Wish You Were Gone(38)

Then Alexa was there, her face beaming with pride. “No. She’s totally not. Come see!”

Alexa grabbed Kelsey’s arm and somehow, using centrifugal force, flung her to the front of the crowd. Kelsey ran her finger down the cast list, and there she was—fifth on the list after Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion.

WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST……. Kelsey Walsh “Oh my God!” she blurted.

“Kels?”

She turned around and ran right into Hunter.

“What is it?” he asked, concerned.

“I’m the Wicked Witch!” she cried, and flung herself into his arms. “I got a real part!”

“Holy shit! That’s awesome!” Hunter crowed. “Congratulations.”

And then she and Alexa started screaming and clutching each other and jumping up and down.

“It’s obviously a pity part,” someone behind her said.

Kelsey stopped screaming. She hadn’t recognized the voice, but a few prissy sophomore girls were pointedly trying not to look at her.

Suddenly, Willow was there. “What did you just say?” she demanded, angling herself between Kelsey and the other girls.

Kelsey’s jaw clenched. She didn’t need Willow to defend her. But the look of terror on the sophomores’ faces almost made it worth it. After the briefest hesitation, the obvious leader of the group stepped up. “Just that Mrs. Tisch loves a good sob story. Of course the girl with the dead dad got cast.”

“Hey. Back off. My sister earned that part,” Hunter snapped.

The ringleader blushed hard, turned around, and strode off, her friends scurrying after her. Kelsey wanted to put her fist through the brick wall. Why did people have to be such assholes? Why did they have to ruin the one good thing that had happened to her in the last three miserable weeks?

“They’re just jealous,” Alexa said.

“Alexa’s right. Don’t pay any attention to them.” Hunter put his strong, heavy hands on her shoulders. “You’re the best actress I know. You beat out seniors for that part. You should be proud of yourself.”

“You totally should, Kelsey,” Willow put in, and glanced at Hunter as if for approval.

“I am,” Kelsey said, forcing a smile. She pulled out her phone. “I’m calling Mom.”

“I’ll text you later.” Alexa grabbed her and hugged her. “Congratulations!”

“Thanks, Al.”

Her friend jogged off toward the school and her soccer practice, while Hunter asked Willow if she needed a ride.

“I’ll go get my stuff,” Willow said, jogging over to the nearby stairs.

“What are you doing?” Kelsey hissed.

“What?” he said defensively. “I’m giving her a ride home.”

Kelsey blew out a sigh as Willow strolled over to them, slinging her backpack on. “Do you guys want to grab some food, or—”

“Do you always have to be all over us?” Kelsey blurted.

“Kelsey!” Hunter admonished.

“What? I’m just sick of it. She’s, like, obsessed with us. Every day she’s at our house or you’re out with her. I can’t even have one moment—this moment—without her hovering around like some creature out of a Wes Craven movie.”

“Hey! Not cool,” Hunter said. “Willow just defended you back there.”

But it didn’t matter. Willow had already turned around without a word, but she did hold up her middle finger as she strolled off.

“What’s the matter with you?” Hunter asked.

“You want to go after her?” Kelsey challenged. “I’m sure I can get a ride from someone else.”

Hunter shook his head and started toward his car, speed-walking away from her. Kelsey told herself it didn’t matter—that by the time they got home he would forgive her. She turned away from the parking lot and called her mother. The phone rang only once before her mom picked up.

“Kelsey? Well? What happened?” her mother said.

“I got the Wicked Witch!” Kelsey said. “I’m the only freshman with a speaking role!”

Her mother crowed. “Oh, sweetie! That’s amazing! I’m so happy for you!”

“Thanks, me too!”

“Come home so we can all celebrate.”

“We’re on our way.”

Up ahead, Hunter was already revving the Jeep’s engine. Kelsey hung up the phone and tipped her head toward the cloudy sky. She was going to kill this part. She was going to get into Daltry and leave this place and its resident assholes behind. And her father, wherever he was, could kiss her little ass.

When she opened her eyes again, the smile fell right off her face. Willow was up at the top of the hill, standing beneath the gathering clouds, glaring down at her. Nothing was ever enough for that girl. Nothing would ever be enough.





LIZZIE


“You’ve done such a lovely job with the place,” Margot Crandle said, running her hand along the polished oak banister on the main stairs. “The pride of ownership really shines through.”

Lizzie’s heart swelled. She’d worked her fingers to the bone restoring the stairs the woman was now climbing in her stockinged feet, having taken her shoes off just inside the door. Lizzie tried to see her home through the Realtor’s eyes. It wasn’t often that she got the chance to really look around her house and take stock of everything that she had done to return it to its former glory. When she’d bought the place, the elderly widower moving out had allowed things to fall into ruin after the death of his wife ten years prior. Most of the doors hadn’t closed properly, having been warped by the nonstop running of ancient window air conditioners. The radiators in several rooms had seized up with rust. There were windows off their tracks letting the cold in all winter and the heat in all summer, and various critters had made their homes in the darker corners of the second floor.