Spoiled is the sequel to Rotten, set in a charming, small town in California, and it follows the lives of Tatum and Ethan as they try to leave their past behind and start anew.
With new identities, the two have worked hard to create a calm, peaceful...
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ETHAN'S KNOWLEDGE OF JADA PIERCE IS LIMITED, BUT HE SUSPECTS THAT MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HER EITHER. She comes across as mostly quiet and shy at first, and apparently, when she was younger, Jada was a member of the comic book club at school and had a passion for spelling bee competitions.
With smooth dark skin, a small nose, and big expressive eyes, in pictures of her childhood, Jada is always wearing superhero t-shirts and thick, round glasses. Bright orange braces adorn her teeth, and she has a huge grin on her face.
But things changed when Zoe Wu took an interest in her. Xander, her older brother by four years, says that the two girls became inseparable after being paired up for a school project involving family trees. With Zoe's influence, Jada shed her geeky persona and began to rock contact lenses, a nose piercing, honey blonde highlights, and Brandy Melville crop tops.
Sasha has a less-than-flattering nickname for Jada: Zoe Wu's minion mean girl. According to Sasha, Jada is always willing to get her hands dirty to carry out Zoe's bidding. Sasha's assertion is supported by an incident in which Jada allegedly slipped a dead rat into the bag of a girl who dared to sit next to Zoe's boyfriend, Aidan, during a lab session.
Ethan can't help but wonder what kind of person she really is. Is she just a follower, or is there something lurking beneath the surface?
In his experience, there usually is.
Ethan's heart races as Jada delivers the news about the police. There are, apparently, at least a dozen detectives at Sasha and Xander's property, and gossip about Maia's dead body is spreading fast. They can't stick around Maia's house. He can feel the sweat forming on his palms as he grips the steering wheel of the Mercedes.
Tatum turns to Jada in the backseat. "Jada, Zoe's at Honeycomb, right?"
Jada nods. "Yeah, I asked her to cover for me when I went to look for you guys."
"Call her and tell her to close the store early, get everyone out of there," Tatum orders.
Jada fumbles with her phone, her hands shaking. "Yeah, yeah, sure."
Ethan is driving with the utmost caution. He doesn't want to attract attention, and he certainly can't afford to get pulled over. He hasn't driven this slowly since they brought Lucy home from the hospital.
Sasha is in the back seat, her voice trembling with confusion. "We're going for a late afternoon tea?" she asks sarcastically.
Ethan's jaw clenches as he tries to keep his voice steady. "Where do you want us to go? To your house, the crime scene? Or to our house, that just happens to be right in front of that crime scene?"
Sasha raises her hands in defeat. "Well, whatever, you two are the murder experts."
The silence that follows is deafening. They all know what's at stake.
