The Truth About Kian

18. It was the wicked and wild wind

:: C H A P T E R  E I G H T E E N | IT WAS THE WICKED AND WILD WIND ::

I stared at Liam for a good minute after his dramatic announcement, my mind going blank. "No," I finally managed to force out.

"What do you mean no?"

I narrowed my eyes at him, feeling a bitter surge of anger when I saw Meg shifting in the passenger seat. "Goodbye, Liam."

"Reed! Wait!" I heard his car door slam and his footsteps against the pavement as I turned away. His hand caught my wrist, and I flinched, jumping away before he could stop me from leaving. "Can I see the letter?"

Davina and I looked at each other.

After a moment of hesitation, she handed it over. When I saw the neat writing on the ivory paper with the yellow sticky note on top, I had to look away.

It was a reminder that my dad was not the person I thought he was, and that I'd never be able to look at him the same way again.

He finished reading the letter, glaring at both of us like we were the ones to blame for the terrible words that had pushed Kian to commit suicide because that's how Liam was. It was his knee-jerk reaction to blame someone else when things didn't go his way. "Where did you find this?"

"In his journal," I said as Meg climbed out of the passenger side, coming up behind Liam and wrapping her arm around his waist. My jaw clenched, teeth grinding against each other with an audible clack.

Liam folded the letter, making to tuck it in his jacket pocket, but Davina snatched it from his hands. Her fingers smoothed over the wrinkles and tracing over Kian's name. Her expression was wistful for a second before she looked up at Liam, all traces of vulnerability gone. "Where's his journal?"

He rocked back on his heels, shifting towards Meg. "It's safe."

"I want to see it."

"Well, you can't."

"Do you really think you have any right to keep his journal for yourself?"

"I was his best friend!"

"I am his best friend, and I have been for 13 years! You can't pull rank on me!" she snarled. "Give it back."

"Kian and you were over the minute he became one of us," interjected Meg. "He chose us, not you."

Davina's back stiffened, and I stepped between the two girls before the fight escalated into scratching and hair pulling. "Just drop it," I said, exasperation keeping me from feeling self conscious. "I don't care who was more important to Kian. We're—"

"Who died and made you queen?" Meg interrupted, which I thought was ironic because that was a question I regularly wanted to ask her — especially at journalism meetings. "You didn't even know Kian!'

Davina slapped the hood of the car, the audible smack making us pause. Liam flinched. "Her dad is Karter's assistant, for fuck's sakes! If anyone knows what is going on, he will! So get your head out of your ass and keep up!"

Liam's eyes snapped to my face, but he was careful to avoid my eyes and instead focused on a spot just above my right shoulder. "Would he know? About Kian and Karter?" he asked quietly.

"It was his writing on the sticky note." It felt like I'd just signed my own social death warrant. Now that Meg knew, I doubted the connection between Kian and me would remain a secret. I wouldn't just be known as Reed Elliot, the scholarship freak, I'd also be known as the girl whose father was the reason that Kian was dead.