Page 153 of Drama Queen

Two days pass with me avoiding the guys. I’ve been staying in the library hiding out in the same spot I was in while Melody was pretending to be me. I wish I had somewhere else to go, but I’ve got nowhere. If it wasn’t for the magic I now know I have, I’d have just run away. Parker was right though; we don’t know for sure whether the person who killed my aunt was after her or me. I can’t take the chance and the safest place at the moment is here at the school.

It’s here in the library where Parker finds me, he walks right past my hiding spot before doubling back. I’m not sure I really believe he killed that girl. I know him, at least I thought I knew him.

“Can I join you?”

I shrug my shoulders, unsure what else to do. He takes that as a yes and sits down, careful not to touch me. “We didn’t kill her. We loved Messina. She was our entire world.”

I don’t say a word.

“We grew up together, the four of us, best friends our entire lives. When we all realised we were in love with her, we fought. She got in between us while we were shoving each other. It allhappened so fast, one second we were fighting, the next she fell over the balcony.” A tear slips down his cheek and I get the urge to hug him, but I get the feeling he’s not finished.

“Her parents were angry, they tried to blame us, hell I blamed us. We went to her funeral and that’s when things got worse. Her parents had us arrested, hauled away in police cruisers and I lost my temper. My powers….” He swipes at his face a few times. “I didn’t mean for it to happen, I just lost control. If it hadn’t been for Drew and Jamie, we would have all burnt alongside the police officers.”

“I don’t understand, I thought you had air powers.”

“Do you know what happens to an engine when compressed air gets trapped inside it?”

“No.”

“Think of it like a bomb. Air pressure builds up and….” He makes a motion with his hands like his fist is blowing up and I gulp. “We were put on trial for not only Messina’s death but also for the two police officers I killed in the explosion. The judge deemed it an accident, both Messina’s fall and the explosion, but the damage was done. Everyone was convinced we were murderers. A danger to everyone around us. That’s how we ended up here. Attending this school was our punishment.” He takes a deep breath and continues, “The judge was Melody’s father. She learnt about what happened and has been blackmailing us, well me more than Drew or Jamie.”

“Parker, I-.”

“Let me finish.” He says, cutting me off, “Melody blackmailed me into dating her, she threatened to tell everyone any time I tried to get out of it and then when I finally decided that our secret wasn’t worth the pain of dealing with her anymore, that’s when she decided to threaten you. It’s the reason I let her back into my life in the cafeteria that day. I’m the reason she was ableto get close enough to pretend to be you.” He scrubs his hands over his face. “I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry.”

I don’t hesitate, I wrap my arms around his shoulders, holding him as tightly as I can while he breaks down.

“I don’t deserve you, none of us do. We’re not good men, but we’re selfish, stubborn assholes who can’t bear to let you go. Please don’t shut us out. Please don’t hate us for our mistakes.”

To be Continued….

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