She was loud, blunt, and tough, but underneath the swagger and combat boots, I'd caught flashes of raw insecurity: the way she flinched at Brooke's comments about her skin or weight, the defensive hunch of her shoulders, the sarcasm she wielded like a weapon.
"I'll only take a few minutes," I said. "Please."
She rolled her eyes. "You're going to do it anyway, so whatever. Start your interrogation, then."
I ignored the jab. "How are you doing?"
Her eyebrows shot up. "Seriously? You came all the way here to ask me about my feelings?"
"Yes."
"I'm thrilled. Obviously." She swept a hand around the empty playground. "Hanging at the park with my defective brother while my mom curates her perfect life on Instagram. Living the dream."
"You know he's not?—"
"I know who he is," she snapped. "I live with him. He’s my brother."
Across the grass, Falcon threw the ball again, a little farther this time. Apollo barreled after it like it was the best game in the world. Falcon's face stayed serious, intent. He adjusted his stance before each throw.
I tried a softer approach. "I know things have been hard since Leah died."
"Understatement of the century," she muttered.
"We all miss her."
"Do we? Seems like everyone just wants to blame someone and move on."
She wasn't entirely wrong. "Did you break into my house?"
Her eyes narrowed. "What are you even talking about?"
"Someone broke into my house on Tuesday and moved our things around. Then someone broke in again and stole my notebook. Was it you?"
She gaped at me. "No way."
"You were standing in front of our mailbox right after it happened. Like you'd just left our house."
"Nope. It wasn't me. I was just walking."
"In the rain?"
She glowered at me, but she met my gaze without blinking. "I'm not the Wicked Witch of the West. I'm not gonna melt. Duh. I can walk in my own neighborhood."
I studied her for a minute, looking for a tell, but I didn't see anything. That didn't mean she wasn't lying through her teeth, though. I decided to switch tactics for now. "I'm here about the slumber party."
Her mouth flattened. "I already told the cops everything."
"I know what you told them." I stepped closer. "I don't think it was everything."
"Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence."
"I need the truth. About all of it. About what really happened."
"I don't know anything."
"A girl is dead, Alexis. I need to understand what really happened."
"Like I said, I already told the police everything."
