I stopped pacing and turned to face her fully. This wasn’t enough. I needed more details, more specifics. I needed her to stop remembering and start experiencing it again. “Can you show me?” I asked.
Carson’s head snapped toward me, eyes blazing. “What?”
“I need her to show me.” I moved toward the door. “Walking through it might shake loose details she isn’t remembering.”
“Are you kidding? What, you’re suddenly a psychiatrist? She’s been through enough. She’s not going anywhere.” Carson shot to his feet, positioning himself between Kenny and me. “Least of all with fucking you.”
But Kenny stood too, her legs unsteady but her voice growing stronger. “Yes, I am.”
Carson whirled toward her, his face a mask of protective fury. “You’re not strong enough for this. Look at you…you’re barely keeping it together.”
“I don’t care, Car.” She touched Carson’s arm, drawing his gaze to her. “She saved me. I wouldn’t be here if Kaylor hadn’t come. She’s our best friend. We can’t abandon her.”
“You know I would never, but that doesn’t mean I’m not worried about you, too,” Carson said, putting his hand over hers.
“I’m okay,” she assured.
“If you don’t want to come, you should stay here,” I offered, knowing he would see it as a challenge. “I don’t need you getting in my way.”
“If she’s going, then so am I,” Carson stated.
So predictable. “Is that what you said to Kaylor when you let her get out of your car last night?” I couldn’t stop the judgment. He rubbed me the wrong way. I didn’t trust him, and I’d bet my life there was more to his story than he was telling.
“You don’t think I tried to stop her,” Carson hissed.
“Well, you didn’t try hard enough. I never would have let her out of the fucking car. Let alone allow her to go by herself.”
Carson’s laugh was humorless. “No, because you’re a controlling, possessive asshole. That’s the difference between us. I allow my best friend to make her own choices.”
My jaw flexed. I didn’t shove him though it took effort. “And look how well that turned out.”
“Guys,” Kenny cut in, her voice raising a tad too loud. I didn’t want to risk waking her parents. “For real. This is not helping. Fighting isn’t going to get us anywhere.”
Carson’s nostrils flared, but he dropped his gaze to the floorboards, guilt flashing across his face. Good.
She was right. I dragged a hand through my hair, forcing air into my lungs. “Come on,” I muttered. “We need to get past the cop outside. I can’t have him getting in our way.”
“And how do you propose we do that?” Carson asked.
“The same way I got in. Through the window,” I replied.
Carson scoffed. “Or we could have you arrested for breaking and entering.”
“And how,” I asked quietly, “would that help Kaylor?”
He shut the fuck up after that, and we moved through the house, heading downstairs and out the window I’d snuck through. I held my finger up to my lips, signaling for them to keep quiet as I peeked around the corner. The officer still had his hands full with my brother. If I wasn’t mistaken, Raine was about to be detained. Wavingmy hand for them to follow, I retraced my steps back to my SUV, opening the passenger door for Kenny to climb in.
Carson took the seat behind her. “What are we waiting for?” he asked when I didn’t immediately drive off.
“My brother,” I muttered, glancing in the rearview mirror for any signs Raine had ditched the cop.
“This is such a bad fucking idea,” Carson grumbled, rubbing his hands together to fight off the cold.
Raine materialized seconds later, scaring Kenny. She jumped in the front seat, her hand flying to her heart. Raine’s eyebrows shot up when he saw Kenny in his spot and slipped into the backseat beside Carson.
“Long story,” I muttered as he settled in, pulling the door shut with a solid thud.
Five minutes later, we pulled up to Elmwood Academy. I steered the car toward the teacher’s parking lot and stopped in front of the side doors. “Is this where they took you out of school?” I asked as gently as I could.
