“I don’t want to get the courts involved, really.” She brushed her hair back from her face and sighed deeply. “Right now, I just need to get some rest. I don’t want to think about this shit anymore. Please.”
My brother started to say something, but just then the door opened, and we turned to see Kate. She was clearly nervous, but she forced a smile.
“I see you got out,” she told me.
“Yeah. Julian’s waiting for you.” I watched her closely.
She didn’t betray anything as she looked over at Kam. “Kami, I’m so sorry about what happened.” She seemed sincere. “I just want to tell you, I’ll never speak another word to Danny again, and neither will the rest of the girls. What he did is unforgivable.”
Kam blinked a few times, surprised, and nodded. “Thank you, Kate. Are you all right?” She had clearly noticed Kate’s sunken eyes. She didn’t look right, and she wasn’t even wearing makeup, which was strange for her since she always went around caked in the stuff.
“Yeah, of course,” she said, forcing a smile on us. Who was she trying to fool? “High school sure is getting crazy, right?”
“More like people from school,” Kam responded curtly.
Kate nodded and pointed at the counter. “I should go ahead and pay my brother’s bail.”
“How is he, speaking of?” Kam asked, looking at me.
“Good.” I answered coldly, unable to help it.
Kate looked at me with an odd expression, trying to figure out what was behind my tone. After all, Julian had been the one to pull me away from Danny.
“We’re going to go,” Taylor announced. “Do you guys need a ride or anything?”
“No,” Kate replied, “I drove here.”
I got behind the wheel, my brother sat next to me, and Kam got in the back. I glanced at her in the rearview mirror. No one said anything on the twenty-minute drive home. When I parked and got out, I felt like a third wheel. Taylor and Kam were looking at me strangely. And all I could think about was how she should have been with me. She should have been going up to my room so I could console her, take care of her, caress her until she fell asleep in my arms.
Kam was mine.
Not his.
“Good night,” I said, keeping my eyes on Kam another second.
Once I was in my room, the first thing I did was dial a number I knew by heart.
“Perez, what’s up, dude?” I said, peeking out the window. “I need you to find out whatever you can about Julian Murphy. If that doesn’t get you anywhere, try Jules. Jules Murphy. Please. It’s urgent.”
I told him I owed him one as I said goodbye and watched my brother and Kam enter the house. I heard their footsteps on the stairs, and the sound of the door across the hall being shut.
I was going crazy.
I couldn’t stand this much longer.
