“I hate you.”
He gives me a long once-over. “I like it.”
I feign nonchalance. “It’s just a dress.”
“No,” he says, his gaze locking with mine. “It’s you.”
A blush creeps into my cheeks. I clear my throat, fighting to keep my voice steady. “We shouldn’t be talking. Everett’s here.”
“Yeah, and we’re not doing anything wrong. Just talking.”
“You really believe that? You don’t feel at all bad doing this to him?”
“I don’t. You two aren’t together.” Chase runs a hand through his hair. “I don’t engage in drama, and Ev wouldn’t want me tocoddle him. He’s a big boy and he’ll move on. But I get it if you don’t want to be seen talking to me.”
“Chase…”
His hand grazes mine again, and he smiles when my breath hitches. “Relax. I won’t cause trouble. You don’t think I know how to keep things subtle?”
“Subtle?” I repeat with a skeptical laugh, doing my best to ignore the way he makes my pulse race.
“Okay, maybe ‘subtle’ isn’t my style, but I can make an exception for you.”
The smile tugging at my lips fades fast. “We can’t keep doing this,” I say, more to myself than to him.
“Maybe,” he agrees. “But I’m here anyway.”
Suddenly the gym lights flicker. I frown, seeking out my cousins in the crowd. Connor is at a table with a few of his teammates. Jasmine and Bo are on the dance floor, wrapped up in one another, but they pull apart when the music stops. The lead singer of the band announces they’re taking a break but that we shouldn’t worry because we’re all in for a treat.
Yeah, right. There are very few treats to be had in Starling, Tennessee.
Jasmine catches my eye and darts over. “Come on, it’s time for the yearbook video!”
Right. The midyear recap. I uploaded more than a hundred candid photos for it, and I am a bit curious to see which ones the committee chose to use.
As the large screen on the stage flickers to life, Jasmine pushes me closer so we’ll have a better view.
“I narrated it this year,” she brags. “You’re gonna love it. I’m amazing.”
I smile faintly, trying to focus on her enthusiasm. The gym feels unnaturally quiet, the only sound the soft whir of the projector. I notice Sofia and Zed standing in the wings. She says something to him, then descends the steps in her high heels and goes to join her fellow cheerleaders in the crowd. Excitement dances in her eyes.
The opening sequence flashes across the screen, showcasing shots of the football team, pep rallies, and dance rehearsals. It’s all normal high school stuff.
Until it’s not.
Out of nowhere, the yearbook video freezes. The screen flickers, then goes completely black for a second before flickering back on.
“Zed!” an outraged Sofia screeches from the crowd.
A photograph of Main Street, Starling, fills the screen, but it has a jagged, unsettling look to it. Words begin to crawl up the screen in bold block letters. They spell out:
cold secrets: a town’s dark history
My breath catches in my throat.
“What the hell?” Jasmine mutters under her breath.
My heart stutters with fear when a familiar logo appears underneath the title.
