-HIATUS- ᴏɴᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇᴍ - ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴀᴡᴛʜᴏʀɴᴇ ʟᴇɢᴀᴄʏ (ꜱᴇQᴜᴇʟ ᴛᴏ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ɢʀᴀᴍʙꜱ?) -HIATUS-

Chapter 35

I listen as they continue their game of poker. I hear multiple buzzing sounds coming from the other table. Then Mine. Carefully reaching for my phone I silence it.

"It's your mum, Bex?" Thea says. "That wasn't what I meant. Maybe you should see what she wants?"

"I'll be home soon enough," Rebecca says quietly. 

"Bex, your mom-" 

"Don't tell me what she needs. You think I don't know she's not okay? Do you honestly think I need you to tell me that?" Rebecca says softly.

"No, I-"

"She looks at me, and it's like I'm not even there. Maybe if I were more like Em, maybe if I were better at mattering-" Emily. She compares herself to Emily. She told me about Emily a few times. That she would get along well with me.

"You matter,"

"You know, this seems kind of like a private conversation, so maybe-" A new voice says. Max? I want to check my text message. I can't. I need to. 

"I don't matter enough." Rebecca's voice is no longer soft. Sounding like it could shatter if even the slightest bit of air touched it. "It's been fun, running around, playing detective, pretending the real world away, but it just can't be like this."  

"Like what?" Thea asks. I feel like I shouldn't be listening in. I feel like I should look at the text. But I can't.

"Like this. The way you find reasons to touch me. The way I let you. You were my world, and I would have done anything for you. But I begged you not to cover for Emily that night, and you" What did Grayson feel? About the way, Rebecca mentioned the night. The night Emily died? My nose starts getting itchy. Wrong time. I need to sneeze. I try to hold it in.

"Don't do this" 

"If I were better at mattering... If for once in my life, I'd been enough for anyone- for the girl I loved" She said loved. Past tense. Didn't she love her? Was she trying to make a point? Or was that how she truly felt? My nose still tingling with the feeling of needing to sneeze I hold my arm under my nose."My sister might still be alive."Did she really just say that? How was anyone meant to respond to that? Silence. Painful silence. Not just for me and my sneeze, but for everyone else as well. Oh no. I was going to sneeze. I was really going to break the silence. I let out a sneeze. I feel embarrassed, I look down at my phone. I need to look at the text and pretend the others didn't just hear that.

"So, Heiress. How are we going to go about getting that ring?" Jameson says changing the topic in an instant. He had probably been thinking about a way to end the previous topic during the silence. "And, bless you," He says probably looking at me, but I don't look at him.

My phone buzzes again. Another text. I need to look at it. So it doesn't seem suspicious. Everyone starts heading back to their seats. I was already in mine but Rebecca and Thea don't sit across from me this time. Jameson and Grayson do. I turn my phone on to avoid them and open the texts.

Where would be the fun in that?

I want you. That is why. 

Okay, that is very creepy. He 'cares' because he wants me. He wants to kill me himself. I feel the fake smile on my face. Where would be the fun in that? I had said that in the SUV. He knows. The next text.

Bless you.

He knows I sneezed. 

Thank you!

I text back and turn my phone off putting it in my pocket. How does he know? I stare down at the table. I don't know who to trust anymore. I could trust everyone, right? I scan the room. Oren's team? Maybe. The brothers? No, at least I hope not. I kissed half of them and I was besties with another. Nash would never do anything like that. My sisters? No. They would never. Rebecca and Thea? They were my friends. I could trust them, right? They weren't using their phones and I already have their numbers. Rosie? She would never do such a thing and she could never. Alisa? I trust her but... could she have? I have her number but she has access to everything. Max? I hope not but I don't know her all that well.