Pretty Little Devils Part 33

Hazel turned. There was a rustling in the foliage.

"Oh my G.o.d," Carolyn said. "Who's there?"

Silence.

Then something hard rammed into Hazel, knocking her to the ground. Ellen screamed.

Hazel tried to get to her feet, but someone was holding her down. Hazel turned her head and bit down, hard. The attacker flinched and Hazel jumped up.

"Get to the car!" Matty shouted. He dashed up the steps and grappled with the attacker.

Someone grabbed Hazel's wrist and pulled her up.

"Come on!" It was Ellen. They ran together back down the driveway.

"Call 911!" Matty shouted.

As they ran, Hazel felt in her pocket. Her phone must have fallen out. She was about to say so when Carolyn began speaking into her own cell.

"Please help! We're on Descanso Road, by the abandoned house. We're being attacked!"

"Matty!" Hazel yelled. She reached the car, fumbled with the door, and turned on the headlights. Their harsh, yellow glare lit up the scene, exposing Matty-and Josh.

Looking stunned, Josh backed away slowly, putting his hands up.

"What are you doing here?" a familiar voice demanded. The girls turned to see Sylvia, glaring, her hands on her hips.

"You killed Breona and Megan. You set Brandon up. Now you want us dead too," Hazel accused.

"That's not true!" Sylvia insisted. "Someone sent me a text...."

In the distance the wail of approaching sirens rose.

"You set me up," Sylvia said, backing away. "One of you did this!"

Sylvia shoved Hazel out of the way and jumped inside Matty's cruiser. The keys were still in the ignition.

"Sylvia!" Josh cried. "Wait!"

Matty tackled him before he could move, pinning him to the ground.

Tires squealed as the car shot backward.

"No!" Hazel cried. Sylvia couldn't escape. Not after everything she'd done.

Sylvia gunned the engine. The car ran over a jagged tree trunk. She s.h.i.+fted into drive and pressed the accelerator. The tires screamed and smoked, but the car didn't move.

She revved the engine again. But the car was immobilized-held in place by the burnt remnants of the tree.

Red and blue lights flashed over the driveway as the police approached.

"I didn't do it!" Sylvia screeched, putting her head down on the steering wheel. "I swear I didn't do it!"

And then the police were there to take her away.

EPILOGUE.

Months went by: juvenile hall, therapists' offices, social workers' cubicles, police stations, courtrooms.

The charges against Hazel, Carolyn, and Ellen-conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and dozens of others-had been dropped in return for their testimony against Sylvia and Josh.

Brandon's body wasn't found in the swimming pool. But he had been buried in a shallow grove near it. Sylvia swore on the witness stand that she had received a text message: I know where Brandon is; I'm taking U down!

She said she had panicked, and that was why she and Josh were there-to move him so no one would find out the truth.

"But that's what they wanted me to do!" Sylvia insisted. "They wanted to frame me!"

The jury didn't believe her for a second. The police had found no trace of the message in question. In possession of the most d.a.m.ning physical evidence-Brandon's body-Sylvia had been convicted of a laundry list of crimes, and Josh had been convicted of many of the same.

She was also charged with the murders of Breona and Megan, her trial pending for each of them.

But Sylvia's testimony at the first trial seemed destined to d.a.m.n her for the rest.

"I didn't kill them!" she screamed. "They turned against me. They thought they could take me out. But they can't. No one can. I'm the reason the PLDs exist! Without me, they're nothing!"

And in a way she was right.

Christmas went by in a blur, and soon it was time to go back to school. Most of the students avoided the surviving PLDs.

The absence of Sylvia Orly was like the elephant in the room that everyone could see but no one wanted to talk about.

"So, tacos again today?" Lakshmi asked Hazel. She set her tray down beside Matty's and pulled back her chair.

They were together again, the lesser lights and Hazel.

The PLD table had been taken over by some jocks.

Ellen and Carolyn didn't sit together anymore. Carolyn had joined a group of totally out lesbians and, to Hazel's surprise, wasn't getting very much flak over it.

"Yes, tacos again," Hazel said.

Matty kissed her cheek and showed her a sketch he'd been working on: a portrait of Hazel in charcoal.

"You look good," Lakshmi said. Her coolness Q had been upped by the return of Hazel, the notorious former PLD, and she knew it. She was trying hard not to act conceited about it, but she was clearly loving it. Much to Hazel's surprise, she and Stephan Nylund had even started dating.

Lakshmi looked up from the sketch and frowned slightly. Hazel followed her gaze. Ellen hovered on the distant perimeter of their table, in a new green poncho and matching green cropped pants. She had on silver heels. It was all very over.

"Got a minute?" she asked.

Hazel got up and followed Ellen away from the table.

"Um, I was wondering if you might like to hang out a little after school. My homework..." She shook her head. "Hideous mess."

"I'm sorry, but I have something to do," Hazel said.

Ellen took it hard. She swallowed, looked down. "You're lucky," she said. "You had backup friends. Brandon is gone. Carolyn's all with the lesbians and I'm...I'm stuck."

"I'm sorry," Hazel repeated. She didn't know how to explain. Ellen wanted-no, expected-things to go back the way they had been. Hazel couldn't go there.

"It'll be okay," Hazel lied. She doubted that it would ever be again. The best they all could hope for was to repair the damage and move on.

"Come on," Matty teased Hazel. "Just a little kiss?"

He grabbed her around the waist and planted his lips on the small of her neck.

Hazel squealed. "Quit it! That tickles."

They were at a small jock gathering in the park near Charlie's house. Hazel didn't sit for the Pollinses anymore. But she saw Charlie now and then. He had a new cat.

The party was nothing spectacular, just pizza and some beer. But it was nice to have been invited.

Slowly, slowly, things seemed to be returning to normal.

"Yo, we're going on a beer run," Stephan told Matty. "You in?" He was holding hands with Lakshmi, who was blus.h.i.+ng a little, still clearly overwhelmed by her own good fortune.

"Sure." Matty pulled out his wallet and handed Stephan ten bucks. Seeing Lakshmi with Stephan made Hazel feel awkward-especially when she considered how awful he had been to Megan. Carolyn couldn't care less, but Hazel knew that ever-loyal Ellen had not forgiven him for the rumors he'd spread about their now-dead friend.

She seriously doubted Ellen ever would.

Matty continued kissing Hazel's neck. He moved her behind a pepper tree, s.h.i.+elding them from view. He hadn't pressured her to hook up, but she knew he was waiting for her to give the word. Maybe it was time.

Hazel's phone vibrated; she had a text.

YRSECRETPAL2PURPLEHAZE: She's good enuff 2 B ur friend but I'm not? Not 4 long.

"No!" Hazel gasped, looking up at Matty. "It can't be!"

"What is it?" Matty asked.

Hazel held her phone up with a trembling hand. "This address. I haven't seen it since Sylvia went to jail. It doesn't make sense..."

There was the squeal of tires. A bloodcurdling scream.

"Oh my G.o.d!" one of the guys yelled. "Someone call 911-Lakshmi's been hit by a car!"

Hazel's heart sickened. She had a.s.sumed she was safe.

But no one was. Not at all.

PERSONALBLOG.

HAPPY2BME.

SAYONARA, LAKSHMI! YOU TOTAL LOOZER!.

I THOUGHT IT WOULD END WITH SYLVIA, BUT IT'S CLEAR TO ME NOW THAT WAS WISHFUL THINKING. MY FRIENDs.h.i.+P WITH HAZEL AND CAROLYN HAS DIED. AND SYLVIA WILL TURN 18 AND GO FREE.

IT'S NOT FAIR. BUT IT'S OK. I'M STILL KICKING, AND THEY'LL GET WHAT THEY DESERVE. MATTY WILL PAY FOR INTERFERING. THEY'LL ALL PAY, SLOWLY. PAINFULLY. THAT'S WHY I'M HAPPY2BELLEN!.

end.