She glances around and then whispers, “About the boys, Alex. Maybe it’s best for you to get on a form of birth control to avoid having a baby. Having a kid with one of those boys would just add to the pile of trouble already on your plate.”
I smile and nod. “That’s a good idea, Demetra. Thank you for sticking by me.”
She reflects my grin and fixes my sweater. “My pleasure.”
The bell rings, sending us instinctively in the direction of first period.
I just hope I can make it through the day with everything that’s on my mind.
***
The bell rings to signal the end of school, and I can’t leave fast enough. A sea of students carries me into the hallway and toward my locker, where I lean against the cool metal, granting myself a moment by hiding my head inside my locker.
Three light taps capture my attention. Closing the locker door reveals Soren’s signature starlet smile. His pupils expand when I come into view and his smile relaxes slightly, softening the angles of his face. And then, he really looks like a silver screen performer.
“Hi, Ms. Alex,” he whispers. His smile fades as he focuses on the way my hand clutches my chest. “Still jumpy from last night?”
I almost ask, but it’s pointless. Of course he knows about last night—Tommy probably said something. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be,” he says with a soothing tone. “Just meet me at the boathouse.”
“After fencing practice?”
He shakes his head. “No, this is too important. We should skip.”
I worriedly chew my lower lip. When he manages to peel my hand away from my chest, he massages my fingers and knuckles, the gesture causing my shoulders to relax.
“It’s important,” he insists while kneading his thumbs into my palm. At this rate, he could ask me to do just about anything and I would agree. “Please?”
Reluctantly, I whisper, “All right. Mrs. Neill is going to kill me, so you better have my back.”
“I will.” He kisses my knuckles, returns my hand to my chest, and then kisses my cheek. “I’ll catch you in a bit.”
After he leaves, I catch a group of girls watching me intently. Their rapturous smiles tell me they saw every bit of his affectionate performance. Flashing a smile in their direction causes them to scatter and I roll my eyes to my locker, trying to think if I need to grab anything.
Fuck it. School is the last thing on my mind.
By the time I check back into reality, the hallways have mostly cleared. I shrug my backpack on my shoulder and walk purposefully toward the back of the building, hoping to see if maybe Soren or Parker are still around to give me a ride to the boathouse. When I slip outside, a hand catches my arm, causing me to squeal.
I form a fist and rear back my elbow just in time to see Evelyn staring at me with a look of horror. I gasp and recoil from her grip, dropping my bag to the ground. Her shaky hands extend as her lower lip quivers.
“Fuck, sorry,” I sputter. “I didn’t mean to scare you. But fuck, Evelyn, you really freaked me out. What are you doing here?” The wild look in her eyes sets off my alarms. “Are you all right?”
“I…I woke up to…” She shakes her head as a frightened shudder runs through her body. She plucks a card from her pocket, the sight of which makes my heart seize. “It was resting on my pillow when I woke up. Right next to my face, Alex.”
My fingers shiver as I accept the card from her. I don’t want to look at it. I don’t want to know what her threat is about.
But I can’t help myself.
It could provide the right clue.
“Dead. Dead. You.”
Evelyn practically crumples when she hears me say the message out loud. I catch her in my arms and hug her tightly, assuring her that everything will be all right. I know that’s not something I can promise, but that’s something people say to soothe each other, right? Fuck, it has to work out somehow. I don’t know how much more uncertainty I can take these days.
“Is Cynthia all right?” I ask while keeping my arms around her. “Your mother. Is she…?”
“She’s working as a live-in aide,” she replies. “I only see her on weekends.”