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Sophie shook her head. “No. Scar. Stop it. Take a deep breath.”

I screamed again.

“Okay...yeah, slap her.”

RJ leaned over and slapped me across the face.

“Ow.” The burn of my cheek somehow distracted me from the chaos in my head.

“Better?” RJ asked.

“No.” I rubbed my cheek.

“Look, Scar,” RJ said. “It might not be Mr. Halifax. All you have to do is walk through those doors and find out.”

“Might not? Just tell me!”

“It could be anyone.”

“What?! You said he was on my list!”

“And you said you’ve done things with this guy. Which is why you need to figure out who it is. Maybe ask him if he has any contagious diseases while you’re at it.”

“Ah!” This was a disaster. “RJ, you said it wasn’t a drifter. So it’s either Zach, Leo, or Luis?”

RJ shrugged.

“Does that mean it’s none one of them?! Is it Mr. Halifax?!”

RJ laughed.

“Stop laughing at me! My life is in shambles!”

“It’s not,” RJ said. “You’re just overthinking it. Come on. Walk into the restaurant and go see for yourself.”

“Or you could just tell me.”

RJ turned around and unbuckled his seatbelt. “Nope. It’s time for the big reveal!” He climbed out of the car.

Screw me. I got out of the car too. I looked both ways, debating whether or not I should run. If I never found out who it was, I wouldn’t have to flee the country.

“You’ve got this,” Sophie said as she joined me on the sidewalk. “Just take deep breaths. And try not to scream when you see him.”

“That’s not comforting! Why would I scream?”

“If it’s like...a deformed drifter.”

“Soph!”

“It would explain why he’s only made out with you in dark spaces.”

“Or it’s Mr. Halifax and he could only make out with me in dark spaces so he wouldn’t get arrested.” I groaned.

“I like my theory better,” Sophie said. She hooked her arm in mine and pulled me to the door.

My opportunity to flee had been thwarted.

We were at some restaurant I’d never been to before. But it looked really fancy. A drifter couldn’t afford a meal here, right? Or was my kiss thief expecting me to pay? I wasn’t sure a teacher could afford to eat here either. But I didn’t know Mr. Halifax’s background. Was he from money?