She didn’t survive.
For a few seconds, I studied the note and the messy chicken scratch I remembered vividly before calmly folding it in half and slipping it inside my pocket.
The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Well, if you could count my little brother and sister bringing a four-foot garden snake inside the house and almost giving our mother a heart attack uneventful. I couldn’t believe how beautifully Adara had blossomed or how tall Adan had grown. I swallowed hard, wishing I hadn’t missed a year of their life. I no longer felt as close to them as before. I knew it was because the moment I’d returned to Blackwood Keep, all I could think about was Bee and making her pay before making her mine.
If I had to shell out millions to make that happen, then so be it. Elliot would take the money without a second thought, but I had the feeling Bee wouldn’t be as grateful.
The girl you loved is gone, Jameson.
Smirking, I shrugged on my navy-blue dress shirt before buttoning and tucking it into my black slacks.
Gone?
I snorted. She’d yet to show me that was the case. If anything, with each day, all she’d done was plant little seeds of doubt in my mind—seeds that sprouted into hope.
My mom and siblings rode with my uncle, who would also be picking up Aunt Evelyn for the ceremony—I had a feeling my mom had something to do with that. Uncle Thomas may have been the older sibling, but my mom was clearly the boss.
Four and Ever rode together, and I’d turned down Ever’s offer for a ride, having the feeling I’d need a getaway car when it was all said and done.
The parking lot was already packed, and the school lawn crowded when I arrived. I cursed, bouncing my leg anxiously as I searched for a spot to park. After a few minutes, I spotted Ever’s G-Wagon and him standing in an empty spot in front of it, waving me down. I swooped into the space, grabbed my blue cap and gown, and bumped his fist in thanks when I got out.
I looked around, noticing he was alone. “Where’s Four?”
“Went to find Gruff.” Four’s old boss had driven up from Cherry, Virginia, her hometown, to see his young protégé graduate.
We started toward the building, and I tried not to be so obvious as I searched the crowd, but of course, Ever noticed. “Let it go, man. I’m sure that wherever she is, she’s with her parents.”
I ignored him as I weaved through the crowd. I didn’t give a damn about Elliot Montgomery. Bee wasn’t his to give. Elliot had lost his claim to her the moment I laid eyes on her six years ago, and I’d be damned if I gave her up. I wasn’t so sure I could just forgive her overnight, but for the first time, I was willing to try.
I was ready to give up searching until after the ceremony when I finally spotted her. Dressed in her cap and gown—the guys had been assigned navy-blue caps and gowns and the girl’s red—she was indeed standing with her parents. When one of the teachers called for everyone to start lining up, Barbette spoke to them briefly before stepping away. Her father barely spared her a glance while her mother simply smiled. I shook my head, wondering if they’d always been so dismissive of her.
I stalked her with Ever hot on my heels until we rounded the building. Once we were out of her parents’ sight, I sped up and grabbed her elbow.
“Jamie?”
Before she could say more, I pulled her through a random door leading into the school. Inside, I tried a few doors before finding the one to the chemistry lab unlocked.
“You snuck off,” I growled as soon as the door closed behind us.
“I had to get home before my father figured out I was gone.”
“Is that the only reason?”
She shrugged while refusing to meet my gaze. “What other reason would there be?”
Ever’s phone going off reminded us that we weren’t alone. He grabbed a seat as he texted, and I seriously wondered why he was sticking around. I was sure Tyra and Vaughn were around here somewhere. Wren and Lou had also been given tickets and promised to attend. And then there were his parents and my mom to keep him occupied.
Whatever.
Ignoring him, I refocused on Bee. “You were running from me.”
“I didn’t run,” she argued. “I walked away after you fucked me and made it clear you weren’t interested in more.” Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Ever’s head shoot up from his phone, but he wisely remained silent. “I can’t exactly force you to be with me, so what else should I have done?” Bee challenged.
I couldn’t help but explode. “Fight for me!”
“What is there to fight for if you won’t forgive me?” she screamed back.
“How can I forgive you when you’re still lying to me?”
“I’m not—” She suddenly paused, making my eyes narrow. “I told you everything.”
“How could you trust Ever more than me? You failed to mention that.” I knew it sounded like a question born of jealousy, but it truly didn’t make any sense. Back then, anticipating Bee’s every want and need had been my sole focus and only pleasure. Nothing else mattered. So imagine how crushing it was to find that, when she was actually in need, she’d turned to someone else instead. It mattered less now in the face of the truth, but it still hurt like hell.
“It wasn’t like that,” Ever responded when Bee went mute. “After her parents came to our place and told you to stay away from her, I went over there to check on her. They’d said she got hurt and that you were responsible. I wasn’t sure they’d let me see her, so I snuck inside. I overheard her parents talking. What they were planning to do…”
Bee suddenly swayed on her feet, her face ashen. Reacting on instinct, I helped her to the chair behind the teacher’s desk, where she collapsed. She still wouldn’t meet my gaze.
“It was so fucked up,” Ever went on. “I left, but as soon as I saw Bee at school… I couldn’t just pretend like everything was normal. I confronted her, and she made me swear not to tell anyone. Especially you. I was her best friend, man. What was I supposed to do?”
“Convince her not to lie to me? Did that ever occur to you? She might have been your best friend, but I’m your goddamn blood!”
“If you think I could have convinced her of anything, you don’t know her as well as you think.”
I wanted to bash his face in for that comment. There wasn’t a person alive who knew Bee better than me. Reading my thoughts, Ever smirked, knowing he got to me. His phone chimed a moment later, and he read the message before saying, “We should get back. Four says everyone’s lined up. The procession will start soon.”
“I can’t believe we’re graduating,” Bee whispered. I could see the relief in her eyes. She’d finally be free of the place that had judged her without a second look. I’m not sure when they started calling her Barbie, but I knew the name must have cut each time it was uttered. There was so much more to her, and for some reason, she stopped letting them see.
Ever must have seen it too because he muttered, “You should have been running Brynwood. Not me.”
Like true royalty, Bee dismissed Ever’s claim with a flick of her fingers—as if the issue was of little consequence. Not to Ever. And not to Vaughn and me.