Page 19

CHAPTER

TWELVE

ERIN

Mom hurries to my side. “Where did you disappear to?”

“I was helping Ms. Moldova fill vases,” I say. Well, that’s half true. “You said you wanted me to help.”

She frowns, but doesn’t question me. Maybe that’s a consequence of her being married to Dad for all these years—believing everything she is told.

I’d like a time machine to go back and see what she used to be like.

Was she a rebellious teenager like Sarah, or quieter and more reserved like me?

Either way, that person is long gone. Her spirit was crushed by him long ago.

“Well, we better go inside,” she says. “The auction is about to start.”

We file into the main auditorium, where parents are handed bidding paddles.

I scan the sea of faces. Most belong to students I recognize and families I know, but there are some I don’t.

I look at every man’s face, wondering whether he’s one of them.

Is that a thought that’ll ever go away? Am I going to look at every stranger who fits their rough sizes with suspicion from now on?

I’d like to think I’d recognize them. The men who sprayed cum over my chest, tasted me, and watched me sleep.

They’ve seen me in my most vulnerable states.

Surely, that has to leave an invisible mark?

Yet, as I inspect strangers’ faces, I realize it could be any of them.

There is one thing I know for sure, though.

They’ll be watching. They are here. As they said, they live in the walls.

“Stop daydreaming.” Mom nudges me, while smiling politely at the other parents. “You’re holding everyone up. Look.” She points. “Two seats next to Mia and her mom. Let’s join them.”

While Dad makes his disapproval of Mia clear, Mom has a soft spot for her.

I’m not sure whether it’s because she actually likes her or is relieved her daughter isn’t a total social pariah.

In her glory days, Mom was the prom queen, the top cheerleader, and the Stonybridge ‘it’ girl.

Although she left during college and in her early marital years, Mom grew up here in Pasturesville.

Many others have stayed in town, and her high school popularity has carried over into adulthood, giving her an elevated status.

You can see it in the way she’s treated by other parents who knew her then.

Husbands ogle her, and their wives eye her clothing enviously.

Perhaps that’s why Mom enjoys attending functions so much.

She can reclaim her youth and cling to that part of her life.

“Having fun?” Mia asks, raising an eyebrow sarcastically when we sit down.

“Ignore her,” Ms. Moldova says. “She’s grouchy.”

“I can speak for myself, Mom,” Mia grumbles.

“Oh, I completely understand, Kim,” Mom says, like the two of us aren’t standing here. “Erin is always sulking. It must be their age. All the hormones. I remember what it was like in my day.” She gets a misty-eyed look. “We were?—”

Mom’s nostalgia gets cut short by Principal Wire taking the microphone.

“Evening, ladies and gentlemen,” he says, voice booming.

“Thank you for joining us in the wake of a tragedy that occurred in our community. On behalf of everyone here, I would like to extend our well wishes to the Holt family. All the proceeds from tonight’s auction will go toward rebuilding their home. ”

Applause erupts. I clap half-heartedly, resisting the urge to roll my eyes.

“We have very generous donations from friends of Stonybridge Academy coming up,” he continues.

Another round of cheering follows.

“If they clap this often, we’re in for a long night,” Mia mumbles under her breath, earning herself a reproachable look from my mother.

I zone out halfway through the auction. Mom wins a case of wine from the local vineyard for an eye-watering amount. Goods are auctioned away: monthly muffin baskets, spa days, a cabin retreat, Botox injections, a day with the principal, a private half-hour concert with Ms. Moldova, and more.

“Thank you everyone,” Principal Wire says, gesturing for the eager student next to him to move the garish golden arrow on a display board. It marks cash milestones, reaching fifty thousand at its summit. He gestures proudly as the arrow hits the peak. “As you’ll see, we’ve reached our target!”

“Does that mean we can go home?” I whisper to Mia as everyone around us erupts in loud applause.

She snorts behind her hand, while Mom kicks me in the shin. Considering I’ve stayed quiet for two hours, I think I’ve earned the right to be a little snarky.

“Before we end the auction, there is one last item to announce,” Principal Wire says, dashing my hopes of an early finish.

He signals to his right, and a student wheels out a table from behind the curtain. A box covered in a black fabric sits on top of it.

“An anonymous donor has given a very special present to recognize one of Stonybridge’s most talented sporting stars,” Principal Wire announces.

“I don’t need to tell anyone here that Nate Holt is a skilled football player, but what you may not know is that he’s an avid baseball glove collector.

Sadly, Nate’s fantastic collection was destroyed. ”

From what I heard, his gloves were yearly birthday gifts from his father, bought as investments. They’ll have been insured.

“Please come up on the stage, Nate,” Principal Wire requests.

Nate makes his way to the front like a celebrity, waving and posing for photographs as he goes.

Watching him makes me question what I ever saw in him.

Sure, he’s handsome, but the longer I look, the more I see who he really is.

Just another entitled rich guy. He doesn’t understand true pain. How can he?

When he finally reaches the stage, Principal Wire shakes his hand like he’s an award recipient.

Nate takes the microphone. “Before I accept this generous gift,” Nate starts, dripping with confident arrogance.

How have I mistaken his smug smirk for a smile before?

“I want to say a huge thanks to you all. We wouldn’t have been able to get through this difficult time without the support of Pasturesville. ”

Nate’s front-row fan club swoons, like he’s addressing them directly. Clapping ensues, which Nate waves off modestly, but I see through his act. He’s lapping up the attention.

“Now, for the item…” Principal Wire declares.

I wait with bated breath, but not for the same reason as everyone else. Every surprise presents another opportunity for my tormentors to make an impact, and this is no different. A public humiliation would excite their sick minds.

He pulls back the black curtain, and everyone gasps to see a glove signed by a famous player I haven’t heard of.

“We hope this will help you restart your new collection,” Principal Wire says.

“Try it on!” Oliver shouts.

Nate stands next to the box, pausing and turning to the audience. “Should I?” Everyone applauds, including my mother. “Okay, okay!” Nate raises his hands, laughing. “I’ll try it.”

Principal Wire removes the Perspex box for Nate to remove the glove. Grinning, he slips it on. For a second, nothing happens, then his face falls. He turns a stark white, and his mouth curls into pure agony.

“Is everything okay?” Principal Wire asks nervously.

“My hand!” Nate staggers, clutching his wrist. “My hand!”

He screams and tears the glove off. His eyes water in pain as blood drips down his arm, soaking through his shirt.

“My hand, my hand!” he wails.

It’s hard to make out what I’m seeing among the mess of bloody flesh. His fingers resemble chunks of raw meat. The offending glove falls to the floor, making a girl faint, while Nate fights to stay standing.

“Ambulance!” Mrs. Holt screeches, scampering onto the stage to be at his side. “We need an ambulance. Someone call an ambulance!”

Blood continues to spout from Nate’s hand like a fountain. The unfolding scene is straight from a horror movie.

Principal Wire scoops up the glove and peers inside. His jaw clenches, and I read his lips as he utters, “Razor blades.”

Mom covers her mouth in horror, while a doctor in the crowd races to Nate’s aid. He’s lucky to attend an elite private school, which guarantees some of the best surgeons in the country are already on-site.

“Oh my fucking God,” Mia gasps.

No one chastises her for cursing, only sharing her horror as the school nurse sprints past with a dusty first aid kit. She joins the doctor, who tries to stem Nate’s bleeding with his designer jacket. Those stains will be impossible to remove.

“Everyone out!” Principal Wire roars, almost rupturing my eardrums. “Now!”

People flock to the exits. A few are close to fainting and green-faced, while others linger, watching to see how things play out.

I look for a masked figure, or maybe a man laughing at his handiwork, but no one sticks out.

“Who would do something like this?” Mia shakes her head in disbelief as we’re carried away in the crowds. “Everyone loves Nate!”

Well, not everyone…

It was them.

It had to be.

“Maybe it was someone from Rydell Prep?” Mia theorizes. “There’s a game coming up soon. If Nate’s injured, he won’t be able to play. Wire said it was an anonymous donor. It fits, right?”

It was Nate’s right hand. The same hand he touched me with outside. They must have seen it. It’s the only explanation. Rydell Prep players would never do something so twisted. Nate touched their toy, and if people touch their things, they get broken…

“Possibly,” I say.

“What is this school coming to?” a parent says. “First, rats at the music concert. Now, this! It’s going downhill. Where are our fees going?”

“It’s the children I worry about,” another says earnestly. “How can Stonybridge ensure their safety?”

Principal Wire will have a mutiny on his hands, and the police will have to launch an investigation.

“Earth to Erin?” Mia waves her hand in front of my face. “Are you listening?”

“Huh?” I shake my head. “Sorry, I guess the blood has made me a little dizzy.”

The truth is, no one is safe while my stalkers are roaming Pasturesville. Everyone who comes into contact with me is at risk. If a jealous act ends in a slashed hand, where will it end? What if Mia does something they don’t like? Will they hurt her too? What about Mom?

“I think I need to lie down,” I groan.

“Come on, darling,” Mom says. “Let’s go home.”

But home isn’t safe anymore.

Nowhere is.