The Truth About Kian

04. Sweep the streets I used to own

"What about that?" Jules said in my ear.

I stared at Liam as he continued to speak about Kian. For as long as I could remember, I'd always seen the Inheritors as heartless jerks who only cared about themselves. But after hearing Liam carefully describe some of Kian's best moments and watching how Liam couldn't quite hide his pain at the loss of his best friend, I wasn't so sure anymore.

***

Jules and I followed the rest of the crowd to the church's hall where drinks and food were spread out on tables. Someone bumped into me, and I staggered into an elderly woman who was heavily doused in Chanel No. 5. I smiled apologetically, but that didn't stop her from giving me a dirty look.

We retreated to a quiet corner. Maurice, dressed in a flowing black dress that could have paid for a semester of my school tuition, came up to us. A black headband pushed back her blond hair, giving her the innocent look that I knew she was going for.

"Hi, Julian. Hi, Reed," Maurice said. "How are you?"

Jules grunted while I watched her warily. Maurice was the kind of Inheritor I couldn't trust. She was too pretty, too innocent, and because Jules hated her, I had to hate her too.

We stood awkwardly together. Maurice smoothed her pale hair nervously and tried catching Jules' eye. "How's your family?" she blurted, and I winced.

"Oh, excellent," said Jules, his voice shaking slightly. "We read Dad's letters to the kids for bedtime stories. I actually think your dearest dad did my old man a favour. Dad thinks that prison food is some of the best grub he has ever had."

"I have to go to the bathroom," I gasped as Maurice's cheeks flushed.

Threading my way through the groups of people, I spotted Liam filling his glass with water.

"Do you have a minute?" I asked, trying not to stutter. "It's just ... I have a few questions."

Liam just stared at me. If it wasn't for the brief flash of recognition in his crystalline eyes, I would have thought that he hadn't seen me at all.

"It's a bit morbid to be working at a funeral, don't you think?" he said icily. I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment. The decent person front I'd unconsciously grown accustomed to was gone, and I only had myself to blame. All Inheritors changed their personalities like they changed their clothes, so why did his coldness sting?

"It would have been worse if Meg was in charge of the feature," I mumbled.

Liam sighed and rolled his eyes. He motioned for me to follow him to one of the empty benches in the church foyer.

"Ask away," he said dryly. I blinked at him in astonishment and he shrugged. "You're right about Meg — I'd rather talk to you. But nothing too pushy, okay?"

"Do you mind if I record this?" I asked him as I pulled out my recorder. When he nodded, I hurriedly pushed the "on" button before he reconsidered.

"How did you first meet Kian?"

He seemed relieved at hearing an easy question. "We both tried out for the basketball team in freshman year. We were forwards on the starting line."

I nodded, watching as he fidgeted with his tie. "And when did you two become friends?"

"Probably during sophomore year. We always ended up partners during practices," he said. "We just started hanging out after a while."

"What was Kian like?"

Liam paused for a minute, studying me thoughtfully before he answered. "He was . . . Kian was just a really good guy." He smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I'm just trying not to sound like one of the girls in his fan club. But Kian was really loyal. He understood what it meant to stick by someone, no matter what. It helped that we both spent a lot of time playing sports."

I took a deep breath, knowing that the interview was going to be short, and that I'd have to move onto the more aggressive questions. "Can you describe how Kian behaved in the past few months?"

Liam chewed the inside of his cheek before he answered. "He was pretty upbeat, but that wasn't different from how he normally was. Kian was always positive — even when things didn't work out for him."

"Had something not worked out for him lately?" I asked.

The chewing on his cheek intensified as Liam's eyes met mine. "Yeah, something happened, and Kian wasn't very proud of it."

I waited, but he didn't elaborate. "Can you tell me more?" I finally asked.

He was already shaking his head before I'd even finished the question.

"I wouldn't want it to get out," said Liam. "Kian, he just ... I never saw him that upset. It was all riding on that one thing, and he knew he messed up."

Suddenly, Liam stood up. I mirrored his action, already knowing that the brief interview was over. I'd only gotten a few vague answers, but I wasn't Meg; I wasn't going to pester Liam for further dirt at his best friend's funeral.

"Why now?" he said as he turned to leave.

"What do you mean?"

"It's my best friend's funeral today. Why do you want the answers now? Why not a week ago or a week from now?"

I stared at him for a minute, the heavy feeling in my chest intensifying. As we watched each other warily, I knew that he saw Meg standing in my place.

She would dig for the story, fight tooth and nail to get every last piece of information, and I wouldn't go that far, but it didn't matter. I could tell that Liam was connecting the similarities between us, comparing me to her, and hating what he saw. Disgust and frustration flashed across his face.

I'm not Meg, I wanted to say, but I remained frozen to my spot, watching Liam as he walked away.

***

Cover by Xo_LoveStruck_oX.