Page 8 of Web of Lies
“Kaycee Addison Cole!” By now, her voice is filled with hurt and disappointment as she shouts my name a few more times.
I could easily run and hide. I could pretend I didn’t see my dead best friend’s mom. Yeah, real brave, Kace. But I don’t—can’t. I have to stop and turn around because it’s the polite thing to do, right? Slapping a warm smile on my face, I wiggle my fingers in greeting.
Dr. Addison Shepherd is one determined woman, always has been. She goes after what she wants and who she wants. I know by the frown on her face and crossed arms, she isn’t pleased with my dismissal. Crap. So much for staying under the radar and avoiding her.
Her piercing blue eyes watch my every move like she doesn’t believe it’s me standing here.I’m a ghost! Please pay no attention to me! Let me run!But, uh, that never works. So, I have no choice but to suck it up and interact—my least favorite activity.
She hasn’t changed much in the years since I’ve seen her. The slight wind blows her dark red hair into her face, sticking to the moisture from her tears. Freckles dot her cheeks and nose, searing pain through my chest. Standing before me is a ghost—a reminder of why I’m here at East Point—vengeance.
“I almost didn’t believe it,” she whispers, voice drowning in grief. More tears cascade down her red puffy cheeks, falling off her chin. “But you’re here? Why are you here, Kaycee?” She asks, eyeing her husband a few feet behind us.
He scowls, looking down at his phone, fingers flying over the screen. He doesn’t pay us an ounce of attention, which seems to relax Addison’s shoulders. With a sad smile, she turns her attention back to me—pity mixed with immense amounts of sadness spark in her eyes.
“I just wanted to go where my brother and sister went to school,” I say, trying to sound convincing. “Family legacy and all.” I wave a hand, staring over her shoulder.
I wish the ground would swallow me whole. I’d take a bottomless dark pit instead of her looking at me like that—with worry and anguish, like I’m the one about to break.
If she knew why I was here, it would break her all over again. I’m digging at a grave that can’t be undone. She’d tell me to give it up, it was suicide, but I know better. Someone killed my best friend and threw her off a yacht like she was trash. They cut her. They hurt her. Retribution bleeds through my soul like a parasite, pulsating and begging for revenge. I will get vengeance. But right now, I need to protect myself and Magnolia’s memory. Addison can’t know what I’m up to.
Her tongue darts out and wets her severely cracked lips. Her blue eyes scream a mountain of exhaustion. She turns around again, checking over her shoulder as discreetly as possible. My eyes follow her eyes, and her body stiffens. Crowe, her husband, stands beside the blossoming tree. His crystal blue eyes glare at us before softening, bowing his head in greeting. I raise a hand, giving him a small but polite wave. He turns his back, texting again, allowing Dr. Addison’s attention to come back to me.
“The tree is a fantastic memorial for her,” I remark, pointing toward the Magnolia tree bright with pink blossoms.
It was Magnolia’s favorite tree. Growing up, it was our favorite place to play in her backyard. We would chase one another from tree to tree, laughing. As we got older, it was our private paradise. We would share secrets and confess our innermost thoughts. Whenever she’d need a private moment to herself or if I lost her, I’d find her under the Magnolia.
“Magnolia’s favorite,” her voice drops, dripping in an intense sadness I know all too well.
Magnolia’s absence has brought a hole into the hearts of the people who loved her. Her smile brought sunshine to my dismal existence, and now it was darker. She helped me cope with the world around me, explaining the simple interactions my mind couldn’t comprehend. And now—now I’m alone without her.
“Well, I’m sure she would be happy with it if she were here,” I say, staring at the blossoms waving in the wind. A warm breeze brushes my cheeks, like Mags is here with me, reassuring me I’m on the right path to redemption.
“Yeah…” She says through a sigh. “Kaycee,” she whispers now, dropping her voice for only us.
“I hope—I hope—” Dr. Addison rambles on about how important my education is and how she hopes I’m not distracted by Magnolia not being here.
But my mind has better ideas. It wanders, eyes cutting to Crowe. The mysterious man she found herself attached to seven years ago. I attended their wedding. My mother was her best friend. Until she wasn’t, and we rarely saw her. My mother mysteriously cut ties with her.
Addison’s recent husband is a mystery, but he always had an edge to him. Something odd. Something I can’t quite put my finger on. I usually have a good read on people when I can stop my mind from wandering, that is.
In my peripheral, a shadow slinks by with his hands stuffed in his pockets. A deep scowl stretches his lips, ruining his handsome appeal. Carter Cunningham is a tattooed, bad boy giving ‘fuck off’ vibes, with a reputation for being cruel. Everyone should heed those warnings. He may look like a good time, but he’s extremely dangerous. With his blonde hair, big brown eyes, and the face of an angel. Okay—maybe not an angel, more like the devil’s evil spawn, who happens to be very attractive. A fallen angel, leading you into temptation, only to rip your throat out later. Yeah, that’s him.
Carter was not a friend of Magnolia’s. In fact, his name is on my shit list. My primary shit list—pawn number four. Unspeakable things happened to Magnolia while she attended this school, and he was front and center, all too eager to hurt her with a cruel smile on his face. So many emails detailed the despicable actions he took against her. And for what? Why would he do that? What was the point? And why—
“Kaycee?” darting my eyes back to Addison’s irritated face, I shake myself from my rambling thoughts. She taps her foot on the ground and cocks her head to the side. “Are you still doing, okay? I can refer you to a doctor—” I whip my hand up and hold it in the air, stopping her concern.
“I’m fine, just first day jitters,” I say, trying to ease her unwelcome worry. She shakes her head and runs a hand down her jaw.
“If—if you ever need a doctor in the area, Kace, please call me. Trauma like this with Magnolia’s death and your—”
“I said I’m fine.” I rush my words out before she can keep talking.
Nothing irritates me more than a nosy doctor, especially this nosy doctor trying to mother me. Trying to tell me how I am, I know how I am. I could tell her this, but I don’t want to upset her more than she already is. She shakes her head and sighs again, eyes glistening with more unshed tears.
“Of course,” she whispers, “I should let you go. Have fun here. I’m sure your brother and sister have told you all about this place.” She gives me one last tight smile and walks back to Crowe. Crowe’s arm immediately goes around her, pulling her close. She leans her head on his shoulder for support, looking at the blooming memorial tree.
He murmurs soft words into her ear, relaxing her entire body. It’s nice to see she can find solace in someone else amid such a shitty situation. He has her back, and that’s all that matters.
I make my way towards the dining hall and quickly gather a meal to go. My initial plan was to scope out the other students and see who I could pick out of the crowd, but I’m too unsettled by Addison’s weird interaction. I never knew why she and my mom split their friendship. I always assumed it was because they had grown apart over the years. I suppose I’ll never find out why, at least not today. After Magnolia’s death, I investigated her mother and stepfather. Scouring the internet, legally and illegally, but I came up empty. They passed inspection, sending me back to square one.
