“I needed to know why Kori died. Why I lived. And I think you need to know that too.”

He looked away. The sadistic playfulness of a few minutes ago had slunk away. What was left was just a boy in a hospital bed.

“Parker, I don’t believe in fate. But I can’t help but think there is a reason you didn’t die. And if you take those pills, you’ll never have the answer.”

I waited him out, and he reluctantly turned back to me. “Take them,” he said, handing me the washcloth.

I walked into the bathroom and flushed the pills down the toilet. Silencing them.

Do not employ handsome servants.
—Chinese proverb

twenty-one

No matter how many times I fantasized about it, in reality, watching a BB suffer was so pitiful I could barely watch. But it was also sort of like watching a train wreck, and when Chelsea confiscated food from Marci’s lunch tray on Monday, I couldn’t look away.

Marci let her do it too. The sad truth is, you just don’t stand up to Chelsea Westad unless you’re Kori Kitzler. And even then, nothing really changes.

I grabbed an extra muffin, thinking maybe I could somehow slip it to Marci on the sly.

As I approached our round table, I couldn’t help but notice Poor Josh sitting in Kori’s chair. I scowled at Lexi, knowing if anyone had invited him, it’d been her.

As I set my tray down, Lexi asked, “Isn’t that Kori’s shirt?”

I tugged at the tight fabric. “Yeah, I guess.” All last week she’d been questioning me on my clothing choices. Which more and more were pulled from Kori’s boxes.

“Where did you get all her clothes?”

“Kieren brought her stuff by.” I left out the part about my asking Mrs. K. for them.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear burgundy lipstick.”

“What’s your point, Lexi?” I asked, knowing full well what her point was. After all, she’d never entirely approved of Kori, even though she’d claimed to be friends with her.

“Nothing. No point,” she said in a tone that had I have a point written all over it.

“Serena, let it go,” Cole said. But I couldn’t, not from Lexi, who just kept staring at me with those big eyes of hers. I couldn’t believe I used to think her anime-looking features were so adorable.

It was a good thing that right before I did something crazy like stomp on Lexi, Anthony came up and asked, “You’re not really going to eat this, are you?”

I jabbed a fork at the snot-green lasagna in front of me.

“Want to go out to lunch?” was what he’d said. What I heard was: “Let’s get you out of here.” How could I resist?