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“You were fine until you caht Road,” Officer Avery went on

“There was no one on the road Mia was … Mia was in the backseat, singing along to the radio That Kelly Clarkson song I told her to shut up, and she hit me in the back of the head and then…” Zach drew in a deep breath “We weren’t even going that fast, but it was dark and the turn just came up, you know? That hairpin just past the Smithsons’ mailbox Like out of nowhere I heard Mia screarab the wheel … and then…”

Jude’s head snapped up “You told Lexi to hit the brakes?”

“She was driving,” Zach said “She didn’t want to I was supposed to I was the designated driver It’s my fault ”

“Ms Baill’s blood alcohol level was point zero nine The legal liht Of course, she’s under twenty-one, so she can’t legally drink at all,” the officer said

Lexi was driving, not Zach

Zach hadn’t killed his sister

Lexi had

“I need to see Zach ”

“Oh, Lexi,” her aunt said, her face slackening with sorrow “Surely—”

“I need to see him, Aunt Eva ”

Her aunt started to say no, but Lexi wouldn’t listen Before she knew it, she was crying and pushing past her aunt, li down the hall

She saw hih the open door at the end of the hallway

He was alone in his room

“Zach,” she said at the doorway,toward him