Chapter 9

Pieces of the Puzzle

The next morning, I found another note.

This one was tucked into my locker beneath my textbooks, written in the same messy scrawl as the first.

"Trust the wrong person, and you'll regret it."

My breath caught in my throat. Someone was watching me closely—closer than I realized. And worse, they wanted me to question everyone around me.

I tried to focus through my classes, but my thoughts were a tangled mess. Was it Olivia, playing mind games to keep me quiet? Or someone else, someone I hadn't even suspected?

I needed answers.

By the time lunch rolled around, I had made up my mind. If no one was going to tell me the truth, I'd find it myself.

I slipped away from the cafeteria and headed for the library. The school's security system recorded everything—every hallway, every entrance. If there was footage from the night of Olivia's party, maybe it would show me who had come into my room.

The office was locked, but I knew how to get in through the maintenance door. My heart pounded as I slipped inside and pulled up the archived footage. My hands trembled as I scanned the time stamps, searching for that night.

When I found it, I felt sick.

I saw myself, stumbling into Olivia's room. I remembered that part—feeling dizzy, confused. But then, minutes later, the door opened.

And Jake wasn't the only one who came in.

A second figure slipped inside behind him, their face hidden in the shadows. But I recognized the way they moved—the hesitation in their steps.

Daniel.

The air rushed out of my lungs. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

Daniel had been there. And he had lied to me.

I barely made it out of the office before my knees buckled beneath me. My heart was racing, my mind spinning.

If Daniel had known what happened—if he had been part of it—what else had he lied about?

And why was he still pretending to protect me?