Ugh. Perv.
“There you are!” Dani exclaims as she runs toward us. Her eyes are bright, her pupils huge, and I can tell she’s already a few cups in. “Who’s your date?” she asks as she eyes Cass up and down. “Wait! That’s right! It’s Cass Vincenti! What are you doing with my Penny?”
“We came together,” he says, holding up our intertwined hands.
“Oh! My God!” She grabs hold of me and I have no choice but to let go of Cass’s hand as she pulls me into a hug. “You bad girl you, totally going against type,” she whispers in my ear.
“Stop.” I shove her away from me and we’re both laughing. “Where’s Courtney?” I want to avoid her as much as possible, which means I need to keep tabs on her whereabouts at all times.
“She’s in the rec room. Don’t worry about her.” Dani trips over her own feet, and Brogan magically appears by her side, cupping her elbow so she doesn’t fall on her face. “She’s too busy talking to all of her subjects.”
I frown. “Her subjects?”
“You know, she’s now the queen and we’re all her subjects or servants or whatever? Yeah, that.” Dani grabs the beer out of Brogan’s hand and drains it.
“Hey,” he protests, sounding truly irritated.
“Go get another for us!” She turns and grabs Brogan, giving him a loud, smacking kiss on his cheek. “Please?”
“I’ll be right back.” He looks at Cass and flicks his chin. “Want anything, dude?”
“No thanks, Bro.” The worst thing about Brogan’s name is everyone can call him Bro and it works because he really is a Bro. It’s kind of lame in that macho, bromance/dude way. “Want me to come with and help out?”
I send him a look, one that I hope says, what about us sticking together?
“Nah, I got this. Want a drink, Penny?” Brogan asks me.
“I’ll take a beer, please.” I wonder if Cass refused a drink because he’s a recovering alcoholic. Or maybe he did drugs and now he’s completely sober? I wish I could ask him, but when is there ever a right time to ask that type of question?
Oh hey man, just wondering when exactly you fell apart and became an addict? Curious minds want to know.
“Be right back,” Brogan tells us before he lays a sloppy kiss on Dani’s lips and then walks away.
“He is sooooo great,” she says dreamily as she turns and watches him saunter into the house. “And he has the best butt.”
Cass clears his throat, and I can tell he’s trying not to laugh.
“Hey.” Dani points at Cass, her eyes narrowed. “Don’t laugh. You’ve got a great butt, too.”
Oh. My. God.
“Thanks,” he says amusedly, his gaze meeting mine. “Maybe you should lay off the beer, Danielle.”
“No thanks, Dad. I’m perfectly happy getting my drink on.” Her eyes go wide when she sees the crazy look on my face, and I swear, she’s about to cry. “Oh wow, I am so, so sorry for calling you Dad, because like, you don’t have a dad, since your mom killed him. And that’s just terrible! I had no business calling you that. Do you forgive me, Cass? Do you?” She walks over to him and drapes herself all over his front, her arms going around his neck as she presses her face against his chest. “Forgive me, Cass? Please?” Her voice is muffled against his sweatshirt.
He slowly disentangles her from him and hands her over to me. “I forgive you, Dani. I swear.”
“Thank goodness.” She slips her arm around my shoulders and gives me a side squeeze before she points with her free hand around the backyard. “So many people! I wonder how much money Courtney has raised for the charity tonight?”
“What charity? Come on. You know she’s going to pocket it all,” I say with a catty smile.
“Noooo.” Dani shakes her head. “She wouldn’t do that. That’s sooo messed up.”
“Well…” I let my voice drift and then the both of us start laughing.
“Yeah, she’s totally messed up,” Dani agrees, smiling in Cass’s direction. “Hey Cass.”
“Yeah?”
“Why is your name Cass?”
Dani gets even sillier than normal when she’s drunk.
“It’s the name my parents gave me,” he answers.
“Like your dead dad gave you that name?”
I could slap my hand over her mouth but it wouldn’t be a good enough muzzle.
“Yeah, like my dead dad.” At least he has a sense of humor. And plenty of tolerance for drunk girls.
“Is Cass short for something?” Dani asks.
“Nope, I’m just Cass,” he says with a smile, his gaze briefly meeting mine. I smile back, giving him a helpless look. I can’t defend her. She’s flat-out silly when she’s drunk, saying whatever first comes to her mind. As in, there’s no real filter.
“I’m going to call you Just Cass from now on, okay?” Dani laughs. “Okay, Just Cass?”
“Sure.”
“Maybe we should go into the house,” I suggest. The backyard is crammed full with people and it’s getting cold out here. There are giant heat lamps scattered throughout the large back patio, but they’re still not giving off enough warmth. A wind has kicked up, and it’s going to bring the fog toward the mountain soon, I’m sure of it. And once that happens, the temperature will drop fast.
“Let’s wait for Brogan to come back first with our beers. Then we’ll go inside.” Dani frowns at Cass. “You really didn’t want a beer?”
“I don’t drink,” he tells her easily.
“Right, because you’re a former addict or whatever.” Dani waves a careless hand, waving her equally careless statement away. “Look! There’s Brogan! Broooooogan!” She pushes away from me and makes her way toward Brogan, greeting him with a big hug and almost making him drop his beers.
I turn to look at Cass, noting how pale his face is. His gaze meets mine, his expression solemn, his mouth a straight, thin line. He says nothing for a moment, and neither do I.
“You want to go inside?” I ask.
“Do you? Or do you want to get your beer from Brogan?” He nods toward where Brogan and Dani are standing.
“Maybe it’s best if I’m sober tonight,” I tell him, my voice low, my gaze on his. I wish he knew that I understood, that I wouldn’t pressure him or ask about the addiction problem. Though I am curious. I wish I could just ask him what’s going on and that he would be honest with me.
But we don’t know each other well enough. Not yet. I don’t feel right in asking him such invasive questions.
“It probably is best,” he murmurs, reaching out to brush a stray strand of hair away from my face. I suck in a breath when his fingers lightly skim my cheek and then he’s smiling at me, a soft, intimate smile that I’ve never seen from him before. “I know you’re dying to ask me like a million questions after what Dani said, but we’ll talk later, okay?”
I nod, unable to speak. My throat is too thick with some foreign emotion I can’t identify.
Cass leans in so close, his mouth is by my ear. “I want to go inside and find Courtney’s room,” he whispers. “Will you take me?”
I nod again. “What are you looking for in there?”
“I think she’s hiding something.” His mouth brushes against my ear, making me shiver. “I think she’s more involved in this whole thing than she’s letting on.”
Could that be true? I have never truly suspected Courtney. I know she hated Gretchen and most likely Lex, too. But did she hate them enough to actually kill them?
I don’t think so.
“What exactly do you mean?” I pull away so I can look him in the eyes. “Do you think Courtney is…the murderer? You told me earlier you thought she was too obvious to be the killer.”
He glances around to make sure no one is paying us any attention before his gaze returns to mine. “Maybe she’s too obvious on purpose. I don’t know. But I want to search her room. See if I can find anything.”
“What are you hoping to find?”
“Evidence. Clues.
” He grins and looks excited, a little reckless. “Whatever.” Taking my hand, he pulls me toward the back door. “Come on, Pen. Live on the edge with me.”
Chapter
Twenty-Three
I wait for Cass by the back staircase, the one that leads up to the private bedrooms in the west wing of the house. Yes, this house has actual wings, and I sort of got lost at first, which is why I was smart not to drink tonight.
Dani is so trashed, and it’s barely ten. We left her in the backyard with Brogan, the both of them cuddled up on a plush lounge chair, Dani’s head lolling on Brogan’s shoulder as he chugged yet another beer.
I have to remember to go back outside in a little bit to make sure she’s okay, even though Brogan promised that he’d watch over her. For the most part he’s a decent guy, just annoying, but he’s also messing around with Courtney on the side. I don’t want him to hurt Dani.
And I don’t know how to stop it.
Later I should probably tell her what I know about Court and Brogan, but I can’t do it now. I need to help Cass.
Speaking of Cass, he went in search of Courtney to make sure she’s still downstairs, before we head up to her room. The only reason he left me alone is because I told him I would be okay as long as there was a bathroom nearby that I could lock myself in. Besides, how long could he take? He’s currently headed for the rec room, where Dani said Court was holding court over her subjects.
I frown just thinking of Courtney acting so haughty, like she rules the world. Makes me realize I was never the queen bee of school. Just because my sister was doesn’t mean I am.
No, I’m pretty sure that’s Courtney’s title.
Court’s taking this feud between us way too seriously, trying to divide everyone on either her side or mine. More than a few girls have walked by me with a sneer on their faces as they looked me up and down. Like I’m nothing but trash.
I’ve never had that happen before.
Dani sends me a Snapchat and I open it up to find a photo of her kissing Brogan and a bunch of heart eyes and kissy-face emojis.
I take a selfie of me making a mean face and send it to her, with the caption smh.
That’s directed right at Brogan, not that he’ll get it.
I get another Snapchat, but this one isn’t from Dani. It’s from Cass, and it’s a photo of Courtney wearing a tight white shirt and extremely short black shorts, dancing on the pool table in the rec room with her hands up in the air. He drew a red arrow pointing at Courtney’s head and captioned the photo:
The wicked witch of the west is in her element, so we’re good.
Smiling, I send him back a quick response telling him to hurry and then shove my phone into the back pocket of my jeans.
“Hey, Penelope. What are you doing here?”
I turn to find Maggie and Alyssa standing in front of me, tentative smiles on their faces.
“Hi, girls.” I smile, but it quickly fades when I notice the strange way they’re watching me. “Everything okay?”
“Um, yes. It’s great!” Alyssa smiles brightly, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “Are you having fun?”
“Time of my life,” I say just as enthusiastically.
Maggie is staring at me like I’m a bug under a microscope. “I thought you weren’t coming tonight.”
“I changed my mind.” I shrug.
“Courtney is telling everyone that you weren’t invited. And that she didn’t want you here.” Her voice drops to a whisper. “But I guess she was lying?”
“No, she’s right.” I keep the smile in place, though deep inside I’m white hot with anger. Court’s actually telling everyone she doesn’t want me here? “I decided to come anyway.”
“You’re so brave to show your face at her house,” Alyssa murmurs.
My smile is gone in an instant. “Why do you say that?” I snap.
“Because she’s saying the worst things about you, Penelope,” Maggie starts, but clamps her lips shut when Alyssa jabs her in the ribs with her elbow.
“Like what? What is she saying?” When they remain silent, I get even angrier. “Tell me!”
“She complained that you’re a lunatic who’s losing control of the Larks. How you’re freaking out over all the girls dying on your watch, and that you feel responsible. And she warned that if you don’t watch it, you’re going to be the next one dead, since you’re the biggest bitch of all.” Maggie takes a deep breath after she rambled on, like it took everything within her to tell me the nasty rumors Courtney is spreading.
“Oh my God, she is such a bitch!” I spit the last word out, so mad I can hardly see straight. No wonder Gretchen and Lex hated Courtney so much. She’s awful.
I hate her, too.
“We just thought you should know,” Alyssa squeaks out, stepping back when I glare at her. “We’re so sorry.”
Cass chooses that moment to make his appearance, frowning when he catches me seething. I’m so pissed I’m surprised there’s not steam coming out of my ears. “You okay?” he asks me, slipping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me close to his side. I try not to focus on how warm and solid he is, but it’s like I can’t help myself. I sort of melt into him.
I shake my head as Alyssa and Maggie scurry off. Not that I can blame them for wanting to leave. “Courtney’s spreading rumors about me,” I tell him.
“Who cares?” He steers me toward the stairs and we start walking up them. “She’s a bitch. Forget her.”
“I can’t, Cass.” I try to wiggle out of his grasp and he lets me go. “She called me a lunatic and said I deserve to die just like Gretchen and Lex did!”
He pauses at the top of the steps and I stop with him, his gaze meeting mine. “She said you deserved to die?”
I nod, my anger dissipating and being replaced with frustration. Sadness. I swear, if I start crying, that’s going to make me even madder. “I hate her!”
“Come on. Don’t let her get to you.” He interlocks his fingers with mine. “Which door is hers?”
“Last one on the left.”
Cass practically drags me over to the door, and I can’t help but think the little smirk he sends my way when he discovers the door easily opens is cute. Even through my anger over this entire situation, I still find him attractive.
I don’t know what this says about me.
We enter the room quietly, and I hear Cass suck in a breath.
“What the hell? This room is huge,” he says. “It’s as big as my freaking house.”
“I know. She’s spoiled rotten.” I go to her bedside table and turn on the lamp, illuminating the room with soft light.
“You think we should have that on?”
“It’s better than using the flashlights on our phones. What if someone sees the beams of light flashing around in the darkness? Talk about suspicious,” I tell him.
“You’re right.” He rests his hands on his hips and surveys the room. “You want to help me search through her stuff?”
“Gladly.” This is some sort of revenge thing on my part, but I don’t care. I’m so done with her, it’s not even funny.
“Cool. I’ll start with her desk.”
“I’ll dig through her bedside table.” That’s where I tend to hide my most private or secretive items. Not that I have much. There are a few actual handwritten notes I saved from middle school boyfriends that I put in a special envelope and marked private, because at fourteen I wasn’t that subtle. Old jewelry that were gifts from exes that I don’t want to wear but can’t part with, either. There’s even a book Dani gave me when I turned sixteen that’s called Mastering the Female Orgasm. She thought it was hilarious, but once I started reading, I found it fascinating.
Yeah. Private stuff you don’t want anyone else to find, you know?
I open the top drawer and find it full of old receipts, a bunch of Eos lip balms, a TV remote, a fan remote, and a tangle of old iPhone chargers. I rifle through all of it, digging until I reach the bottom. Broken ear
rings, a photo of me, Court, and Gretchen from our freshman year, wearing our cheer uniforms and standing by the sidelines.
Pulling the photo out, I stare at it. We look happy. Young. Carefree. Now Gretchen is dead. Courtney is a total bitch. And I’m searching through Court’s stuff like some sort of thief.
I shove the photo back into the drawer and feel around some more, pulling out a tiny, carefully folded piece of notepaper. I unfold it, blinking as I try to read the small handwriting.
You are so hot and sexy as fuck I love to look at your naked body you don’t show it to me enough when are you going to send me pictures again? I want more
Whoa.
“I think I found something,” I say quietly.
Cass turns away from the desk, his eyes wide. “What?”
I hold out the piece of paper and he takes it from me, his eyebrows shooting up as he reads it. When he’s done, his gaze meets mine. “Who do you think wrote it?”
“I don’t know.” I shrug, and he hands the note back to me. “It could be old. Or it could be recent.”
“Is she hooking up with anyone right now that you know of?”
“I thought you were hooking up with her.”
“I’m not.” He shakes his head. “I mean, we sort of did. We kissed once. A long time ago. But it was nothing.”
“Nothing? Really?” I stand, clutching the note in my right hand so tight I’m wrinkling the paper. “You told me you two hooked up, when we met at the coffee shop and talked in my car. You said Gretchen and Courtney were fighting over you, so that doesn’t sound like nothing, you know? You made it sound like you were…I don’t know…hooking up with both of them?”
“They were fighting over me, but not over that kind of thing. It’s just—” He sighs and tilts his head back, staring at the ceiling. “I know stuff about them. Both of them. Stuff they wouldn’t want to get out.”
I watch him, my heart beating in my throat as I wait for him to continue.
“What do you know?” I ask when he doesn’t say anything.
He looks down at the floor. “What Dani said earlier? It’s true.”