Kat Wells is the perfect student, cheerleader, and daughter. But that's not who she really is, not truly. The real her is hidden behind a perfect mask that nobody sees, except him.
Wally Clark was the perfect jock, friend, and son. But everything ch...
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On the day of Katherine's wake, while she was experiencing a fast and furious moment with Wally in the parking lot, Nat found herself entering the school for the first time since the accident.
She almost turned around and ran home when she heard the headmaster's announcement about the wake that would be held tonight in the gymnasium. Kat's mother had called her the night before, asking her to give a speech, and she couldn't say no. She had spent the entire night thinking about what she could say, but still had nothing by noon. She was just surviving through the day, in airplane mode, not really caring where to go. She felt so empty, alone, and most of all, she felt so guilty.
She couldn't help but believe that if only she had listened to her gut, she might have been able to prevent this. If only she had gotten up sooner or even taken Kat's place in the routine. All these regrets kept adding up in her head, not changing the fact that she would never see her best friend again.
But she was also so mad, furious even at the squad for not catching her. Clara could have easily done it; it wasn't that hard. She needed someone to hate, someone guilty to blame for this. This wasn't an accident, the little voice in the back of her head whispered.
She made her way to the bleachers on the outside of the school, eager to get some air and calm her racing heartbeat. She climbed all the way up and sat down, taking her head in her hands. Dark clouds were beginning to form, but she didn't care. Even when the thunder started, she just stayed there. Soon, it was replaced by rain, falling all around her. She noticed that she wasn't getting wet and lifted her head in surprise to find Noah holding an umbrella above her head.
She noticed the look of worry on his face, his habitual arrogant and malicious look replaced by sadness and what seemed to be pity.
"Yeah, I don't fucking need that right now," she tried to escape, but he gently grabbed her wrist.
"Please, Nat," he said.
"Let go of me. I don't need your pity," she said as he immediately let go, worried about potentially hurting her. She took advantage of his gesture and ran away in the rain.
She made her way back to the school, drenched like a wet dog, ignoring the glares of her classmates as she hurried to search for an empty classroom to cry in. But as she walked by a half-closed door, she couldn't help but overhear a conversation that included Kat's name. She froze in place, silently getting closer to the noise.
"What if they found out?" a girl whispered. "No one will. It was an accident. She fell," a boy answered.
She knew these voices; she just needed to see the faces to be sure. "Maybe she wouldn't have if I-" the dialogue became muffled as if the boy was covering the girl's mouth.
As Nat heard the conversation, she was unaware that the ghost of her best friend was right next to her, begging her to go before the two students opened the door. She didn't hear her but still felt the urgent need to get out of there as she ran towards the next turn and hid against the hallway wall.
