The Lie (Kings of Linwood Academy 2)

I witnessed them.

And I witnessed the moment she left this earth.

We never got along, and I honestly thought she was a bitch most of the time. But no one—no one—deserves an end like that.

I lift a shaky hand to my mouth, pressing hard against it as my throat works, nausea churning my stomach.

“Hey, Harlow? You okay?”

River’s voice is soft, and when I open my eyes, he’s staring at me intently.

“Yeah.” I move my hand away from my mouth as I speak so he can read my lips. “Just… sometimes it hits me harder than others. How fucked up this all is.”

He nods, his blue-gray eyes somber and shadowed in the dim light of the theatre. “We should call it for tonight.”

“No, it’s okay. I can—”

“Nah, River’s right,” Dax interjects. “We can do more tomorrow. Ask around more.”

His face is concerned too, and I wonder exactly how shitty I look. How freaked out and pale.

Chase and Lincoln back the other two kings up, because of course they do, and a few minutes later, we all head up to the main level. The guys say goodbye, although they keep shooting me concerned glances as they do.

Upstairs, Lincoln doesn’t even hesitate. He follows me to my room, and I let his comforting presence envelop me as I finally fall asleep.

Mr. Black was serious about bringing someone in soon to replace my mom.

The new—interim—Executive Housekeeper moves in on Tuesday. I see her in the upstairs hallway when Linc and I get home from school, and for a second, I just stare at her, blinking quickly as my body freezes.

She’s young and pretty, with a round face, a curvy figure, and a wide smile. She looks younger than my mom by a few years, although I’m not a great judge of those kinds of things. When she approaches me, I finally shake myself out of my stupor and take her offered hand, introducing myself.

Her name is Bri Marshall, and Mr. Black must’ve filled her in on at least a little of my situation, because sympathy gleams in her eyes as she talks to me.

I exchange a polite greeting with her, then escape into my room as quickly as I can, pressing my back against the wood and biting my lip so hard it hurts.

Samuel Black warned me this was coming. He handled the situation as gently and kindly as he could, but it still breaks my fucking heart to see how easy it was for him to replace my mom.

It makes her seem expendable somehow.

Like no one but me would miss her if she were gone. Like the world would just replace her and keep going.

I won’t let that happen. I fucking won’t.

Prison inmates aren’t allowed to receive calls, only make them, but I wish I could call Mom right now. Just to hear her voice. To remind myself that she is still here.

Pulling myself together as much as I can, I drop my backpack on the floor by the large, comfy chair before curling up on the plush seat. I’ve almost entirely caught up with what I missed during my absences, as well as all the assignments that’ve been handed out since then.

I spend most of the night studying, and I sleep alone. In the morning, when I meet Linc downstairs at 7:25, he takes in my expression and sighs.

“You met Bri?” he asks, draping an arm around my shoulders as we head out to his car.

“Yeah.”

“Dad certainly has a fucking type.”

We’re both in a funky, agitated mood as we drive to school. It’s for the same reason, but in different ways, like two sides of the same coin.

A coin named Bri Marshall.