like
something inside me was collapsing. As if the knowledge broke my heart. I
hardly knew the guy. There was no reason for it to matter so much to me.
There was Trent. But somehow his pain
didn’t seem as real to me as the searing disappointment I felt over Max.
“What’s up?” Paige said as we took a
left along the main street of campus.
“Nothing. Why?”
“You’ve been kind of down lately.”
Should I tell her? But Trent had been so
secretive, I assumed he didn’t want anyone outside the family to know.
“It’s nothing. I’m just tired.”
“Maybe a good workout will perk you up.”
“Yeah, I’m sure it will.”
I glanced across the intersection toward
the student union and saw her. The blonde who’d been in my room the morning
Paige had brought over the doughnuts. She stood at the bottom of the steps leading
into the commons. She wore the same white tunic with blue embroidery over
bell-bottom jeans. Her hair was so long it came all the way down to her butt.
And she was looking at me. Staring.
I grabbed Paige’s wrist. “I’ve seen her
before.”
“Who?”
“That blonde standing under the
light-post.”
Paige wrinkled her brow. “What blonde?”
“Can’t you see her? She’s right there.”
I pointed.
“There’s no-one by the lamp-post,
Caroline.”
“Yeah, there is. Right there.” I pointed
again.
The blonde spun on her platform heel and
dashed up the steps into the student union commons. I bolted after her,
scattering pedestrians and bicyclists in the street. People hollered at me and
I ignored them.
I yanked open the commons doors and ran
right into a wall of man. A warm, muscular, male-scented wall that instantly
made me tremble and ache. Which was weird and completely out of character.
“Hey, are you all right?” It was a
familiar voice. It explained my reaction, too.
I looked up into Max’s concerned eyes. “I’m
fine. Did you see her?”
“See who?”
“A blond girl. She just came this way.”
I leaned around him, trying to see if I could pick her out in the commons.
She seemed to have disappeared. It was
the middle of the afternoon, and the dining area was only sparsely occupied.
The blonde seemed to be nowhere in the room. Where had she gone?
“I didn’t see anyone,” Max said.
“God, that’s so weird,” I muttered. “She
was right here.”
“Caro, are you all right?”
I looked up at him. Max. My conversation
with Trent came back to me and chills broke out all over my body. This was the
murderer I’d almost kissed. And I still reacted to him, still got all
breathless and filled with idiotic butterflies who didn’t know they were
fluttering over a guy who’d killed his own brother.
“Fine,” I said, taking a step away from
him. “I’m fine.”
“Who were you chasing?”
“Just some chick I thought I knew.”
“Hi, Max,” Paige said behind us. “Caroline,
what were you trying to do there?”
“I wanted to talk to her.”
Max looked over my shoulder at my
friend. “Do you know what girl she’s talking about?”
“I didn’t see her,” Paige said.
“She was the same girl who was in my
room,” I muttered to myself.
“What girl? In your room? What are you
talking about?” Paige’s eyes were wide and startled; she was starting to sound
agitated.
“Come and sit down,” Max said. “We’ll
figure it out together.”
I couldn’t meet his eyes. Could he tell
I knew his secret?
“No, I can’t. We don’t have time,” I
said. “Paige and I were on our way to the gym.”
“You seem pretty upset. I think you
should tell me what happened.”
“Yeah,” Paige said. “I want to figure
this out, because you’re starting to scare me.”
I looked back at her, then at Max. They
both looked worried. Did they think I was losing it? Did I care that a murderer
thought I was losing it? No, not really. But if I was scaring Paige, it would
be worth sitting down with him in order to reassure her.
“Okay. Fine. But just for a
something inside me was collapsing. As if the knowledge broke my heart. I
hardly knew the guy. There was no reason for it to matter so much to me.
There was Trent. But somehow his pain
didn’t seem as real to me as the searing disappointment I felt over Max.
“What’s up?” Paige said as we took a
left along the main street of campus.
“Nothing. Why?”
“You’ve been kind of down lately.”
Should I tell her? But Trent had been so
secretive, I assumed he didn’t want anyone outside the family to know.
“It’s nothing. I’m just tired.”
“Maybe a good workout will perk you up.”
“Yeah, I’m sure it will.”
I glanced across the intersection toward
the student union and saw her. The blonde who’d been in my room the morning
Paige had brought over the doughnuts. She stood at the bottom of the steps leading
into the commons. She wore the same white tunic with blue embroidery over
bell-bottom jeans. Her hair was so long it came all the way down to her butt.
And she was looking at me. Staring.
I grabbed Paige’s wrist. “I’ve seen her
before.”
“Who?”
“That blonde standing under the
light-post.”
Paige wrinkled her brow. “What blonde?”
“Can’t you see her? She’s right there.”
I pointed.
“There’s no-one by the lamp-post,
Caroline.”
“Yeah, there is. Right there.” I pointed
again.
The blonde spun on her platform heel and
dashed up the steps into the student union commons. I bolted after her,
scattering pedestrians and bicyclists in the street. People hollered at me and
I ignored them.
I yanked open the commons doors and ran
right into a wall of man. A warm, muscular, male-scented wall that instantly
made me tremble and ache. Which was weird and completely out of character.
“Hey, are you all right?” It was a
familiar voice. It explained my reaction, too.
I looked up into Max’s concerned eyes. “I’m
fine. Did you see her?”
“See who?”
“A blond girl. She just came this way.”
I leaned around him, trying to see if I could pick her out in the commons.
She seemed to have disappeared. It was
the middle of the afternoon, and the dining area was only sparsely occupied.
The blonde seemed to be nowhere in the room. Where had she gone?
“I didn’t see anyone,” Max said.
“God, that’s so weird,” I muttered. “She
was right here.”
“Caro, are you all right?”
I looked up at him. Max. My conversation
with Trent came back to me and chills broke out all over my body. This was the
murderer I’d almost kissed. And I still reacted to him, still got all
breathless and filled with idiotic butterflies who didn’t know they were
fluttering over a guy who’d killed his own brother.
“Fine,” I said, taking a step away from
him. “I’m fine.”
“Who were you chasing?”
“Just some chick I thought I knew.”
“Hi, Max,” Paige said behind us. “Caroline,
what were you trying to do there?”
“I wanted to talk to her.”
Max looked over my shoulder at my
friend. “Do you know what girl she’s talking about?”
“I didn’t see her,” Paige said.
“She was the same girl who was in my
room,” I muttered to myself.
“What girl? In your room? What are you
talking about?” Paige’s eyes were wide and startled; she was starting to sound
agitated.
“Come and sit down,” Max said. “We’ll
figure it out together.”
I couldn’t meet his eyes. Could he tell
I knew his secret?
“No, I can’t. We don’t have time,” I
said. “Paige and I were on our way to the gym.”
“You seem pretty upset. I think you
should tell me what happened.”
“Yeah,” Paige said. “I want to figure
this out, because you’re starting to scare me.”
I looked back at her, then at Max. They
both looked worried. Did they think I was losing it? Did I care that a murderer
thought I was losing it? No, not really. But if I was scaring Paige, it would
be worth sitting down with him in order to reassure her.
“Okay. Fine. But just for a
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