I take the plate from the oven. "It's sad that everyone just expects Braden to make our lives hell." I take the syrup from the fridge. "Did Ana spend the night?"
"Yeah, and it was fucking loud. I don't know what they were doing in there."
"I'd rather not know." I sit next to him at the counter. "Speaking of sex, I heard your sex buddy was at Kristen's house the night she died."
"What sex buddy?"
I look at him. "You have more than one?"
"Hell, yeah," he says with a smug smile. "So who was it?"
"Peyton. She went over to see if Kristen would go to a party with her but Principal Edwards made her leave. He told her Kristen was asleep."
"I remember her saying she was gonna get Kristen that night but I didn't think she ended up going over there."
"Did you see her later?"
"Yeah, she showed up at another party. We almost hooked up but she was drunk and puked all over herself. Someone took her home after that." He gets up and takes his plate to the sink. "I'm going to my room."
"When's he getting home?" I ask before stuffing a piece of waffle in my mouth. Ana makes the best waffles.
Trystan and I look at each other as we hear the front door open.
"Shit," I say, setting my fork down. I should've eaten faster. I still have half a waffle left.
"Braden, just calm down," Brock says from the hallway.
"Here he comes," Trystan says.
Braden storms in the kitchen and heads straight to his drawer of protein bars, yanking it open and taking one out. Trystan and I watch as Braden rips off the wrapper and bites into the bar like he's biting the head off an animal.
"Hey, Braden," Trystan says. "How's it going?"
Braden whips around to face him. "How the fuck you think it's going? I just got out of fucking jail. I missed Friday's game and now we're fucked for the season." He tosses the bar's wrapper on the counter and goes to the fridge, yanking it open. "Where are my eggs?"
"Ana didn't make you any," Trystan says. "She didn't know when you'd be home."
"Fucking worthless bitch," he says, slamming the fridge shut.
Brock walks in. "Braden, calm down. And stop yelling at your brother."
"I'll do what I fucking want." He storms up to Brock. "And fire your little whore. She can't even make me fucking eggs."
"I'm not firing Ana," Brock says. "Go to your room and get some rest. You'll feel better."
"I'd feel better if I was on the fucking team!" he yells. He takes a breath, shaking his head. "She did it. I know she did. The bitch was trying to frame me. If she was still alive, I'd fucking kill her."
"Who?" I ask. "Kristen?"
Braden's eyes shoot to mine. "She did it to save your fucking boyfriend."
"What are you talking about?"'
"Braden believes Kristen planted that bracelet in his room," Brock explains. "To remove any suspicion of Jackson being involved with Andrea's death."
"She fucking played me," Braden says. "Telling me she was done with Novak and wanted to get back with me? It was all a fucking lie. She just wanted to get in my room so she could frame me for murder."
I hadn't thought about that but maybe he's right. She was only in his room a few minutes. Did she hide the bracelet and leave, then tell the police to search his room?
