Page 24 of Dead Girls Can't Tell Secrets

Leaves crunch behind me. “I’ll take it from here, thanks.” Grant stomps between us to reach the tent.

“It’s done, man.” Tyler lifts his hands and backs away. “I was just making sure she got it set up before dark.”

“Thanks for your help.” I try to catch his eye, to apologize for my boyfriend with a look.

“No problem,” he says before trotting off toward the others.

“You could’ve askedmefor help.” Grant moves behind me, wrapping his arms around mine.

His warm breath sends chills down my spine, but I slip free, spinning to face him. “I didn’t ask him for help. He just did it. He’s not a bad guy.”

Grant shrugs. “I’m sure he’s fine. Just needs to stay away from my girl.”

I blow air through my teeth. “Jealousy’s not a good look on you,” I say, dragging my fingertips over his chest. “I have to find Abby.” And work a little magic. “There’s no way I’m sharing with Jacey.”

“Well, you and I could share,” he says in a singsong voice.

“Sure, Mr. Davis will be totally fine with that.”

“He doesn’t have to know.” He waggles his brows playfully, and he’s just so ridiculously gorgeous that any irritation I had about his Tarzan complex starts to dull.

I shake my head and wander in the direction of the blue tent where I last spotted Abby. I’m on thin ice with Mr. Davis as it is.

Ice that Grant has no idea about. And I need to keep it that way.

“I’ll come with you,” Grant calls after me. “Might as well find Sam so I don’t get stuck with Noah.”

Noah hates Grant for what he did to Jacey. Of course, it’s the Noah version of hate. Like bunny rabbit rage, basically.

When we don’t spot Sam and Abby’s matching camouflage jackets, we ask Mr. Davis where they are.

“I sent them to gather firewood,” he replies. “If you two are done setting up, you can help.”

“Great,” I mumble, wandering off into the trees alongside Grant. After a few yards, he bends over to pick up a branch. “What are you doing? I thought we were looking for the lumberjacks. Once we find them, we can ask Sam to hack down a tree with his ax or something.”

“Savannah, you have to play nice.”

“Oh, please.” Abby’s at the bottom of the popularity pyramid. She’s going to feel like the queen of her entire imaginary kingdom is asking to stay at her house tonight. I’m doing her a favor.

“I think they’re on the other side of this stream.” He points to where the trees give way to a dip in the earth. “Stay here in case they come this way.”

“Sure.” I scan my surroundings for somewhere to sit, but there’s only a rotten stump covered in ants. After a few seconds, I tug the note I found in Piper’s locker from my pocket. I’ve been waiting for a moment alone to reexamine it. I turn it over in my palm and rub at it like you would one of those scratch-off tickets—as if the author’s mysterious identity might be hidden somewhere beneath the ink. The words send a prickly sensation up my spine.

Survival Club will be holding an extra skills session after school today at Vanderwild Point.

Whoever wrote this meant to deceive my sister.

Whoever wrote this could be dangerous.

A hum drifts through the trees, and I stuff the note back into my pocket. Sure enough, where singing is, Abby’s unmistakable fire-red hair and camouflage getup will follow. She’s probably made friends with the birds and the squirrels by now.

“I was just looking for you,” I say, feeling almost bad that I’ve interrupted her Briar Rose moment.

Abby quirks a brow. “Me?” Her lips shift into a confused smile.

“Everyone’s partnering up to share tents,” I say, waiting for that perplexed expression to morph into a flattered one.

But her grin drops. “I sort of partnered up with Alexandra already.”

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