(unedited)
Sorry really doesn't mean a thing,
When I can't believe a word you say.
I'm not your puppet on a string,
Left aside until you wanna play.
You were the one who let me down;
You were the one who fooled around.
"Don't Gimme That" -Aloha From Hell
Hard as I tried, Ashton wouldn't tell me anything else about Olivia.
"How was she killed?" I asked, as he pulled into the school parking lot.
He glanced at me as he cut the engine. "That's the tenth time you've asked that." He paused and glanced at the dashboard. "In three minutes."
"And I won't stop until you tell me," I told him.
"I don't know, okay? I told you that," he said.
I shot him a doubtful look. "And I'm supposed to believe you?"
"All I know is that it was some kind of drug." He hesitated again. "Methanonel."
"The same thing that was used on Skylar?" Someone has shot her with a near fatal dose of it when she had been in the hospital too.
He nodded. "It's clean, easy, quiet. Not that it'd matter though since she was in a coma."
"Isn't Methanonel hard to get, though?" It wasn't just a calming drug. If the dosage was high enough, it could make someone paralyzed, or even unconscious for some time. It was only used if it was 100% necessary. And it definitely wasn't accessible to just anyone.
He shrugged.
"How do you know? Did Kaden tell you?" Hospital records were confidential. Even someone with Ashton's connections would've had a hard time finding something like that out.
He hesitated, then shook his head. "It's just a guess." He glanced outside. "Come on, the bell's about to ring."
I stared at him. I highly doubted Ashton was the kind of person to care about getting to class on time. But I didn't say anything, just grabbed my bag and got out of the car.
Ashton was right. As soon as we walked into the school, the bell rang. Despite the fact that we only had a couple minutes to get to class and that his was probably on the other side of the school, Ashton followed me to my locker.
Vanessa was waiting for me there. I could spot her fiery hair from down the hall. Ashton noticed the same time as I did, and that was when he stopped. "I have to go," he said.
I raised an eyebrow. "What, are you scared of Vanessa now?"
He rolled his eyes. "No, but I'm not in the mood to be teased."
"For what?"
He shook his head, then turned and walked back down the way we had come. I stared at his retreating form until he had blended into the students rushing to class.
"Okay, bye to you too," I muttered, spinning back around to head to my locker.
"Was that Ashton?" Vanessa asked when I got there.
I spun the dial on my lock. "Yeah."
She shot me an amused look. "Is it just me, or was there a five o'clock shadow on his chin?"
I glanced at her. "It's just you," I lied, hoping she'd just drop it.
"Nuh-uh." She shook her head and wiggled her eyebrows. "I know what those look like. Did he spend the night?"
I opened my mouth to tell her it had been Kaden's idea, the shut it immediately when I realized I couldn't. As far as Vanessa knew, Kaden and Ashton didn't know each other, not personally, at least. No one knew about the case, and I wasn't going to ruin it. "We didn't do anything," I said lamely.
"Oh my god," Vanessa squealed. She grabbed me and started dragging me away so fast I barely had time to shut my locker. She kept a firm grip on my arm until we arrived at the lounge I had first met the Elite in. "Tell me everything!" she said, spinning around after she closed the door.
"Vanessa, I have class," I protested.
She waved a hand. "It's just homeroom."
I glanced at the clock. Homeroom would be finishing in a couple minutes, and I had Functions first period. "Nothing happened," I repeated.
"Yeah right." She snorted and stood her ground.
I sighed and sat down on one of the chairs. I had a feeling she wouldn't let me leave until she had finished her questioning. "Fine. Ask away, but it'll be a waste of time."
She squealed, and clapped her hands together. "Okay, when'd you get back from New York?"
"Yesterday night." Sort of. I hadn't really left the airport until this morning. It had been one.
"And has Ashton's been with you ever since?"
I hesitated, then nodded. "He picked me up."
"And stayed the night?"
I nodded again.
She grinned. "Did you guys have-"
I cut in before she finished, knowing where she was going. "No!" I yelled, feeling a slight blush creep onto my cheeks. I hadn't even known he had been in the house.
"Aww, you're blushing!" she said. "Was he good?"
"We didn't do anything!" I could feel my cheeks heating up even further. I sucked in a couple short, silent breaths, trying to make the flush to away. If Vanessa's expression was anything to go by, I didn't succeed.
Vanessa raised her hands. "Okay, okay, I believe you, sheesh."
"Good. Because nothing happened."
"Denial isn't only a river in Ecuador," she sang.
"Egypt," I corrected automatically. "And I thought you said you believed me!"
She leaned down, resting her elbows on the table in front of me, and her chin in her hands. "Tell me you guys at least used protection."
I decided to stop replying, simply burying my face in my hands.
This was how Jacen ended up finding us a couple minutes later. Vanessa, laughing her head off, and me with my palms pressed over my eyes.
"Everything okay?" he asked.
My head snapped up.
"Hey!" Vanessa exclaimed. "Did you know Ashton stayed at Elena's last night?"
Jacen turned to look at me. "No," he said slowly. "Was I supposed to?"
"Ugh." She rolled her eyes. "You're such a douche."
I got up. "I'm going," I said. I didn't want to spend time around Jacen, I still hadn't forgiven him. Even if he was being controlled, he had been an asshole.
He caught my arm. "Wait, I have to talk to you."
"I don't want to talk to you," I replied.
"Brrr," Vanessa said with a fake shiver. Then she turned to me with a curious look. "What'd Jace do now?"
"He was being an asshole."
She rolled her eyes. "He always is. Anything in particular?"
"It's a long story," I said, glancing at him. At least he didn't have the indignity to pretend to be offended.
"Well," Vanessa stood up. "I'll leave him to apologize, then." Before I had time to protest, she was out the door, closing it behind her. And Jacen was blocking me from following her out.
"So you and Ashton?" he asked quietly.
"It's not any of your business," I replied, keeping my tone as cold as possible.
"Just hear me out," he said.
"So you can play more mind games?" I asked. "Thanks, but no thanks." I didn't need any more confusion. I was already questioning enough as is.
"I'm not playing mind games," he protested.
I rolled my eyes. "Of course you aren't."
"I'm sorry," he said.
"That means nothing to me," I told him. I had never trusted Jacen, not really, but I had let him close enough to mess with my mind. Multiple times.
"Come on, Elena, I'm on your side," he said. "I'm trying to help you."
I scoffed. "Right."
He narrowed his eyes. "Want me to prove it?"
"Sure, go ahead." It's not going to work.
"Olivia was killed when you were gone," he said.
I blinked. "I know that."
He didn't look surprised.
He pulled something out of his bag and set it on the table. It was a hospital file. A confidential hospital file. Olivia Tunclet's to be exact.
"You took her file?" I asked.
"I photocopied it." He nodded at the sheets of paper. "Open it. You want to know what happened, don't you?"
I didn't touch it. "How do I know this is to help you, and not me?"
He paused. "It'll help both of us," he said finally.
"And if it doesn't change a thing?" I asked.
He shrugged. "Then at least I'll know I tried."
I still didn't touch the file. "You open it." It was a stretch, but he could've given it to me so my fingerprints would be on the file. I wasn't taking any risks.
Jacen sighed, then flipped it open to the last page. "Time of death, 3:37pm Sunday, December 5th," he started reading out.
"Cause?" I interrupted. Ashton had said it was a drug.
"Methanonel," Jacen said.
What?
I stepped beside him and read the word myself.
Methanonel.
So Ashton had been right. His guess has been crazy accurate, considering the amount of lethal drugs out there.
I glanced at Jacen. "What are you trying to pull?"
"I'm not trying to pull anything," he said.
I stared at him.
He sighed. "At least I tried."
Then, he slung his bag over his shoulder and walked out of the room, leaving the file behind.
That had been way too easy.
I had wanted information, and it had just landed in my lap, for the first time since this shit storm had started. I stared at the file for a while, hands curling and uncurling at my sides. It looked legit, but what if it was just something Jacen had fabricated to confuse me again?
But he hasn't lied to you before.
I hated admitting that, but it was true. Jacen hadn't lied to me before. No lies that I knew of, at least. Everything he had told me had been true, even if he hadn't always -more like he had never- delivered it in a nice way.
It could mean nothing. Just a coincidence.
But I don't believe in coincidences.
It was unlikely that Jacen could've set this up. He didn't know what Ashton and I had been talking about in the car. If Methanonel had been used to kill Olivia, then Ashton had made a very, very accurate guess.
Or he had known for sure.
I wanted to believe that it was purely coincidental, but there were millions of drugs that could be used to kill someone.
It was used before on Skylar, maybe he just thought it was the same person using the same tactic.
Maybe that was all it was. Ashton wasn't stupid. He probably knew more than I did, as much as I didn't want to admit it. I had virtually no idea what I was doing, I was fumbling around blind.
Speak of the devil and he shall appear.
Except, I hadn't spoken of him, just thought.
The door opened, making me jumped. I looked up to see Ashton in the doorway, watching me. Our eyes met for a moment, then I looked away, glancing at the clock. Second period was halfway over, which meant it would be lunch soon. I had missed almost half my day, thanks to Vanessa and Jacen.
"Who gave you that?" Ashton asked, his eyes shifting to the file in front of me.
"Jacen."
"Don't trust him, Elena," he said.
"Why?" I asked, despite the fact that I already didn't. Ashton and Jacen hated each other, I knew that, but I had a feeling that wasn't just the reason for Ashton's warning. If I was wrong, no harm done.
Ashton hesitated, looking away.
"Is he a suspect?" Jacen seemed pretty likely.
He froze, then sighed. "Yes."
"For killing Olivia?"
He nodded slowly.
I raised an eyebrow. "Look at you, voluntarily giving up information." Maybe it was a bit cruel, since I knew Kaden had probably told him not to tell me anything, but I was just so frustrated.
"I'm serious, Elena," he said.
I rolled my eyes. "I know. I don't trust anyone right now."
"Not even me?" Ashton asked.
I shook my head. "Not even you."
"Why?"
"You guessed right," I said, it was sort of an answer, but more to change the subject.
"On what?" he asked.
"On guessing what drug was used to kill Olivia," I replied.
He shot me a suspicious look. "What are you implying?"
"Nothing," I said innocently, even though I knew it wouldn't fool him. "Nothing at all."
He frowned, and opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, his phone buzzed. He pulled it from his back pocket and checked the ID, his frown deepening. "Hey."
I watched him curiously as he glanced at me, then walked to the other side of the room. "No, it's fine," he said after a moment.
He stiffened. "What happened?"
He was silent for a long while after that. Then he only said one word in response to whatever the person he was on the phone with had said. "How?" His tone reminded me of Kaden's, when he was mad, but trying to control it.
A couple seconds later, he hung up and let out a long string of curses.
"Ashton?" I asked. "Was that Kaden? What happened?"
He was silent for a long moment, hands clenched as he stared down at his phone. Finally he looked up. "Something went wrong. They got the wrong person."
"Who got the wrong person?"
He slammed his fist against the wall, making me jump. "The goddamn incompetent police."
I froze. "Who'd they get?" Please not Kaden, please not Kaden.
"They arrested Daniel for killing Olivia."
What? Why Daniel?
ÂThen I remembered... He was the one taking the fall if Kaden and Ashton got caught. Which meant someone had found out something about their case, and tipped off the police.
Daniel had agreed to take the fall, but I could see from Ashton's expression that it was a much steeper fall than any of them expected.
-- â¡ --
Teaser: "Please," he said. "Your families have kept people out of jail before, I know you have."
QotC: Who in the Elite do you trust the most?
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