Page 19 of Dead Girls Don’t Forget

Coach Miller raised his voice. “We’re doing mixed pacing drills today. Fifteen minutes per station. You stay with your partner the entire time.”

Names were called. People moved to find their partners.

Then I heard it.

“Harper James and Jackson Black.”

My cat purred, practically preening at the thought of being that close to him.

I exhaled once, adjusted my grip on my water bottle, and turned.

Jackson was already looking at me with something close to satisfaction in his expression, the look of a man whose morning had gone exactly as he intended.

I said nothing.

He smiled.

Naomi reacted instantly. “Coach Miller, she’s not a good match for him. I should be paired with Jackson. We always pace well. We have history with these drills.”

Coach Miller looked up. “Harper’s times are closer to Jackson’s than yours are. You’re better matched with Jason.”

“Coach Reid—”

“Move on, Naomi,” Reid said, without inflection.

Naomi stomped over to Jason.

Cassidy caught my eye from across the group and mouthed omg while wiggling her eyebrows. I pretended not to see it.

Jackson and I moved to our first station, a steady-pace three-kilometer run. I stopped near the marker cone and stretched. He warmed up beside me.

We started on Coach Miller’s signal. I kept half a step of distance between us. He closed it without effort. Our strides matched despite my best attempts to keep them different.

For a while, neither of us spoke. Just the rhythm of our feet on the track and the steady pull of our breathing.

Then, “You like it in Ridgeview so far?”

“It’s fine.”

“Transferring teams isn’t easy.”

“I manage.”

He glanced sideways. “Why Ridgeview? Most people don’t switch schools senior year.”

“They needed a runner. I needed a school.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

He huffed a quiet laugh. “You really don’t like questions, do you?”

“No.”

“Noted.” Another few strides. “You run in the woods often?”

My foot caught the uneven edge. Jackson reacted instantly, his hand closing around my arm, steadying me. Heat shot through me where he touched me.