All the Lies (Lies & Truths 1)

Lucy takes my right, grinning until her nose scrunches. We round the corner in silence. Students keep staring at us—or maybe they’re staring at me.

“Rei…” Lucy starts. “I mean, I know you probably don’t want to talk about it, but the girls are so curious about what happened.”

“I don’t remember.”

“Oh, right.” Lucy exchanges a look with the others, as if they expected me to say that.

“I really don’t remember.”

“Yeah, sure, Reina.” Lucy’s grin falls a little. “It’s just that we were so worried when we heard the police found human remains close to where you were attacked.”

I come to a screeching halt, forcing the entire squad to stop, too. “How do you know about that?”

“D-Dad is the deputy commissioner. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” I frown. This is my chance to know what happened back there. “Do you remember the night I disappeared?”

“Of course I do.” She grins. “We played against the Vikings.”

“And beat their asses,” a girl adds. “Do you remember Seb’s last-minute play?”

“Totally cool,” Lucy says before facing me. “You disappeared before the end of our routine.”

“I did?”

“Yeah. I remember it so well because you never do that. You’re usually the last one to leave.”

That means I broke a pattern. There’s definitely something fishy about that night. “Do you know where I went?”

They all shake their heads, and Lucy says, “We thought you snuck out with Asher since he came back from England that weekend.”

He’s obviously mad I disappeared on him that night. There’s no way I went to see him, which leaves one option.

Did you think you could escape?

I’m beginning to believe maybe Asher’s assumptions are true. Maybe, just maybe, I planned to disappear from Blackwood for good.

Now, I have to figure out why.

Dean George personally welcomes me back to the college. I don’t know if I should feel honored or awkward, so I settle on something in the middle.

Awkward smile.

He only leaves after he makes sure I’m settled in the cafeteria and have my plate of food in front of me.

We have an entire long table for the cheerleading and football teams, but the football team has a meeting with their coach so it’s only us for now.

Some male cheerleaders join us, but just like the girls, they seem more wary than happy to see me.

“Does the dean welcome all his students back? I thought he would be a busy man considering the size of this college.” I grab a bottle of water as I watch him disappear down the hall. His assistant nearly falls on her face trying to keep up with him.

Naomi, the Asian girl from earlier, bursts out laughing as she stabs her fork into her pizza.

I pause in opening the bottle. “Why are you laughing?”

“Ignore her,” Bree says in a dramatic voice while picking at her salad.

My meal is also a salad. Apparently, we only eat salad on this squad—except for Naomi. I eye the pizza on all the other students’ plates and my mouth waters. I’d kill to have a slice.