Page 55 of The Obsession

“NO!” I shouted. Everything shattered into silence. No, no. I couldn’t go down that route. Not again. Not after Sophie.

But that’s just it, isn’t it? You didn’t do it with Sophie. You didn’t save her, and when she died, she was alone, and she died hating you.

Tears coursed down my face. Sophie did die hating me. In those final days, her last words to me had been a hushed:Just go, Lolo. Nobody understands.I did. I understood. But she wouldn’t, couldn’t believe me. I still remembered that day so clearly. I’d climbed up the tree outside her window, moving like a goddamn monkey. I’d done it dozens of times before, though she didn’t know it. I knew which branches to go for, which ones were cracking and had to be avoided. I was so happy. I’d bought a first edition of her favorite book,Alice in Wonderland, and I was sure she’d finally smile at that, she had to. I finally reached her window, and there she was, my princess, my Sleeping Beauty. She was lying so sweetly in her bed. I pried the window open and climbed in noiselessly. Placed the book on her study desk. I walked closer, heart thudding so fast and so hard. I just wanted to touch her hair. And I did. So soft and silky, like a feather. I couldn’t help it. I touched her cheek. And stopped. That was when I knew. She was no longer breathing. Something imploded inside me then. I moved like lightning. I practically jumped out of her window. I twisted my ankle when I landed, but I barely felt it. I sprinted all the way back to campus and shut myself up in my room and waited for the news of her death.

I couldn’t let the same thing happen with Dee. I couldn’t stomach it if I lost her the same way.

Blink.

“Logan?”

I was—where the hell was I? It took a second to recognize my surroundings. I was outside of Delilah’s house. And of course, Detective Mendez was right in front of me, her concerned gaze piercing my skin.

Seeing her was like having a bowl of ice water flung in my face. I brushed myself off and blinked a few times, trying to clear my head.

“Hi, Logan,” she said. Her gaze darted from me to my schoolbag, and then to my tousled hair, which I belatedly realized had broken twigs and leaves in it. How the hell did I get all this crap in my hair? When I touched my face, my fingers came away greasy. Jesus. When was the last time I washed my face? Took a shower?

“Hey.” I should say something else, try to charm her or whatever, but my thoughts were all scrambled, harried and panicked and, above all, coated with a thick layer of rage. She’d come to my sanctuary, violated this place that belonged to Delilah and me. I wanted to reach out and shake Detective Mendez hard, hard enough to make her head flop back and forth like a rag doll.

Somewhere, deep in the tangled forest of my mind, a warning bell was ringing. This anger, this sudden rush of red rage, wasn’t normal. Was it? How did anyone know what was normal and what wasn’t?

“Everything okay? What are you doing here?” That came out a lot more accusatory than I’d intended. I swallowed and tried to smile.

“Oh, I just came by to see Delilah’s mom. Is she in?”

“No. No one’s in,” I said, quickly. Too quickly.

Confusion crossed her face. “No one’s home? What brings you here then?”

Shit, shit! I tried to come up with something viable, something not at all suspicious, but my mind was glue. “I just wanted to surprise Dee.” Which was normal, right? Boyfriends surprised their girlfriends all the time, especially when they were really into said girlfriend.

But instead of looking mollified, Detective Mendez looked even more concerned, her frown gouging deep into her forehead. “Did Delilah give you a key to her house?”

“I…”

“You came out of the house. I’m guessing you had a key?”

“Um, yeah, she lent me her key.”

“So she knows you’re here? I thought you said it was supposed to be a surprise?”

Jesus, won’t this bitch just let up already?

“Yeah, um, the surprise was something I was leaving for her inside. Flowers,” I added before she could ask.

“That’s so sweet,” Detective Mendez said, smiling. The smile did not reach her eyes.

“I’m going to be honest with you, Logan. I’m looking into a drug case. Know anything about that?”

I didn’t have to fake my surprise. What with Delilah and Detective Jackson and Sophie, drugs were the last thing on my mind. “Drugs?” I asked.

“Come on, you must have heard something about it. Seems like every other kid at school knows where to get recreational drugs.”

I shrugged. “I’ve seen a couple of kids smoking pot, but I don’t know where they got it.”

“I’m not just talking about the occasional pot, Logan. I’m talking about hard drugs. Ecstasy, cocaine, maybe a few prescription drugs.”

My eyes widened. “Er—you got me there. I really don’t know anything about that.” I frowned. I was being entirely honest here, but Detective Mendez was staring at me like she’d just caught me with white powder all over my face. “Hang on, I thought you’re in homicide. If there’s a drug case, shouldn’t it be handled by the DEA or something?”

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