The Good Girls

Chapter 27

AUDREY STARED AT HERSELF IN the bathroom mirror at Auradon Hospital. Her eyes were red, her nose was chapped and flaking, and she looked wiped out. She patted the puffy bags under her eyes, pulled her hair up into a messy ponytail, and tossed a bunch of crumpled tissues into the metal trash can. When she walked out of the bathroom, she passed a police officer going in the opposite direction. She cringed, but the officer didn't even look at her. Maybe he should, she thought with a start.

Leslie was still in a coma, making little progress, but at least she wasn't getting worse. Audrey's father had spent every moment by her side, and Audrey had spent a good deal of time at the hospital, too. No matter how much she hated Leslie, she wanted to be here for her dad.
The police had investigated Leslie's fall and determined that it was an accident—her blood alcohol level had been extremely high, and she'd already been agitated. They assumed she'd drunkenly slipped off the balcony in her sky-high heels. Still, Audrey felt nervous about the whole thing. Thank god she had an airtight alibi, since she'd been with her father when it happened. But she couldn't help thinking about that yellow legal pad from Jay's house. Where was that thing? What if someone found it?

In some ways, Audrey longed for Leslie to wake up. At least then she might be able to tell them who had pushed her.

She slumped back to the waiting room and found her father sitting in one of the uncomfortable couches, a cup of what was probably cold coffee in his hands. Leslie's mother, Allison Shields, who had made her appearance just hours after Leslie's accident—an incredibly awkward situation, as they'd put her up in their house but had absolutely no idea what to do with the woman, who complained about everything from the uncomfortable sheets to the lack of soy milk in the fridge—sat stiffly across from him, her hands folded in her lap. Mrs. Shields eyed Audrey coldly when she walked back in. Audrey wondered what Leslie had told her mother about her. Probably nothing good.

She gave Mrs. Shields a polite smile, walked over to her father, and leaned her head on his shoulder. He looked up and wrapped her in a tight hug. As he held her, Audrey cast her eyes on the paperwork he'd been reading. "McAllister Cemetery" curled across the top page in a dignified and serious script.

Audrey frowned. "You have to think positive, Dad. She's not . . . you know. Yet." She eyed Mrs. Shields, who was clearly paying attention.

Mr. Rose nodded, then folded the papers on his lap. "I'm just trying to cover all the bases, love. And anyway, Allison and I thought it would be a good idea just to see what our options are." He eyed Mrs. Shields, too. That's when Audrey realized it had probably been all Leslie's mom's idea. Jesus. Leslie was in a coma for mere days and her mother was already buying up a burial plot. Perhaps that was why Leslie was such a shitty mother—she'd had a terrible role model.

Audrey let out a small whimper, briefly thinking about her own mother and her regrets about Leslie. Mr. Rose looked at her sympathetically, his eyes wet with tears. "This must be so hard for you, dear. It's bringing back memories for me, too."

Audrey cringed. It did bring back memories: She and her father had kept vigil at this very hospital after her mother's accident, though not nearly for as long. Mrs. Rose's death had been sudden, and it had only been a brief wait in the ER before the doctors told them they couldn't save her. But the smell of hospitals still turned Audrey's stomach, as did the dreary art on the walls, and the pale, drawn faces of all the family members waiting to hear whether their loved ones were going to recover or die. For some reason, when she heard the news about her mom, Audrey hadn't started crying. Instead she'd walked numbly to the vending machines and stared at the snacks lined up in neat rows behind the glass. She'd fed quarters into the thing and selected Bugles, her mom's favorite snack, as if buying them would bring her back.

Audrey knew that if Leslie died, she wouldn't be hit with the same grief—it would be guilt instead. But she did recognize how hard this probably was for her father. However bizarre it seemed to her, Leslie had been the second love of his life—and Audrey had taken that away. She stroked his arm, feeling the need to comfort him. "We have each other. We always have. It'll be okay."

"You're such a good girl," Mr. Rose whispered, which gave Audrey a guilty pang. Then he looked at her. "Don't you have a Halloween party tonight?"

Audrey shook her head. "I'm not leaving you alone." Especially with Mrs. Shields.

"Oh, Audrey." He sighed. "You should go, have some fun. I know how much you love costume parties. Is Chad going?"

Audrey shook her head. "He has to work late."
She couldn't help but smile, though. Now that Chad had been cleared of all charges in Jay's death, her dad was suddenly a huge Chad fan again.

"What about your friends?" Mr. Rose asked. "Those girls you've been hanging around with?"

Audrey had received a few texts from Uma and Jane earlier, asking whether they should go to Freddie's or not. Jane had decided to go, to keep track of Lonnie—she was the only person left on that list, after all. Uma had said she would go, too. Audrey felt suddenly guilty—she should go with them, they'd have strength in numbers.

She nodded. "Okay. I'll go for a little bit. But Dad, if you need me, or if anything at all happens, you'll call me, right?"

"Of course." He smiled at her kindly. Mrs. Shields, however, looked at Audrey as if she'd just said she was going to go out into the parking lot to smoke some meth.

She turned to leave, thinking about how she didn't have a costume and would have to shower if she didn't want to smell like hospital. Just as she reached the door, her father called out to her again. "Oh, Audrey?" He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out something small and delicate. "I forgot. I found this—I think it's yours, yes?"

She crossed the room and held out her hand. He dropped it into her palm, and she studied it for a moment. It was a pretty chandelier earring of silver wire and shiny amber beads. She shook her head. "It's not mine."

Her dad looked confused. "Are you sure? It's not Leslie's, and I found it upstairs on my bedroom floor . . ."

Audrey blinked hard. All at once, she got a flash of recognition—she'd seen those earrings before. Her heart stopped. Her eyes widened.

"You found this in your bedroom?" she cried.
He nodded, cocking his head. "Why?"

Another thought hung on Audrey's lips, but she didn't dare say it aloud. The bedroom with the balcony Leslie fell from?

"What is it?" her father asked, leaning forward.

"N-nothing. I'll see you later. Love you." She turned and bolted for the door, her mind suddenly spinning. She needed to get to the party and find the others as quickly as possible.

The earring was Evie's.