we knew what happened. Violet’s cell phone was also mysteriously gone. They tried tracking it with GPS, but it was offline.
As her boyfriend, Kai was the prime suspect, and my statement had put him right at the woods when he picked me up. Since he lived alone and went home after dropping me off, he didn’t have an alibi for the rest of the night. The police had held him for three days. They didn’t have enough evidence to actually arrest him, so they were forced to let him go.
I finished getting ready and went downstairs to where my mom was waiting. My parents were both devastated at losing Violet. She had been like a second daughter to them, and they had known her for practically her entire life. My dad cried almost as much as my mom and I. He would break down, mutter something about how it could have been me, and have to leave the room to compose himself. I had never seen him so emotional.
“Mrs. Jones just called,” Mom said the second I was standing in our kitchen. Mom looked a lot like me, with wavy blond hair and tired blue eyes. She had long legs and toned muscles from working at the hospital. They gave her all the grunt work, but she loved it. She had a servant’s heart and had gone above and beyond these last couple of weeks to take care of me. Bringing me soup in bed. Massaging my back. Wiping my eyes with her soft hands when the tears wouldn’t stop falling.
“Oh?” I asked, my voice sounding worn and tired.
“Chase is refusing to go to the funeral. She was wondering if you could go talk to him. He’s at the beach,” Mom replied, her tone wrapped with sympathy. If I were being honest, I didn’t have the energy to drag my best friend’s brother from the depths of his grief and hand deliver him to the funeral. I was struggling with my survivor’s guilt. What if I’d waited for Violet? What if I’d stayed with her? What if I didn’t accept that ride from Kai? I should have been there.
But I knew he needed me. I’d always be there for Chase, especially now that Violet was gone.
“Okay. I’ll go get him,” I whispered before grabbing my purse and heading out the door. I didn’t wait for my mom to look at me with pity. I couldn’t stand to see my grief mirrored in her expression. It was so fucking painful. Violet was like a sister to me.
On the porch, Dad was sitting in a rocker and staring at the ground. “I will get Chase,” I whispered, though I doubt he heard me. I grabbed my bike, which was propped against the tree, and mounted it, keeping my knees close together as I pedaled down the drive and toward the beach where Violet, Chase and I used to play when we were kids. It was exactly at the halfway point between our houses. We’d all ride our bikes and surf all afternoon, then sit on the sand, eating sandwiches my mother had made.
I cried as I biked. I thought of all the memories I shared with my best friend. I forced the sight of her mangled body from my mind. I’d never forget how broken her frail body looked. I’d never forget the way Chase sobbed beside me or how Kai had to practically drag us out of the woods and to the police station. I’d never forget standing in the shower and watching the blood and dirt flow effortlessly down the drain. Until it didn’t go down effortlessly anymore, and I had to scrub the stains, the last of my best friend, off my body.
I got off my bike and walked on the sand, staring at the still form of Chase sitting with his feet in the ocean. I didn’t even know what to say. I didn’t know how I could get him to the funeral when I was dealing with my own turmoil surrounding that night.
“I knew they’d send you,” he said the moment my body cast a shadow over him. I silently sat down at his side and stared out over the water, my dress getting soaked by the tide. Violet loved the ocean. She loved soaking up the sun and dancing in the waves—as long as it didn’t ruin her hair. She loved late night bonfires and s’mores on the beach. She loved kissing boys in the salty