Page 35 of Head Under Water

“Two?” he murmurs. “Bradley Scott, I know. And I’m thinking…Noah.” His gaze sharpens, pinning me in place. “Junior year. Am I right?”

I don’t blink.

“Higher than two? Lower than five? Come on, Opal.” His voice drops lower, rough around the edges. “You’re not a virgin.”

“I’m not a virgin,” I confirm quickly. “But it’s really not any of your business. Why do you assume it’s so much less than your number?”

“Okay, final guess.” He taps his finger on his chin. “Eighty-seven.”

“Statistics is really going to be great for you,” I murmur.

He groans. “Fine. Don’t tell me.”

“I wasn’t going to.” I push his leg off the bed, then stand and dust off my fingers.

He doesn’t move. He’s still sitting there, staring up at me.

“What?” I ask.

He stands slowly, steps closer. I don’t move, not even as his thigh slides between mine, nudging me back a fraction of an inch. I just lift my head, staring back at him. Defiant as ever.

He thinks he can rattle me. I’m trying so hard not to let him.

For a second, it feels like the air shifts. I’m barely aware of the TV in the background anymore. Everything tilts. The room. Us. My thoughts.

His hand lifts—almost touches my waist—then drops.

“Nothing,” he says, his voice steadier than his eyes. “You ready to go?”

And then we’re off.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

AGE 19

For the escape room, Will and I are partnered with a group of five older ladies. They’re celebrating the youngest’s retirement, and to be honest, they remind me a lot of our moms. I think Will sees it too, though he doesn’t mention it.

It makes me miss them more than I already did.

The big timer on the wall tells us we have two minutes left, and we’re close. We’re so close it’s almost terrifying. If we were going to lose, I’d rather lose with several more clues left, not just one.

Pam moves slowly across the room, her hand trailing the wall, then she stops. “Did we check under the table? Like the actual underside of it?”

“I did,” Beth tells her. “It was one of the first places I looked after we found the scroll. There wasn’t anything there.”

“But what about now that we’ve got the black light?” Will suggests.

“Yes, exactly,” Pam says, pointing at him.

Beth grabs Dawn and, together, they move toward the table. “You check. You’ve got younger knees.”

“I’ve got it,” I shout, darting across the room and launching myself under the table. Someone flips off the overhead light, and seconds later, the black light comes on. I gasp as purple numbers come into view. “Oh my god.”

“What do you see?” Will asks, standing by the white board near the exit.

“There’s… Hang on.” I’m trying to piece it together. “It says six, and then down below it, there’s a one and a five. But they’re close together. Like⁠—”

“It’s 6:15,” Beth says. “The clock. Someone check the clock. The six and the three.”