Of the Trees(19)

Possibly bandits?

“Brandon did.”

“So, what’s up?” Cassie asked, leaning against the wall and watching the stream of students start to thin in the hallway. “You’re not normally this pissy after the first day.”

Laney huffed. She shuffled the notebooks in her hands, looking from the poster to the steamy windows. “Did you see the date?”

Cassie squinted again, realization dawning. “Ah, the Gray Lady again?”

“An article that I found in the archives suggested that September thirteenth may have been the day she went missing! I wanted to try it.”

“Well, maybe we can head over there afterward,” Cassie offered. She was already cataloging what she’d need in her head: a change of clothes, shoes, probably a thick sweatshirt for under her jacket. Two weeks from then, it would probably be cold at night.

“Yeah?”

“Sure thing,” Cassie said, shrugging. “So, hey, at the carnival, did you see Lieutenant Watson?”

“The smelly, old homeless guy?”

“He’s not—”

“He so is,” Laney interrupted. “But I’m not sure if I saw him. I don’t remember smelling—”

“Laney!”

“Wait, actually, maybe I did see him. Toward the end of the night, I think,” Laney said, her voice going thoughtful at the end. She was staring quizzically down the hall, obviously seeing something other than the dwindling rush of students. “You know, I think I did. Why?”

“He’s dead,” Cassie said softly. Laney stiffened next to her, kicking off the lockers, and turning to walk down the hall.

“You coming?” she asked, looking back at her friend. Cassie frowned, stepping into place next to her.

“That’s it?” Cassie asked, annoyed. “The guy died. At the carnival we were at. And that’s it? ‘You coming’?”

“It’s not like we were the only people there,” Laney said, exasperation saturating her tone. “Besides, I said I wasn’t even sure I saw him.”

“Yeah, but still … ”

“What do you want me to say?” Laney asked, sighing. “I didn’t know the guy.”

“That’s not the point,” Cassie argued.

“What is your point exactly?” Laney asked, her tone sharp. “Do you think I killed him?”

Cassie staggered, staring at the cold profile of her friend. She got knocked into from behind and adjusted her hold on her textbook. “Of course not! But you said you thought you saw him, I just thought—”

“Just thought what?” Laney interrupted. “That stupid Laney and those evil carnies did something? That obviously we are so horrible that we just randomly, for no reason whatsoever, kill off random, piss-stained homeless vets!”

“Laney!” Cassie shouted, grabbing her friend by the arm and spinning her. She stood, face to face with her, both breathing hard and glaring. A couple of sophomores dodged around them, running down the hall.

“You don’t like them,” Laney whispered, her voice tight. “You think they’re freaks, and I’m a freak, too.”

“Are we talking about the carnies now? What does that have to—”

“They have names! Jude and—”

“Jude? Are you serious? The obese forty-year-old who was plying Jess with alcohol!”

“Oh yeah, right, because Jess is such an angel. There’s no way she could have possibly asked for those drinks of her own free will!” Laney snarled. “You are so blind!”

“I don’t even know how we got on this subject! But since we are, your judgment was off, way off!” Cassie shouted, hands coming to her hips.

“No one asked you to butt in!”

“Someone has to look out for you!” Cassie yelled.

“I never asked you to!”

“You don’t have to. I’m your best friend, it’s what I do!”

“Well, maybe I don’t want that anymore!” Laney shot back, her voice hardened and angry. “You always do that, talk about me like I’m a child in need of your constant supervision. I’m not a baby, and I don’t need another mother!”

Cassie’s mouth fell open, and she stared at her best friend. “Then maybe you shouldn’t act like such an idiot.”

Laney’s lips twisted in anger and she spun on her heel, stalking away from Cassie and into the empty hallway. The bell rang, and Cassie cursed. She ran through the doors toward the social studies wing, skidding around a corner into her class.





Laney stayed mad for the rest of the week, and Cassie was too irritated with her to try to patch anything up. She kept busy enough with homework assignments and class projects. Her drama class lived up to its name unintentionally when an explosive breakup occurred just outside the doorway during Wednesday’s class. Mr. Benson left halfway through a monologue to send the couple to the office, but not before Ryan, Cassie, and the rest of the class were treated to a detailed account of just what the offending party was caught doing last weekend with his girlfriend’s sister. Ryan said that he’d have to remember to tell Jon for his next game of seven degrees.

It was easy enough to ignore her best friend’s huffy silence. Ryan noticed. It would be hard not to, especially when Laney chose to sit with her friends from student council at lunch instead of them. He had quirked an eyebrow at Cassie on Monday, but she just shook her head, and he dismissed it with a shrug.