Page 9 of No Place Left to Hide

I catch him halfway up the walkway, clicking the lock to his Mercedes over his shoulder, and I skid to a halt on the top step. When he sees me, he comes to a full stop at the base of the stairs. There’s only three, so he’s almost eye level with me.

His navy blue suit is worth thousands, carefully tailored to make him look more imposing, more professional, more terrifying. His light brown hair is perfectly styled, even after a full day in court. He looks like Lawyer Ken.

“Brooke?” He examines me like I’m evidence in one of his trials.

“I got into Yale.”

My entire body braces for the smile, for the praise, for the acceptance.

“I assumed as much when I saw you standing out here on decision day.”

I blink at him. That’s it? No smile? No hug? No…nothing? “Right, of course. Sorry to ruin the surprise.”

“It’s not a surprise. You worked hard for Yale. This is what happens when you focus on a goal and don’t get wrapped up in drama or scandal. Keep it up. Yale isn’t the end of the race, it’s simply another stop along the way.”

I nod furiously and step out of his way to find Jena in the doorway behind me. She slips to my side to allow my dad to go in, but he pauses and looks us both over. “Where are you going?”

“To dinner,” Jena says. “To celebrate Brooke’smassive achievement.”

The thinly veiled jab doesn’t go unnoticed. He narrows his eyes at her. “Well, in that case, I hope you both behave yourselves this evening. I’d hate to see you get into any more trouble. I might not be able to get you out of it this time.”

And with that, he sweeps inside and shuts the door.

My mouth suddenly feels dry. I keep clenching and unclenching my fingers around my keys. He’s probably stressed. I may have hit my goal, but his is still looming. His final interview with the governor for the judge position is on Monday morning. When it’s confirmed, then I’m sure we’ll celebrate together.

“Dude, your dad is a dick,” Jena mumbles, pulling me toward the Subaru.

I unlock the car. “He’s not a dick. He’s driven.”

“Yeah, a driven bag of dicks.”

Despite the massive letdown of his reaction, I laugh.

The enormity of where we’re going hits only when we’re both in the car and my hand hovers over the ignition. This is my first party since what happened at the lake house, since everything in my life became precarious and the entire weight of the Goodwin name got lumped onto my shoulders.

Everything went so wrong at that party. What if tonight is more ofthe same? What if I did this great thing that solidified my future, only to ruin it with this one decision?

Flashes of the lake at night flip through my mind.

Inky black water. Laughter. Screaming.

I can’t go through that again.

“Hey, are you okay?” Jena asks, leaning over the console. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

I try to smile but my face just won’t make it happen. I’m already failing. Goodwins always smile—at least when there are eyes on us.

“Hey, everything will be fine,” she says, rubbing my shoulder. “It’ll be a bunch of Waldorf friends at Beau’s house. Like old times, before the drama. And I meant what I said: the first sign of trouble and we’re out of there. Okay? Your dad and his precious Goodwin reputation have nothing to worry about. Besides, what happened at the lake was an accident.”

I start the car and back out of the driveway, letting her words sink in. “No, you’re right. I’m sure everything will be fine.”

Three

Before

September 2nd

Well, if it isn’tanothersuccessful lake party. I smile from my perch on the kitchen island, admiring the sheer number of people who have shown up tonight, and remember the first party I threw here freshman year. Only about three people showed, and I felt like a loser. Now, almost half of Waldorf is in attendance. This place has become the primo party spot for the entire school, andIam their party queen.

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