Annica rushes over to me. “Why is all of Sigma Chi walking into my apartment right now?” I look over to see Asher bro-ing it up with one of the guys in the group, followed by Bryce Peterson.
“I invited them,” I say, knowing she’ll be a little less pissy if she thinks it was me and not Asher.
“Why? Are you seeing Bryce again? You know I don’t judge you for your choices, Sloane, but I would judge you for this one.”
I would have to lose a lot of brain cells before I’d ever go back to someone who not only called me another girl’s nametwicebut gave me an STD and then told everyone he got it from me. Annica would be right to judge me for that one.
“No, I am not seeing him.” Just stalking him. “Marissa’s brother Hudson is in Sig Chi. I thought it would be nice to extend the invite. Since she’s part of the group and all.” The words are bitter on my tongue.
“Since when do you care about Marissa and being nice to her?Just last week you said her voice was annoying and her hair looks fried from the bleach.”
“Okay,” I cut her off with a forced laugh. “Those were just observations. A general statement if you will. But if she’s still sticking it out with Wes, then we should be friendly, right? And the Sig Chis are fun! Remember?”
“I remember how disgusting they were,” she says, before turning her attention back toward the kitchen, where one of them is standing on top of the counter bonging a beer. “Hey! Get down from there!” Annica yells as she runs to the kitchen.
Around midnight everyone leaves the apartment party for the bars. Asher and I follow behind Bryce and his friends at a distance, with our own friends even farther back.
I sigh. “So this is it: We just follow Bryce around every day until someone tries to kill him? That’s the best plan you could come up with?”
“Do you have a better tactic?” Asher asks.
“Yeah,” I say. “We hurry up and get evidence on Miles.”
Asher’s mouth quirks up in a smile. “I was hoping you’d say that. Because you’re meeting him at a coffee shop called Luna’s on Ivy Gate’s campus tomorrow.”
I stop walking. “What?”
He turns to face me, walking backward down the sidewalk. “I emailed him back from your phone during the party.”
“Youwhat?” I follow after him.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be there in case he tries anything.”
“That doesn’t make me feel any better.”
“I’m going to buy you a shot when we get to Ray’s—you need to calm down.”
“Don’t tell me to calm down. You’re not the one that has to somehow finish out senior year and catch a murderer at the same time.”
“And try to win over Wes, don’t forget that one.”
“How can I when you remind me every two fucking seconds?”
“What are you two bickering about up here?” Jake says, throwing his arms around the two of us, and I realize I’ve never wanted to be Jake so badly. Never a care in the world, nor a thought behind those eyes.
“How many shots Sloane is going to do at the bar tonight,” Asher says to Jake.
“It’s zero,” I say.
“Zero times ten.” Jake bops my nose with his pointer finger.
“Jake, that’s still zero,” I say, wondering how he ever got into Pembroke in the first place.
I half-heartedly follow the group around from bar to bar, taking small sips of my drinks, determined to not let the alcohol get the best of me this time. Even though I want nothing more than to let my thoughts melt away for the night. Everything is standard until Bryce sneaks out of the side exit of the rooftop at Water Street. Asher is across the bar with Sam and I don’t have time to get his attention, so I tell my friends I’ll be right back and slip out the side door after him. Bryce takes the fire escape stairs down to the brick alleyway next to the bar and stops to pull out a vape. I’m crouched down on the landing, watching him, when Asher comes out after me.
“Did he come out here?” he asks.
“Yeah, he’s down there.” I point to the wall that Bryce is leaning on, smoking a vape pen and looking through his phone.
