Page 94 of The Debutantes
“IknewI hated theater kids.”
“Rude and offensive,” Aiden says, pushing open his bedroom door.
And just like that, I’m faced with the reality of his space and the fact that we haven’t spoken since I left him in the study room. For a breath, I take it in. It’s exactly what I expected: immaculately clean, Star Wars posters, weirdly pleasant-smelling for a guy’s bedroom. I also clock the Lego spaceship on his dresser, and I want to make fun of it, but I’m suddenly too anxious.
Aiden closes the door and then crosses his arms, facing me. “So are you going to tell me what’s up, or not?”
It hits me that I have no idea how to explain this. I glance down at my phone. Nothing from Vivian or April yet. Mom, either. At least she didn’t catch me leaving. But knowing her, she’ll probably figure it out soon enough, so I might as well rip off the Band-Aid.
“My dad didn’t kill Margot,” I say.
Aiden looks relieved—and like he believes me. It makes the rest of it come out easier.
“But you were right,” I go on, “that he’s part of the Pierrot.”
I give him my best abridged version of what I learned tonight: the deal with the Pierrot, how they manipulated Wyatt into being the Jester. Aiden listens with a calm expression, a small worried crease between his eyebrows.
When I get to the end, I hesitate. Once I tell him, there’s no going back. There’s no guaranteeing that he won’t be disgusted by me. That he won’t call the police. Worst of all, this is a betrayal. We’re supposed to protect each other, Mom said.That’s what families do.But how far can the lies and secrets go before they rot us from the inside out?
Some questions, you’re better off not asking.
I feel the ghost of Mom’s hand on my cheek, the warning look in her eyes, and I know I have to give him the truth.
“I think my parents know who killed Margot,” I say. “Or, at least, they know it was someone at the Pierrot. I don’t know who did it, who killed Margot, but… I think they’re both part of the cover-up. And I’m worried they might know where Lily is, too.”
It’s all out in the open now, everything I’ve feared in the deepest parts of me since the moment I found that report on Dad’s computer, and I wait, with a horrible feeling of dread, for Aiden to hate me.
Instead, he wraps his arms around me and hugs me tight to his chest.
“I’m so sorry, Piper,” he says.
Tears slip out, hot and quick, and I can’t believe I’m crying in front of my arch nemesis. Into his T-shirt, which is as warm and clean-smelling as his room.
“It’s just sofucked.”
“I know,” he says, a hand pressed against the back of my head.
I pull away, wiping the mess of tears from my face. “God, what iswrongwith me?”
“Nothing’s wrong with you.”
“Then what’s wrong withyou?”
He blinks. “What?”
“Why are you being so nice to me?” I’m maybe 25 percent joking, but there’s a dull ache in my throat. “I’m awful to you. You’re a cocky jerk to me. It’s our whole thing. It works.”
Aiden smiles, and I want to slap him, because even his smile is like honey, that asshole. “You’re not awfulallthe time.”
“Well, you’re still a cocky jerk,” I quip. “And—” It hits me suddenly.Shit.I’d almost forgotten. “And you probably know I sabotaged Lily’s Vanderbilt application. Because I’m terrible and vindictive and—”
“Piper, stop.” He looks serious now. “I saw the email. And yes, that was definitely a bad call on your part, and maybe there’ll be consequences, but you shouldn’t beat yourself up. You’re a good person.”
My mouth hangs open. Does Aiden Ortiz, of all people, have a better opinion of me than I deserve?
“Look, I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he says, before I can argue. “And it sucks that you’re going through this with your family. But Lily’s in danger, and if there’s anyone who can figure out how to save her, it’s you. And whatever you’re going to do, I want to help.”
Never in my life have I been so sure of what I think while feeling so totally at a loss for words.
