"How did the police know you had the bracelet?" I ask.
"An anonymous tip," Braden says. "But I know it was her. She fucking planted it in my room. There's no other way it got there."
"You need to rest before we meet with the lawyers." Brock walks up to Braden and hands him some pills. "Take these. They'll help you sleep."
Braden tosses them in his mouth and swallows. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted her." He looks at Trystan. "This is why you don't get involved with women. They're all fucking bitches who fuck you over."
His eyes dart to me, indicating I'm one of those bitches, then he turns and storms out of the room. We hear him stomp up the stairs and his door slam shut.
"How long do we have?" Trystan asks Brock.
"Hopefully six hours, maybe longer. I gave him two, which would knock me out for the night but I doubt they'll have that effect on Braden."
"You drugged him?" I ask.
"Sleeping pills," Brock says. "He needs to sleep. He won't be as angry if he gets some rest."
"I doubt that'll help." I get up and bring my plate to the sink. "I'm going back to Jackson's to study."
"I'm going to the gym," Trystan says.
Brock blocks us as we try to leave. "I want both of you back here at four. Braden will be up by then and I want us all to go to dinner."
"You want to leave the house?" Trystan asks. "With Braden? You sure that's a good idea?"
Brock nods. "I suppose you're right. I'll have Ana come over and make something. Regardless, we're having dinner as a family so I expect both of you to be home."
We agree and he lets us go.
After a quick shower, I grab my backpack and return to Jackson's place. Before we study, I tell him Braden's theory about Kristen.
"I could see her doing that," Jackson says. "She always believed he did it."
"She thought Braden killed Andrea?"
"Not on purpose. She thought he did it by accident, then tried to cover it up."
"So she wanted him to pay for what he'd done."
"Not just that, but all the other stuff."
"Like what?"
"Beating up on girls. She knew he'd hit more than just her. And he's been accused of rape more than once."
"By who?"
"I only know about Alyssa. The others didn't want to give their names. They filed a complaint with the school but nothing ever happened."
"Why the school? Why didn't they call the police?"
"Wealthy families don't want this stuff getting out. It's messy and ugly and not something pleasant to talk about. They want people to think they live in a perfect world where nothing bad happens."
"They're willing to let a rapist go free to protect their reputation?"
"In most cases, yeah, especially if the guy is also from a wealthy family. And with someone like Braden, star of the football team, you keep quiet. Saying something bad about him will only get you enemies. That's why Braden gets away with this shit."
"He may not get away with it anymore."
