Saving Zoë

  or something, they finally, reluctantly, gave in.

  Okay, Marc's here—gotta go!

  Oh, never mind. It's just Abby and Jenay. Guess they're having a sleepoveror something. Anyway, I'm wearing

  my favorite cobalt blue dress because I think it looks dressy—but not too dressy. You know, cuz I don't want to look

  like I'm trying too hard. Because according to Vogue magazine, trying too hard (or at least looking like you're trying

  too hard) is like fashion sin numero uno. And since his mom can actually afford to buy the clothes they show in

  Vogue, / figure she could spot a striver over a mile away.

  Okay, this time it really is Marc, so I'm outta here! But first let me just say—

  No matter how bad Marc thinks tonight is going to be—I'm totally psyched to be going!!!!

  Yay!

  July 19

  Should have known better. I always get way too excited for my own good. Too tired and sad to write, though, so

  more later.

  July 21

  Yesterday was the first time Marc and I went an entire day without speaking to each other. And what made it

  even worse is the fact that it was a Sunday, which is always our day to hang in the park and feed our adopted pet

  ducks, or whatever.

  But I did try calling him. Only he didn't answer. And for once, I didn't leave a message. I mean, why should I? All

  he had to do is check the display to know that it was me. Besides, I really didn't know what to say.

  He did warn me, though. I'll give him that.

  But I guess I just got so excited about seeing the house and meeting his mom that I ignored all the rest. You'd

  think I would've known better, though. I mean, seriously.

  Anyway, when we first got there his mom wasn't home, which made him happy and me disappointed. Not that I

  wanted to have a whole big thing with her, but still, I'd purposely sat all stiff and careful in the car so I wouldn't get all

  smudged up or wrinkled and so I'd look great when we got there. Since for the whole entire day I'd imagined the

  moment when she'd greet us at the door, welcoming me into her home with a big smile and a hug. Okay, so maybe I

  did kind of want a big thing. But it's not like it matters, since that's not how it turned out.

  So Marc gave me a tour of the house and property, and it's so freaking big, I don't know how he finds his way

  around. Seriously, it's like one of those mansions you see in a magazine or on TV or something. Then afterward, he

  led me out to the guesthouse (which believe me, is pretty much the size of a normal house) and when I asked, 'Who

  lives here?" he said, uNoone. But senior year, it's mine. That's our deal."

  "Seriously?" I asked, looking all around, trying to imagine having a sweet setup like that. To just be able to come

  and go as you please, without having to climb down a tree or creep down the hall, or something.

  But he just shrugged like it was no big deal. But I guess rich, privileged people are just used to having sweet

  deals like that.

  Anyway, so then of course he got all handsy and tried to get me to have sex. But no way was I going to get all

  messed up before I even had a chance to make a good impression on his mom. So after pushing him off like a

  gazillion times, we just sat on the couch, side by side, watching some dumb show on TV, while he kept groping at me,

  trying to get me to change my mind. Which I gotta admit, totally got on my nerves.

  Then finally, after like the sixth time I thought I heard a car on the drive, there really was a car on the drive, and

  he looked at me and said, "Cruella's home."

  And I go, 'You call your mom Cruella?"

  But he just laughed and led me back to the house.

  "Mother," he said, leaning in for the air cheek kiss just like you see rich people do in movies. 'This is Zoë."

  She looked at me, her eyes starting at my shoes and working their way up to my forehead.

  She's tall, thin, and blond, just like she appears in all those society-page pictures. Only in person, she's really

  blond. Like Texas blond, almost stripper blond. And when her eyes met mine they narrowed, and suddenly her face

  went from faded beauty to mean. And believe me, the artist who painted her portrait that hangs in the stairwell failed

  to capture that.

  "Well aren't you a beauty,"she said.

  And even though that might sound like a compliment to those who weren't around to witness it, trust me, it

  wasn't. Her voice was hard, her eyes were slits, and her lips were pursed, which are pretty much all the signs for hate

  at first sight.

  liWhere'd you find this one?" she asked, glancing at Marc as her heavily ringed fingers sorted through the stack

  of mail.

  I just stood there feeling small and stupid and wishing I'd just listened to Marc when he warned me, wishing I

  hadn't pushed him so much.

  "We go to school together," he said.

  "Is that right?" She looked at me again, up once, down once. Then her eyes flicked away, and I knew I'd just

  been discarded. "Has William returned?" she asked.

  Marc said no.

  "We'll start without him then. I'm going upstairs to change. Tell Celia to bring me my drink."

  Dinner was a nightmare. Going from bad to worse with each passing drink. Things improved slightly when

  William (stepdad #3) came home, but only because that gave her a new target.

  I feel sorry for Marc. I mean, before his mom got home, it all looked so amazing and glamorous. I mean, with

  the grand staircase, the marble floors, the guesthouse, and the infinity pool. I was actually feeling a little bit jealous,

  and also kind of judging him for not appreciating it more. But the second she came home, the whole picture changed.

  And by the time it was over, I just wanted to go home.

  But the worst part is, it doesn't make me feel closer to Marc, like I want to help him get through it or anything.

  It actually makes me want to run away.

  July 29

  Marc and I just went almost ten days without seeing each other, and I can still hardly believe it. I mean, it's not

  like we actually broke up or anything, since we talked on the phone and stuff. I guess it's more like things got so

  intense so fast that we both feel we need a little cool down. Or at least I do. I'm not really sure how he feels about it,

  since it's not like anything was ever actually said.

  I mean, after that awful dinner, well, I guess I just started thinking about how I've ditched all my friends, and it

  made me feel bad. It's like, just because Marc likes being a loner doesn't mean I do too. So basically I just spent the

  last ten days working during the day and hanging with Carly and Paula at night.

  At first they gave me a bunch of shit for ditching them like that. But then after, it was like we'd been hanging out

  the whole entire summer and I'd never really left. I didn't say anything about meeting Marc's mom though. I mean, of

  course they asked if Id been to the house and stuff, cuz pretty much everyone always wants to know about that. And

  since I didn't want to lie I said yes. But then I pretty much left it at that, and any details I did give were totally vague.

  Anyway, hanging with them just made me realize how much I missed them. It also made me realize how I'm

  way too young to keep getting so tied down all the time. I mean, don't get me wrong, I still totally and completely love

  Marc. But sometimes I just need to hang out and have a little fun with my friends.

  August 5

  All day yesterday I was at Carly's, setting up my very own page on this Web site where you post pictures
of

  yourself, list all of your favorite things like bands, movies, etc., and try to collect as many friends as possible so you

  can feel all popular and famous or whatever. And since Carly's been on there for practically ever, she's been bugging

  me this whole entire time to get on there too, so I finally gave in.

  At first it seemed kind of dumb since I can just call her on her cell if I need to leave a message or even send a

  picture. But then she goes, 'What if my ringer's off?"

  So I said, 'Then I'll text you."

  And she went, "Forget it. You have no idea how much better this is, because then everyone can see what you

  write and what you're doing and saying and stuff."

  Which, to be honest, also sounded pretty lame. I mean, I know it's probably old fashioned to even write in a

  journal when the rest of the world is blogging. But maybe I don't want all these strangers to know what I'm thinking,

  saying, and doing, you know?

  But then she said, "Uh, hello? What do you think it's gonna be like when you're famous? I mean, you think

  Jessica Simpson gets any privacy?"

  She had a point.

  Then she goes, 'You always talk about how you want to be a model, or actress, or whatever, but if you're that

  attached to your privacy then maybe you should find a new dream."

  So, long story short, I signed on, decorated my space, uploaded some photos, and even though it practically

  took all day, now I totally get it. Now I totally get what she's been talking about because it's so completely addicting!

  It's like, within seconds of uploading my first few photos I had like a hundred people asking to be my friend! Okay,

  maybe most of them were guys, but whatever. And the thing is, all I used are these three stupid little cell phone

  photos that Paula snapped of me one day when I was laying by her pool.

  In one, I'm in my white bikini and I'm laying on the lounger, drinking a beer. In another I'm pretty much doing the

  same thing, only smiling. And in the third I'm standing up and smiling with my top off. (But only because I didn't want

  strap marks, and my hands are strategically placed so it's not like you can see anything.)

  And I'm thinking, Jeez, if I get all this attention just from these cheesy little cell phone photos, who knows what

  could happen if I posted some really good, like really professional photos there. You know something sophisticated

  and classy but a little bit sexy, and yet still kind of innocent too. Since Carly says that all the big New York and L.A.

  agents are always trolling around on there, scoping for fresh, new faces.

  I'm not sure how she actually knows all that, but still, it sounds very, very likely.

  But then she also said that I probably shouldn't tell

  Marc because he'll definitely totally freak.

  And even though I just rolled my eyes and refused to comment, I'm actually thinking she's right.

  When I close Zoë's diary I feel a little sick. Though I know I have no one to blame but myself. I mean, it's not like I

  haven't already lived through all this. So I shouldn't be surprised where it leads.

  I shove it back under my mattress, finished with it for now, not willing to claim it in any way.

  But at least I know that Marc didn't lie. Not to my parents, and not to the police. He'd stuck by his story the

  entire time, never once wavering, even though his alibi has always been shaky.

  He said he was waiting at the park, down by the lake, where they always used to sit. That he just hung out,

  doing his homework, and waiting 'til well after dark. But when she didn't come back, he tried calling her cell a bunch of

  times, only she never answered. And since her phone was never recovered, it took a few days for the cops to

  confirm that.

  "Still," they said. "You could’ve stood right there, over the body, making those calls. You know, to cover.

  Because you panicked. Because you saw what you'd done to her, saw her lying there like that, and you freaked.

  Come on, you can tell us. We're here to help you. So the sooner you confess, the better."

  Marc refused a lawyer, refused to change his story. He just handed over her backpack and said the only

  reason he even had it was because she'd left it with him as proof she'd return.

  It's weird how the police uncovered her life a lot quicker than her body. How within just a few days they knew

  most all of her secrets—about the Web page, the photo shoot, and her increasingly volatile relationship with Marc.

  They even interviewed her friends—Carly, Paula, practically everyone she knew. And believe me, they were all too

  eager to spill the beans on some things, while completely clamming up on others. But the one thing they all had in

  common is that every one of them pointed the finger at Marc. Saying how they were always suspicious of his loner

  ways and his completely messed up family.

  "He isolated Zoë."

  "He kept her all to himself and totally freaked when she tried to pull away."

  But none of it's true. None of it matches anything I've read.

  And you'd think that Carly, of all people, would've been above that. Especially since she was Zoë's best friend.

  But the truth is, it took her awhile to finally give them the more important details, and I always wondered who she was

  trying to protect—Zoë or herself?

  I mean, she's the one who pushed it. She's the one who encouraged her to go. Not that I think it's her fault or

  anything, because clearly it was Zoë's choice in the end. Though I guess it explains why she tries so hard to avoid

  me at school, and how she can barely manage to look me in the eye when we pass in the halls.

  And yeah, so maybe Marc is kind of a loner. I mean, so what? That doesn't prove anything. That doesn't make

  him guilty of anything other than having the rare ability to be comfortable just being by himself. Not to mention that it's

  that exact quality, aside from his sexy good looks, that attracted Zoë to him in the first place. It's what made her want

  him even more.

  Though I do know that he hated all of that modeling stuff, and Zoë's celebrity ambitions. He thought that whole

  world was sleazy and shallow and awful. That it took naive hungry people and built them way up before spitting them

  right out again. So it's probably true that he would've freaked if he'd known about those pictures. But that's why Zoë

  kept it hidden. And by the time he found out, it was already too late.

  It took six long months to catch the guy who did it. But only because he tried to do it again. He lured the victim

  to the exact same location using the exact same M.O. And just like with Zoë, instead of packing a camera, he

  brought a knife.

  He left a six-inch scar across that poor girl's neck. But hey, at least she got to keep her head. My sister wasn't

  so lucky.

  And it was that, they said, that finally took her.

  And even though they caught him red-handed (trust me, no pun intended), not one thing changed for Marc. And

  those six months he spent as a suspect may as well have been a conviction. I mean, maybe he didn't go to prison

  for a crime he didn't commit. But then again, he didn't have to.

  Our town became his jailer.

  Twenty-six

  At first I was worried how Parker would act. Would he be angry, dismissive, sad, happy, euphoric, grateful?

  But then I decided not to care.

  And it's not because I was the least bit proud of the way I'd handled things. To be honest, I wasn't proud of

  much of anything I'd done, it was more like now that it was over, I was over it too.
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  Though I was determined to deal with Teresa. I mean, I still had no idea what her motive might be, not to

  mention why she insisted on even hanging with me in the first place. And I needed her to know, once and for all, that

  she was wrong about me, that no matter what she thought, she and I were totally different, we had nothing in

  common, we were nothing alike. And that any secrets I may have had, I was now more than willing to blow right open.

  So right before lunch I stand by her locker, just waiting for her to show. And when she sees me she waves and

  smiles and says, "Hey! Let me just dump these books and we'll head on over."

  But I just look her right in the eye and recite the speech I'd been rehearsing all day in my head. "I'm not eating

  at the table," I say. Tm hanging with Marc. And just so you know, I don't care who you tell, or what you say, because

  I'm all out of secrets. But don't forget, I still have yours." Then before she can even respond, I turn and walk away,

  heading over to where Marc sits, feeling the weight of her stare the entire way.

  It feels good to have nothing to hide. To no longer care what everyone thinks. Because knowing the real truth

  makes nothing else matter. And the real truth is that the only thing Marc has ever been guilty of is loving my sister.

  Despite what these small-minded people still say.

  Because the fact is, Zoë never told him! I read it for myself. And if he didn't know what she was up to, then how

  was he supposed to stop her? How could he possibly have done anything to save her?

  And even though I feel pretty awful to admit it, I really need a break from Abby and Jenay. I mean, I love them,

  don't get me wrong. And the last thing I'd ever want is for them to feel hurt or abandoned by me. But all the stuff

  they're into now, everything they care about, is just so standard-issue teen—so normal and typical and boring and

  mundane, like they're living in a sitcom, instead of the real world like me.

  And it's not that I don't wish I could live like that too, because I really truly do. But unfortunately, that's no longer

  an option. And no matter how much I might want for things to be different, there are some things I just can't change. I

  mean, they don't know what it's like to live under the shadow of a sister like Zoë. They don't know what it is to live with