Then, minutes later, Liam finally returns, looking like he’s fought a small war. There’s a small tear in his shirt, and a faint smear of something on his sleeve that I’m not sure I want to identify.
“Where is it?” Will asks, leaning back in his chair.
“Locker,” Liam mumbles, slumping into his seat and exhaling a few tired breaths.
I stare at him for a moment, debating whether to ask what “it” is. But something about the look on Christian’s face tells me I’m better off not knowing.
***
I walk out of the classroom with Lilia, who is energetically complaining about something, probably the fact that she’s been forced to work with Ava on the project, though I’m too preoccupied to really catch the details. My mind is still stuck on the thought of having to break the news to her that I can’t hang out with her and Bea today. My mum needs me at home today, and work is non-negotiable. But still, I can’t help but feel guilty, because these are my first real friends in… well, forever. Letting them down feels like failing.
“Lilia,” I say finally as we reach our lockers. She turns to me, expectant but still distracted by the lock she’s fiddling with.
“What’s up?” she asks, glancing at me with mild curiosity.
“I—can’t hang out today,” I stammer, wincing at my own awkwardness.
Her expression softens instantly. “Addie,” she starts, but I quickly interject.
“I have work. A lot of it. And my mum needs me at home. It’s not that I don’t want to come…” My voice trails off, and I brace myself for her disappointment.
To my surprise, she waves it off. “Addie, you could’ve just said that. We’re not going to unfriend you because you’re busy. Bea would understand too.”
I’m mildly shocked at that, mostly because I half expected her to drag me there with her anyway. “I’m sorry. I’ll plan better next time. I really do want to go,” I say earnestly, hoping she can tell I mean it.
She smiles warmly. “We’ll figure it out. Or,” she adds with a smirk, “we could always just show up at your work and hang out there.”
That suggestion stops me in my tracks. “What?”
“You heard me,” she says, shrugging. “If you’re stuck working, we’ll just bring the fun to you. Simple problem solving.”
“Wow,” I say, my eyes slightly widened. “Thank you.”
She waves it off again, her attention already back on her locker. “Relax, Addie. We’ve got you.”
I grab my notebook and start to leave, but her voice stops me. “Oh, and Addie?”
“Yeah?” I turn back, and her eyes meet mine, sincere.
“If you ever need help at work, or with anything else for that matter, call me.”
A simpler offer, but one that makes my chest ache in the best way. “Thanks, Lilia. I mean it.”
***
I open my locker, and the wave of unease hits me before I even see it. Sitting on top of my notebook is another note. My stomach knots up, and all I want to slam the locker shut, pretending I didn’t see it. But I know I can’t ignore it. I pick itup with trembling hands. My heart pounds against my ribs, loud enough to drown out everything else.
Stop looking, Adeline.
The message is short, but it sends a chill down my spine. I read it again and again, the words blurring as my breathing quickens.
This doesn’t make sense. The notes before were basically begging me to dig deeper with the amount of hints they were throwing at me. They practically led me to the answers. And now, suddenly, they’re telling me to stop?
It’s clear there are two people watching me.
Fantastic.
***
