Page 211 of Choosing You

“I hear Garret had to take off for a few days. Is that why you look so lost?” He smiles at me. “You two can’t even go a day without seeing each other. Must be love.”

“Must be,” I mumble.

I go and sit in the sunroom where just a few hours ago Garret and I were making out and talking about Christmas. I seriously consider the possibility that I’ve entered a different dimension. An alternate universe. This is so strange that there’s no other way to explain it.

I spend the rest of the day and night in my room, only going downstairs to get something to drink. At 10, I try to sleep, just wanting this day to be over. But I can’t sleep. My mind keeps reliving the scene in the study. It still doesn’t seem real. If Garret’s dad hadn’t gotten home when he did, I’d be dead. And Garret would be dead.

I’m so worried about Garret. There was so much blood. What if his dad was wrong? What if Garret isn’t okay?

Just last night we were here together in my bed. And now I don’t know where he is or how he’s doing. I need to know. I need to be with him.

* * *

“Jade? Are you up?”It’s Mr. Kensington. He knocks a couple times on the door.

“Um, no. I’m still in bed.” I squint at the bright light pouring through the window.

“Get dressed and come see me downstairs.”

As I hear him walk away, I glance at the clock. It’s 10 in the morning. I don’t even remember falling asleep.

After I’m dressed I go downstairs and find Mr. Kensington in his office. There’s a flat screen TV mounted on the wall across from his desk. It’s turned on but the sound is muted.

“Good morning, Jade. Have a seat.”

I keep my eyes on the TV as I read the words scrolling at the bottom of the screen. “BREAKING NEWS: Royce Sinclair found dead in his estate in Roanoke, Virginia. Police ruling it an apparent suicide.”

“Jade.” Mr. Kensington tries to get my attention again. “Take a seat.”

I turn to face him and see that he’s pointing at the chair across from his desk. I sit down where he tells me to.

“How did that happen?” I say it slowly as I try to wrap my mind around what I just read.

“How did what happen?” He gives me a look, reminding me of our conversation. Rule number one: Never ask questions.

I glance back at the TV again and see footage of some men carrying out a body bag. They’re coming out of a mansion that has big pillars in front.

“It’s a shame about Royce Sinclair, isn’t it? And here I just hosted that fundraiser for him. Apparently he couldn’t take the pressure of the campaign. Of course, that’s just what was reported. He could’ve had other reasons for taking his own life. I guess we’ll never know. It’s too bad for his family though, especially now at the holidays.”

My jaw nearly drops to the floor as he talks. The way he says it makes me think that he seriously believes the suicide story. It’s like he’s wiped his brain of any memory of what happened in his study. The room that’s just feet from where we’re now sitting.

How did the body get to Virginia? Or maybe it didn’t. Maybe that whole footage on TV was staged. Who knows what was really in that body bag?

But if it’s all staged, how did Mr. Kensington get the media to go along with it? Every channel? Every reporter? Nobody looks into this to see if it’s really true? Nobody thinks it’s strange that a man running for president would kill himself? And what happened to the body? Where did they take it?

CHAPTERFIFTY-FIVE

So many questionsare racing through my mind that I don’t even hear Mr. Kensington talking to me. But I feel his hand on my shoulder and notice him standing next to me.

“Jade. Did you hear me?”

“No. I’m sorry. What were you saying?’

“I said that Garret is coming home tonight. I talked to his doctors and they said the procedure to remove the bullet went perfectly. No problems. And there was minimal damage to the surrounding tissue. So he’ll be fine. Of course he won’t be too happy that he has to sit out the rest of swim season but—”

“Garret is okay?” The news finally hits me and I jump up from my chair.

“Yes. He’s doing even better than expected. He’s a strong boy, though. Always has been.”

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