Page 62 of Where the Darkness Goes

I storm back across the court, voice trembling with radiating fury. “If Cory killed someone—and that’s a bigif—I hope he gets what he deserves. But right now we don’t know that he did it, and we definitely don’t know that he had anything to do with the other deaths. The stuff everyone’s saying they found at his house could just be rumors. You sure are quick to condemn a friend we’ve all known since kindergarten.” I cock my head to the side, something occurring to me for the first time. Why is he so eagerto get everyone to believe Cory’s guilty? “Maybe you’re the one who has something to hide.”

He steps forward so we’re chest to chest. “Maybe you’re just mad because you know I could take your girl if I still wanted her,” he sneers.

“Ha!” I laugh, throwing my head back. “You couldn’t take my order at a Wendy’s, bro, let alone my girl.”

“Wanna bet?”

“I’d pay money to see you try.”

“Maybe I will.”

“Okay, guys, chill out.” Mark steps in, shoving his way in between us, hands on each of our chests to keep us back. “This is stupid. Let’s just play some ball, okay? That’s why we’re all here.”

We both nod, and I look around. “Well, not all of us. Where’s Will, anyway? Anyone heard from him?” He’s been weird lately. Distant and quiet. He hasn’t wanted to hang out as much. I know a lot of it has to do with Cassidy, but I can’t stop worrying it’s also about Tessa and me. Things have changed with our dynamic, where she used to be the third wheel with the three of us, and now I’m finding it difficult to keep it all balanced and not make either of them feel that way.

I’m not sure it’s working.

“Haven’t heard from him.” Brendan unlocks his phone, and as he does, I get a glimpse of the image on the screen. It has to be the one they were all huddled around looking at before. Quickly, he swipes it away and opens his messages.

My blood runs cold at first, then red hot. “What the fuck was that on your screen?”

He pales when he realizes what I’ve seen. “Nothing. Mind your business.”

I know what I saw. A nude photo of a girl on his phone. My stomach churns as I realize the last girl he spent any time with was Tessa. Did she send him…

I’m going to be sick.

“Was that Tessa?” I demand, wondering now if there was some credibility to his earlier threat.

Brendan’s lips curl up into a cruel smile. “You really are obsessed with the fact that I had her first, aren’t you?”

“It’s not her,” Mark says quickly, putting a hand on my shoulder.

“Then who?” I don’t believe them.

Suddenly, they all look guilty.

“I said don’t worry about?—”

“Goddamn it!Who?!” I shout. My voice echoes through the quiet park.

Every single head points to the ground before Brendan coughs, clears his throat, and finally says, “It’s, look, it’s from before, obviously, but it’s, it’s Cassidy, okay?”

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

TESSA — PRESENT DAY

We’re lying in bed later as the sun begins to peek through the blinds, when the worry sets in. I don’t know what any of this means or what I even want it to mean.

Garrett and I have always had this weird push-and-pull relationship, but when tested, we weren’t able to make it work. What if that hasn’t changed? What if I’m reading too much into this, and he doesn’t want it to change?

Putting all that aside, I’m supposed to be going back home soon—a home that is nearly four hours away. The fear of long distance was such a problem for us once, it caused the end of our relationship before it ever really began. So will that mean I’ll have to come back here after I worked so hard to build a life alone away from this place? It’s not like I have anything special in the city. I do freelance web design, so I can do that from anywhere, but it was scary going out into the world when all I’ve ever known is this place and these people. To return to it—to my friends and Will and Mom—feels like giving a piece of that up. As much as it might seem like a soft place to land, it’s also saying goodbye to the work and bravery that went into starting over in a place where I can’t ask my neighbor to borrow their car whenmine’s in the shop or where the police officer who pulled me over hasn’t known me since I was in the womb.

The people here don’t understand that part of me, but Garrett and Will do. They left, too. I wonder if they had the same reservations about coming home.

All of these thoughts are swirling in my head, making me dizzy with worry, when his voice cuts through it all.

I hadn’t even realized he was awake.

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