Chapter 73 Ch. 43
Ethan lay on his back, staring at the faint glow of the ceiling light. The house was too quiet, only the low hum of the fridge coming through the hallway. He had spent the whole evening trying to get Jace on the phone, but every call went to voicemail. It annoyed him and left a knot in his stomach. Jace needed to stop his disappearing habit.
He was annoyed that it was the moment Jace showed up more trouble poured. He loves his best friend, but it didn't help that he could be reckless, and brutal.
He turned on his side and scrolled through messages that didn’t matter. Nothing helped. It was already about one in the morning and still, sleep evaded him. Zara’s face also kept slipping into his mind. The way she had looked at him earlier, how close they had been, how he almost kissed her. He kept wondering if she had wanted it too. He ran a hand over his hair and exhaled.
His phone buzzed on the nightstand. He grabbed it without thinking, hoping it might be Jace.
The screen lit with a message from his uncle Dylan. Your father is coming for your girl.
Ethan frowned, reading it twice. “What?” he whispered. He sat up, the blanket sliding down to his feet. His heart started to beat faster as he typed. What do you mean coming for her?
The next message came with a photo. Dylan had sent a picture of Ivanna lying on a hospital bed, her eyes open and empty. The machine by her side showed a flatline.
Ethan’s stomach turned. “No,” he said under his breath, gripping the phone until his knuckles hurt.
Another message popped up before he could breathe. Your girl cannot be compelled, and he will get rid of her, it doesn’t matter.
He pressed a hand to his forehead. His father. Zara. His mind jumped from one thought to another.
He typed with shaking fingers. I’m so sorry. Where are you? Where is your gf now?
Taking her body to the police station. It’s a criminal case. Remember the other death? That I thought was caused by you? The police have already made a connection.
Ethan stared at the words. The room felt smaller and warm in a way that made his skin itch.
Are you a suspect?
No, why would I be?
Okay. Keep me updated, he wrote.
He dropped the phone on the bed and stood, pacing to the window. Outside, the streetlight threw pale light across the lawn, but it didn’t help. He grabbed the phone again and opened Zara’s name.
Hey, are you fine? Where are you?
He kept walking in short steps, waiting. The reply came fast.
Yeah, I’m fine. Why are you asking?
He sat back down. Nothing. Be good, stay safe.
The three dots blinked.
What’s going on?
He ran a hand through his hair and typed. Please don’t go out at night. Always stay around someone.
Is this about what happened the other day?
Yeah. Something like that. Just make sure you stay safe. I’ll try to keep you safe too, but you have to be careful.
Okay, she sent. But there’s nothing to worry about. I’m sure it’s a one-time thing.
He stared at the message. Maybe, he wrote. Just promise me you’ll be careful.
I will. See you tomorrow.
See you.
Hey, do you mind if I sit with you and Noah for lunch tomorrow? And maybe hang with y'all?
What? She added a laughing emoji. No longer friends with those arrogant jocks from track.
Well, they're all a year ahead of me except Alanis and he's...
Sure, you can. I get it. I wouldn't want to hang with my teammates either.
Cool, see you.
Ethan set the phone on his lap. The picture of Ivanna wouldn’t leave his mind, her eyes frozen in that last moment. He leaned back against the headboard, his chest tight as he tried to think of a way to stop his father before anything happened to Zara.
+++++
SandRidge Academy was already buzzing with students when Zara reached her locker the next morning. Students were moving in every direction, voices mixing into one long sound. She spun her locker dial and slid a notebook onto the top shelf.
“You’re gonna dent it,” she said when she noticed Noah leaning against the locker beside hers, his sneaker pressed against the door.
“I’m just making it look cooler,” he said with a small smile.
Ethan came through the crowd with his backpack hanging off one shoulder. “Morning,” he said, giving Noah a quick fist bump.
Zara blinked. “Since when are you two friends?”
“We’re guys. It’s what we do,” Noah said.
“Right,” she said, narrowing her eyes.
Noah’s eyes moved past her for a moment, and she caught him looking at Lea, the quiet girl from chemistry who always kept her braids neat and never seemed to miss an answer.
“Zee, I’ll catch you later,” he said. He hugged her, pulled back and then reached out to ruffle her hair.
“Hey,” she said, laughing as she pushed his hand away. He grinned and jogged off.
Ethan tilted his head. “You’re not gonna hug me?”
Zara gave him a look.
"Ouu, I see. Bestie only privileges."
She smiled at him, but stepped closer anyway. “Fine,” she said and wrapped her arms around him for a quick hug. It felt warm and awkward at the same time and she cleared her throat and stepped back. “Happy now?”
Before he could answer, a voice cut through the hallway. “Look at her—can’t even walk straight.”
It was followed by the sound of someone falling to the floor and a cacophony of giggles.
Zara turned toward the sound and saw Yvette, one of the most known girls in school, standing with two friends. A girl sat on the floor near them, her books scattered around her feet. She had pale skin and dark hair that fell across her face, her dark eyes wide as she looked up at them.
“Wow,” Zara said under her breath. “And I was almost thinking we’d survive a term without any bullying. What bitches.”
"Y'all should fucking get lost. I know your life's miserable, stop taking it out on others," Zara said loudly enough for everyone to hear. She hated people, and avoided friends except Noah, but she hates bullying more. She started forward, but Ethan caught her wrist. “Don’t,” he said. “They’ll turn it into a fight and I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Zara frowned but stayed where she was.
Ethan moved toward Yvette and the others. “Don’t you ever touch her,” he said, standing in front of the girl on the floor.
Yvette’s smile faded and she cleared her throat. She turned away and walked off with her friends, their shoes tapping against the floor.
Ethan crouched and gathered the scattered books. “You okay?” he asked, resting a hand lightly against the girl’s cheek. “Prunella, you... you look hurt.”
The girl nodded. “Yeah. Don't worry, I'll be fine. Thank you, Ethan. And… uh… Zara, right?”
“Yeah,” Zara said with a small smile. “You’re welcome.”
Prunella hugged her books to her chest and hurried off.
Zara watched her go, her mind catching on the name. How did Ethan even know her like that? A flicker of something she didn’t want to name moved through her, and she turned down the hall before Ethan could notice.
“Let’s get to class,” she said, walking faster as the noise of the hallway filled in around them again.
She spent the first few minutes of class pretending to read the notes on her desk, but her mind kept circling back to the hallway. Once or twice, she glanced towards Ethan who had settled in at the back and he was beside Prunella . They were talking and giggling about something. She told herself it didn’t matter. There was nothing between her and Ethan, nothing to even think about. He could know every girl’s name in SandRidge for all she cared.
The door opened and Lea walked in, holding a gray shawl tight around her shoulders. She moved quietly to her seat near the windows. Zara’s eyes caught on her face for a second. Lea’s lips looked a little swollen, like she’d bumped them on something. Lea kept her head down as she set out her books.
Noah’s chair beside Zara stayed empty. She tapped her pen against the margin of her notebook, waiting. A few more students wandered in, but not him.
Five minutes later he finally slipped through the door, his hair a little messy and his bag half-zipped. He slid into the seat next to her like nothing was out of place.
"Noah King, you're late," the teacher called out, quite annoyed.
"Sorry ma'am," he responded half heartedly.
“What episode of your life did I miss?” Zara asked, leaning toward him.
Noah grinned and opened his notebook. “I have absolutely no freaking idea what you're talking about." He kept his eyes on the board and started copying the heading like he’d been there all along.
Zara raised a brow at him. “Yeah, right. I’m not dumb.”
He shifted in his chair, the tips of his ears turning red. “We’re in class,” he said, still writing. “Focus.”
Zara leaned closer. “Uh-huh. Sure.”
He cleared his throat and tapped his pen against the page as if that would make her drop it. “Seriously, Zee. Later.”
She sat back with a small smile, watching him keep his head down while his neck stayed bright pink.
Zara rested her chin on her hand and watched the chalk squeak across the board. “You’re terrible at lying,” she whispered.
Noah smirked without looking up. “I’m great at it. You just know me too well.”
“Exactly,” she said, tapping her pen on the desk. “So spill.”
He flipped a page in his notebook and kept writing. “Patience.”
Zara rolled her eyes and scribbled a random doodle in the corner of her notes. “You’re impossible.”
Noah leaned a little closer, his voice low. “Hey, Zara… did you hear there’s like a serial killer in town?”