One of Us Is Next (One of Us Is Lying, #2)

by Karen M. McManus

We could visit some places when I’m home for Ashton’s bachelorette party if you want.

theyre getting married!!

“It’s fine,” I tell my reflection, gripping the sides of the sink. “Everything is fine.”

it’s not fine is it

“Thanks but no thanks,” she says in a loud, clear voice. “If I wanted to be bored and disappointed, I’d just watch you play baseball.”

go off

“Yeah, we’re still friends. We’re not going out anymore, though.” “Huh,” Luis says. His eyes flick over me, and my cheeks heat again. “Interesting.”

why am i blushing

“Get out!” This time I scream, the words scraping raw and rough across my dry throat.

what the heck this was horrible

Nobody reacts until Jules gets up as quickly as she sat down, flipping her hair and turning toward the exit. Then Nate slowly wipes a layer of Jules’s lip gloss from his mouth with a bemused expression.

sorry what the heck just happened

the untimely death of yet another student at Bayview High.

HUH

He meets my eyes. “What’s your name, again?” “Knox. Knox Myers.” I smile a little too widely, happy to be noticed for once. “Thanks, Knox,” Eli says sincerely. “You just saved me a lot of time.”

this is sweet i’m happy for knox

Sandeep takes the letter and reads. He doesn’t look nearly as shocked as I expected. “Oh yeah. We get these sometimes. I’ll log it in the death threats file.”

omg they have a whole file

“What do you think about?” “Oh, you know,” Luis says seriously. “Deep, profound things about humanity and the state of the universe. I have those kind of thoughts all the time.” I tilt my head at him, eyebrows raised in a go on gesture, and he meets my eyes with a grin. “I’m not having any right now, though. Give me a minute.”

“I’ll just take the bus.” He glances at his watch. “There’s one leaving in ten minutes. If I cut through the construction site behind the mall, I can make it.”

why am i stressed

I pull to the side of the road as two police cars, followed by a fire engine, roar past me in the direction of the Bayview Mall.

oh no

“Does Eli know who died?” I manage to get out. Ashton nods, her pretty face somber. “Yeah. It was a boy named Brandon Weber.

good

Luis presses a few keys before putting his phone away. “Might take a while to come through. They’re big files. Tell Knox I hope it helps.”

I love this boy

He sits us both down, his arm still wrapped around my shoulders. I collapse into him, sobbing against his chest for I don’t know how long.

I love nate

Nate’s surprised laugh breaks the tension enough that I smile, too. “Listen, Maeve. You don’t have to worry about Bronwyn and me. We’re endgame.”

cute

“If you think you have too much going on, with the number of video games you play and the amount of time you spend on your phone doing God knows what, then I pity your future employer when you have a real job.”

wtf ? that was such a horrible thing to say

“I’m calling with good news. Your blood work is one hundred percent normal. Your white cell count is fine.

i wanna cry

What’s with the disappearing act? We need to talk. Meet me at the gazebo in Callahan Park at 5:30 today. DO NOT ignore this like you’ve been ignoring everything else.

HUH

“I haven’t been thinking straight,” Knox says defensively. “I have a concussion.” “You had a concussion. Two weeks ago.” “The effects can linger for years,” Knox informs me.

lmao

Knox looks mildly baffled. “Doesn’t everybody have binoculars?”

knox is such a sweetie

“This smells nice,” she says. “Did you just wash it?” “No.” Knox looks guilty. “Not for a while, actually. Sorry.” “Oh.” Phoebe shrugs. “Well, you smell nice, then.”

Fuck you, Phoebe, for not showing up. Yeah I used your name. WE HAD A DEAL—Darkestmind

WHAT

Maeve blinks, startled. “Are you suggesting we … hack it?” “No,” I say. “That’s ridiculous. I’m suggesting you hack it. I don’t know how.”

“Get my phone. It’s on the island. Call 911. Tell them our address and that someone here has alcohol poisoning. Now,”

this is sad

Knox pushes his laptop to one side and fumbles with the zipper on his backpack, rooting around in it until he pulls out his binoculars. “Seriously?” I ask as he brings them to his eyes. We’re the only ones in the coffee shop except the barista, who’s been ignoring us since we got our drinks, but still. This is not exactly a stealthy way to keep tabs on your nemesis.

I love him so much

Tick-tock, time’s up. Guess I’ll just fucking do it myself.—Darkestmind.

omg im stressed

Mr. Weber’s minor son mounted a forklift and operated its controls for what one worker reported as a five-minute period. That same forklift jammed shortly thereafter while transporting the slab of concrete that ultimately crushed Andrew Lawton.”

holy crap

“Phoebe had no clue about this,” she says urgently. “She can’t have. She was hooking up with Brandon!

NOO IT WAS EMMA

“Why is no one picking up?” I yell in frustration, banging my fist on my knee. “We’re Generation Z, for God’s sake. Our phones are supposed to be permanently attached to our hands.”

But when he takes his hand out, it’s empty. He zips up the backpack and tosses it beneath the deck.

oh no

“Phoebe, I told Emma. The day after it happened.”

oh boy

“And another thing. You were smart last night, and brave, and even though I wish you’d kept yourself a little safer in that situation, I’m so proud of what you did. I’m proud of you, period. Always.”

i’m tearing up

And I hate Brandon for what he did three years ago, but not enough that I’m not sick with regret about what happened to him.

I just cant believe he’d have the audacity to hook up with her after what he did

Furthermore, he admitted to causing Brandon Weber’s death, despite there being no suspicion of his involvement at the time.”

yeah that was a dumb move

The whole thing must have seemed like a video game to him: the ultimate Bounty Wars challenge, planning one move after the other.

oh damn

“Jared is delusional. This is nothing more than him talking to himself once I stopped speaking to him. And nobody can prove differently, can they?”

omg this is how it ends ???