but it never occurred to me she might be going through hell too. Audrey and her mother are terrorists, plain and simple. And it’s just not right that they keep getting away with this shit.
“I’ll call her later and check in,” I say. “Hopefully, she’ll be okay.”
Court nods and drums her fingers against the mosaic table edge. “Let’s see, what else… Oh! I almost forgot. This one is pretty shocking, actually!”
“What is it?” My heart skips, and immediately, I think she’s going to say something about Landon.
“There’s a rumor that Carson’s in rehab,” she whispers like it’s a dirty word. “I didn’t even notice he was gone, but apparently, he disappeared a couple of weeks ago after showing up totally out of it every day.”
“Rehab? I didn’t realize he was struggling that badly. I mean, I knew he was drinking and stuff, but not enough for extreme measures.”
“It’s weird, don’t you think?” Court eyes me like she’s trying to say something without quite saying it.
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know.” She fidgets with the hem of her skirt. “I just think it’s strange how he’s been a hot mess ever since that night shit went down at the party. I keep wondering if he feels guilty about something. Or maybe he regrets something. Why else would he be so off the rails?”
I shake my head in denial. “I told you what the doctor said. I think Carson’s just trying to deal with it like we all are. He found his way of coping, and I found mine.”
“And Landon,” she reminds me. “His way of dealing with it is to blame you for everything.”
Her observation stings. And I don’t want to see it that way, but how can I not? He has always been so cryptic about everything. Calling me a liar. A schemer. Telling me I’m just like everyone else. It’s his default defense.
“Carson mentioned he wanted to tell me something.” I steer the subject away from Landon.
“When?” Court’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise.
“In the parking lot after school one day. He was waiting for me by my car, and he was drunk. I didn’t hear him out.”
She considers it for a moment. “You don’t think… it could have been him with the bat?”
“What?” My voice squeaks out. “No, definitely not.”
“How can you be sure?” she argues. “There’s no way to know for sure it wasn’t him or Landon.”
I drag the edge of my fingernail along my palm. I don’t know how to make her understand the way I feel. But sometimes, you just know what you know. Call it intuition, call it whatever, but that guy who hit me wasn’t either of them.
When I don’t respond, Court peppers me with another question instead. “Any word on the investigation?”
“Not much. The guy Theo hired has talked to all the potential witnesses himself, apart from Alexa. He mentioned she’s been evasive, but that doesn’t surprise me. She’s always been like that.”
She mulls this tidbit over, her eyes creasing as she comes to some sort of a conclusion. “That’s odd. I mean, I know she can be flighty, but why wouldn’t she just talk to him?”
“I don’t know. Every time I see her, she practically runs the other direction. I just figured Audrey told her not to speak to me.”
“I gotta say that girl has been acting weird for a while now too.” Court frowns. “But maybe you should try talking to her yourself. Since she was technically the last person there, she could have some helpful information that’s been overlooked.”
“Maybe,” I concede, but honestly, I don’t think Alexa will tell me anything.
I have so many things to worry about right now. It’s hard to prioritize them. I still have to make amends with Jared and find a way to talk to Carson so we can have a real conversation. And there’s one other thing. For my own sanity, I just need to know Landon is okay. Even if I never see him again, it would make me feel better knowing that he’s out there somewhere, and he’s alright. I’m hoping Carson can at least tell me that much.
“Do you think Landon will ever come back?” Court seems to read my thoughts.
My heart thumps a sad little protest, and I shake my head. “I don’t know. But probably not.”
25
Landon
Los Angeles never changes. On any given day, you could walk down the street and see the same bright-eyed hopefuls who came here to make it big. They haven’t been chewed up and spit