Page 76 of Cruel Steps

So very wrong.

The cruelest step belonged to Holden.

My body gave out, and I collapsed onto the carpet and sobbed. His words shattered the last bit of strength I had.

Why had I believed he was different? Hope was right; I was a gullible fool.

I didn’t know how long I cried on the floor, but eventually, it slowed to a hiccup. My head throbbed, and my eyes felt swollen from all the crying. Pulling myself off the floor, I crawled toward my phone and turned it on. I needed to know what was going on. I couldn’t hide from this.

The instant my phone came on, it chimed with notifications faster than I could read. There were messages from unknown numbers, comments from the Hayward Chronicle, missed calls, and multiple DMs. Clearing them all out, I opened Cody’s messages and scrolled through them. Stopping on the last messages, my finger hovered over it.

Cody: You did it, Peanut! The article is brilliant

Cody: So much shit went down. I don’t know where to start.

Cody: Someone hit Hope with their car.

Cody: Call me when you get this. There’s more, but I don’t want to type it.

“Holy shit.” I clicked on his name, not caring how late it was. Cody would answer. I just knew it.

“Peanut, thank fuck you’re okay.” He sounded relieved, and my guilt at shutting him out coated me.

“Hey, sorry. I turned my phone off. What’s, um, what’s going on?”

“Are you home?”

“Yeah.” I swallowed. I didn’t miss how he hadn’t answered.

“Can you drive?”

“Um, sure. Why?”

“I’ll text you an address. I think it’s best you come here. Bring a change of clothes.”

“Okay. You’re scaring me. What’s going on?”

“One second—” The phone moved, and I heard rustling before it cleared. It sounded like voices, but I couldn’t make it out. “I’ll explain when you’re here. Be safe, Peanut.”

“Yeah. All right.”

The call ended, and I blinked while my muddled brain attempted to make sense of everything, but not finding a plausible reason. Who had hit Hope? Why couldn’t Cody talk over the phone? Where was I going?

My phone vibrated, the text with the address, and I jumped into action. Grabbing my bag, I tossed in underwear, leggings, socks, tanks, and a hoodie. Pulling on jeans and a top, I brushed my hair back and twisted it into a messy bun. After showering out the red slushie earlier, I’d gone to bed with it wet again, and it was a mess. Quietly, I tiptoed into the bathroom, grabbed my toiletries, and threw them in. Adding a charger and my school books, I slung the bag over my shoulder with my shoes in my hand.

Carefully, I opened my door and shut it without a sound. I took the back stairs to avoid crossing in front of Holden’s room and slipped down the stairs. The kitchen light was on, and I paused at the bottom.

“Do you think all the stuff Emmy said is true?” I heard Rose ask.

“It’s hard to remember back then. I wasn’t in the best place, so it could be. She seemed so sad, but I assumed it was because of Katie’s death.”

“I just can’t believe my child is capable of such things,” Rose said, her words full of tears. “I hate how I responded. Maybe she wouldn’t?—”

“Stop, Rose. You can’t do that. It’s no one’s fault but the person who hit her.”

“You’re right. I just feel so helpless.”

“We’ll get through this. I’ll sell whatever I have to ensure she gets the best care.”

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