Page 94 of Summer Love

“Yes,” I say, keeping my voice as flat as I can.

He doesn’t push it. He shuts off the water and the power, then grabs the keys to the rental car.

We go out. The gravel crunches under our feet. I drag my suitcase behind me. Dad opens the trunk.

I get in on the passenger side and buckle my seatbelt.

We leave.

The road follows the coast. The cliffs, the pines, the blue of the sky and the ocean.

I stare out the window without seeing anything.

Just as we pass the Now leaving Coral Bay sign, the sound of a rotor tears through the air. Above us, a white helicopter banks south, toward the cliffs. Behind us, sirens go off—two, maybe three.

Dad slows down. He half-turns in his seat to follow the helicopter through the rear window.

“They must’ve found the girl,” he murmurs.

I don’t answer.

“The one who went missing at Star Park two days ago.”

He shakes his head.

“I hope she’s alive. Still…”

He doesn’t finish the sentence. He speeds up. The helicopter shrinks in the mirror; the sirens fade.

In my pocket, my phone buzzes. A call.

Noah.

My thumb slides across the screen. Not to the green button.

Contacts. Noah Walker. Block this number.

I confirm.

Contacts. Jace Walker. Block this number.

I confirm.

The screen goes black again. I turn it face down against my thigh.

I rest my forehead against the window. The landscape rolls by. A tear slides down my cheek. I wipe it away with my thumb before it can go any further. Dad doesn’t see it—his eyes are fixed on the road. I don’t say a word.

CHAPTER 31

Summer

Iblink and come back to the present, six years later, in my teenage bedroom.

My hand is still on the pillow. The fabric is cold under my fingers. There’s nothing there. There never was.

A hundred bucks. That’s what I was worth.

I look down at the braided bracelet on my wrist. I don’t even know whose it is. A forgotten thing in a forgotten room.