Page 10 of Chasing Amanda

“Do you remember what I said?”

She thought back. Somebody had told her to run. It had been this man, she thought. Maybe.

“You remember,” the man guessed. “And then what happened?”

“He tackled you?”

“Right. And you ran. And made it home safely, obviously.”

She crossed her arms. “What do you want?”

“To show you something.” He reached in his pants pocket and pulled out a silver object. He stepped out of the way of foot traffic. “Here.”

Curious, she followed him to the edge of the sidewalk and took it. It was metal, a few inches long and about an inch wide. It had weird little holes all over it. She turned it over, but it looked the same on the other side. “What is it?”

He took the item back, unhooked one end, and flipped it open.

A knife.

Gasping, she stepped back.

He closed it, latched it, and placed it in her palm. “It’s called a butterfly knife. The other guy had it in his sweatshirt pocket when I fought with him last night.”

She stared at the knife, trying to process her thoughts. “You’re saying…did he attack you with it?”

“He didn’t open the knife to attack me. He opened it before he knew I was there, when he followed you.”

She looked up at this stranger. Lips pressed closed, eyes narrowed, like he was waiting for her to get it.

She didn’t want to get it.

She started walking again. He kept pace silently.

They’d covered almost a block when she said, “Are you saying…? What are you saying?”

“You need to stay alert. You’ll probably never see him again⁠—”

“He goes to school here.”

“What?” He stopped again. She did, too, and looked into his eyes. They were a beautiful shade of light brown with a darker brown ringing the outside. He looked furious. “Is he a friend of yours, or⁠—?”

“We’ve never met. I’ve just seen him around.”

“Has he ever asked you out?”

“Never. He barely talks.”

“But he watches you.”

Her stomach dropped. “What do you mean?”

“He was watching you last night. For a long time. And then when you left, he left some cash on the table and followed you out.” The stranger looked over her head, scanning the sidewalk and street around them, his Adam’s apple dipping as he swallowed. “He was after you.”

She sucked in a breath, forced it out. “You’re sure?”

Intensity and certainty filled his brown eyes. “I have no doubt.”

CHAPTER SEVEN