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CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

JADE

My phone has been going off nonstop since class started. I set it to vibrate and put it in my bag on the floor but I feel it going off against my foot. I know it’s Harper. I had three messages from her when I woke up this morning, but I couldn’t call her back because I got up late and didn’t have time to talk. I texted her and told her I’d call her after class but I guess that’s not soon enough.

She’s calling because she wants to talk about Sean. She got back to Connecticut last night, and knowing her, she went to his apartment as soon as she got off the plane. I told her not to, but I knew she wouldn’t listen. I’m hoping Sean wasn’t there, because if he was, it’ll just make this harder for both of them.

Class ends and I go outside and find a bench to sit on. I call her and hear her voice before the phone even rings. How is that possible?

“Jade?” She’s sniffling. I bet she hasn’t stopped crying since I talked to her last. “He’s gone.”

“I’m sorry, Harper.” It’s all I can say. I’ve said it so many times now it sounds meaningless. “But he had to leave. He needs that job.”

“I know he does. And I’m so proud of him.” She sounds happy and sad at the same time. “That place he’ll be working at is one of the nicest restaurants in LA. All the celebrities go there.” She sniffles again. “He’s going to be so great there. I bet he’ll be head chef in a few months.”

“Yeah, I bet he will.” I try to steer her off the topic of Sean. “So what happened with your parents? Are you talking to them now?”

“No. I haven’t spoken to them in days.”

“Harper, this silent treatment can’t go on forever. Maybe you should talk to them.”

“I’m not ready to. I’m still too angry with them. They’re not the people I thought they were. They used to be nice to everyone. It didn’t matter if the person had money or not. They didn’t care. And now suddenly they’ve turned into these parents who only want me to date rich guys they pick out for me.” She pauses. “I don’t want to talk about my parents. I called because I wanted to tell you I went to Sean’s place last night.”

“Wasn’t he gone?”

“He had everything packed, but he didn’t leave until this morning.”

“Did you talk to him?”

She takes a moment to answer. “We did more than talk.”

“What? Harper! You had—” A guy sits down next to me on the bench. Can’t he see I’m trying to talk here? I take my backpack and walk over to a different bench. “You had sex with Sean?”

“I know. It’s bad, isn’t it? But it’s what we both wanted and it just kind of happened.”

“How did you—” I try to figure out how to phrase this. “You had surgery last week.”

“Only on my shoulder. There are many ways to do it, Jade.”

“Yeah. Got it. So you did it? And then what?”

“I talked to him and told him how I felt. I told him I made a huge mistake and I apologized over and over again. Then I told him I knew about his job and that I was happy for him. After we talked, I didn’t want to go back to the dorm and I knew he didn’t want me to, so I spent the night there.” She sniffles. “This morning he told me he loves me but that it’s over and not to call him again. He said he won’t be able to move on if we stay in touch.”

“I know this sucks, Harper. What can I do?”

“Nothing. There’s nothing anyone can do. Last night was our goodbye. Now I just have to try to move on.”

“You will. It just takes time. Maybe I could fly out there some weekend. We’ll shop, go to the movies, whatever you want.”

“Will you be out here for the funeral?”

Funeral? I haven’t seen the news all day and Garret didn’t send me any updates. Maybe it just happened.

“Did Holton die?” I ask her.

“No. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said it like that. It’s just that the news makes it sound like he could pass away any day now so I just assumed the funeral will be soon.”

“Yeah. I guess it will be.”

“Jade, I hate to race off the phone like this but I have class. I have to go.”

“Okay. I’ll talk to you later.”

I reach down for my backpack just as another person sits beside me. There are tons of open benches. Why does everyone insist on sitting next to me?

“Hey, what’s up?”

I recognize the voice and turn back and give the owner of that voice a kiss. “Don’t you have class?”

“Not for a half hour.” He puts his arm behind me on the bench. “I saw this hot girl sitting on the bench and I had to come check her out. What are you doing out here?”

“I called Harper. Get this. She went to Sean’s place and they did it.”

“They had sex?” He says it just as someone walks by.

“Don’t say it so loud,” I whisper.

He laughs. “It’s a college campus, Jade. People talk about sex all the time.”

“Whatever. So anyway, they did it and she spent the night over there. And now he’s gone and she’s even more depressed than before.”

“Why did she even go over there?”

“She wanted to say goodbye.”

“By having sex with him? And spending the night?” Garret shakes his head. “Sean should’ve never let that happen. Poor guy’s so damn in love with her I’m sure he couldn’t help himself, but if someone found out—”

“They’d hurt him?”

“Just forget it. He’s on the road now. He’ll be fine.” Garret gives my shoulder a squeeze and I slide over until I’m right up against him.

My phone rings and I’m thinking it might be Sean, but it’s William, my uncle.

“Hi, William.” I look at Garret as I say it. He looks as surprised as I am. William never calls me. I haven’t talked to him since that weekend we all met at Grace’s house.

“Hello, Jade. How have you been?”

“Um, okay, I guess.”

“I’m sorry to hear about Holton. How’s Garret doing?”

I glance at him. “He’s doing okay. I mean, given the circumstances. He’s been checking in with his dad to see if he has any updates. But so far, it sounds like nothing’s changed.”

William’s quiet, then says, “When did Garret last talk to his father?”

“I don’t know. He’s here with me now. I’ll ask him.” I turn to Garret. “When did you talk to your dad?”

“About an hour ago. He has meetings all day in New York so he couldn’t talk long but he said my grandfather’s condition was the same.”

I direct my attention back to William. “Did you hear all that?”

“Yes. I’m just a little confused.”

“What do you mean?”

“I talked to Eleanor this morning to see how she was holding up and she said Holton had improved overnight.”

I keep my eyes on Garret. “Oh. We hadn’t heard that.”

Why is William calling Garret’s grandmother? Are they friends? And why does Eleanor answer William’s calls, but not Garret’s?

“I didn’t know you knew Eleanor that well,” I say to William.

Garret’s giving me a strange look, trying to figure out what’s going on.

“The Sinclairs have been friends with the Kensingtons for many years,” William says.

“I know. I just didn’t know you still talked to her.”

“I haven’t for quite some time. But when something like this happens, it’s customary to reach out and offer any assistance.”

I try to gather my thoughts because this whole conversation is throwing me off. “So what did she say about Holton?”

“Just what I told you. As far as I know, he’s still in a coma, but he’s improving a little more each day.”

“That’s good.” I hope I don’t sound as nervous as I feel right now. “I should let you go. I know you’re busy.”

“Yes, well, I just wanted to check in on you and Garret. Call me if you need anything.”

“I will. Bye, William.” I end the call and set my phone down.

“What was that about?” Garret asks.

“William said your grandfather is getting better.” I’m in a daze as I say it, my mind slowly realizing what this means.

“How does William know?”

“He talked to your grandmother this morning.”

Garret grips my arm. “What exactly did he say? Is my grandfather out of the coma?”

“No, but his condition is improving. I don’t know what that means.” I rub my forehead. “I feel sick. What if he recovers?”

“He won’t. He’s in a coma. A lot of people die in comas.” He whips his phone out and makes a call. “Voicemail,” he says to me, then says in the phone, “Dad, call me when you get this.”

I stand up, picking my backpack off the bench. “I have to go. I have class.”

Garret stands in front of me, his hands on my arms. “You okay?”

“I would be if I hadn’t heard that news.”

He hugs me. “Just forget about that. He’s not getting better, Jade. There was probably just a slight improvement in his blood work and the doctors are making a bigger deal out of it than it is to make my grandmother feel better.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Jade, stop worrying about it. Go to class, and when you get home we’ll turn on the Christmas lights and watch a movie. We’ll get a pizza for dinner so we don’t have to cook.”

I know he’s trying to make me feel better but it’s not working. But I smile and pretend that it is. “Okay. That sounds fun. I’ll see you at home.”

I walk to class, my eyes darting around to see if anyone’s following me. I know Holton’s still in a coma, but I feel like he can still see me. Like he’s watching me. Plotting to kill me.