Wish You Were Gone(92)

“You don’t have to say anything,” Lizzie said quietly. “I understand if you hate me.”

“I don’t… hate you.” Emma let out a shaky breath. “But I’m going to need some time. To process all of this.”

Lizzie nodded. “I get that.”

“Are you serious?” Gray said. “You’re going to forgive her?”

Emma ignored her. “Where is Willow, anyway?” she asked Lizzie. “I feel like we should talk.”





KELSEY


“I am not worthless!”

Kelsey turned and swung the bat at the nearest glass case so hard she felt a shoulder muscle tear. The front of the case exploded, raining shards all over the floor and pelting her face. She barely felt the sting of the cuts, and closed her eyes to swing again.

“Kelsey, stop!” Willow cried.

Somewhere nearby a phone began to ring.





EMMA


“She’s not picking up,” Lizzie said.

“Do you know where she is?” Emma asked, blowing her nose in a tissue.

Lizzie shrugged. “I think she said she was going to your house.”

“No. I told the kids they couldn’t have anyone over while I was away.”

“Like that matters,” Gray said.

Emma raised her eyebrows.

“God, Emma, it’s like you were never a teenager.”

Emma’s phone rang and she fished it out of the back pocket of her jeans. It was Hunter. She shot Gray a triumphant look. “Here’s my son calling to check in, just like I told him to do.” She picked up.

“Hunter?”

“Mom? You’d better come home right now. It’s Kelsey.”

Emma’s heart dropped like a plane plummeting toward Earth. She was already moving toward the bedroom door and the stairs beyond. “What’s wrong?”

“Emma?” Lizzie said, alarmed, as she and Gray scurried after her.

“We… I’m sorry, but I invited some people over and I was in the living room when people started screaming,” Hunter said in a rush. Emma could hear it now. The commotion in the background—a guttural screeching that sent chills down her spine. “Kelsey’s, like, snapped or something. She’s in the museum with a bat and Willow’s stuck in there with her.”

Emma got to the bottom of the stairs. She met Lizzie’s eyes and blanched. There was another scream and a cry of what sounded like pain.

“Shit. Just come home!”

And the line went dead.



* * *



WHEN EMMA PULLED her car into the driveway fifteen minutes after Hunter’s call, there were still party stragglers milling about. They scattered when they saw her, a wild-eyed adult in primal protector mode. She found Hunter crouched on the floor of the museum next to Kelsey, who had curled herself into an egg shape on the floor. There was glass everywhere. Blood dripped from a cut on Kelsey’s leg. Willow was in the corner, sobbing.

“Mom?” Hunter said.

“Is she hurt?” Emma asked, crouching over her daughter.

“Not really, I think. I don’t know.”

“What about Willow?” Emma said.

“She won’t talk to me,” Hunter replied.

Through her sobs, face to the wall, Willow said, “Where’s my mom?”

“She’s coming. She was right behind me.” Emma turned back to her daughter. “Kelsey? Kels?”

No response. Nothing.

“Let’s get her upstairs.”

“She won’t move.”

“You’ll have to pick her up.”

At the top of the basement stairs, they were met by Lizzie and Gray. Gray’s hands flew up to cover her mouth.

“Willow?” Lizzie said, the word strangled.

“Downstairs,” Emma told her.

They got Kelsey to her bedroom by way of the back stairs, her arms and legs wrapped around Hunter like a baby monkey. The door to Kelsey’s room was locked, so they took her to the guest room. The second Hunter laid her down, she curled back into a fetal position and started to cry, smearing the sheets with blood. Emma sat next to her daughter and slowly, carefully checked her over. There were nicks and scrapes everywhere, but nothing that was more than superficial. She sat back and smoothed Kelsey’s hair away from her sweaty, blood-streaked face. She leaned toward her daughter’s ear and whispered.

“Shhhhh, my baby girl. It’s going to be all right.”

Gray appeared with a cool washcloth, and Emma used it to clean Kelsey’s face and cool the back of her neck.

“Lizzie told me to tell you she’s taking Willow home and that she’s okay,” Gray said, hovering in the doorway. “She’ll call you later.”

“Thanks.”

Gray left them alone. Eventually, Kelsey drifted off to sleep. Emma met Hunter in the hallway.

“What the hell were you thinking?” she hissed to him, clicking the door closed quietly. “A party? What would you have done if the cops came? What about Duke? The baseball team? You put everything in jeopardy, including your sister.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think it would get that big. And Willow—”

“Willow what?” Emma snapped.