Makani hated the idea of talking to the police. Answering their questions. What if they looked into her record and discovered her expungement in Hawaii? She’d always dreaded that someday, something would happen that would prompt a closer inspection of her files. And this was it. Today was the day. What would her friends think of her?
If Ollie were here, maybe his stillness would be a comfort. But they only had one class together and since the previous evening, they’d only spoken over text. Ollie had lain awake, afraid of getting a knock on the front door—the chief of police coming to say there’d been a third attack, and now his brother was dead, too. Chris hadn’t come home until after four in the morning. Ollie had slept in and barely made it to school on time.
“Do you think the team will bow out?” Darby asked Alex.
Makani realized they’d been talking for several minutes.
“Of the playoffs?” Alex shook her head. “Their spot was already secure. And Matt wasn’t the only one being scouted. The team can’t stop playing—”
“Because this is Nebraska.” Makani filled in the blank like a robot. Most conversations about football ended with that phrase.
Alex loved playing the trumpet, but she preferred concert season to marching band. She nodded her displeasure. “The boosters sent out a text-blast this morning. We’re taking tonight off with the team, but practice resumes on Monday.”
Darby glanced around to ensure their privacy. “I heard the coaches might be suspended, because they left school grounds immediately after practice. Someone was supposed to stay behind with the team. And if someone had stayed behind . . .”
Alex grimaced. “Twenty bucks says the only coach suspended is the lowest-ranking assistant.”
“I didn’t think Haley and Matt even knew each other,” Darby said, returning to the most baffling question. “Do you really think they were dating?”
The tone of the rumors had shifted. Haley’s father was taking a backseat while the secret lovers theory came under scrutiny. Suddenly, their classmates swore they’d spotted Haley and Matt sharing a banana shake at Sonic or groping beneath the bleachers.
“I mean,” Darby said, “Matt’s been with Lauren Dixon for two years.”
“Which is why it was a secret.” Alex leaned in, wafting them with her favorite perfume. Her skin smelled floral and spicy. “Maybe Lauren found out and killed them both in a jealous rage.”
“You seriously think a girl could’ve done that?”
“Of course a girl could’ve done it.”
Darby scowled at her. “I meant, physically. Matt was a big guy.”
“You don’t think Lauren has bitch strength?” Alex asked.
When Makani moved to Osborne, Lauren had been the first to ask: What are you? Makani gave an honest answer, and Lauren had laughed. So, you’re a mutt! She thought she was being cute, and everyone within earshot had laughed. Makani had despised her ever since. But even with their history, she was glad that Lauren had stayed home and would be spared—for a time, at least—what was being said about her.
“Maybe the killer doesn’t even go here,” Darby said. “Maybe it’s someone from a rival team. Someone competing for the attention of the same college recruiters.”
“But then why kill Haley?” Alex asked.
He contemplated it for a few seconds. “Love triangle?”
They startled as a voice in front of them laughed with condescension. It was Alex’s tempestuous crush. As Rodrigo turned around to face them, Alex glared at him witheringly. But her posture perked up.
Rodrigo laced his fingers behind his head, cocky and relaxed. “Though, I suppose a love triangle is as likely as your secret lovers’ scenario.”
“It is so”—Alex pointed at his chest—“not.”
David, who was sitting beside Rodrigo, rolled his eyes. Makani understood. Their friends needed to get over themselves and suck face.
“What about Buddy?” Darby asked. “In the love triangle?”
Rodrigo’s expression grew even more skeptical. “Buddy Wheeler?”
“No, the other Buddy who plays football,” Alex said.
Darby ignored them. “Remember last year when his girlfriend dumped him, and he punched her locker so hard that his skin got caught in the metal grate? Shit required stitches. Now there’s someone angry enough to kill, and he’s Matt’s best friend.”
“Buddy is too dumb to be the killer,” Alex said.
“On that, alone, we agree,” Rodrigo said.
Makani glanced at the classroom door. Would anyone notice if she left?
“Are you gonna throw up?”
Makani looked back to find David staring at her. He seemed more bored than interested, but that might have just been his face. It was long and plain with an odd swoop of sandy hair across his forehead. “You’re clutching your stomach,” he said.
“I guess I’m just ready to talk about anything else.”
He shrugged. “Is there anything else to talk about?”
It was a valid question, but it made her feel even more alone.
In addition to the most obvious—and outlandish—suspects, speculation about Ollie and Zachary was also on the rise. Ollie and Zachary. The loner and the asshole. The bullied and the bully. Plenty of people had noticed Matt messing with Ollie only two days earlier, and several others had witnessed Zachary taunting Matt last month after the announcement that Matt would be crowned Homecoming King.
Makani had spent the homecoming game watching a werewolf movie in Darby’s basement. When the game ended and her duties to the band were over, Alex had joined them. None of them went to the dance the following night. They hadn’t been asked. Now the Homecoming King was dead. It was impossible to believe.
“Who do you think did it?” David asked.
Makani stared at the door. She couldn’t keep her eyes off the exit. “I don’t know. Maybe their deaths aren’t even connected.”
Darby’s, Alex’s, and Rodrigo’s attention snapped back to her.
“I m-mean,” Makani said, “of course they’re connected, but what if Haley and Matt were exactly who we thought they were? What if there’s no great conspiracy, and they were chosen simply because they were both popular?”
Alex shook her head. “Haley wasn’t popular.”
“She was well liked and respected. It’s almost the same thing.”
“Okay,” Rodrigo said, “so your theory is that someone unpopular killed them? Someone jealous of their status?”
Makani bristled. “I don’t have a theory. I’m just saying we don’t know.”
“They wouldn’t have to be unpopular,” Alex said. “Just less popular.”
“At least it means we’d all be safe,” Rodrigo said.
Up until then, Makani hadn’t been sure if Rodrigo was aware that he wasn’t universally admired. It made her like him a little more. She would prefer to go unnoticed altogether. Unfortunately, the sharp end of her anonymity seemed to be rapidly approaching.
The police came for her during the last period of the day. It was Makani’s only class with Ollie, but they’d hardly spoken before Se?ora Washington asked her to step into the hallway. The young, decidedly not Hispanic, Spanish teacher looked despondent with a touch of relief. It was the final name that she would have to call out.
“Best for last,” the officer said as the door closed behind her. He wore a stiff, dark blue uniform, and his name tag read LARSSON.