I raised an eyebrow, caught off guard that she knew my name.
“Oh my god, you don’t remember me? We were in the same class during our junior year at Everdale High–Class 3! It’s me, Sophie Lee!”
I was speechless.
Hearing someone bring up high school made me flinch instinctively.
Yet something felt off.
There was a disconnection.
I tried to recall the faces of my bullies, forcing myself to remember.
But I couldn’t.
It was all a blur, their features blending into one indistinct, shapeless mass.
“Tsk, we were pretty close in high school! I sat in front of you. I used to share so many snacks with you. You don’t remember?
“Weren’t you really good friends with Serena Chambers back then? Oh, right, and her brother, Ethan Chambers.
“Are you still with Ethan? You two were seriously the perfect couple back then….
“It’s just a shame you transferred schools in junior year. We never got to take a graduation photo together. Everyone really liked you…”
A dull buzzing filled my head.
I was standing right there, listening to her speak, yet for a moment, it felt like I had blacked out.
Serena Chambers. Ethan Chambers.
Best friends.
The person I liked the most.
Fragments of memory cracked open like dry, broken soil.
White noise filled my mind, drowning out everything else.
I stood frozen.
Then suddenly I bolted, running back to my room.
I heard someone calling after me, a woman’s voice, but I didn’t stop.
The room Ethan and I were staying in had a double bed.
Luggage lay scattered across the floor, the bedside lamp flickering with a warm glow.
I clutched my head, curling into a corner.
Chapter 14
I tried to breathe in and out.
I willed myself to stop shaking.
Then, with trembling fingers, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone.
It slipped from my grasp and hit the floor.
I let it stay there, crawling forward to open the search bar to type in Everdale High and filter by date.
I scrolled through old news articles with unsteady fingers until my gaze landed on a years–old forum post.
“Why were there police cars at our school tonight? Does anyone from the night study hall know what happened?”
