Page 42 of A Forgotten Mistake

“Trunk it is, then,” Abby says, not at all concerned about the blade at her neck. “Our new mama and papa aren’t going to be overly happy to hear about that.” She sounds so fucking smug for someone who is currently at my mercy.

“They’re not going to hear about shit if you’re not around to tell them,” I threaten.

“That’s your plan? You’re going to kill me and stuff me in the trunk? Or… I’ll make you a deal. I promise I won’t say a single word… if you kill my father.”

The idea of killing her isn’t as tantalizing as killing the man who murdered my mother. And the only reason I killed him is because he got away with it. If the police had managed to arrest him like they were supposed to, I wouldn’t even be here.

“I’m not a killer. That man is the person who killed my mother,” I explain. “He was going to get away with it.”

“If you weren’t a killer, you’d have handed over the information you had to the police,” she says. “There was something that made you confident he was the killer… so why didn’t you notify the police?”

Why didn’t I? It really was that simple, wasn’t it? I told myself it was because they wouldn’t believe me or it wasn’t enough evidence… but it would have been enough.

“Because youwantedto kill him,” she states. “And I want you to kill my father. He deserves to die. Heneedsto die.”

“Then kill him yourself,” I say as I push her away from me.

“I’ll tell everyone. My dad’s a cop. I’ll tell him what you did. You will rot in prison. I’ll tell them you threatened to kill me as well. They won’t even be surprised. They’re already suspicious of you. I see the way Lisa watches you.”

I know they are… I know they think I’m strange. I need to blend in more. I need to keep people from questioning what I’m doing. I’d assumed that as soon as Jonah was gone, I could do that. I could go back to being a straight-A student with my perfect GPA who teachers loved and my classmates thought was funny. Ever since I came to this school, I don’t even know if I’ve paid attention to a single person. I don’t even know if I’ve turned a single assignment in on time.

All I know is that Jonah had to die. And now that he’s dead…

The rush was magnificent… but now it’s over. Will I ever feel a rush like that again? Will I ever…

Abby grabs tightly onto my wrist. “Kill him. Please… kill him. And I will never speak a word of what happened here tonight.”

“Why?” I ask.

“Because he’s a monster and they’re going to send me back to him. I can’t live with a monster. That man…” she chokes out as she points at the trunk. “Imagine hating someone as much as you hated that man… but being forced to live with him. Being forced to watch every move he makes because you know if you make the wrong move, he will beat the shit out of you. But he’ll make sure to only leave marks where no one will see them.”

“What keeps you from telling someone after he’s dead?”

“Why the hell would I ever turn on the person who fixed my entire life?” she asks.

I put my knife away and make sure there isn’t a single thing out of place—that her shoes didn’t smudge anything, that she didn’t leave a hair behind—and then I get into the car.

When she doesn’t move, I roll the window down.

“Get in the car.”

Abby quickly gets in and I back out before hitting the garage door opener and closing the door to a huge part of my life. I make sure to get rid of it before driving off.

“Tonight,” she says.

“Not tonight.”

“They said I could be placed back with him this week.”

“Do you know how long it took me to perfect this?” I ask. “Abby, I’m not rushing it. I need time to think. Time to plan it out. Do you understand? Now I’m going to drop you off at home.”

“You don’t need to. I’ll help you bury the body.”

“I don’t need your help.”

“No… but I need yours,” she says. “Please.”

TEN

---