Page 127 of My Brother's Best Friend

“We’re going to the hospital after school,” I said. “You’re welcome to come with us.”

“Really?” Sakura said, teary eyes wide.

Allie smiled. “Of course. Imani will be there too. She stayed home today.”

“I don’t know how long I’ll be able to stay,” Sakura said, wiping her tears and placing her hand on her belly underneath the table. “Callan is bringing me to a doctor’s appointment today for the”—she paused, glanced around, and lowered her voice—“baby.”

“When will you know the sex?” I asked.

Cheeks rounding, she smiled. “Hopefully today.”

“No way!” Allie exclaimed, grabbing her hand. “You have to tell us right away.”

I beamed at them because while all this shit had been going on, we finally had something to smile about. I just hoped that Sakura and Mr. Avery would stay out of the drama as much as they could. I didn’t want anything to happen to Sakura or the baby.

“Of course I will,” Sakura said. “I really want a girl.”

“Me too!”

“What does Mr. Avery want?” Allie asked.

“He wants a girl too.”

“God, I’m so happy for you,” I said, grinning, my gaze shifting from Sakura to behind her.

Nicole stood with the dean of students near the cafeteria doors, her blonde hair shielding her face and her arms crossed over her chest, as if she wasn’t comfortable in her own body—very unlike the bubbly, flirtatious Nicole.

After a moment, Nicole turned toward us and kept her gaze on the ground. Once she reached our table, she slid next to Allie, buried her face into the crook of her neck, and burst out into quiet tears.

“I’m so sorry that I didn’t text you earlier,” she sobbed. “It’s my fault that you … that … it happened.” She sniffled. “I should’ve … I should’ve sucked it up and come into school yesterday so you didn’t come looking for me.”

“You’re not to blame, Nicole,” Allie whispered. “We’re just glad that you’re safe.”

“I am to blame,” she said. “If I had just … texted you, then nobody would’ve gotten shot.”

When she lifted her head and her hair fell out of her face, I stiffened. Bruises the size of someone’s hands decorated her neck, and her bottom lip had split open and scabbed over. I glanced at Allie, who fumed.

“Who did this to you?” she asked.

“Don’t worry about it, Als,” she said. “You should be worried about Imani and Vera.”

“One of these days, your dad is going to kill you,” Allie said.

Everyone stayed quiet, even Nicole because I think she actually believed it to be true too. A shiver ran down my spine, and I shook my head, hoping that we could get her out of this at some point. She might’ve been captain of the cheer team, but she didn’t have any support.

“On the brighter side, Poison was right,” she said with a half-smile that didn’t meet her eyes. “Piper’s father had something to do with her death. From what I gathered, Piper saw the face of the woman who had been working with that other idiot.”

“Spencer?” I asked.

“Yes,” Nicole said. “I don’t know much more than that, but I’m assuming she didn’t want Piper to say anything, so instead of threatening her, she decided that it’d be best to get rid of her for good with Piper’s father’s help.”

“Which means that …” Allie paused. “Piper must’ve recognized the woman.”

“Hey, boys!” Mrs. Dawson shouted through the windows as she walked from her car and toward one of the side doors with a brown bag, probably filled with her lunch. She wiggled her fingers at them and swayed her hips from side to side, her teal pants blinding me.

“Do you think it’s someone from school?” I asked.

Nicole followed my stare and frowned. “I don’t know. Could be.”

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