Rule #3: Trust no one. Especially not the hot ones with secrets.
By the time I left the classroom, my head was spinning.
Killian hadn't followed.
Or maybe he had. At Ridgeview, shadows had eyes.
I walked fast—like that would help—but my thoughts wouldn't stop replaying that locked door, his unreadable stare, the matching message.
Same number. Same time.
If he wasn't lying—and that was a very big if—someone was trying to mess with both of us. Someone who knew things.
Someone watching.
The warning bell rang. I blinked like I'd just come out of a trance. First period. I had no clue where to go.
"Lost, new girl?"
I turned too fast.
She was leaning against a row of lockers, dark curls bouncing, eyeliner sharp enough to kill. Her uniform skirt was rolled at the waist, her blazer slung over one shoulder. Effortlessly cool.
And clearly amused.
"Uh, yeah," I muttered. "Room 3B?"
"You're on the wrong floor." She smiled. "And ten minutes late."
Awesome.
"I'm Briar," she added. "Senior. Head of the gossip committee."
"Is that… an actual thing?"
"Oh no. It's just me." She winked. "Come on. I'll walk you."
I didn't know why I followed her. Maybe because I needed something—anything—normal. But as we walked, she leaned in.
"So. You and Killian?"
I nearly choked. "What?!"
She raised a brow. "You came out of an empty room looking like you saw a ghost. He came out two minutes later looking like he was one. People talk."
"There's nothing," I said quickly. "I don't even know him."
"Good," she said. "Because if you did, I'd be worried for you."
I froze. "Why?"
"Let's just say…" She glanced around, lowered her voice. "He's the kind of guy you don't get close to unless you want to get burned."
"And you know this because?"
She smirked. "Because I dated him. Once. Briefly. Biggest mistake of my life."
The warning bell rang again. Briar pointed to a door. "That's your class. Mr. Callahan. Total hard-ass. You'll love it."
I nodded, still trying to process.
"Oh," she said before turning away. "And Ava?"
"Yeah?"
"If anyone else texts you from that number… don't answer. Delete it. And don't tell anyone else. Ridgeview's full of secrets. You don't want to be the next one buried under them."
Then she was gone.
I stood in the doorway of Room 3B, mind spinning.
Killian wasn't the only one with shadows.
Apparently, Ridgeview was full of them.
And some of them?
Had my name.