Pretty Guilty by K. L. Cottrell

Author:K. L. Cottrell [Cottrell, K. L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-05-29T05:00:00+00:00

5: Coralie

“Go away,” I groan. I run my brush through my hair, then set it down and drop my head into my hands. “Hasn’t it been a while since you checked on your family? What about Eddie? Go see what he’s up to.”

From where he’s standing beside me at my bathroom counter, Aaron gurgles, “No.”

I start to beg him, but I bite my tongue. I won’t plead with this bastard for anything. More sharply, I say, “Leave me alone, damn it.”

“Why should I? So you can have some peace? Not be bothered? You don’t deserve it.”

I hate this.

I hate him.

He’s driving me insane. It’s been a month since he started talking—two since he died— and he hasn’t shut up. He won’t stop telling me how terrible a person I am and it’s driving me insane. I haven’t even been able to enjoy spending time with Will again.

Not that I’ve done much of that. As badly as I want to be around him, I’ve had trouble feeling light-hearted where he’s concerned, and it’s kept me from being able to hang out when he asks. It’s been a couple weeks since I agreed to be his friend, and not counting that day, I’ve only visited with him once. Even chatting over texts has been kind of scarce.

I like him. I’ve liked him since I met him. But regardless of that and of how much he likes me back, I can’t forget about the dread Aaron fills me with. It’s ever-present and it grows more and more stifling all the time.

The ghost of him says, as he has so many times now, “You killed me.”

I grind my teeth. “I did not.”

“You know you did.”

“No, you did this to yourself.”

“You’re a liar. You know I wouldn’t be dead if you hadn’t put me in harm’s way.”

I lift my head from my hands to glare at him.

He looks back at me with those chilling eyes. There’s a dark, accusatory expression on his busted face.

I whirl toward the door, deciding not to bother with hair and makeup at all this morning. I need to get out of this room. Out of my house. Into some fresh, open air.

Of course, he follows me out of the bathroom. I try to ignore him, even when he says, “Face the truth, Coralie. You’re a killer.”

I stomp into my room to find clothes for the day.

“Stop acting like you had no part in what happened to me.”

I yank an outfit into my shaking hands. I don’t know when Aaron will disappear, so I need to go ahead and get dressed now. I hate it, but I don’t know what other choice I have—I’m already about to be late for work.

I’m in the middle of wiggling into a shirt while still wearing my pajama top when he speaks close to my ear: “Stop acting like you didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Shut up!” I scream as I stagger away from him. My words crack back to me from around the room, causing my hair to stand on end.

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