She never talked about Mo or Vic or the others. Even if the subject weren’t off-limits, Ash wanted to forget them all. Every time she opened Twitter or Instagram, she was confronted with it all over again. Ash hated that people were treating Mo like she was some misunderstood hero. The worst were the private messages from people who thought Ash was to blame and that she should have died. Ash didn’t tell Becca about those. They were just bored losers who spewed shit to feel important. Mo’s son, Aidan, had sent her an Instagram message and they’d talk a lot about how hard it was.

They both hoped it would all go away once Mo went to trial. She was facing three counts of murder for Leslie, Eli, and a third victim, a sixteen year old Rachel Whiteman, two counts of conspiracy to commit murder for Ash and Becca, and five counts of advising and encouraging suicide. Ash couldn’t wait to stand in front of a judge and jury and tell them everything. She wanted the whole world to know who Mo really was.

Unfortunately, Mo decided to make their lives even more hellish and represent herself. Arguments over whether Mo was competent to act as her own attorney were now dragging on. Ash wasn’t surprised. Mo thought she was smarter than everyone else. Of course she thought she could win this case. Becca wasn’t worried, or at least that’s how she acted. “This case may drag on, but she’s not going anywhere. The best thing you can do is forget about her.”

It was good advice. No way was Ash letting Mo ruin things, especially not today. Becca pulled into the parking lot and they hurried through the courthouse, both of them a bundle of nerves. As they headed toward the courtroom, Ash saw Virginia, Rafi, and Nina waiting outside of it, all wearing various shades of purple. It was totally cheesy, and Ash would never say it out loud, but she kind of liked it. No one had ever done something like this for her.

“You both look gorgeous,” Virginia said. She reached out and gave Ash a hug. Virginia had always been a bit of a cold fish, but she was starting to display actual human emotions. Ash was happy for Becca, who seemed happy to have her mother around.

Ash’s social worker, a very patient woman named Louise, echoed Virginia’s sentiment. “You two are like a couple of supermodels,” she said, hugging Ash so tightly she practically crushed her in the process.

“We’re up in just a few minutes,” Louise said. Ash glanced down at her phone anxiously. There was one more person she wanted here, but they were running out of time. There was always a chance he wouldn’t come.