The Ivies - Alexa Donne Page 0,68
Wheatford now.” Kaila answers my next question before I can ask. “Haven Ridge was only for a year. I transferred last semester.”
“What’s Haven Ridge?” Ethan jumps in.
“I spent nine months hiking twelve miles a day and living in the woods, basically. Group therapy three times a day, too.”
“Wait, what about classes? APs? Taking the SATs?” I am appalled at the thought of falling so far behind.
“That’s not the point of a therapeutic wilderness program. Think of it as a gap year. I’m a junior now, so I’ll graduate a year behind you guys. It’s no big.”
“You seem so…Zen.”
“That would be my no longer hating myself and my friends. You should try it.” Kaila smirks, then seems to catch herself. “Sorry, old snarky habits die hard. You know, at my new school, everyone thinks I’m super nice.”
“I always thought you were nice,” I say, bending the truth a bit.
Kaila laughs. “You were afraid of your own shadow, and definitely of mine. It’s okay. I know what I was like. But Haven Ridge changed my life. I loved it.”
“You loved reform school?” Ethan remains riveted.
“I had to deal with my shit. Spent a lot of time alone and in my thoughts. It was good for me. So, I guess I can thank Emma for that.”
I almost forgot why we’re here. Time to dive in. “You don’t blame her for what happened?”
Kaila takes a measured sip of coffee. “What exactly is it that you think happened? And why are you asking me? You think I killed her?” She rolls her eyes, not exactly the reaction I was expecting. “I was at Wheatford, fully alibied, thanks. And I don’t give a shit about what Emma did anymore, though yes, I do blame her. She took me down. Ruthless, she was.”
“You know it was Avery, right?” I have to correct her. “I mean, you were expelled and she got your ASB spot.”
“It’s cute that you think that. What happened to me went way beyond the student council. Emma wanted me out, and she took me out.”
“Took you out?” I snort. “Why would she do that?”
“I was her roommate, I’m not an idiot, and, well, I was dating Tyler.”
Now I’m rolling my eyes. “You think she got you expelled for Tyler? That catty-girl bullshit wasn’t Emma’s style.”
Kaila narrows her eyes. “Why did you text me?”
The question catches me off guard. I stumble into my answer. “I heard from someone. A rumor. They said that Avery got you expelled. I wanted to know the truth from you….”
“Well, now you know I didn’t kill Emma, so are you good?” Despite the finality of the statement, she doesn’t move to leave. Kaila’s eyes twinkle with something. Like she wants me to ask her more questions, but they have to be the right ones.
“How did she do it?”
“I’ve thought about that a lot.” Kaila tears off a cube of zucchini bread and tosses it into her mouth. “She must have jacked my SIM card and cloned it, and then she used a duplicate phone to call in the bomb threat the morning of exams.”
“That sounds like something from a spy movie. Emma wasn’t a computer genius.”
“No, but Sierra is. Emma was my roommate, so she had easy access to swipe my stuff. I Googled it. It’s not that hard to do.”
Kaila’s mention of the roommate connection sends a chill of unease through me. “So, what, they traced the call back to you, and that was it? Why didn’t you defend yourself?”
“Surely your family brought in a fancy lawyer or something to appeal?” Ethan chimes in. “I cannot tell you the number of times I’ve heard guys say they have a family lawyer on retainer to come down to the school for even the most minor infraction.”
“I wasn’t exactly myself,” Kaila says. She fusses with the short hair at her temple, urging it to lie flat against her forehead. “I could never prove it, but…” Her brown eyes lock on mine. “Did Emma ever make you drinks? In that pitcher she keeps in the minifridge?”
“Sometimes,” I say, trepidation behind the response. Unsure of her point. “Arnold—”
“Palmers,” she cuts me off, finishing my thought. “Well, I hope she didn’t lace yours with Adderall. I’m pretty sure that’s what happened to me. I drank those things like a fish leading up to exams. By the time I was framed for the bomb threat, I felt like I was vibrating out of my skin. Not myself. Admin thought I was crazy.