All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab Read Free Book Online

previous year—in my memories of the police investigation, depositions, and trial, she hovered only at the very periphery, if I could recall her presence at all. Audrey fascinated the papers. I assume it was because she and Carly were like sisters, roughly the same age, and both students at Brighton. The word used most often in the articles to describe her was “stoic,” so that is how I pictured her: silent and stone-faced, absorbing everything.
    For cousins, Audrey and Carly looked nothing alike. Carly had inherited her mother’s creamy Irish skin, straight dark hair, and brilliant china blue eyes, the envy of every girl in our class. She was much shorter than Audrey, petite and curvy and certainly eye-catching, but there was no doubt that Audrey was the gorgeous one. Audrey was solid, tall, and athletically built. Her skin was darker, always a little tan courtesy of her Italian blood, but she had gotten her mother’s blond hair, green eyes, and flushed, heart-shaped face.
    Through a combination of good looks, patience, and plain dumb luck, Audrey managed to attract the attention of Cass Irving, the most popular guy in our class and a very promising basketball player. Only a few days after Carly’s murder, Cass—under pressure from his parents and his friends to disassociate himself from Enzo’s daughter—unceremoniously cut his ties with Audrey. He might as well have taken her out to sea and thrown her overboard; the friends her relationship with Cass had attracted dispersed quickly, and though I suppose that I should have admired Audrey’s resilience, at the time I felt as though she had gotten what was coming to her. I certainly didn’t feel sorry for her. I guess I thought things would inevitably get better once she moved into her maternalgrandparents’ mansion in the hills, reminding everyone that she was actually part of Empire Valley’s elite, but that never happened. She had been tutored privately throughout the trial last year, but now she was back and I hadn’t seen one person make an effort to speak to her. Her old friends appeared to be giving her an extremely wide berth. It was strange seeing Audrey without a swarm of people. She didn’t seem built to be a loner.
    When the bell rang for sixth period, Audrey closed her book, got up, and disappeared into the cool darkness of the science building. I gathered my things and ran after her.
    “So, I have a question,” I said, falling into step beside her.
    “Sure, go ahead.”
    “How did you get into AP English? I didn’t even know you could read.”
    She stopped and turned to stare at me, her expression not so much offended as bemused. “Does it bother you?”
    I hesitated before saying, “No, why should it?”
    She shook her head and continued walking. “Finch let me into AP classes because of all the work I did last year with my tutor. Caring about school isn’t exclusively for the brain trust, you know, Think Tank.”
    “Don’t call me that.” Think Tank was what Audrey and Carly’s dumbass group of friends—Adam Murray in particular-called me.
    She shrugged. “Mind if I go to biology now? It’s the first day—I want to get a good seat.”
    “Sure, fine. Be my guest,” I said sarcastically.
    “Don’t worry, Neily,” she said. “It has nothing to do with you.”
    “I didn’t think it did,” I lied.

    When I got home, my mother was already at the hospital. She had left me a frozen packaged casserole to heat up and a note saying my father had called to check in. When my father was on a paternal kick, it was better to let my mother answer the phone, or let the call go to the machine. That way, he was able to prove he cared without ever having to speak to me. The presence of a middleman assured him that yes, he was a good father, but circumstances beyond his control had made me unavailable to him. Then we both got what we wanted.
    I took an energy drink out of the refrigerator and popped the tab. There was plenty I could do, but