Pretty When She Cries - Black Mountain Academy

His words send a jolt of adrenaline through my veins, and I look at Carson.

“Did that really just happen?”

He nods with a vacant expression. “I think we need to get the fuck out of here, bro.”35KailaniThe news of Audrey’s and Wyatt’s deaths ripples through the school like wildfire. At least, that’s what Courtney tells me via text as I spend the morning with two detectives. I got home from the hospital late last night, and they showed up at my door before I even had a chance to leave for school this morning.

They came here because of the audio recording. They want me to give a statement about the night of the party. I tell them everything, and my mom remains at my side the entire time. She’s spitting mad. I’ve never seen her so fired up. Between questions, she seems to calm, only to get triggered all over again when they ask me something else that I answer in detail. I didn’t want Landon to get dragged into this until I had a chance to talk to him, but I have no choice when they ask me about him. I explain what Alexa told me, what Audrey tried to do to him, and my mom drops an f-bomb. Actually, she calls Audrey a fucking bitch.

I turn to look at her with wide eyes.

“I’m sorry.” She brushes a few pieces of hair behind my ear with a trembling hand. “I just want to wring her neck.”

“Well, she’s already dead, so there’s that,” the detective answers humorlessly. “And so is Wyatt.”

“Good riddance,” my mom snarls. “May they rest in hell.”

Holy moly. She is on fire today. My mother’s Aloha Spirit is strong, but she is fiercely protective when it comes to her family. We look after each other. And I know right now, she’s trying to figure out how to do that after everything that’s happened.

I’m not sure how I feel about all of it myself. There has been so much to process lately. When I heard the news, it didn’t shock me as much as I would have expected. I’m not mourning the loss of Wyatt and Audrey, but it seems a little surreal. They were here yesterday, and now they aren’t. The detective told us it looked like they had one hell of a fight before they ran out into the road. From what they could piece together, it appeared Audrey had stabbed Wyatt, and he had burned her with some type of chemical. Crazy, party of two.

“What will happen with Gavin?” I ask.

“He was taken into custody this morning,” the detective assures me. “We’ll keep you updated on the charges.”

He hands me my statement and goes over it one more time before asking me to sign it. Since Audrey and Wyatt are dead, Gavin is the only one who will be prosecuted. My mom is already asking about going to court, and the detective explains how the whole process works. But first, they have to finish their investigation to make sure there aren’t additional charges that need to be brought against him. God only knows how many other people they did this to.

I sign my statement, and my mom walks the detectives out, peppering them with more questions while I text Court back. She’s asking if she should come over, but I tell her I’m okay. I just need to find Landon. When I got home last night, every light in his house was off. It didn’t even look like he was home. And when I knocked, nobody answered. The detectives let it slip that they’d spoken with Landon and Carson before they came here, so I assume he’s still around this morning.

Jared texts me again to check in on me, making sure I’m okay. He’s asked about Carson too like he thinks I might have more information than he does, which seems odd. But then I remember their interaction at the hospital, and something occurs to me. Do they have a thing for each other? Maybe I should invite them both over for dinner this week. It couldn’t hurt just to see what happens.

My mom returns and frets over me needlessly, offering me everything short of a full buffet to an expensive vacation.

“I’m good, Mama.” I hug her tight and smile up at her, and for once, it feels pretty true. At least I will be when I talk to Landon.

The truth really does set you free, and I won’t allow Audrey’s evil to steal one more second of my happiness.

“Okay, how about some tea?” Mom asks, her hands itching to do something useful.

“Actually, I’d like to go find Landon.” I slip off the barstool.

She smiles way too brightly. “Really?”

“Yeah, it’s been pretty crazy lately. We have a lot to talk about, and I want to make sure he’s okay.”