Her eyes have gone wild, dark and feral. “Stay out of this, Kenley. Rose did everything she could to protect you. It’s over. The report is filed. The myth upheld. Don’t fuck with it.”
She releases me and stops to adjust a drooping rose falling out of a vase, then walks away without another look back.
Tears burn at my eyes, but the wind dries them before they fall. I look out over the bridge, in the distance at the dark water of the bay. I’ve seen Juliette express many emotions over the years; anger, pettiness, jealousy, and distaste, but tonight I saw something different: fear.
I’m still thinking about everything from that night. Juliette seemed scared when I mentioned SugarBabies, but the truth is that I don’t trust Juliette. She’s never been nice to me, and that little story she told me definitely put her in a good light.
Am I supposed to believe that the new girl came to town and suddenly my best friend corrupted her? It seems a little too easy and definitely doesn’t corroborate what I experienced personally.
What if it’s all just a trick? What if Juliette doesn’t want me near SugarBabies because it will reveal the truth about her? Or maybe the truth about Rose, like I’ve suspected for a while. Maybe Juliette, like always, is looking out for herself. Maybe she’s protecting someone.
I pull out Rose’s old iPod and open the SugarBabies account. Not Rosemary’s Baby’s account. The one I created; Eden Dollanganger.
I’d never activated it—I didn’t see the point, not after the police declared Rose’s disappearance a suicide—but now, the simple fact Juliette has warned me against it…
My thumb hovers over the blue activation button, knowing that regardless of what Juliette says, I’m opening a box I may regret.
Unlike Rose, though, I’m not in this completely alone. I’ve got Ozzy, Finn, and Ezra. I’ve got questions and I’m not scared of whoever it is that’s got Juliette freaked out. Maybe that’s the difference between us. I’ve already lost everything once and adapted.
I press the button and activate the account.