Chapter 52: A KISS 1

I took a shaky breath, running a hand through my hair as I leaned against the nearby sofa. My fingers were trembling, and I hated that. I hated feeling like I had no control, like everything around me was slipping through my fingers. Tabitha just stared at me, waiting for me to say something. Her expression was calm, but I could see the how she subtly mirrored my anxiety, the way her fingers kept twitching like she wanted to grab something and fix it.

I glanced at the floor, “They’re going to interrogate me at school tomorrow. I’m one of the last people who left the school premises. They’ll know that, since the security man saw me leaving late, so they’ll ask questions, lots of questions. It’s not going to take much for them to put me on the suspects list.”

She didn’t say anything, just gave me a slight nod like she’d already considered this.

“I can't take my car to school tomorrow like that,” I added, the words tumbling out of me. “The dashboard cam… if they look at it…” I trailed off, swallowing hard. I didn’t need to explain. She understood what I was trying to say.

Tabitha folded her arms, tilting her head slightly. “So, what do you want to do?”

“I’ll leave it here,” I said, biting my lip as I looked toward the door. “You need to figure out what to do with the footage. Wipe it. Or tamper with it. Whatever. Just make sure nothing on that cam can come back to me. If I drive it to school tomorrow and they decide to check…” I trailed off again, my chest tightening at the thought.

She exhaled slowly, her eyes narrowing as she processed everything. “Alright,” she said finally. “But if they’re already suspicious—”

“I’ll handle that,” I cut her off, my voice sharp. “I’ll have to handle it. Just deal with the car.”

She nodded, and her eyes stayed on me for a moment too long, like she wanted to say something else.

I turned away from her, rubbing my temples as I tried to think straight. My head was spinning, and every time I closed my eyes, I could see Heather’s blood, hear her screams. I gritted my teeth and opened my eyes again, forcing myself to push it all aside.

Tabitha sighed. “, you need to—”

“I know,” I snapped, cutting her off again. I didn’t even let her finish. “Just work on the dashcam before you even think about taking a wink." I couldn’t help how high my voice was. My nerves were frayed, and every second felt like counting down to my doom

Tabitha stood there for a moment, her lips pressed into a thin line. She chose to just keep quiet instead of saying what was on her mind, probably because she understood that I wasn’t in the mood to be handled.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair again and avoiding her gaze. “Do you have a few bills on you?” I asked. “I’m only holding my card, and I can’t exactly swipe my way home.”

She didn’t even question it. She nodded curtly and turned, excusing herself to check her office. Her heels clicked against the floor, and the sound faded as she walked away. I slumped against the desk, crossing my arms tightly over my chest as I stared at nothing in particular.

A few seconds later, she returned, a small stack of dollar bills in her hand. She held them out to me without a word. I took them, my fingers brushing against hers briefly. “hmm,” I hummed, folding the bills and shoving them into my blazer pocket.

“I’ll come for my car and backpack early tomorrow morning,” I said. “Don’t mess this up, Tabitha.”

She didn’t respond, but the look in her eyes said she understood.

I turned and walked out of the office, my heels clicking sharply against the floor. The air outside was cooler than I expected, and for a moment, I just stood there, letting the breeze brush against my face. Then I raised my hand to hail a cab.

A yellow car slowed to a stop in front of me, and I climbed in, slamming the door behind me. “The White Estate, after Eden.” I said flatly.

The driver glanced at me through the rearview mirror, his eyes over me for a second too long. That rubbed me the wrong way.

“What?” I snapped, my glare meeting his in the mirror.

He shook his head quickly and faced forward. “Nothing,” he muttered, gripping the wheel tighter as he pulled away from the curb.

I leaned back against the seat, crossing my arms and staring out the window. The streets blurred past, but I wasn’t really paying attention. The glow of streetlights occasionally flickered across my face, sometimes covered by the shadows of the palm trees, dead streetlights and buildings.

The cab slowed to a stop in front of the estate, and for a moment, I just sat there, staring at the gates looming in front of me. My limbs felt heavy, and my head pounded faintly. The driver cleared his throat, snapping me out of my haze. I sighed, pulled some bills from my pocket, and handed them over before stepping out of the car.

Everywhere was still and quiet, like the world was holding its breath, and it'd be creepy if there wasn't any source of light around. I rubbed my arms briefly, then pressed the button on the intercom at the gate. A faint buzz followed, and after a few seconds, the gate creaked open to reveal the estate’s security guard standing there, his face lighting up as soon as he saw me.

“Welcome back, Miss Blakely” He greeted warmly, tipping his cap.

I didn’t respond. My shoes clicked faintly against the cobblestones as I staggered past him, ignoring the way his eyes followed, probably wondering if I’d been

out partying or doing something far less respectable.