Made for You
Page 61
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I wave at Jamie. Unlike Reid and Grayson, he’s always been a bit standoffish. It’s not that he does anything rude. He just doesn’t seem to know what to say or do around me. His father has worked at the winery for our whole lives, just like Reid’s mother, but I think that detail makes Jamie nervous around me.
“Are you . . . did you need something?” Jamie asks as he comes toward me. He doesn’t sit, and I wonder how to convince him to touch me. It’s frustrating that they have to initiate the touch for me to get the visions.
“I’m just bored.” I try a flirtatious smile.
Jamie nods. “Because you’re on crutches.”
“Yes,” I say patiently. “And because I’m here by myself.”
He frowns. “Everyone’s here. You’re not alone.”
“Here on the sofa alone,” I clarify.
At that, he nods again, but he doesn’t join me. He stands staring at me silently until I’m ready to throw something at him. “Do you want to sit down with me?”
He shakes his head. “I’ll go find Grace or Piper for you.” Then he walks away.
So far I’ve only eliminated CeCe, Laurel, Robert, and Bailey as victims. That leaves Madison, Jamie, Jess, Reid, and possibly Grayson as potential victims. The boys are less likely, I think, but I still need to be sure.
Piper comes over as soon as Jamie leaves me.
“Hey,” she says as she flops down next to me.
This is it, my chance to talk to her, to try to figure out how to keep her safe. I smile at her and decide to go for as close to honest as I can be without telling her about the visions. She’s my friend, and I trust her in a lot of ways. I also know her well enough to know that this isn’t something I should share with her. She’s melodramatic on her best days.
“The killer is fixated on me,” I say bluntly.
Her mouth gapes open, and she blinks rapidly.
I barrel on, “He tried to kill me. He did kill the girl who was sleeping with my boyfriend. I think that means that he’s more likely to attack people closest to me, and Piper, you’ve been one of my closest friends since before we were even in school.”
“Jesus, Eva . . .” Her voice is breathy.
I grab her hand and squeeze. “I’m scared, Piper. I’m scared for all of us.” I look past her to the room full of our closest friends. “You and Grace, you’re the ones closest to me. Everyone at school knows that.” I look back at her. “Ask your parents to let you go stay with your grandmother down in Charleston. Stay at Bailey’s or somewhere else tonight. Explain it to them. They’ll listen to you.”
She squeezes my hand so tightly that it hurts. “And what about you?”
“Between the police passing by the house constantly, Nate at my side like a bodyguard, and the monitored alarm system, I’m safe here.” I meet her gaze and add, “The police can’t watch all of our houses constantly. I know they’re trying, but—please—leave right away. Tonight. Go see Grandmother Eliza for a few weeks.”
She stares at me for a moment before agreeing. “I’ll call my mom. She’ll let me go if I tell her I’m scared.” Quickly, my hand still in hers, she leans forward and wraps her other arm around me. “It will be okay.”
In another moment, she’s released me and is walking out of the room, her phone already in hand. I hope that’s enough. I hope she goes away tonight. Maybe I should tell everyone to get out of town.
I start to feel a little panic-stricken as I look around the room. I don’t want anyone to die. How many of them are at risk? So far, Robert and Piper were at risk in different ways. Who else here is? I need to know. I need to be sure they’re all safe. I start ticking names off my list and seeing who’s nearby.
Reid is standing to the side watching Nate and Madison talk. I need to check both Reid and Madison. She’s not even looking my way, so I catch Reid’s eye and call out, “Reid?”
He pulls his attention away from them and looks at me in what I think is gratitude. I didn’t ever notice him having an interest in Madison, but with the way he’s staring at her and Nate, I think I must’ve missed it. He looks left out. Maybe he can help me keep watch over her. Maybe that’s the key: I can ask friends to start sticking close to other friends. Not everyone can leave town. I know Reid can’t. He’s lived with his grandmother most of his life. His parents passed away when he was pretty young.
“What do you need?” Reid asks.
“Company?”
His dark expression fades completely. “As you wish.”
I can’t help laughing. Robert’s friends are all so different from one another. Where Jamie is aloof, Reid is impulsive, and Grayson is simply . . . nice. He’s friendly, but not particularly memorable. Sometimes I think they’re friends for the same reason Piper and CeCe are: a lifetime of habit and parental influence.
Reid drops down to the floor in front of me, and apparently decides that the most natural position is stretched out flat with his head aligned with my feet. “Sometimes I wish we had a joker hat to pass around,” he announces.
“Because I’m bored?”
“No. Because I’m bored. If we had a joker hat, we could pick someone to entertain us. I’ve spent half the parties this year talking to”—he waves his hand loosely from side to side, taking in the whole of our friends—“them. Sometimes, I find it all very depressing.”
“Are you . . . did you need something?” Jamie asks as he comes toward me. He doesn’t sit, and I wonder how to convince him to touch me. It’s frustrating that they have to initiate the touch for me to get the visions.
“I’m just bored.” I try a flirtatious smile.
Jamie nods. “Because you’re on crutches.”
“Yes,” I say patiently. “And because I’m here by myself.”
He frowns. “Everyone’s here. You’re not alone.”
“Here on the sofa alone,” I clarify.
At that, he nods again, but he doesn’t join me. He stands staring at me silently until I’m ready to throw something at him. “Do you want to sit down with me?”
He shakes his head. “I’ll go find Grace or Piper for you.” Then he walks away.
So far I’ve only eliminated CeCe, Laurel, Robert, and Bailey as victims. That leaves Madison, Jamie, Jess, Reid, and possibly Grayson as potential victims. The boys are less likely, I think, but I still need to be sure.
Piper comes over as soon as Jamie leaves me.
“Hey,” she says as she flops down next to me.
This is it, my chance to talk to her, to try to figure out how to keep her safe. I smile at her and decide to go for as close to honest as I can be without telling her about the visions. She’s my friend, and I trust her in a lot of ways. I also know her well enough to know that this isn’t something I should share with her. She’s melodramatic on her best days.
“The killer is fixated on me,” I say bluntly.
Her mouth gapes open, and she blinks rapidly.
I barrel on, “He tried to kill me. He did kill the girl who was sleeping with my boyfriend. I think that means that he’s more likely to attack people closest to me, and Piper, you’ve been one of my closest friends since before we were even in school.”
“Jesus, Eva . . .” Her voice is breathy.
I grab her hand and squeeze. “I’m scared, Piper. I’m scared for all of us.” I look past her to the room full of our closest friends. “You and Grace, you’re the ones closest to me. Everyone at school knows that.” I look back at her. “Ask your parents to let you go stay with your grandmother down in Charleston. Stay at Bailey’s or somewhere else tonight. Explain it to them. They’ll listen to you.”
She squeezes my hand so tightly that it hurts. “And what about you?”
“Between the police passing by the house constantly, Nate at my side like a bodyguard, and the monitored alarm system, I’m safe here.” I meet her gaze and add, “The police can’t watch all of our houses constantly. I know they’re trying, but—please—leave right away. Tonight. Go see Grandmother Eliza for a few weeks.”
She stares at me for a moment before agreeing. “I’ll call my mom. She’ll let me go if I tell her I’m scared.” Quickly, my hand still in hers, she leans forward and wraps her other arm around me. “It will be okay.”
In another moment, she’s released me and is walking out of the room, her phone already in hand. I hope that’s enough. I hope she goes away tonight. Maybe I should tell everyone to get out of town.
I start to feel a little panic-stricken as I look around the room. I don’t want anyone to die. How many of them are at risk? So far, Robert and Piper were at risk in different ways. Who else here is? I need to know. I need to be sure they’re all safe. I start ticking names off my list and seeing who’s nearby.
Reid is standing to the side watching Nate and Madison talk. I need to check both Reid and Madison. She’s not even looking my way, so I catch Reid’s eye and call out, “Reid?”
He pulls his attention away from them and looks at me in what I think is gratitude. I didn’t ever notice him having an interest in Madison, but with the way he’s staring at her and Nate, I think I must’ve missed it. He looks left out. Maybe he can help me keep watch over her. Maybe that’s the key: I can ask friends to start sticking close to other friends. Not everyone can leave town. I know Reid can’t. He’s lived with his grandmother most of his life. His parents passed away when he was pretty young.
“What do you need?” Reid asks.
“Company?”
His dark expression fades completely. “As you wish.”
I can’t help laughing. Robert’s friends are all so different from one another. Where Jamie is aloof, Reid is impulsive, and Grayson is simply . . . nice. He’s friendly, but not particularly memorable. Sometimes I think they’re friends for the same reason Piper and CeCe are: a lifetime of habit and parental influence.
Reid drops down to the floor in front of me, and apparently decides that the most natural position is stretched out flat with his head aligned with my feet. “Sometimes I wish we had a joker hat to pass around,” he announces.
“Because I’m bored?”
“No. Because I’m bored. If we had a joker hat, we could pick someone to entertain us. I’ve spent half the parties this year talking to”—he waves his hand loosely from side to side, taking in the whole of our friends—“them. Sometimes, I find it all very depressing.”
