Wish You Were Gone(90)

Kelsey turned around and left the room without a word. The usual chorus of freak and loser and weirdo following after her. But she didn’t care. Tomorrow she would kill her audition, and then she’d get through the rest of the semester and she’d never have to deal with these people again. Also, she’d just realized that she hadn’t seen Willow in a while, and that couldn’t be good. Slowly, Kelsey made her way through the house, slipping from room to room unnoticed as she expected to, being a lowly freshman and all. Half the people here probably didn’t even know this was her house—didn’t realize Hunter had a sister. As much as she railed against it in her daily life, sometimes being invisible had its benefits.

God, please let me get into Daltry, she thought, stepping over the outstretched legs of a couple who were making out with their backs up against the living room wall. Please get me away from these people.

Upstairs, Hunter had locked their mom’s room, thank God. Otherwise, Willow probably would have already made off with half her jewelry. Four boys in backwards baseball caps were gathered around the Xbox in Hunter’s room playing Fortnite. A couple was going at it in the guest room, but neither of the amorous parties was Willow. Her room was still, mercifully, locked. That left the basement.

Hunter had told everyone as they came in that no one was allowed in the basement. “It’s a construction zone,” she’d heard him telling people, the lie sliding off his tongue like ice on a hot day. “I don’t want anyone down there.” The tenor of his voice had left no room for arguments. If Hunter Walsh told you what he wanted or didn’t want, the people abided by his wishes.

It must be good to be king.

Kelsey slipped downstairs, opened the basement door, and heard movement. She closed the door behind her and tiptoed down. The storage room lights were out, but the door to her dad’s museum was open, and it blazed like an arena on concert night. Kelsey walked over and found Willow, on her knees, shoving her father’s things into a garbage bag.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Kelsey demanded.

Willow whirled around, saw Kelsey, and relaxed.

“Taking what’s mine.”

She went back to her task as if Kelsey weren’t there. As if Kelsey were a smear of dog crap on the bottom of her shoe.

“You can’t just take that stuff,” Kelsey snapped. “The lawyers—”

“Like I give two shits about the lawyers,” Willow said, and scoffed. She got up and slung the black bag over her shoulder like Santa Claus. “They’re your mom’s problem, not mine. None of them even know I exist. Our father made sure of that.”

“Give it back!” Kelsey snapped, and made a grab for the bag.

Willow swept her arm wide, knocking Kelsey aside with such force that Kelsey slammed into the wall. With the wind knocked out of her, she crumpled to the floor. Her vision swam, then crystallized, her jaw clenching so tightly she heard a crack. Willow was laughing.

“Your dad was right,” she said, looking down at Kelsey. “You are worthless.”

Kelsey had told her that in confidence. The fact that Willow felt it was okay to throw it back in her face made her vision turn purple. She pushed her hair out of her eyes and grabbed the nearest baseball bat.





EMMA


The box contained one football, two baseballs, and a golf glove, all autographed, all in their protective casing. It also contained James’s cell phone.

Emma reached in and pulled it out. “It was Willow on the other end of the line.”

“Apparently,” Lizzie said. “It’s dead now. I tried to turn it on.”

“Of course you did,” Gray said.

“You know, your way of doing things is not the only way of doing things,” Lizzie said.

“Well, your way of doing things isn’t any sane person’s way of doing things,” Gray replied.

“Ladies!” Emma shouted.

They both fell silent. The three of them were standing in Lizzie’s bedroom, the box open on her bed. Emma had no idea where Willow was or if she was going to walk through the door at any moment.

“Why would Willow have picked up when Emma called? The caller ID would have shown it was her,” Gray said.

“No. It wouldn’t.” Emma pressed the phone between both hands. “He had me in there as TLL.”

“What does that mean?” Lizzie asked.

Emma flushed. “The little lady.” Gray snorted. “I know. It was a personal joke between the two of us. A long time ago. Anyway. It doesn’t matter.”

She sighed, avoiding meeting their eyes.

“Lizzie, where did Willow get all this stuff?” she said, gesturing at the box. “And how did she get his phone?”

“The phone is a long story,” Lizzie said, tucking her hair behind her ear and plucking out one of the baseballs. “The rest of these things were packed in separate boxes with addresses all over the country. I think she was maybe selling it?”

Suddenly, Emma remembered Kelsey’s computer, open to eBay, but not to her own account. She turned around and sat down on the bed, still holding James’s phone in one hand.

“I know where Willow got the phone. She stole it,” Gray said. “Probably right out of James’s pocket.”

“Gray,” Emma said, exasperated.