Page 101 of Fueled Hate

“I don’t know. Willow said she couldn’t go home because I’d screwed everything up, so she had to explain and make it right.”

The Dome.

57

Sadie

Spotting Willow parked halfway down the runway, I drive through the field, stopping a few feet away. Shutting off the Mustang, I carefully step out. I’d been so relieved when Willow called me, I hadn’t asked any questions when she said she wanted to meet here. She’s sitting on the ground, her back against her tire as her shoulders hunch over. I don’t have to see her face to know she’s crying.

All that time I thought her and Parker had the perfect relationship … I don’t know how to reconcile the person who helped me through the loss of my mom with the person who would cheat on Parker with Andrew and then cover something so heinous for him. I don’t recognize that person, but I will hear Willow out … at least I can ask her why she did it, unlike my mom.

Cautiously walking up to her, I stop in front of her. “Willow.”

“I can’t do it anymore.” Her voice cracks in between sobs.

“Do what?”

“Lie to myself.” Her legs flop in front of her as her head drops back against the tire, her eyes squeezed close. “It hurts too much.”

“Willow, we can get through this. It’ll be all right. You don’t have to do it anymore. You don’t have to cover for him.”

“I wasn’t covering for him,” her voice is so low, I step closer to hear her as she continues. “It was for me.”

“No. I know you care about Parker, but do you have feelings for Andrew? Did he make you do this? Did he threaten you? Force you to lie about it?”

Willow jumps to her feet, holding her hands in front of her face. “I did it.”

Backing away, I look to her as she threads her fingers in her hair, yanking at the strands as she looks down the runway.

“I did it,” she exhales, dropping to her knees.

“No.”

“Open your fucking eyes, Sadie.” She remains on her knees, staring out into the field.

The sound of an engine catches my attention, and I turn to see Dylan barreling full speed in our direction. Willow took Noah from him.

Dylan’s car slides to a stop as he bails out, running towards us. “Sadie, get back.”

She won’t hurt me. She can’t. Too many people have damaged my heart, my perception of reality, for this to be anything other than proof that I didn’t know the real side of anyone. But what hurts the most is Dylan suffered because I was too oblivious to see how twisted everyone around me was. “How could you do it? Why?”

“It just happened.”

“Murder doesn’t just happen, Willow,” Dylan yells, moving forward as I clasp my hand around his arm, attempting to hold him back as Bryce steps in front of him.

“It was an accident. All of it. I started hanging out here more, making wagers because I needed the money. Andrew was always around. Parker was always preoccupied with everything else—work, racing, school. Andrew knew I needed money, so he told me about the deal Kyle had with your dad.”

No. There’s no way I was so blind. But I was. I was drowning in grief while everyone around me was lying, scheming to get what they wanted no matter the cost. But Noah paid the price.

“Noah challenged Andrew to race. He’d done it a million times. Raced Parker’s car and walked away with a win. Only that time, things were different. Noah won. He won Parker’s car. I knew there was no way I could explain what happened to Parker. He’d never forgive me. I pleaded with Andrew to do something, but he didn’t care. It was my life that was over.”

“So, you took Noah’s?”

“It wasn’t supposed to happen. I just wanted to get the keys from him, but he realized what was happening. I’d slipped a pill in his drink. As soon as he started feeling dizzy, I joked around with him, trying to get the key fob from his pocket and when I finally did, he realized what I’d done. He freaked out. He ranted that we were setting him up to kill him because he knew our secret—that we weren’t just making money on races, but drugs too. I tried to tell him all I wanted was Parker’s car back, but Noah wouldn’t listen. He jumped in his car and took off down the track so fast. He was swerving, heading in the wrong direction when all of a sudden, he jerked the car to the side. God, he was so messed up; like, out-of-his-mind high. I didn’t mean for it to happen. The car rolled and it was over. He was gone.”

“It wasn’t an accident,” I intone, my mom’s face vivid in my mind, her decisions that destroyed my family. “Your choices led to it. It’s your fault Noah is dead.”

“That’s why he wasn’t wearing his seat belt. That’s why it didn’t make sense. He wasn’t thinking because you drugged him.”