“Slow down, Nancy Drew,” Sara-Kate chuckled as she hooked her arm through mine again, leading me up one of the winding staircases to our English classroom. “Are you like a true crime girlie or something?”
I blushed, even wondering to myself why I was so interested in this. There was just some deep pull, an incessant itch that wanted more information.
“Oh, I don’t know,” I smiled, looking for an excuse. “I’ve just never walked into an episode ofPretty Little Liarsand I'm curious.”
Sara-Kate chortled, “She’s well-readandfunny? Now I’m really glad my drama club lunch meeting got canceled.”
I laughed with her as we walked to the back of the class, scooting our seats closer.
“Yes, her boyfriend did go here.” Sara-Kate continued her story. “Jake was on the wrestling team and on a scholarship here at Windsor. I think they had been dating for like six months when shit hit the fan.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, urging her to continue as I took out my notebook and a pen. “Like he just went crazy one day?”
“No, it actually wasn’t him acting weird. At least not until the murdering rampage,” she continued, voice falling soft as if not wanting people to overhear our conversation. “It actually was Michelle. One day, she’s captain of the cheer team with so much pep it actually made you sick, to the next day becoming Miss Misery, wearing all-black, and going all loner wolf on everyone.”
“You see, her older sister passed away a few weeks before that,” Sara-Kate’s copper-brown eyes glistened with empathy. “I mean, she had been sick with cancer, so it wasn’t a huge surprise, but obviously Michelle took it hard. She withdrew from her friends, cheerleading, and school. Michelle broke up with her boyfriend, but then Jake went crazy over that. Stalking her, never leaving her alone.”
“That’s scary,” I mumbled in response, my eyes falling to the front of the class as the teacher began his lesson.
“Yeah, but no one was expecting Jake just to lose it like that,” Sara-Kate replied. “Like to murder a girl is just crazy.”
I nodded as the conversation fell away in favor of listening to Mr. Kling’s lecture on the poetry of grammar and syntax. But even as I studiously took my notes, the goosebumps that had appeared when listening to Sara-Kate still hadn’t disappeared. While everyone else at Windsor was content to move on, leaving Michelle and Jake as tragic notes in the school’s history, I couldn’t shake the feeling there was more to the situation.
Chapter Three
After school, Sara-Kate offered to help tutor me in the few classes that I still felt unsure about. She led me up to the second floor of the library, insisting that she could stay a little longer after school since her mom had to work late. I had sent a quick text to Tiffany and Mr. Lewis, letting them know I would make my own way home after studying.
Part of me was relieved to have something to do besides going back to the apartment to sit in my room alone. It was nice to have plans, even if it was only to do homework.
“So, what classes were you taking back in Georgia?” Sara-Kate asked as she set down her bag and pulled out her laptop.
“Chemistry, American Literature, Pre-Calculus, French, and US History,” I rattled off, pulling out my notebook full of notes and my new iPad that I still didn't one hundred percent understand how to turn on. “I’m taking the same classes here, but the math feels like y’all are already two units ahead. And don’t get me started on chemistry.”
“Ugh, tell me about it. I took that class last year and hated every minute of it,” Sara-Kate agreed, slipping herjacket uniform off. “But if you have a halfway decent lab partner, then it’s not so bad. Who’s yours?”
I gulped, cheeks reddening when thinking back to Alaric and our awkward encounter.
“Alaric Gaines,” I shrugged, keeping my eyes on my notes. When I didn’t hear Sara-Kate respond, I looked up to find her smiling suspiciously at me.
“What?” I asked, eyebrows raised.
“Nothing!” She smiled knowingly, glancing back down to her math notes. “Even if he sucks at science, at least he’s not too hard on the eyes.”
“I mean, yeah, I guess if you’re into that kind of thing.” I huffed irritably, ready to move the conversation along.
“Into what? A cute boy who hopefully has managed some brain development by this point?” Her copper-brown eyes lit up with laughter. “Do you find the boy cute, Mari?”
“Ugh,” I replied. “It doesn’t matter if he’s cute or not. I just need help catching up so I’m not so far behind.”
“Well, I guess we could just go ask him if he’d be willing to help you.”
“Yeah, okay, I’ll just go find him really quick.” I shook my head, bringing my attention back to the math notes from today that looked more like Greek than any math I had ever done before.
“Yeah, that shouldn’t be too hard since he’s walking this way,” Sara-Kate nodded casually as she turned her attention back to her laptop.
I felt my cheeks heat, feeling as if all my nerve endings stood straight up. I shifted in my seat to see that Sara-Kate was indeed telling the truth. Alaric Gaines was strolling this way, his dark green eyes intent as they narrowed in on me, and a slight upturn in the corner of his mouth.
I turned quickly back around, my panicked eyes meeting Sara-Kate’s. Before either one of us could say anything, a deep voice spoke.
