Page 172 of Dare To Fall

Jace’s brown eyes lock with mine. “He hates him.”

“I kind of figured that out on my own. What I don’t understand is why, and how we got to this point.”

“You don’t understand what it’s like.”

I glance around warily. “Then tell me.”

“Evan gets inside your head. I didn’t see it at first. He’s been my friend since I was ten.”

“What do you mean get inside your head?”

Jace sighs and hunches over his cup. “Whispering. Comments. He always knows what you want to hear. He has a way of making you feel important. Coaxing you to do things and getting you to see stuff his way but letting you believe the idea was your own.”

I frown. “We’re talking about the same Evan here? The guy who followed you around all the time like your personal puppy?”

“That’s the image he wanted everyone to see. The person he became when we started attending the school. He’s different when no one is watching. When it’s just the two of us.”

“You’re saying he pretends to be something he’s not?”

Jace nods jerkily. “He would joke about the classes we were taking. How easy they were. Childs play. Nothing slowed him down, not even math. He had keys to the dorms. Knew the routines of all the teachers and security. Some of them were even being blackmailed by him because he knew their dirty little secrets.”

My phone pings.

Miles: Are you still alive?

Me: Yes.

Miles: How do I know this is Arabella?

Me: We’re still Daredevil and Elektra.

Me: Ok, you’ve got another five minutes.

I stare at the boy across the table. “Are you trying to tell me Evan is some kind of evil genius?”

“It was fun at first.” Jace’s voice lowers to a whisper. “The things we did before you arrived. He would talk Lacy and the cheerleaders into doing stuff. He knew exactly what buttons to push to get someone to carry out his instructions. Then he became obsessed with Zoey when she became friends with Eli and Kellan. I know he stalked her. I found photos of her in one of his drawers.”

“Have you told the police all of this?”

“Yes, they know everything.” He swallows hard and rakes a hand through his hair. “I swear to you, I don’t know where he is. If he’s still talking to any of us, I don’t know. When he started saying Miles and Garrett were traitors, something clicked inside my head. He wanted us to hurt them.”

A nervous tick jumps below his right eye.

“How?”

His gaze drops from mine. “He … he wanted to break Miles’ legs in such a way he wouldn’t be able to swim again. As for Garrett …”

My mouth is so dry, I really want a drink, but I’m not prepared to stay here long enough to drink it. I lick my lips. I’m not sure I want to hear the rest, but I ask anyway.

“Tell me.”

“He said if he lost a hand, he wouldn’t be playing sports again. Evan was acting weird for weeks right up until he killed Kellan.”

“Weird?”

“Erratic and angry, he kept ranting about Eli. How you weren’t doing what he wanted, just like Zoey.”

My phone pings, and I glance down at it.

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