Page 87 of The Lake of Lost Girls

It was then, when you could convince yourself you were imagining things, that he was most dangerous.

He told me to meet him this Friday. When I said I was going home for the weekend for my sister’s birthday, he suggested we see each other beforehand. He explained he lived in Mt. Randall, not far from the lake where I spent so much time with Dad growing up. He wanted to spend some time with me, away from school, so we could “really relax.” He said I had earned it.

What he meant washehad earned it.

He had put in the time and he aimed to collect.

Dr. Daniels had been helping me keep it together because I was failing everything. Barely holding on by my fingertips. If it wasn’t for him, I would have already been kicked out. I felt a sense of obligation toward him that he had been meticulously grooming.

“I’m looking forward to it. I hope you are, too.” His voice dropped and I felt it. The second when things between us crossed a line.

Is this how Tammy felt? Phoebe? Meghan? Had they vibrated with this anxious anticipation as they recklessly careened into him?

“I am.”

I heard him let out a quiet breath. Soft, yet it filled my ears.

“See you Friday, Jessica.” He liked to say my name.

“Bye.” I quickly hung up, noticing Daisy watching me.

“Was that Dr. Daniels?” she asked.

“Yeah.” It was my turn not to meet her eyes.

“What are you doing, Jess?” This wasn’t my ditzy, party-loving roommate. This Daisy was too astute for my liking.

“Nothing—”

“I’m getting really sick and tired of you lying to me,” she snapped. “You’ve been slinking off to meet that professor for weeks now.”

“Are you following me or something?” I laughed, trying to lighten the mood, but Daisy wasn’t having any of it. Our friendship had deteriorated to barely functioning.

It was clear Daisy no longer viewed me as a friend but as someone she couldn’t trust. And it all started with that stupid ID.

“What about Ryan? Have you thought about him?” she asked, her voice tight. “And what about Tammy? And Phoebe and Meghan? They made the same mistake and where are they now?”

“They ran off, Daisy. I thought we agreed on that.” I was trying to placate her. It wasn’t working.

Daisy stood up and grabbed her book bag, slinging it over her shoulder. “And if you believe that, you’re not only lying to me, but you’re lying to yourself.” She shook her head. “I need to get to the library.”

“I thought you never went to the library.” It was a poor attempt at a joke.

“Yeah, well, things change, don’t they?”

“Daisy, why are you so angry with me?” I asked her before she could leave. My voice was husky. I could barely contain the panic that was ready to burst out of me.

She stopped, but didn’t turn to face me as she answered. “Because I feel like I’m rooming with a stranger. Or—” she hesitated, “maybe I never knew you to begin with.”

“What does that even mean? Of course you know me.” After everything, the thought of losing Daisy’s friendship was almost too much to bear.

She finally looked at me, but her eyes seemed to see something that she didn’t like.

“There are things you aren’t telling me, Jess. You think I’m some dumb airhead, but I notice stuff. And I know whenstories aren’t adding up.” Her demeanor had become tough and unyielding.

“Is this still about the ID—?”

“No, it’s not only that. It’s whatever’s going on with Dr. Daniels. It’s those unaccounted hours when you disappear. It’s the late-night phone calls to your dad. It’s you failing your classes and getting drunk every night. You think that no one notices how much you’ve changed, but we do.I do.”

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