Had I really just seen Cassie? The vision was nothing like the others. Hands shaking, I set my notebook down and dug around for a pen. I closed my eyes for a few seconds, got control of my breathing, and then opened my eyes.
A loose piece of paper folded in the shape of a triangle was right in front of my open bag. It could’ve been inside it and fallen out or...
I glanced around quickly, but no one was around me.
Part of me didn’t want to read it, didn’t even want to begin to figure out how it had gotten into my messenger bag or if it had dropped out of the sky. There had been chances, opportunities during the first three classes. Someone could’ve slipped it in there. Drawing in a shallow breath, I unfolded the slip of paper.
There was blood on the rocks. Her blood. Your blood. I stared at the words until they blurred on the yellow paper. Cassie’s blood—my blood on the rocks? Waves of nausea rolled through me.
“What are you looking at?” Jumping at the unexpected voice, I slapped my hand over the note and looked up. Two vibrant blue eyes, the color of polished sapphires locked onto mine. Carson was sliding into the seat next to me.
“Why are you sitting here?” I asked, quickly folding up the paper.
He arched a brow. “I sit here.”
I shoved the note in my bag. “You do?”
“Yeah, I’m your lab partner. Have been all year, Sam.” Carson propped his elbow on the table, resting his cheek on a closed fist. “So, what are you doing?”
“I’m... I can’t find my pen.”
He offered me his.
“What about you?”
One side of his lips curved up. “I have many, many more. I have a pen fetish. I just keep collecting them.”
I couldn’t tell if he was joking, but I smiled and took the pen. Our fingers brushed, and a jolt traveled up my hand. I looked up, my eyes meeting his. He still held the pen, but his gaze was wary. “Thanks?” I said, tugging gently.
Carson let go. “How’s your first day back?”
I laughed under my breath. “It’s been great.”
“Care to elaborate?”
“I’m kind of surprised you’re curious.”
He watched me for a moment and then pulled back, folding his arms over his broad chest. “Well, I was just trying to be nice and make small talk. Usually, we just glare at each other and trade insults. We could go back to that if you want?”
“No.” My voice sounded sad. “I don’t want that.”
Carson tried to hide the flicker of surprise with a short laugh, but I saw it. “Oh, well...”
Swirling emotions rose to the surface—hurt, anger, confusion. “I’m sorry for being such a bitch to you since ... well, since whenever. Really, I am. But can we just start over?”
He stared at me, eyes wide and dilated. His expression was unreadable.
Shaking my head, I faced the front of the class. Why had I even bothered? It wasn’t as if a simple apology was going to repair years of me being mean. And coming to my rescue this morning at the coffee shop didn’t constitute Carson waving a white flag of friendship. “Guess not.”
“Sam—”
“Just forget it,” I grumbled. Flipping the notebook open, I attempted to read the biology notes that I couldn’t seem to remember taking when I saw Candy in the front of the classroom.
She stared back at me, her gaze darting between Carson and me. When she caught my eyes, her brows rose. I shrugged and went back to reading the notes that I obviously hadn’t put much effort into. I didn’t look once in Carson’s direction during the entire class, but his presence was overwhelming anyway. Every part of my body was aware of his movements. When he scribbled down notes, or when he rubbed his hand over his chest or flexed his right wrist. My nerves were stretched thin by the time the bell rang. I bolted from the classroom like a scared, caged animal.
Lunch wasn’t much different.
I had to go through the line alone, and nothing looked edible. Settling on pizza, I grabbed a bottle of water and searched the tables. Veronica was in the back, waving her hand like an air traffic controller. Getting used to the stares, I headed in their direction.
“I heard she doesn’t remember a thing,” whispered a girl. “Like she had to be told what her name was. How insane is that?”
“Well, she certainly forgot who she was friends with,” replied another girl, much louder. “I saw her talking to Louis in the hallway today. Hell froze over.”
Passing another table, I heard a guy say, “I’m not sure which one I wanted to come back. Both have the tightest...”
I hurried up, not wanting to hear the rest of that. I passed my brother, who was sitting next to a pretty blonde. They didn’t seem to notice me, as their mouths were attached to each other.
Sitting down beside Veronica, I forced my muscles to relax. The girls were talking about what happened on a TV show they watched last night, and I was able to eat half of my pizza in silence. A few minutes later, a guy with short dark hair and a supermuscular build joined us. He sat beside Candy.
“Trey.” He shoved his hand out, grinning. He had a slight accent—British? “Nice to meet you.”
Veronica knocked his hand away. “Don’t be stupid.”
“What?” He winked at me. “Del said she doesn’t remember any of this. Figured I’d introduce myself.”
“Samantha.” I held my hand out, going along with it. He laughed, shook my hand, and settled back, throwing an arm over the back of Candy’s chair. “Damn, you really don’t remember a thing?”
Damn, I was really getting tired of people asking if I remembered anything. “Not a thing.”
His eyes narrowed. “So you have no clue about what happened to Cassie?”
Silence descended on the table like a thick, itchy blanket. A fist-sized ball of unease formed under my ribs as I met Trey’s stare. “No. Do you?”
“No.” Trey laughed. “I hadn’t seen her that whole weekend. We broke up.”
Veronica cleared her throat. “Guys, can we talk about something else? This creeps me out.”
He ignored her. “Have you asked Del if he saw her that weekend?”
The ball grew larger, heavier. Had I asked Del? I didn’t think so, not in so many words. “He didn’t mention seeing her.”
Trey’s look of innocence didn’t fool me. “You might what to ask again. Just saying.”
“What does that mean?” I demanded.
“It doesn’t mean anything,” Veronica said, pushing a piece of lettuce around on her plate. “Trey’s missing a few brain cells. Anyway, Lauren and I were planning on going to Philly this weekend to get new dresses for Del’s party he’s throwing after prom.”
Lauren was the brunette with blond streaks, the quietest one of the bunch. She smiled at me.
“Del’s having a party?” I asked.