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Her expression changes immediately. “It's over.”

“Oh…”

“Yeah.” She grabs a handful of sand before letting it fall between her fingers. “He was weird.”

“How so?”

She hesitates then interlocks her fingers with mine before replying, “I don't know. At first, I thought it was me. I always had the feeling he always knew where I was.”

“Maybe he was checking your social media?”

“I thought of that.”

“And?” I ask again, scared of what she might reply.

“I wasn't posting anything.” I turn my head toward her and she continues to look at the water. “At first, I found it flattering, then it became weird. He always appeared in the right place, he always knew the right information. Then I discovered that he stole my access card.”

That’s when I sit up straight. “Excuse me?"

“I'm serious,” she replies, just as confused as I am.

“How did he get it?”

“I have no idea. I searched for it for hours. Then it reappeared as if nothing had happened.”

“And that's when you understood?”

She shakes her head, letting a long sigh escape her lips. “No. I understood when I realized he knew things he should never have had access to.”

I feel my stomach clench, this son of a bitch. “You confronted him about this?”

She lets out a humorless laugh. “Yes. and he reacted very badly.”

“In what way?”

Her eyes meet mine and she replies, “In the sense that I realized I didn't want to be alone with him anymore.”

Silence falls between us again, and I put my arm around her shoulders. “He's an asshole,” is all I say at first.

She bursts out laughing. “Thanks for that very professional analysis.”

“I’m serious, he fucking sucks, if I see him, I’ll punch him in the face for that.”

Her smile returns as she leaves a small kiss on my cheek and settles against me, “I know, my best friend is an over protective psycho.”

I mirror her and exhale softly. I hate that someone used her for whatever fucked up reason.

The sun begins to disappear behind the cliffs when Ethan finally reappears again. He holds three meals in his hands with a dramatic expression. “While some people were discussing their relationship problems, others were working.”

He hands us the food and sits down.

“Thank you for your sacrifice, Bennett,” Hayzel replies, already tasting the food.

He shrugs, digging into his too, “I know. I'm a hero. After this, you'll help me finish the tents.”

“No,” we reply both at the same time.

He looks at us, eyebrows furrowed, “What do you mean, no?”