Prologue
“What do you mean,” Courtney asked slowly, as if she was speaking to a small child, “you’re leaving Blackwell?”
From the look on Victoria’s face, she caught the tone and did not appreciate it. “Exactly what I fucking said,” she answered. “I’m leaving. Me and my girlfriend have fucking had it with this town and are getting out.”
Courtney gaped at her. Beside her, Taylor did the same. “Your-” the longer-haired blonde girl started, stopping as she stumbled over the next word. “Your girlfriend?!” Taylor’s head snapped toward Courtney. “Did you know about this?” she demanded, frustration fading as Courtney shook her head. “What the hell, V, when did this happen? Who?”
“Chloe Price,” Victoria answered, and the two continued to gape at their friend. “It’s been a… recent development.”
“I’ll say…” Courney mumbled. For one thing, she hadn’t been aware Victoria actually knew Chloe’s name. It was always “Kairi” this and “Kairi” that. “Victoria… does this have anything to do with your disappearance?”
A month ago Nathan Prescott had lost it and shot up a girl’s bathroom, and had claimed after being taken into custody to have killed Kate Marsh… and to have murdered Rachel Amber. Neither victim’s bodies were where Nathan claimed they were though, and only the fact that nobody could find Marsh - nor Rachel, though that search had ended months earlier - led police to even check out the barn Nathan ranted and raved about. And once they did… oh boy. Arcadia Bay had never even seen such a scandal.
And then when, two days after Nathan and Jefferson’s arrest the police showed up at Blackwell looking to talk to Victoria, and no one could find the girl… well the frenzy only grew from there.
“You know I don’t talk about that,” Victoria growled out, and she was right. Victoria had been back for a little over a week now, and still refused to talk about where she’d been during her disappearance. Wells hadn’t been particularly happy about the dismissal, and neither had the police… which was when Victoria had pulled out the “my best friend and mentor are murderous sex criminals” card. “I just needed to get away!” she’d claimed. That, at last, had gotten them all to back off.
“Look, Court, Tay, this town’s a piece of shit,” Victoria continued. “There’s nothing worth staying for, present company excluded.” Both girls flushed “The art program at this school is dead. The teacher at the head of it turned out to be a psychopath, half of the scholarships dried up because Prescott’s throwing a snit fit over his murderous son - fuck, there’s not even a VC anymore because half its budget came from Nathan!”
Victoria was right, of course. The VC had been officially put on hold during the police investigation, and even after the ban by Wells had been lifted and they could start doing club things again… well, there was no one around who really wanted to. Nathan was in custody and Victoria was still missing, and by the time the latter had returned, Dana, the third most popular member, was too busy sucking face with the newly returned Kate Marsh! (First Victoria, then Marsh, Courtney and Taylor honestly wouldn’t have been that surprised if the door opened and Rachel Amber walked in.)
“Victoria…” Courtney murmured. “There’s nothing we can do to convince you, is there?”
“I’m sorry, C,” Victoria replied, voice softer. Kinder. “I just… I don’t want to be here anymore.”
“Then don’t be,” Taylor declared. She reached over and pulled her friend into a hug. “Just… keep in touch, V? Please?”
“Oh, you’ll have to make me stop, T. C?” Victoria held her free arm out, and Courtney fell into it. “Like fuck if I’m ever going to forget the two of you. You’re my best friends.”
“Friends forever,” Courtney agreed.