Page 33

The Past…

Music is thudding from the darkness, flowing from the house. I think anyway. It’s hard to tell as I stumble through the field and toward the trees in the distance. I’m searching for Zoe and I’m fairly certain she ran into the woods that line the bear acres that encompass the house. I barely know the guy that’s throwing the party, and only came because Zoe convinced it’d be fun. I didn’t want to come, mostly because a lot of the people here are Liam’s friends and I don’t like it. But she begged and I cave and now I wish I’d never come because something isn’t right… I think I might be losing track of time…

I blink and suddenly I’m standing in the trees, deep enough in the woods that I can’t hear the music anymore. It’s dark except for glimpses of moonlight trickling through the tree branches that canopy above.

“Hello?” I whisper with hot tears spilling down my cheeks.

It’s the only sign of warmth around me. Everything else is so numb.

I can’t even remember why I started crying. Am I afraid? Why? Because I’m in the middle of the woods.

The sound of crying fills the quietness around me. It seems like it’s coming from some bushes just to my right.

I step toward it and whisper, “Zoe?”

The crying stops.

Branches snap.

I can feel reality fading again. I try to latch onto it, but the next thing I know I’m lying on the floor, my cheek pressed to the carper, and the music playing is much louder.

Someone laughs.

Fingers touch my hair.

“This chick is trashed,” the male voice jokes as their hands trail down my back.

I claw at the carpet, willing myself to get up. Zoe.

“Stop. Don’t,” someone says. “I fucking mean it.”

Who are they? Why do they sound so angry?

I never do find out the answer because darkness takes me away again and part of me is grateful for that.

That I don’t have to remember.

Chapter 11

Harper

Iwake up feeling like death has tap dance all over my face. My head hurts, my eyes burn, and I ache all over my body. I’ve suffered from sleep issues enough that I’m aware these are signs I tossed and turned all of last night. When I fell asleep, Zoe was on my mind. So was the past. I try not to think about the past as much as possible, but sometimes my mind has a mind of its own and that part is bastard.

With a yawn, I sit up and stretch my arms above my head and then grab my phone to read my messages.

Wylder: Hey, feisty girl, sending you a text so you’ll have my number.

He sends another message a few seconds later.

Wylder: This is Wylder by the way, just in case you didn’t save my number.

A small smile touches my lips, but I hastily press it back. Stop smiling like a dumbass, Harper. You should know better.

Putting my phone down, I climb out of bed and grab some clothes from my dresser. I’m about to put them on when my phone buzzes from on my bed. I scoop it up and it’s another message from Wylder.

Wylder: I know I’m probably adding to your stalker suspicion by texting you three times, but my brain is a little scattered and I forgot to ask on the last text if you were still up for coming to my get together?

I read his text a few times. It’s not that it comes off stalker-ish. Honestly, he seems flustered, which seems strange considering who he is. But my brother can get like that sometimes too when he really likes someone.