means we don’t need an adult to question you. Is it all right if we talk to you?” Principal Hix asked.
I looked at the
