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iheartgracie · 1 year

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redarthur quotes

“Arthur was standing just behind Oliver and Reyna, now shooting a closed-mouth smile as he caught Red’s eye.”

“Arthur had sat with her the whole time, calmly directing her, as though he could tell when she was zoning in and out, or when she was panicking about the size of the RV and how small everything looked from up here.”

“Red liked his glasses, standing out against his tan skin and curly dark brown hair. She wondered whether she needed glasses; faraway things seem to have gotten farther and fuzzier lately. Another thing to add to the to-worry list, because she couldn’t do anything about it. Yet. Arthur caught her looking, smiling as he ran a finger over the light stubble on his chin.”

“What’s up?” she said. “Deathly allergic to cheese puffs?”

“No, thankfully,” Arthur said, feeling his way as he sat down on the sofa bed.”

“Red turned back to Arthur. “Well, good thing you’re not spending a whole week in this cramped RV. Oh…wait.” Red smiled at him.

“I know, right.”

“Red guessed Arthur didn’t much like his friends at his own school, because he’d been coming to all their parties and hangouts since senior year began. And that was okay, because she liked having him around. He always asked how she was and how was her day, even though Red usually answered with lies or exaggerated stories with only faint traces of the truth. He showed interest when Red wasn’t interesting at all. And there was that time he dropped her home after that New Year’s Eve party and let her sit in his car, warming up in the dry air of the heater before she had to go inside the cold house and find whatever mess her dad had left for her. Arthur didn’t know that was happening, he thought they were just talking, talking the night away at two in the morning outside her house. A small kindness he never knew he’d given her. She should give him one back.”

“Well, if you did it, why haven’t you checked it off?” Arthur said, pointing to the small empty box on the see-through flesh of her hand. “Here.” He stood up, grabbing one of Maddy’s pens from the table that she’d used in an earlier game of Hangman. He uncapped it and leaned toward Red, pressing the felt-tip end against her skin. Gently, he drew two lines: a check mark in the little box. “There you go,” he said, standing back to admire his handiwork.

Red looked at her hand. And it felt stupid to admit it to herself, but the sight of that little check mark did change something in her. Small, minuscule, a tiny firework bursting in her head, but it felt good. It always felt good, checking off those boxes. She held out her hand proudly for Maddy to examine and got the nod of approval she was looking for. Arthur was still watching her, a look in his eyes, a different one that Red couldn’t decipher.”

“Red wasn’t any help, was she? Standing here looking at the moon.

“It’s big tonight,” Arthur said, following her eyes to the sky.”

“Must say, exploding the tire with your mind was a slightly drastic measure.”

Arthur clicked his tongue. “Desperate times,” he said.

“What do you think it could have been, really?”

He shrugged. “Probably a sharp rock or glass, like Oliver said.” And was Red imagining it, or did his voice sometimes soften for her? No, he was just nice to everybody.”

“At least it’s only raw tomatoes,” Red said, “so you can still eat pizza.”

“What is she talking about?” Oliver said, almost there with the final nut.

“Oh, my allergy.” Arthur smiled, somehow staying with her. That was rare. Red lost most people at least a few times a day, sometimes a few times per conversation. “I know, not sure life would be worth it without pizza. I’d just have to have a perma-rash.”

“Hey, grow a beard and no one would know,” she said. It would probably look good on him too.”

“Need to get yourself an outside job, then,” she said. “Dog-walker?”

Arthur shook the expression out of his face, recovering as he turned to her.

“Farmer?” he countered.

“Nature conservationist?” she said.

“Ooh, nice.”

Red had another one: “Axe-murderer?” she said.

“I hear that’s taken.”

“And Arthur was crouched here, next to her.

“I tried to get you,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

“Last chances to smile, to laugh, to tell Arthur she liked him and it was okay that he didn’t like her back because she was unlikable at times, she knew that”

“Red watched the dark shape of Arthur struggle with his, fiddling with the front of his jeans. Close enough to reach out and touch. To hold hands, even, if they didn’t need both hands for this plan.”

“So,” he said, nodding his head back the way she’d just come. “Using a mirror to reflect one of us to bait a shot,” he summarized, again, better than Red ever could. “That’s smart,” he added.

“The Lavoys are very smart,” Red said.

“Want to know a secret?” Arthur said, his voice dipping into whispers, eyes flashing from behind his glasses. “I think you’re smarter.”

“I think you’re lying,” Arthur retorted, knocking away at it.

She looked up at him, that same drunk-warm feeling behind her eyes. Why was he so kind to her? And why did that make her want to be un-kinder back? Because she didn’t deserve it, that was why. She was just Red. Just Red and Just Arthur, and they should probably just stay that way, because she didn’t know how to be somebody’s someone.

“That’s okay,” Arthur said, like he could read the thoughts racing behind her eyes. But he couldn’t, he didn’t know what lived back there, in her head. “Your secret is safe with me. It always is.”

“I don’t have secrets.” She hid behind a smile again. Oh, stop it, grinning like an idiot.

“International spy?” Arthur asked.

“I wish.”

“Your real name is Agatha?”

“Only if yours is Edgar.”

“Secret frog-racing champion?”

“You got me,” she said.

“Nice.”

“She stepped down, the shirts bundled in her arms. They smelled clean, and yet somehow they still smelled like him. The same as the hoodie he’d let her borrow after New Year’s Eve when he dropped her home. She’d slept in it that night, under her coat, and in the morning it only smelled like her. Arthur had never asked for it back. Maybe he was used to losing things too.”

“Red reached, stretching out her fingers, each one too aware of itself and of what she was making them do. She rested her hand on Arthur’s head just for a moment, near the back of his neck. Mom used to do that to her when she was upset, and Red didn’t even realize until right now that she missed it. She shouldn’t think of her, why did she keep thinking of her tonight?

Arthur glanced up, her hand sliding off. He caught it in one of his waiting hands, squeezed, his fingers warm against the cool of her knuckles.”

“Red?” Arthur’s voice interrupted the thought; he was standing behind her. She straightened up and turned.

His eyes were drawn and sad behind his glasses, lashes long and downcast.

He didn’t say anything, just raised his eyes to meet hers and then raised one hand.

There, on the back of his hand, written in that same black felt-tip pen against his tan skin, were the words: YOU OK?

Beside them were two options. YES with a square checkbox drawn next to it, riding up one knuckle. And below that, NO, with an empty box.

Arthur gave her the pen, pressing it into her hand, fingers warm against hers as they lingered there. Something passed between their eyes. Red held up the pen, uncapped it. She was always fine, when people asked. Of course she was fine, thanks, yes, she and Dad were doing just great, thank you. Fine, okay, fine. An elaborate lie squeezed into those two tiny words, the greatest gifts to a liar like her. No one asked for more detail if you were fine. But Arthur, he was really asking, she could tell. And so Red really answered.”

“Something touched her floating hand, in the darkness of the backs of her eyelids, the yellow glow of the overhead lights fighting through. Skin, fingers, intertwining through hers. Red opened her eyes, blinking in the new light, and there was Arthur. ”

“Arms around her waist again, locking on.

“I’ve got you, Red,” Arthur said in her ear, hoisting her to her feet, dragging her back up the steps, her body pressed against his.”

“Arthur drew Red’s head back, brushing the wayward hair out of her eyes, and the dirt and the grit.

“You’re okay.” His words against the back of her head, warm and spreading. One hand against her forehead. “You’re okay.”

“You okay?” Arthur asked her.

“You don’t care,” she replied.

He looked hurt by that, a flicker by his mouth.”

“Red staggered sideways, one leg buckling beneath her. Someone caught her.

Arthur.

His hands under her elbows, keeping her on her feet. He looked her in the eyes, blinking slowly, twin tears chasing down his face.

“Red,” he said, low, soft, almost too soft to cut through the air in this RV. “Look at me.”

She was looking at him.

“It’s not your fault,” he said.

“What?” Red sniffed.

“It’s not your fault your mom died.”

“Arthur stroked his hand down the back of her hair, to the ends of her ponytail.”

“I’m sorry for every hurt I caused you. I’m sorry I didn’t try harder to protect you. I’m sorry I never got to tell you. I’m sorry I never kissed you.”

#redarthur #redarthur quotes #redarthurquotes #hollyjackson #holly jackson #five survive red #five survive #five survive quotes #five survive book #book quotes

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thereaderbee · 2 years

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📚 Do you like mystery or thriller books? OR, what’s your current favorite genre? Happy Monday, Bookworms … Did you guys have a great weekend? Did you get much reading done? I hope that you did. 🥰 Do you like mystery or thriller books? I just recently started really getting into both genres this year, and I am really enjoying them. 🥰 My current favorite genres are romance, fantasy and mystery/thriller. What about you guys? 📖 ☀️ 📖 ☀️ 📖 ☀️ #AlltheBookAug22 #MyFictionalMusings #CourtofReadingAug22 #ReadingintheWeb ☀️ 📖 ☀️ 📖 ☀️ 📖 #bookseries #hollyjackson #goodgirlsguidetomurder #mysterybooks #thrillerbooks #yabooks #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #booksbooksbooks #cozyreading #bookishphotography #fortheloveofreading #nevernotreading #yabookstagram #bookphoto #bookobsessed #bookish #bookreader #readmore #shelfie #bookshelf #mondayvibes #books #reading #hardcover #booklover https://www.instagram.com/p/Cg_p6zlujc3/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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nicasbookblr · 2 years

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Reading Progress Check ✅ A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson Currently halfway through this book. I’ve watched a lot of mystery and thriller movies to know not to believe whatever the evidence is pointing at and I just read the plot twist that I’ve been waiting for since the beginning. Hoping for a more twisted turn of events tho. Also got this book from @bookoutlet for 6 bucks! 🔖 #agggtm #agoodgirlsguidetomurder #hollyjackson #bookishcanadians #bookblogger #bibliophile #bookstagramcanada #bookstagramphilippines #bookaddict #instabook #ilovebooks #bookishcommunity #booksofinstagram #bookstagramcommunity #books #bookreviewer #igreads #bookworm #readersofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #bookgram #booklover #goodreads #currentlyreading (at Calgary, Alberta) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChBRp3bJYxx/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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fromme20 · 1 year

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- “A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading.” - #WilliamStyron 📖 I’ve smiled, I’ve laughed, I’ve learned, I’ve cried… This is what a good #book does! 🥰 #ThankYouNext 📚 #HollyJackson #AGoodGirlsGuideToMurder (at Shadwell, London) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpqJxBsNpqk/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#williamstyron #book #thankyounext #hollyjackson #agoodgirlsguidetomurder

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bookperusing · 1 year

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Q: Which books are you looking forward to reading in February? A: Since I am already done with Chain of Thorns [yup, still thinking about it😂], I am looking forward to reading A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by @hojay92! It's been in my TBR for a while now, so I am pretty excited to read it! ✨ [Tags: #february #februaryreads #agoodgirlsguidetomurder #goodgirlbadblood #asgoodasdead #pip #pippa #pippafitzamobi #hollyjackson #tbr #neverendingtbr #books #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #paperbacks #audiobooks ] https://www.instagram.com/p/CoS-EvXrrSp/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#february #februaryreads #agoodgirlsguidetomurder #goodgirlbadblood #asgoodasdead #pip #pippa #pippafitzamobi #hollyjackson #tbr #neverendingtbr #books #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #paperbacks #audiobooks

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vibrantrae72 · 1 year

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📚 #AGoodGirlsGuideToMurder 👀 I started this book and had some trouble getting into it. I took a break and came back to it a few days ago rejuvenated. This book took me on a thrilling journey through a high school seniors project to find a murderer after 5 years of the case being closed tight. Pip digs and digs despite countless threats and uncovers something she may regret. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 🗣️ "Real men wear floral when trespassing.” #hollyjackson #yathriller #yabooks #bookstagram #books #booklover #bookworm #bookstagrammer #yabookstagram #bookish #booknerd #bibliophile #yalit #reading #booksofinstagram #bookaddict #youngadultbooks #bookphotography #book #booksbooksbooks #readersofinstagram #ya #yareads #ireadya #yafiction #bookreview #bookaholic #youngadult #thrillingreads https://www.instagram.com/p/CoQpB_grY3E/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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kirstypedia · 1 year

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I read 13 books in January. - 10 I owned and 3 I borrowed. - 10 physical and 3 eBooks. - 2 DNFs - 3 5* reads - 5 Series sorted: 1 finished, 3 caught up on, and 1 DNFd - Av. Rating of 4.08* 🌜The Mortal Instruments Graphic Novel Vol.6 by @cassieclare1 & @cassiejp : 5* 🌜The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox : DNF 🌜Twisted Hate by @authoranahuang : 4.75* 🌜Twsited Lies by @authoranahuang : 4.5* 🌜House of Sky and Breath by @therealsjmaas : 5* 🌜Good Girl, Bad Blood by @hojay92 : 5* 🌜Kill Joy by @hojay92 : 4.5* 🌜Twisted Games by @authoranahuang : 4.75* 🌜Angelopolis by Danielle Trussoni : DNF 🌜Undercover Bromance by @lyssakayadams : 3.5* 🌜Always Practice Safe Hex by @juliettecrossauthor : 4* 🌜Resting Witch Face by @juliettecrossauthor : 3.5* 🌜The Roommate Risk by @taliahibbert : 4.5* Not a bad start to the year! Roll on February, a new job, a new start, and a good old sort out of my bookshelves I reckon ☺️ #bookstragram #booksbooksbooks #readingwrapup #januaryreadingwrapup #taliahibbert #sarahjmaas #cassandraclare #hollyjackson #anahung #romance #fantasy #fantasyromance #useyourlibrary #ku https://www.instagram.com/p/CoFQqldD2t6/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#bookstragram #booksbooksbooks #readingwrapup #januaryreadingwrapup #taliahibbert #sarahjmaas #cassandraclare #hollyjackson #anahung #romance #fantasy #fantasyromance #useyourlibrary #ku

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cupofteajones · 1 year

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Still a little down from the crappy work day I had yesterday. So spending this rainy day catching up on my reading and a nice cup of tea. What am I currently reading? 📖 "Five Survive" by @hojay92 and I'm loving it so far! 😍 #books #currentlyreading #rainydayactivities #rainydayreading #bookstagram #hollyjackson #books2022 #ukyabooks #mentalwellbeing #destressing #ebooks https://www.instagram.com/p/Cltva3qr_rQ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#books #currentlyreading #rainydayactivities #rainydayreading #bookstagram #hollyjackson #books2022 #ukyabooks #mentalwellbeing #destressing #ebooks

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booknotesbyathina · 1 year

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Hello everyone!! Today I am really excited to share with you Five Survive by Holly Jackson (@hojay92), which is a YA thriller. The book is already out. *** Check out my post on my blog Book Notes by Athina for more information, as well as the link to the tour schedule. *** About the book: Eight hours. Six friends. Five survive. A road trip turns deadly in this addictive YA thriller from the bestselling author of the worldwide phenomenon A GOOD GIRL’S GUIDE TO MURDER. Red Kenny is on a road trip for spring break with five friends: Her best friend – the older brother – his perfect girlfriend – a secret crush – a classmate – and a killer. When their RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere with no cell service, they soon realize this is no accident. They have been trapped by someone out there in the dark, someone who clearly wants one of them dead. With eight hours until dawn, the six friends must escape, or figure out which of them is the target. But is there a liar among them? Buried secrets will be forced to light and tensions inside the RV will reach deadly levels. Not all of them will survive the night. . . . Content Warning: guns, death threats, mob violence, death, injury *** @tbrbeyondtours #fivesurvive #TBRBeyondTours #hollyjackson #bookaddict #bookcommunity #readingismagic #bookblogger #bookreviewer #greekbookstagram #instavivlio #vivlio #diavazo #eucitesc #mybookfeatures #over30sbookstagram #bookstamums #booknotes_athina #ipreview via @preview.app (at Sitia , Crête) https://www.instagram.com/p/ClofweErgGq/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#fivesurvive #tbrbeyondtours #hollyjackson #bookaddict #bookcommunity #readingismagic #bookblogger #bookreviewer #greekbookstagram #instavivlio #vivlio #diavazo #eucitesc #mybookfeatures #over30sbookstagram #bookstamums #booknotes_athina #ipreview

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crmacgal · 1 year

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Good Problem To Have

I currently have over 15 books in my TBR pile. Well, there’s probably closer to 1500, but there’s 15 that I have put aside (either in e-book or regular book) that I’m planning to read in the next month. The only negative thing I can say with this problem is that it makes me want to rush through my reading---to the point where I might not be enjoying them as much as I could/should. So am I complaining? Absolutely not. Am I wishing I had more hours in the day? ALWAYS!!

Five Survive by Holly Jackson

Red and five of her friends are taking an RV to spring break---it’s a good way to save some money, and it’s a fun trip. At least it’s fun until they find themselves a bit lost on a road, with no cell service to navigate forward. When they attempt to turn around and go back, they get a flat tire, which turns into for flats, which turns into actual bullets flying past their heads as they run back to the RV for shelter. It doesn’t take long for them to realize they’ve been targeted, and someone in the group isn’t really there for spring break. Although this was a YA book, it’s a pretty decent thriller. The characters were all relatable and I found myself quickly pulled into the story. I definitely recommend, especially if you’re looking for something that wraps up nicely in the end without too many loose ends.

4 Stars

Special Note: Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

________________________________________________________________

The Drift by C. J. Tudor

During a severe snowstorm, Hannah’s boarding school is evacuated and she finds herself trying to survive the bus crash in the middle of nothing but snow drifts. In a separate storyline, Meg finds herself stranded with strangers in a cable car during a snowstorm, with no sign of help coming for them. In a third POV, Carter is trekking back to the ski chalet where he lives and works, trying to get to safety before the storm becomes impassable. How the story comes together for these three individuals, all facing dramatic life-or-death situations is absolutely riveting. How are their lives related and who will survive in the end? I wasn’t sure about this book at all, but it sucked me in and held me captive until the last page. Highly recommend, especially for a snowy evening read!

5 Stars

Special Note: Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

________________________________________________________________

Secrets Between Friends by Tracy Buchanan

Liz is back in Easthaven, living with her mother again but this time with her two daughters in tow as she goes through a messy divorce. When she finds out Tamsin is back as well and living at Lakewell Manor, Liz decides to reach out and try to rebuild the friendship she shared with her once best friend. Their initial meeting is promising, only for Liz to return and find that another woman has taken Tamsin’s place, using her identity and living in her home. For Liz to find out the real truth may cause her more problems than she can afford, but what happened to the real Tamsin? I enjoyed this book, even if the characters annoyed me at times. It held my attention and I thought some of the twists were well thought-out. At other times, I found myself wanting to shake Liz and tell her to think…but I guess that’s how it is with real people sometimes, too. 😊

3 Stars

Special Note: Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

#hollyjackson #cjtudor #tracybuchanan #netgalley #fiction #mystery #thrillers

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iheartgracie · 1 year

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Red Sad Quotes

“And youse all owe me seven bucks for the snacks I got at the gas station.”

Red stared down at the chips left in her hand.

“Hey.” Maddy leaned over the table. “I’ll cover you for the snacks, don’t worry about it.”

Red swallowed. Looked down even farther to hide her eyes from Maddy. Not worrying wasn’t a choice, not one Red had anyway. In her darkest moments, those winter nights when she had to wear her coat to bed, over two pairs of pajamas and five pairs of socks, and still shivered anyway”

“Stop that. She felt a flush in her cheeks. Shame was a red feeling, a hot one, just like guilt and anger. Why couldn’t the Kennys heat their home on guilt and shame alone? But things would get better soon, right? Real soon, that was the plan, what it was all for. And then everything would be different. How freeing it would be to just do or think, and not have to double-think or triple-think, or say No thank you, maybe next time. To not beg for extra shifts at work and lose sleep either way. To take another handful of chips just because she wanted to.”

“Red realized she hadn’t said anything yet. “Thanks,” she mumbled, keeping her eyes to herself, but she didn’t take any more chips, it didn’t feel right. She’d just have to live with that feeling in her gut. And maybe it wasn’t hunger after all that.”

“Mom.

Like Maddy thought Red would split open and bleed just to see the word.

It had been the same for years. In freshman year, Maddy used to take kids to the side and tell them off for saying yo Momma jokes in front of Red. She didn’t think Red would ever find out. It was a forbidden word, a dirty word. She even got weird talking about the Mummers Parade in front of Red.

How ridiculous.

Except, the thing was, Maddy wasn’t wrong.

Red did bleed just to see the word, to hear it, to think it, to remember, the guilt leaving a crater in her chest. Blood, red as her name and red as her shame. So, she didn’t think it, or remember, and she wouldn’t look to the left to see her mom’s face in her reflection in the window. No, she wouldn’t. These eyes were just hers.”

“I don’t understand it,” he said. “You were such a smart kid.”

Don’t say it, please don’t say it.

“Seems a shame,” Oliver went on. “You had so much potential.”

And there it was. The line that ripped her open. She’d lost count of the number of times it had been said to her, but there was only one that truly mattered. Red was thirteen and Mom was alive, screaming at each other across the kitchen, back when it used to be warm.

“Red?” Maddy was saying.

It was too hot in here.

Red stood up, knocking her knees against the table, swaying as the RV turned.

“I gotta go—”

“Red wasn’t any help, was she? Standing here looking at the moon.”

“Sometimes it was difficult to pee when she thought about it too hard. So she thought about something else, thought about how good it would feel when this night was finally over. Thought about whether her dad had managed to find one of the ready-meals she’d left him tonight, or if he’d passed out before he could. It wasn’t enough. Nothing she could do for him was enough. There was a ghost in Red’s house, and it wasn’t her mom. Dad needed help, proper help, and you needed money for that. But Red would take care of that for him soon; that was the plan. She just had to see everything through. Not that she could see anything right now, apart from the outline of her phone.”

“She could not speak of her, would not think of her. Arthur hadn’t known Red in the before time, he was new, he wasn’t supposed to know about her mom. Maybe that was what Red liked most about him, that he was untainted by knowing. Except he did know, Maddy had told him. Did that change everything? Was that why he was always nice to her, why he softened his voice? She looked down. That was enough. Red refused to think about Arthur knowing, pitying her, or about Mom. Push it away, out of her head, skip to the next thought. Gone.”

“Red couldn’t move. Why couldn’t she move? The voices of the others blurred into a high-pitched hum in her head. Arthur sprinted past her in the ringing silence, scrabbling for her arm, but she couldn’t move.

“Red!” he screamed from the steps.

She smelled something, bitter and strong and—

“Move, Arthur, get inside!” Oliver barked, pushing Reyna in front of him and up. “Come on, Simon, hurry! Take my hand! Okay, is everyone inside? Red? Where’s Red?”

Red faced down the darkness, breath trapped in her throat. Why wasn’t she moving? Just move. And then the voice wasn’t hers anymore, it was her mom’s. There’d been a shooting in the city, downtown. And Mom wanted her to know something. You have to run, Red. If there’s ever an active shooter. Run, don’t hide. It’s harder to hit you when you’re moving, so run! Run now, sweetie. Run!

Run, Red. She should run. She needed to run, out into the wide-open nothing.”

“Smart. Another word Red didn’t belong in a sentence with. She had potential, though, remember. Had it, but didn’t use it, that was why people said it.”

“This is the worst day of my life.”

It wasn’t Red’s, though, was it? No, she didn’t think so, she’d never replace hers. February 6, 2017. It wasn’t enough just to lose her mom that way, was it? No, there had to be that last phone call too, still hurting from their argument in the kitchen the day before, about Red not concentrating in school, about her grades slipping. Mom called the home phone at 7:06 p.m., to say she’d be late for dinner. Red was the one who picked up. Red didn’t want to talk to her. Fine, she’d replied, thinking Good instead. Maybe she could go to bed without even seeing her mom tonight, without restarting the fight. But Red restarted it then, she couldn’t help it, bristling when her mom called her sweetie.”

“That was when Red knew for certain that she and Oliver Lavoy did not live in the same world. She could never hear a helicopter and think it was sent for her. No one loved her enough for that.”

“Red was surprised there was any left as she passed the bunks and through the open door into the back bedroom. Surely there was just a hole in her chest now, an empty echo against the cage of her ribs.

She placed the walkie-talkie on the bed, laying it down carefully like it could feel pain too. With her other hand, she grabbed a pillow from the top of the bed, digging her fingers into it, the fabric pulling like spiderwebs around her fist. She brought the pillow to her face, held it there with both hands.

Red screamed.

She screamed, the heat of the muted sound hitting her in the face, stinging her eyes. She screamed until it started to snag in her throat, and then she stopped. Put the pillow back in its place, fluffed it up so it didn’t look disturbed. She picked up the walkie-talkie, checked it was okay, and then walked back to the others.

Oliver watched her as she returned.

“How did you know?” His voice was hoarse. “How did you know he would do that?”

Red didn’t know if she could talk, not until the words were there waiting, raw from the silent scream.

“Because he said. He told us he would kill them and I believed him.”

She didn’t need to say the rest, it was there, haunting the end of the sentence, finishing the thought. I believed him, but you didn’t.”

“She reached out and held his hand steady, gripped the pen and drew a check mark in the box next to NO. She wasn’t okay.”

“A second later, Simon’s words punched her in the gut, winding her, gnawing at her chest. Keep everything as cheap as possible so that Red could come. Her fault again. Simon and Maddy, talking about her behind her back, making Red their problem to solve. And why did it hurt so much that they all knew? Little Red Kenny, poor as dirt and a dead mom, but she had potential, hadn’t you heard? Everyone was looking at her now, everyone but Arthur. Red’s eyes glazed but she blinked the tears back, forcing her eyes open and closed. Don’t you dare, don’t you fucking dare. She didn’t need their pity, she had her plan.”

“Red had been prepared for any question about her testimony, including that, running through them like drills, memorizing her responses so she could make them look natural on the stand.

“Sometimes I go to the waterfront, by the piers,” she said, clearing her throat, pausing in the appropriate place. “Because it’s close to where my m…” She breathed, and that wasn’t part of the act; it still hurt to say, guilt churning in her gut beside the fear and dread. “Where my mom died.”

“Her heart was fast in her chest, too fast, it knew what was coming and so did she, both unraveling at their seams. She didn’t want to die. She wasn’t ready. And, oh god, she’d know it was coming, just like her mom did, lifetimes of regret and guilt and anger and hate in those last few seconds of life. No one’s world would fall apart without her, though, at least that was one good thing. Would it hurt, or would it feel like relief, when the bullet finally split her open? What should her final thought be? Please, not about the fucking pattern in those fucking curtains, why couldn’t she let that go? She was supposed to be thinking about dying, for fuck’s sake. She didn’t want to die. No, this couldn’t be happening.”

“Should she keep going, all the way into the back bedroom to scream into the pillow again? She wasn’t sure she could, anyway, this was beyond screaming. This wasn’t real.

She spun on her heels slowly, closing her eyes so she could pretend she was anywhere but here. Anywhere was better than this RV. Even at the funeral, Catherine Lavoy’s hard grip on her shoulder, bones shattering under the volley of rifle fire, the sad, high notes of the bagpipes. Or under her comforter, all the way under, pajamas, sweater, and a coat, gloves and three pairs of socks, and still somehow cold. Her cheeks weren’t, though, because she was crying, cursing her mom for leaving them and letting the world fall apart without her. Cursing herself because, actually, Mom wouldn’t be dead without her. It was Red’s fault. She broke the world, she took her mom out of it, and didn’t know how to put it all back after. What would Mom say to her now? Mom used to fix everything; found Red’s keys when she lost them, pulled those silly faces in the mirror to make her snort on a bad morning. Red could almost hear her voice now, the way she leaned into the word sweetie, warm and bright, but she pushed it away under the static of all those bad memories. Everything came back to Mom somehow, but Red couldn’t drag her into this, she didn’t belong. Mom was dead. And now the others were going to decide if Red would die too.”

“Her knees were wet against the road, the sweet, cloying smell of gasoline soaking through.

No, no. She couldn’t die like this. On her knees, like Mom. Knowing it was coming.

She tried to push up, but all the strength was gone from her, all the fight, crashing back down.

Red glanced down at her legs. Why weren’t they working?

And then she saw it.

The red dot.

Circling there, on her chest. Riding up and down the lines of her checked shirt. Hiding in the frame of her buttons.

This was it.

Soon there’d be a hole there instead, where her heart used to be.

This was it.

Red closed her eyes.

What thoughts should be her last?

The same as her Mom’s? Anger. Hate. Replaying that last fight when everything ended, so she lived for eternity in that horrible moment, stuck in the loop. Mom died and she took everything with her. How could she do that to Red? Mom died on her knees and it was all Red’s fault, and Red was going to die on her knees and it was all Mom’s fault. Blame enough to go around, doubling and doubling until there was too much and Red couldn’t bear it anymore. Take those feelings away, blow them out of her head.”

“The door slammed shut.

Red collapsed back against Arthur, looking down, searching her chest for the red dot, for a hole, for a burble of blood.

Someone was screaming.

It was her.”

“It was hot in here but Red was shivering, winter-night-without-heating shivering. Worse. Muscles vibrating uncontrollably beneath her skin, teeth chattering, crunching the last flecks of dirt in her mouth.

Her breath was too fast, whistling in and out of her chest, agonizing. Why was there pain everywhere? She was alive and it hurt to be alive.”

“He had his opportunity. You were right there. For three minutes. Why didn’t he shoot you, Red?”

“I don’t know!” Red shouted back, rage churning in her gut, taking over all those other red feelings. It was brighter, hotter. “I don’t know why he didn’t fucking shoot me!”

“Red knew real shame and this wasn’t it. Real shame was killing your mom and having to live with it, knowing that she died and the last thing you ever said to her was that you hated her”

“Her breath was too loud, like a windstorm trapped in her head, pushing at the backs of her eyes. She hadn’t said any of this out loud for years, she’d lived alone in the guilt and the shame ever since. “My mom tried to tell me something on that phone call, she asked me to tell my dad something. But we were in a fight, I was mad at her, I was so mad at her, and I can’t even really remember why now. But I hung up on her. I told her I hated her and I hung up on her. That’s the last thing I ever said to her, to Mom, and then she died. It was my fault, because maybe the thing she needed to tell me, maybe that would have been the thing that saved her. She’d still be alive if I hadn’t…”

“The rifle must have gone off, because there was a hole there in Red’s chest, blood pooling through her dark red shirt. But there wasn’t. She looked down. There wasn’t. But her body didn’t believe her, caving in around the wound, rib by rib. Red bent double, agony as her bones cracked in half, cutting through her skin, every piece of the puzzle coming undone. Maddy was howling again, but no, it was closer than that. It was her. A red, guttural sound in her throat, pushing out her eyes.

“No!” Red cried, and it was happening all over again, Mom dying a thousand times in every half second, the world blowing apart and stitching up wrong. “No!”

Red screamed, her hands balling into fists, the hard ridge of her knuckles pressing into her face, marking her skin. Five years of not knowing, not knowing who killed her mom so it could only have been Red, murdering her with those last words. But now she knew. She had the answer. And she was coming undone with it.”

“Red,” he said again, bringing her eyes back to his.

“Stop, Arthur,” she whispered.

“It’s not your fault.”

That last one did it. Red felt a shift in her gut, something untwisting, something finally letting go. Her face cracked and the tears came. She cried, the sound shuddering in her throat. She stumbled forward, into Arthur’s waiting arms, her head against his chest, and Red cried and she let it all go.

It wasn’t her fault.

She didn’t know what would happen after that phone call. She didn’t hate her mom and Mom must have known that, there on her knees at the end of all things, as Catherine aimed the gun at the back of her head. Mom was Red’s world, her whole world, and she must have known that, she must have felt it somehow, because that was how love worked.

It wasn’t Red’s fault.

She’d replaced her mom with the guilt and the shame and the blame. They’d become part of her, a limb, an organ, a chain around her neck. Red thought she needed them to live, but she didn’t, because it wasn’t her fault and she didn’t need them anymore. She cried and it wasn’t all because of Maddy or because of Catherine and the truth. She cried because she could finally forgive her mom for dying, and forgive herself too. Enough to go around.”

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