LOGINWren’s POVThe morning sun felt too bright, cutting through the kitchen windows and highlighting the dust motes dancing in the air. I held my coffee mug with both hands, absorbing its warmth, but it did nothing to melt the ice that seemed to have permanently settled in my chest.Dani was sitting across from me, a legal pad in front of him. He was writing down a timeline of the texts, his brow furrowed in concentration. The bruise on his jaw was darker today, a deep purple-green that made me look away every time my eyes drifted to it.“The police said they were going to contact Emily’s parents first, right?” I asked, my voice sounding thin even to my own ears.“Yeah,” Dani said, not looking up. “Since she’s still technically registered at her dorm, they were going to start there. If she’s cooperating, we should hear something by afternoon.”Ross walked into the kitchen, looking like he hadn’t slept in days. His hair was a wild nest, and his eyes were bloodshot. He didn’t even bother ma
Wren's POVI didn't sleep again. I lay there with the phone clutched against my chest until the room started turning gray with early light, running through every possible explanation for how he'd known about the police station within hours of us leaving it.By the time Anna stirred awake, I'd already made a decision."We need to show everyone," I said, the second her eyes opened."Show everyone what?" She sat up, hair a mess, blinking against the light. Then she saw my face. "Wren. What happened?"I handed her the phone instead of explaining. She read it twice, her expression sliding from confusion into something closer to fear."He knew we went to the police," she said slowly. "Like, knew within hours.""That's what scares me the most. It's not just threats anymore. He's tracking us somehow."We found everyone in the kitchen already, Ross at the stove again like cooking had become his only coping mechanism, Dani at the table scrolling something on his laptop, Ryan leaning against the
Wren's POVNobody slept much that night. I know because I heard footsteps on the stairs at almost every hour, Ross checking the locks again, Dani's door opening and closing somewhere around two, even Anna shifting restlessly on the air mattress we'd dragged into my room so she wouldn't have to drive home in the dark.By morning, the five of us were gathered in the kitchen looking like a support group for people who'd all had the same nightmare."We need an actual plan," Dani said, sliding a mug of coffee toward me without being asked. "Not just locking doors and hoping.""What kind of plan?" Ryan asked. He'd come back over before sunrise, unable to sit at home not knowing what was happening here. "We can't exactly go arrest him ourselves.""No. But we can figure out where he actually is right now." Dani leaned against the counter. "If he's been in that group chat, there's a chance he's said something about location. Where he's staying. Who he's with.""I can check," Ryan said. "I'll s
Wren's POVThe campus security office smelled like burnt coffee and old carpet, and the officer behind the desk looked like he'd rather be anywhere else, scrolling through something on his computer that definitely wasn't related to us.“Threatening text messages, do you have a name attached to the number?”“No,” I said. “It's unknown. We think it might be a student named Blake Lawson. He's currently suspended."That got a flicker of actual attention. He typed the name into his system, squinted at the screen, then looked back up. "Blake Lawson is suspended through next week. Banned from campus grounds for the duration.""He was on campus three days ago," I said. "I saw him near the athletics field during cheer practice.""You saw him, or you think you saw him?"I hesitated.“Look, without a clear photo, a confirmed sighting from someone else, or a name actually attached to the number sending these texts, there's not a lot I can officially do beyond logging the report. I'd suggest block
Wren’s povAnna showed up twenty minutes later, hair still damp from a rushed shower, sweatpants thrown on over what looked suspiciously like one of Ryan's old shirts. She didn't say anything about it, and for once, neither did I.“Show me again,” she said, dropping onto my bed.I pulled the messages up and handed her the phone instead of reading them out loud. She read both texts twice, her face going progressively paler. “Okay. We're telling Ross. Right now.”“I know.”“I mean it, Wren. This isn't a let's wait and see situation anymore.”“I said I know.”We found him downstairs, already elbow-deep in cleanup from the night before, a trash bag in one hand. He looked up when we came in and immediately set the bag down.“Why do you two look like that?”“Like what?” I asked.“Like someone died. What happened now?”Anna didn't bother easing into it. She held her own phone up, the screenshot already pulled up from when I'd forwarded it to her, and handed it over. “Read this.”Ross read i
Wren’s POVI woke up with my head pounding and my makeup half down my face, still in last night’s dress, the blanket Ross had pulled over me tangled around my legs. For a second I just lay there, replaying the night in pieces, the kiss, the fist connecting with Dani’s jaw, Theo’s headlights disappearing down the street.I groaned and pressed my palms into my eyes.Someone knocked softly. “Wren?” Dani’s voice, careful. “Can I come in?”I sat up too fast and regretted it immediately. “Yeah.”He opened the door slowly, like he wasn’t sure what he’d be walking into. He had a bruise blooming along his jaw, dark and ugly, and he was holding two mugs of coffee, one of which he held out to me.“Thanks,” I said, taking it, not quite meeting his eyes.He sat on the edge of the bed, leaving careful space between us. “How are you feeling?”“Like I got hit by a truck.” I glanced at his jaw. “He really did you dirty.”“Theo’s got a mean right hook. I’ll give him that.”“Dani.”“I’m fine, Wren.”I wr
Wren’s povI walked out of the house without a word and walked down the street with my bag slung over my shoulder in the cold night.The street was quiet. I stood on the pavement outside the house. They had made a video of me dancing in someone’s living room a few minutes ago and why was I stupid e
Wren’s POV She was as awestruck as I was but covered it with a smile and walked into the living room with ease, handing her hand out like she was a total stranger and not like she was totally trying to steal my boyfriend.“Wren, right?” She asked. “I think I’ve seen you around school, right?”“Yea
Wren’s POV Blake’s idea of an apology was a house party.Didn’t care to have a conversation, phone call, or even a text that said something related to sorry. Just a message through Anna that there was a gathering at his place tonight and that he hoped I would come. Which apparently translates to h
Dani's povI knocked lightly on the door before walking in. Coach Harlan’s office melted like the usual old coffee machine that has been sitting on the side desk since I had known him.I sat in the chair across from his desk with my hand loose on my knees while he stood at the window with his back







