“At first I thought it was you guys messing with us. Seriously. You sure you weren’t there?”
“Are you kidding me? There’s no way I’d go to the Murder House, especially at night.”
Murder House?
Another girl’s voice: “And you guys really slept in his bedroom?”
“Yeah. She slept on the bed and I slept on the floor.”
“Oh my God, that is so freaky. I think I would’ve died,” said Girl #1.
“Yeah. It was pretty insane,” Hannah agreed.
“I bet he chopped girls into pieces in that room,” said Girl #2. “Probably even raped them.”
Allie’s throat constricted.
“I honestly didn’t think you’d do it,” said Girl #2. “You’ve got some serious balls.”
Girl #1: “Yeah, major cajones. I know I wouldn’t have been able to take that dare.”
Blood pounded so loudly in Allie’s ears, she could barely see straight. Hannah hadn’t wanted to be her friend after all. She was merely trying to score points with girls from school. And she was using her and her brother to do it.
She just wanted to show off by getting the murderer’s loser sister to trust her—and take her to where all the murders happened. And she had succeeded.
Allie ground her teeth and pushed the door open. The room instantly went silent.
Hannah’s jaw dropped, then she quickly looked away.
Allie balled her fists, wanting to punch something. Something like Hannah’s ridiculously gorgeous face. She stared coldly at the other two teenage girls: a blonde and a brunette. Their mouths were both agape.
The blonde took a step back and Allie recognized her as one of the girls from Sherwood Foods. She’d been wearing a soccer uniform.
Allie’s eyes flicked back to Hannah. “And to think I believed that you actually liked me.”
Hannah stared at the bed.
“Stay the hell away from me,” Allie hissed. She spun on her heels and left the room. In the hallway, she passed a smiling Claire.
“It would be pretty rude of me to tell you I told you so, wouldn’t it?” the woman said, her eyes both playful and full of ice.
At the front door, Allie ran into Ted. His forehead creased with concern. “Allie? Is something wrong?”
“Just get out of my way!” she shouted, her voice laced with tears. “All of you just leave me the hell alone!”
CHAPTER 45
ALLIE THREW OPEN the mudroom door, angry tears burning her cheeks. As she crossed the kitchen, she heard Miss Bitty.
“Allie?”
Allie froze in her tracks and looked in the direction the voice had come from. Miss Bitty, Big Joe, Louis, and Ted were all sitting at the kitchen table with cards and poker chips in front of them.
“Did you walk all the way here?” Ted asked, incredulous. “You should’ve told me. I would’ve given you a ride.”
Allie glared at the man.
“Oh no. She turned on you, didn’t she?” Bitty said.
Allie shifted her eyes to the old woman’s. “You . . . you knew?”
“Oh girlie. I’m so sorry.”
“You knew she was using me and you didn’t warn me?”
Bitty’s brows knitted together. “It was just a feeling, Allie.”
“Well, if you had that kind of feeling, then why didn’t you warn me?”
“You need to live your own life and make your own mistakes. Just because I had a hunch didn’t give me the right to butt in.”
“But I was nothing but a sideshow act to her!” Allie yelled, staring directly at Ted. “She was using me to get some other girls to like her. They dared her to become friends with me . . . the weird girl. To get me to show her where my brother killed those people!”
Ted’s eyes widened. “Allie, that’s awful. I had no idea. I just thought you guys had an argument.”
The old woman went to the counter and grabbed some tissue. “Oh Allie, I’m so sorry.” She tried to hand it to Allie, but she wouldn’t accept it. “There will be other friends,” Miss Bitty said. “Sometimes certain people just aren’t meant to—”
“Other friends? Really? Did you really just say that?” Allie spat. “Well, that’s easy for you to say. Everyone likes you. No one has ever liked me! Do you even realize that Hannah was the first real friend I’ve ever even had?”
Allie’s eyes darted to Ted again. He, Louis, and Big Joe were heading out the mudroom door.
Allie turned her attention back to Bitty. “No one even wants to be around me once they get to know me! You were wrong. I am ugly! When people are around me long enough, they start seeing an ugly . . . pathetic . . . misfit. The daughter of a crazy whore and the sister of a sick brother who hated woman and liked to—” Warm tears streamed down her cheeks. “But, of course, you have absolutely no idea how that even feels. You’re so irritatingly perfect and people love the hell out of you!”
Allie was so angry she didn’t care what she did or said. All she cared about was releasing the anger. “Why am I even trying, huh? It’s no use. I was stupid to even think that a girl like Hannah would actually like me. I mean, no one likes me. No one ever has. I’m just a used-up piece of trash. My own mother didn’t even love me. If she had, she would’ve told me so, at least once.” She was outright sobbing now. “But . . . but she knew I didn’t deserve it.” She swiped at her nose with the back of her hand. “People hate me and you know what? They should, because I’m the reason my brother killed himself. It’s because I was selfish. I was so mean to him and just kept pushing him because it made me feel better! I pushed him until he just lost his shit and killed himself! If it hadn’t been for me—”
Allie had no choice but to stop so she could catch her breath. Hiccupping violently, she stared out the window. “I’m exactly what those people in the supermarket said I was,” she said. “I’m a piece of shit, and I just have to accept it.”
Miss Bitty’s voice was calm. “Do you really believe that, Allie?”