Broken Pretty Things by Amber Faye

Chapter 10

Our English Litteacher stares at me with concern throughout the entire class, but by now it just fades into the background. My last class of the day. I let my mind wander. Today is a writeoff. I’ll collect the work I need to do from him to catch up, same as my other teachers, and I’ll head home.

It occurs to me for the first time that I probably won’t be getting a ride with Dimitri. I’ll have to make a call to my mom after all. I shake my head to myself, leaning back in my chair. I don’t want her to see me like this. I’ll walk home, maybe sneak in the back door. That’s not something I’ve ever done. We’ve always been close enough that I’ve told her where I am, who I’m with, and when I’ll be back.

That might be one of the worst things about this. Just back in Torrent Bay for a day and I’m foreseeing a whole lot more lying to my mom to come.

I lean back further in my chair until I’m swaying back and forth on the back legs. Deep in thought, I almost don’t notice when Aurelia walks past and boots one of the two remaining chair legs out from under me.

Luckily, I come to my senses quickly enough that I only halfway spill onto the floor, but the whole class still explodes with laughter. “I cannot believe she came back here,” I hear her say, loudly, to Larissa when she gets back to her seat at the back of the classroom. “Like this town needs another ugly-ass whore.”

“You do fulfill the quota, you’re right,” I snap back, straightening out my sweater and then my chair. I couldn’t help it — it was like she fed me the comeback.

“Don’t speak to her,” Larissa says. “She’s so fucking tragic, she’ll probably get off on the attention all night tonight.” Aurelia lets out a peal of laughter as if that was the funniest thing she ever heard.

“Miss Palmer,” the teacher says, right on cue, when the bell rings. He crooks his finger and I wait for the flood of students to leave the room before I slope over to his desk. He looks me up and down and sighs, interlacing his fingers. “I don’t know if you recognize me.”

I frown. “You’re a teacher,” I say, as if he didn’t know that already. He smiles at me and gestures for me to sit down.

“If you had checked your course schedule properly — and don’t worry, Andie, I can tell you’ve had a tough day — you would have seen my name.” He slides a paper over the desk to me and I could not be more confused, but I make a big show of looking at it and nodding. Until— what?

“You’re a Rayne,” I say. I look back up at him. Is he … going to also make my life hell? Why is he smiling at me?

“Spencer Rayne. I started here just a little bit before you left. We met at least twice before that, actually, at our family functions, but don’t worry about it.” He gives an easy laugh. “I just want to tell you I know what you’re going through, and I can be a friend through it. I know my cousin better than most. I know he isn’t…” Mr Rayne leans back in his chair and looks thoughtfully at the ceiling. “Well, he hasn’t had the best time recently. He’s not being his best self. I’m here to talk.” He gives me the chance to speak, but then continues. “Your Chemistry teacher, Mr Greene, mentioned that he thought Gunnar might be making your life difficult. I said I’d talk to him.”

“Please don’t.” It comes out in a rush. “That would just make it worse.”

“At the very least, I can be an ally here. If it gets too much,” he says, “please, know you can come to me.”

Tears prick my eyes and I feel like an idiot for losing control in front of him. In front of a teacher. In front of a Rayne.

“This must be hard on you, being back here, after you lost someone so close to you. No matter the circumstances.” A thick tear plops onto my fidgeting hands. “I want to do what I can to make life easier on you. The worst thing would be if we didn’t see the signs with you, like with Cole—”

I suck in a breath. “Cole didn’t kill himself,” I interrupt. I shouldn’t have said that, necessarily, because I have no evidence and it’s a serious thing, to say I think there was a murder. But I couldn’t stand him finishing his sentence. Cole didn’t kill himself. I’m shaking with silent sobs now. He didn’t.

“Andrea,” he says gently. “What makes you say that?” When I don’t answer, he adds, “This must be so hard. I’m so sorry.”

“He wasn’t sad,” I say finally. He leans in so I’ll repeat myself. I swallow. “He wasn’t sad. He was the happiest person we knew.”

“Right,” Rayne says with a kind nod. Of course, he doesn’t think that means anything. Nobody else did either. “Well, if you have evidence, you should talk to the police.”

I wipe my nose with my sleeve, not caring anymore what he sees. “I did,” I say. “I stormed in and went right to see Dutch. I don’t have evidence,” I say. “I just know. I have to go.” I get up and leave, and he doesn’t stop me. He must think I’m insane. Everybody else already does. What’s one more Rayne?

I can’t decide if it’s a good or a bad thing that Gunnar’s cousin just offered to help me. On one hand, he is my teacher, and he seems genuine enough. On the other, he’s a Rayne.

They can try all they want to hide it from the town, but they’re all fucked up. It just took Gunnar this long to show it.