Page 46 of Ready Or Not
There's silence, and I just look at the water pooling around my belly.
“Do you want to go?”
“Yes,” I whisper.
“Why?”
“Because!” I trail off. I miss my home. My routine. Nothing here feels right or safe.
“Because why?”
“Because it’s my home!”
Riley humphs. “You lived a boring life before me.”
Defensiveness fills me. “So?” I pick at the skin around my nails again. It’s much softer now, having been in the bath.
“So you don’t crave something better? Friends? A boyfriend? A girlfriend?”
My thoughts immediately go to Cali. “Do you know what happened to Cali?”
Riley’s voice darkens. “Who’s Cali?”
“My friend,” I say. “She disappeared a few weeks ago. I thought maybe Manson…did something to her.”
Riley snorts. “Doubtful. Manson isn’t interested in other girls.”
“But he knows her name.”
Riley is silent for a while. “Why do you care?”
Defeat fills me. “Because she’s my friend.”
“Friends, hmmm?” Riley’s voice is dark.
“Yeah,” I whisper. She was my best friend. She had everything: the looks, the attitude, the spunk. I wanted to be her.
“You know what, I think this is the first time you’re not trying to lie to me, but you still are.” Riley shakes her head and sounds pissed. “You had a crush on her.”
I glance up at Riley, appalled.
Riley shakes her head. “Yep. Fucking hell. Now imma have to kill Cali, too.”
Panic flares through me. “No!”
Riley gives me a deadpan look. “Absolutely.”
I swallow, then force myself to lean back in the tub. “It doesn’t matter. She’s probably dead anyway.”
“That would save me some time.”
“Riley!” I snap my head at her. “You can’t just kill anyone you want.”
Riley rolls her eyes. “And why not, bambi?”
“Because!” I sputter. “It’s…wrong! You’ll get caught. They’ll throw you in prison for the rest of your life.”
Riley scoffs. “In case you haven’t picked up on this, they won’t. As for the first part, I don’t care about what’s right and wrong.”