I Know Lucy (A Fugitive #1)(44)

I held my breath as I passed the photo over. The guy squinted at it, looking as though he didn’t recognize the picture. Relief started to ebb through my system. Hopefully that Justin kid was wrong. But then Brayden’s girlfriend leaned over his shoulder and gasped.

“Shit, is that Taylor?” She whipped the photo from his grasp.

“Taylor? No way.” Brayden held the other edge of the photo and peered at it. His chuckle was dry and a little surprised.

“Man, she looks different there.” Brayden’s girlfriend couldn’t take her eyes off the picture.

“Different how?”

“Well, her hair’s way longer and she dyed it. It used to be an auburn color.” Her fingers tinkled around her own blonde hair. “I can’t believe it.”

Auburn. I wrinkled my nose, trying to picture Dani with reddish brown hair. “Are you sure it’s her?”

“Well, pretty sure, I guess. I mean, maybe it’s not. She does look like Taylor, although she seems really subdued in this pic. Where did you get this?” She flapped the photo at me.

“I…” My tongue felt thick and flabby.

Uncle Alex stepped up, smiling at Brayden’s girlfriend as he gently took the photo back and handed it to my stupid self.

“This girl that you went to school with, what did you say her name was?”

“Taylor Jones. She was one cool chick.” The girl was grinning with some memory. I wanted to know what it was, unravel her brain so I could see what Dani was like as Taylor. “You know for a sophomore, she fit into the senior crowd straight away. People couldn’t get enough of her.”

“What made her so cool?”

The girl tipped her head. “I don’t know. She just had a way about her. She kind of swept into school like a whirlwind. She had everyone eating out of her hand.”

“Especially Howard.” The girl behind her sing-songed.

“Who’s Howard?”

Brayden snickered. “He was this total geek who Taylor played like a pro. She managed to convince him to pay her for ‘cool classes.’ I mean who can pull that off?”

“Cool classes?”

“Yeah, like she gave him a make over and kind of brought him into our crowd.” Brayden crossed his arms. “Howard was a senior like us, but such a loser.” The guy scoffed then cleared his throat as if he felt bad.

“The deal was that if he outfitted her for the prom, she’d be his date and you know, let him….” Brayden’s girlfriend wiggled her eyebrows. “On the night.”

I felt sick. She what?

“It was a pretty good deal if you ask me. She was a hottie. If Howard had lost it to her, he would have been a legend among men, you know?”

I wanted to punch Brayden in the face, but his girlfriend slapped his shoulder instead.

“What?” He grinned at her glare.

The girl behind them kept talking. “Howard was loaded, so he went all out. Bought her this lush dress, designer shoes, diamond earrings. He must have spent at least five grand on her. Not to mention all the other perks she collected off him while they were dating.” She said the last word in inverted commas, rolling her eyes.

“Sounds like Can’t Buy Me Love.” Uncle Alex raised his eyebrows.

“What?” The girl tipped her head.

“You know, the ‘80s movie with Patrick Dempsey.”

They shook their heads.

“The one where the geek pays the girl to make him popular and then…” Alex flicked his hand at their blank gazes. “Forget it.”

I cleared my throat, needing to ask, but hating it. “So, um, what happened prom night?”

“She didn’t show.”

My heart skipped a beat. I wanted to whoop with joy, not for poor Howard, but for the fact that she didn’t go through with it.

She didn’t go through with it.

Reality crashed through my relief, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.

“So she played him,” Uncle Alex muttered for me.

“As I said, like a freaking pro.” Brayden shook his head, almost in admiration. “Her and her brother just disappeared. Must have moved out of town or something.” He glanced at the photo again. “But maybe not.”

“Her brother?” I crossed my arms.

“Yeah, he was in college, but really protective. He used to pick her up from school.”

“What’d he look like?”

Brayden’s girlfriend pushed her lips to the side. “Kinda skinny with blond, straggly hair and these grey eyes that were way creepy. He didn’t talk to us, like ever. He just picked her up each day and drove off.”

“Did you ever go to her place?”

“Nah, she was pretty private about her home life. She liked to come out to party.”

“How long was she at the school?”

“No more than eight weeks. It wasn’t long at all.”

I glanced at Alex. Same time frame as Lowell High. He read my mind and turned back to the others. “Well, thanks so much for your time.”

“No worries. If you ever find her, say hi for me.” Brayden’s smile was leering and slap worthy.

“Brayden!” Her girlfriend yanked his sleeve. “You’re such a jerk sometimes.”