A fresh start is exactly what London McLaren needs in order to forget the demons of her past. A new last name, a new town and a new school.
She's about to start her final year of high school, ready to obey her parent's orders to keep her head down a...
My song inspiration for this chapter. Major O.C vibes when I was writing this so I thought it would only be perfect.
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Sunday, June 7th, 2020
"Aubrey."
My hands are outstretched, my fingers shaking. I want to reach out for the gun, but I know that it's too risky. Aubrey was unpredictable.
"Do you really think I was just going to let myself get suspended and be done with you? Did you really think I'd be like oh, that's okay. I'll let London continue to roam freely around like she didn't help kill my brother."
"You don't want to do this," I plead. "Revenge isn't the answer. Trust me."
She raises the gun higher and I flinch. "What is it people always say? An eye for an eye?"
"Aubrey—"
"People might not see it, but I know you're just putting on some act. You know you've got to be careful now. You have to make sure that no one realises you helped your brother."
"How can I prove it to you?" I ask. "How can I show you that I never helped my brother. I never knew."
"Shut up!" she screams, the gun waving around in the air as she speaks.
"He— he left me a letter. I— I found it yesterday. I could give it to you," I nod frantically, hoping she'll agree. "You could read it."
"Why would I want to read something that a piece of shit wrote? I know the truth. I've known it since the day my brother died."
"I swear, Aubrey. I swear on my life that I never—"
"You swear on your life, huh? Too bad you aren't worth much."
I take a step towards her but she moves the gun again, pointing it directly between my eyes. I was so close to her now that if she fired at me I'd never be able to dodge the bullet.
"I know you're hurting," I whisper. "And I'm sorry. I'm sorry that my brother—"
"No," she sobs, her shoulders violently shaking. Her movements send the gun haphazardly around the room as she moves it with her hands. "You don't know what it feels like. He was my best friend. He was the sweetest person on this planet. My parents— my parents don't care about me. But my brother did."
"I'm sorry," I cry. "I'm so sorry."
I understood what it was like to lose a brother. But I couldn't deny that it was different for Aubrey. She had lost someone who was innocent. Someone who shouldn't have been caught up in my brother's crimes.
"It's too late," she whispers, tears running down her face. "Nothing you can say will ever bring my brother back. Nothing you do will ever make up for what happened."
