It's been five years since the sudden disappearance of Cora Cadigan's mother. Five years since the case was closed before it even began.
In the final summer before the end of high school, Cora knows it's her last opportunity to find the answers she...
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"Could this day get any fucking worse?"
After Ryan had dropped me home and I had begged him to just give me space, I ended up wandering around town, feeling like a lost puppy. The house had been too quiet. It happened a lot since mum's disappearance. Dad would be off somewhere, getting shit-faced and I'd be sitting alone in the dark, trying to stop my mind from ticking.
To make matters worse, I'd just dropped the overpriced ice cream I had bought from Geo Gelato. It splattered against the pier, already melting into the hard concrete beneath me. I hated spending money on food and this was just proving my point. I loved spending the small amount that I made on things I could keep, like nicknacks or clothes. It didn't bother me much if I had to live off baked beans, as long as my money was being spent on things I loved.
"Fuck," I whisper, sidestepping the sticky icecream and trudging further down the pier.
A few people were milling around, mostly those who were mooring their yachts. A handful of kids were laughing, running along the pier, their parents chasing after them. How I missed the days when things were so much more simple.
I park myself on the bench facing the ocean, watching the sun begin to peak down on the horizon. Multiple yachts and houseboats from New River's elite sit idling in the water, swaying slightly with the waves. Further down I can see Lucas Winter's yacht. The music pounding from his parent's docked yacht could only be coming from a party. Otherwise, no one in their right mind should be listening to shitty music like that for no apparent reason.
My phone buzzes and I reach into my denim cut-offs. It's a text from Ryan, checking up on me. The fifth time in the space of an hour. I knew he was just being protective but I just needed some space to think over what happened today.
I hadn't yet told anyone about Marcus Wainwright, except for Ryan on the drive home. The words had come spewing out of me and I couldn't control them. Ryan has assured me that he would go and beat Marcus's ass if I allowed it but that was the opposite of what I wanted. Besides, I didn't know if Ryan would come out alive.
