“And they’ll actually tell him?”
“Yes,” Georgia and Luke answer together. Of course, a fancy private school keeps the town rolling in money.
“I haven’t had a chance to look deeper into her social media, but I’ll try tonight and see what I can find.”
“Oh,” I snap my fingers, a thought hitting me. “MoodMuse, do you know that social media app?” Georgia shakes her head no.
“My friend Nick used it. He’s great at drawing and wants to be a tattoo artist someday.”
“Nick again?” Luke scowls. “You two dated.” I ignore him and keep talking, but I can’t help noticing how he’s pouting now. It’s honestly kind of adorable.
“It’s a social media app for artists,” I explain.
“Oh, okay, yeah, I’ll check it out,” Georgia says.
“I’ll see what I can find online,” Grant says. I’m still impressed by what he pulled off the other day. If he hadn’t gotten us that information, Emily wouldn’t even be on our radar.
“I’ll be friends with Emily.” Georgia’s eyes go wide, and Grant raises his eyebrows almost to his hairline. Luke’s pout disappears, and his face gets tense, jaw clenched.
“She saw us that night, Buttercup. You’re not going near her.”
“If she’s even the one that did it,” I say. “But if it is her, she’ll think I don’t suspect anything, and she’ll probably want to friend me back.”
“So she can try to kill you,” Georgia blurts out, clearly not liking my idea. I throw her a look, one that is meant to remind her whose side she’s on here. I don’t even have to look at Luke to know he doesn’t like it either.
“I’ll be careful,” I insist.
“It’s not happening, so get that out of your pretty little head.” I know he’s trying to look out for me, but him laying down the law pisses me off.
I pull my hand free from his.
“You don’t get to decide what I do.”
“Is that so?” he challenges.
“She’s not making friends with her right now. We’ll talk about it tonight,” Georgia says, linking her arm with mine.
“Come on, everyone, get moving,” the teacher shouts from the top of the building’s stairs. “You can gossip in class.”
Everyone starts to shuffle inside.
“You’re not doing it,” Luke says again as we too head into the building. I don’t respond to him, but that doesn’t stop him from laying a hard kiss on me that’s filled with warning before leaving me at my first class.
I drop down into my seat, irritated. I can’t focus on anything the teacher is saying. My mind is fully on Emily, and Luke trying to ban me from shit.
It’s not going to stop me. It only makes me realize I’ll have to do this without Luke knowing for now. I never agreed not to seek Emily out, so I’m not lying to him. I spend the rest of class mapping out a plan. First order of business, I need to figure out where Emily is staying. Then I’ll make myself a new friend.
This was all my idea. I dragged everyone into it, so I should do the work too. And just because Luke gives me an order doesn’t mean I’ll listen. He’s about to find that out.
Chapter Twenty-Six
LUKE
The ice is perfect, freshly cut and still gives off a bit of mist. I skate drills with the guys, feeling my edges grip and the puck snapping between our sticks. When Coach blows the whistle, I look down the rink.
Madeline stands with the Ice Crew, her red jacket bright against the white. She laughs at something Kory says, but I can tell it’s not a real one. Her mood is off, and I know she’s still pissed at me. She was quiet at lunch but didn’t stop me from kissing her and keeping her tucked into my side.
Before lunch, Grant had already figured out where Emily is staying. She’s at one of the few bed-and-breakfasts in town. I also talked to my brother.
