Kelly Hill (21 page)

Charleston, West Virginia

June 16th 2010

Rachel

Rachel followed Kelly’s back as they walked towards the hotel Ethan had made reservations at.

The drive had taken close to forty hours and Rachel’s brain was frozen with fear and exhaustion, she hoped she wouldn’t have to see anyone she knew just yet. Jefferson’s letter chilled her more so than she thought it would and she felt the threat in every line he had carefully crafted.

He knew they would find Melody’s body and he knew she would be asked to return, it was only a matter of time. Jefferson was just trying to let her know he was still waiting for her.

Rachel heard Ethan and Logan joke about something behind her and she felt like she wanted to run back to the van, sit down and demand they take her home immediately. She shouldn’t be here, in this place. She shouldn’t be going to Phillips.

Rachel had lied about everything that happened and she still couldn’t protect Phillips. She still couldn’t make everything go away. Every decision she had ever made regarding Jefferson Williams was wrong and that terrified her more than anything else.

He knew they would find Melody’s body and he knew that she would be asked to return, it was only a matter of time. Jefferson was just trying to let her know that he was still waiting for her. His intended target.

He still held a tight grip on her throat, just like he had never let go, and now she was returning. Why in God’s name would she be going back there? This was wrong. This was all wrong.

As if Kelly sensed her apprehension he slowed down his pace and waited for her to be walking alongside him. His hand found hers and gave it light squeeze but didn’t let go. There were no words between the two of them but Rachel felt a little better.

She wasn’t completely alone. Was she?

At the hotel Ethan lead the way to check in and handed Rachel her key card. Their father had paid for all the rooms and Rachel was glad to be alone, but also apprehensive at the same time. When she was alone she couldn’t stop herself from thinking, which was something she most certainly did not want to do. With thinking came Jefferson Williams and Ryan Prescott and everything she thought she had left behind.

Although the letter didn’t contain any new information for her to obsess over, Rachel still couldn’t get it out of her mind. It had done the trick that Jefferson had wanted and she knew it. Part of Jefferson was winning. But hadn’t he already?

Now, with Melody’s body being found it was only a matter of time before everything all came to light.

The ulcer in her stomach twisted around painfully and Rachel wished for the second time that she hadn’t decided to come to this place. She had run away after all, left it all behind her in hopes that she could start life anew. This wasn’t supposed to be a part of the plan.

They walked up to their rooms and Logan and Ethan made plans together about finding something to eat after they put their things away. Rachel decided against venturing out anymore that day, she had to stay behind and call Grear after all. Had to let people know that she had arrived.

Rachel let the door to her hotel room close behind her without so much as caring that it was going to slam. She neatly put her suitcase on the bed and then sat next to it, holding her phone, trying to figure out the words she wanted to use with the headmistress. A part of Rachel knew they weren’t connected anymore, her and Grear, but another part, a larger part, felt the Phillips girl pull in her to make sure she would be as respectful as possible. She had always liked Grear after all.

Finally, she let her thumb find the appropriate contact and she hit the call button.

It only took two rings. Two rings and half a breath.

“Phillips Administration office. How can I help you today?” An office worker formally answered and Rachel sighed, she forgot that she no longer could just ring through to Grear’s personal line.

She sucked in cold air and responded, “Yes, can I speak to Headmistress Grear, please?”

“May I ask what this is pertaining to?” The office worker was just doing her job but Rachel felt annoyed. She had every right to speak to Grear without the permission of a person she had probably never met. She was Rachel Gunn after all.

But instead, Rachel forced a pleasant voice for the lady and tried to sound as welcoming as possible, “Yes, this is Rachel Gunn; I’m calling in regards to speaking at Melody Jeffords’s memorial on Friday.”

“Of course.” The woman sounded unfazed, as if she was expecting this call. As if this was all completely normal. “I’ll transfer you right through, Miss Gunn.”

The transfer took all of thirty seconds and then Rachel was on the phone with Grear, talking to her old headmistress.

“This is Headmistress Grear.” The old familiar tones sounded through the earpiece and Rachel felt the knot in her gut get a little heavier. A little tighter.

“
Hello.” Rachel swallowed, “Its Rachel Gunn.”

“
Rachel!” Grear sounded warmer to hear her voice, to know that it was really her on the other end of the line, “I hope your flight was comfortable?”

Rachel thought back to the letter sitting in her purse and she bit her bottom lip, fighting the uncomfortable feelings this short conversation was causing. “Actually, we drove, but it was quite pleasant.”

“Well, that’s good to hear. And I’m glad you’re in town! Why don’t you stop by the campus tomorrow afternoon and catch up? The memorial isn’t until Friday, but I would so like to see you and hear what your future plans are.” Grear was faking her enthusiasm and both of them knew it. But it was just another obligation for them to hold up. Just another responsibility in a long list of things they had to get done.

“
Of course, what time is free for you?” Rachel answered without thinking about it. Because, if she didn’t think about it she wouldn’t have to acknowledge that it wasn’t something she even felt remotely comfortable doing.

“
How does two sound? I’ve got a meeting with the Prescotts for lunch and that should give me enough time to put things together for you.” Grear asked.

Rachel didn’t think her ulcer could hurt any more than it already did, but at the mention of Ryan’s family it proved her wrong. She knew that Ryan would be there, but again, it had been overshadowed by the poisonous mask of Jefferson Williams. She would have to speak to him at some point in time. Have to find something to say to him.

But what do you say to a person that knew everything and decided to do nothing? Rachel closed her eyes.

“
Yeah, two should be fine.” Rachel swallowed her guilty feelings.

“
Well, then, I’ll see you then.” Rachel heard the receiver click and she knew the conversation was over. But nothing was resolved. Nothing felt better.

Was anything going to feel better ever again?

Rachel sat in the dark of her hotel room for hours, knowing no one would come looking for her just yet. She had told them she wanted to take a nap. Be quiet and just exist for a little while before the memorial, before everything got underway.

But she couldn’t sleep. There was too much going through her mind to allow any sort of rest. So she did the only thing she could think of.

She went back to Phillips.

In the dark it was still easy to find that damned bench that everything seemed to center around. This was the place it all started for her and she wished for the first time that she had never met Jefferson Williams or Kelly Hill.

Chapter Seventeen

Phillips Academy

Charleston, West Virginia

October 19th, 2008

Rachel

If it hadn’t been for Melody’s pleading, Rachel would have gone straight to Grear’s office. In fact, she still might be on her way there; she hadn’t really made up her mind about the whole thing.

All that she knew was that Jefferson was a different sort of a man. He had spent most of his time looking as put together as possible, when he finally let everything go it was more of an explosion of madness than real human expression. But she wasn’t scared yet. It would take more than someone losing control to frighten Rachel Gunn.

She had learned very well how to control herself, something that Jefferson seemed to still need some work on.

But what had gotten him all upset? Grear had told her that they didn’t really get in trouble, everything was going to go back to the way it was and no one was going to talk about it anymore. The solution was harmless and simple. So why the outburst?

Unless there was more to the story that Rachel didn’t know.

It seemed like that was always the case when it came to Jefferson and she wished she had never invited such complications into her life. How ridiculous was it that she couldn’t just have people around her that had the same mindset without all the drama? Rachel shook her head and sat down on the bench she had dubbed as her and Kelly’s.

Kelly was another reason for the complications, but he seemed more straightforward than the others, more open with the truth and less likely to try and spin it in a different direction. Or maybe he was just very clever and was in fact the least honest out of all of them.

Rachel cleared her throat and tried to think of a way out of her situation. Ryan hadn’t spoken to her and Melody really only ever tried to have a conversation with her when it involved other people, like the dance committee, other than that, she kept to herself.

What had she done that could have caused such ostracization? She was only doing what the right thing was and now she was the one being punished for it. Such an odd thing.

As if on cue, Kelly sat on the bench next to her, like he had been waiting for her to appear and maybe he had. Maybe he was following her. Rachel looked at him and never felt more unsafe. With everything that was happening it didn’t feel like she could get away.

But she had sat on the bench first, she reminded herself, this bench, the one that Kelly told her he would wait for her on. She had invited him to sit down with her very presence. Of course he would know. Everyone in that group always seemed to know everything before it was mentioned.

Rachel looked at Kelly and wondered what sort of man he was. Was he like Jefferson? Or was he simple and sweet like Ryan? Was he as vindictive as Melody? Or was he just Kelly? Lost in this as much as she was.

“
Melody told me about what Jefferson did.” Kelly’s voice was low. A secret voice.

If Melody was still talking to him, what did that mean? Melody had made it clear they weren’t friends; she didn’t like Kelly, so why would she talk to him about anything? Especially something that could potentially harm Jefferson?

Rachel was silent, refusing to say anything. She felt in herself the fact that she didn’t trust Kelly as much as the rest of them. They all had ulterior motives and she was just a pawn to them. Moved around at their whim.

“
You should be more careful.” Kelly continued, “You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”

Rachel shrugged, “But I’m already in it, aren’t I?”

Kelly’s lip twitched with a smirk and his green eyes burned despite being hidden by the shade of the oak tree overhead. “There’s still time for you to back out.”

Rachel looked at Kelly and bit the inside of her cheek, thinking about her next move. It would be tricky, navigating the rough waters that were presented to her, but she had to know. If anything, Rachel had been born with an insatiable curiosity, a need for knowledge and now, here was a mystery laid out before her. A real, tangible mystery. What could be so terrible that they were all hiding it, but none of them were really talking to each other?

And why did everyone seem to dislike Kelly when he appeared as the most genuine?

Finally, Rachel made up her mind, sealed her fate and opened her mouth to speak. “I don’t want to back out.”

Kelly’s eyes narrowed and he sighed, “Rachel Gunn, you have some serious brass ones.”

Rachel felt herself smile, that was the first time anyone had referred to her as something more than a scholar. That was the first time anyone had ever taken note that she was anything more.

“You might as well tell me what’s coming, Kelly.” Rachel dared him to tell her truth and maybe he would have if something hadn’t tugged at the corner of his mouth and make him bite his tongue.

Kelly shook his head, “Its better if you don’t know, Rachel. It’s safe this way. I promise. Just stay away from Jefferson.”

Rachel frowned and began to formulate her argument but Kelly only chuckled at her, “Stop trying to figure it out, Rach. You gotta trust me on this.”

And Rachel wished that she had.

Life would have turned out so much more different if she just would have trusted Kelly and left well enough alone.

Later Kelly would tell her that he had it handled, that it was over, settled even, but by then it was too late to stop Rachel from unburying everything again, from making the mess the center of attention again.

That night he would be shouting at her, angry, worried tones that mixed together as Rachel’s eyes focused on the gun that he was holding in his hand.

But that would happen in December and right now, it was only October and Rachel didn’t know any better.