is all knotted up at the thought of where Ben might be. Has he arrived safely in Hartford? Will he remember everything like I do? It’s only a matter of time before I find out.
Sirens wail in the distance. I already know who they’re after and what will happen from this point—receiving a lecture from my parents, the decision by a judge that I need some form of therapy, the agreement my parents make with him that I’ll be sent away to live with Randy and Beth. The next three weeks will feel like an eternity, because I’m that much closer to seeing Ben again. I just wish I had a fast-forward button.
“Shit, they’re getting closer,” Sean says, snatching the spray paint from my hand and shoving it into his backpack.
The old me would’ve poked along. To be completely honest, I feel as numb now as I did back then. Who cares if the police are about to arrest us for trespassing? Who cares that I’ll have to go to court for fessing up to destruction of private property? It’s all going to play out exactly as it’s supposed to, right?
“They’re coming for us,” I say, impassively.
Sean and Layla seem frazzled by my sudden psychic capabilities. They glance at one another and then at me.
“How do you know that?” asks Layla. She and Sean slowly step backwards, toward the doorway. They’ll run. They’ll run, and they’ll escape. But if I try to run with them, I’ll trip on the stairs, injure my ankle, and by then, I won’t catch up.
I genuinely smile at them. “You two better get going before you’re caught.”
“What? We’re not just going to leave you here,” Sean protests. “Get up! Let’s go!”
“Unfortunately,” I say, “I have to stay here. I can’t explain everything right now, but I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.” Taking a seat on the floor, I wait.
Layla sprints over and grabs my arm, attempting to pull me up. “Candra, don’t do this! Now is not the time to play the part of a rebellious teenager. You have to come with us!”
“Go!” I yell. “You don’t have time to argue. I’m staying right here.”
Sean shakes his head in disbelief. “You’re fucking crazy. C’mon, Layla. Leave her dumb ass here.”
Of course, this isn’t how the event originally happened, so I’m a little surprised to hear Sean’s callous words, especially coming from a best friend. He and Layla meant more to me in this era of my life than my own family. There was nothing I wouldn’t have done for them. But now? I see things have changed.
I laugh cynically. “Run, bitches, before I tattle that you two were in on this!”
Sean stares at me like I’ve suddenly grown a second head. “Who are you, and what have you done with Candra?”
With a stable grin adhered to my face, I gaze up at the pale moon through the broken glass jutting out of the windowpane. “She doesn’t exist anymore.”
They don’t hesitate any longer, taking my words as confirmation to flee this dump. Even as I recall what happened previously, I realize they weren’t my friends at all; they left me injured so I could take the blame. I was just the pawn. Now entirely alone in this dark house, I understand why fate sent me back to this precise event in my life. Since I recognize Sean and Layla were never my friends to begin with, I can move forward, without them. Currently, though, the one recognizable piece of the puzzle gleams at me through the window, conveying its message loud and clear: You did the right thing.
Chapter Fourteen
Unlike last time, I actually enjoy the Colonial houses and majestic trees towering over me. Apparently, Randy and Beth reside in the same home as before, because we’re traveling on the same route as the first time I came here. As far as I know, Conard High School still sits a couple of blocks away, which is where I’ll be attending on Monday.
Two long days until I see Ben. Is he like me? Does he remember everything, or was I the only one? If he doesn’t recognize me, I don’t know what I’ll do. Probably crawl into a corner and bawl my eyes out, to be honest.
“Here we are,” Mom says. She and Dad haven’t conversed with me much over the last few weeks, not since the incident at the abandoned house. I don’t blame them; what I did was wrong, and I knew it then like