"I needed space," I said, which wasn't entirely untrue. "I needed to deal with things on my own."
"And now?" Hope flickered in his green eyes. "Can we start over? I mean, we're here at the same school. That has to mean something, right?"
Before I could answer, my phone buzzed in my pocket. Unknown number.
I pulled it out, and my blood ran cold.
"Welcome to Riverside, Emma. Some advice: stay away from Adrian Blake. He's more dangerous than you know. His family destroys people. And trust me, you're already on their radar. - A Friend"
"Emma? You okay? You just went pale." Kai touched my arm gently.
I locked my phone quickly, forcing a smile. "Yeah, just my mom checking in. She's worried about me being so far from home."
He didn't look convinced, but he let it go.
"Look, I know I don't have any right to ask this, but can we have dinner tonight? Just talk? I promise I won't push. I just… I really missed my best friend."
My best friend. We'd been inseparable from age six until I was fifteen. He'd been there for every scraped knee, every bad grade, every family fight. He'd been the first person I'd called when Sarah got her driver's license. The last person I'd wanted to see after her funeral.
"Dinner sounds good," I heard myself say.
His whole face lit up. "Yeah? Okay. Great. There's this little Italian place off campus Marcello's. Does seven work?"
"Seven's perfect."
"I'll text you the address." He grinned, and for a moment, he looked exactly like the boy who'd taught me how to climb trees and promised he'd always keep my secrets. "It's really good to see you, Em. I know things are weird right now, but I'm glad you're here."
After he left to get to his class, I stood there on the pathway, holding my phone, staring at the message.
Who had sent it? How did they know I'd just met Adrian? And why were they warning me about him?
I thought about Adrian's eyes when he'd handed me that photo of Sarah. The gentleness in his voice when he'd apologized. He hadn't seemed dangerous. But then again, Sarah used to say the most dangerous people were the ones who seemed safe.
Sarah.
My throat tightened. I couldn't think about her now. Couldn't let myself spiral into that dark place where guilt and grief lived.
I gathered my things, righted my suitcase, and headed toward the dormitories. Fresh start, I reminded myself. New beginning. Leave the past behind.
But as I walked, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching me.
And when I glanced back, I saw a figure in the shadows of the library building, too far away to identify but close enough to make my skin prickle with unease.
My phone buzzed again.
"P.S. - Your sister's death wasn't an accident. And I can prove it. If you want the truth, you'll need to trust someone. Choose wisely. The wrong choice could be fatal."
The phone nearly slipped from my shaking hands.
Sarah's death… wasn't an accident?
The world tilted. My vision blurred. I couldn't breathe.
"Miss? Are you alright?" An older woman maybe a professor put a steadying hand on my shoulder. "You look like you're about to faint."
"I'm fine," I gasped. "Just… forgot to eat breakfast."
"The dining hall is open. You should get something in you before orientation."
I nodded numbly, waiting until she walked away before I read the message again.
Not an accident.
The police had called it reckless driving. Sarah had been upset that night I remembered because we'd argued about something stupid, something I couldn't even remember now. She'd taken Mom's car and driven off angry. Two hours later, the police were at our door saying she'd lost control on a wet road and crashed into a tree.
No one else involved. No suspicious circumstances. Just a tragic accident that destroyed my family.
But what if it wasn't?
What if someone had killed my sister?
And what if Adrian Blake's family was responsible?
I looked toward the main building where Adrian had disappeared, then back at my phone.
Choose wisely. The wrong choice could be fatal.
I was already in danger. I could feel it in my bones. Coming to Riverside hadn't been a fresh start after all.
It had been walking straight into the lion's den.
And I had a terrible feeling that both Kai and Adrian were lions in their own right.
The question was: which one would devour me first?
The dining hall was a cathedral of privilege. Crystal chandeliers hung from vaulted ceilings, the tables were actual wood instead of plastic, and the food stations looked like they'd been airlifted from five-star restaurants. I grabbed a tray and loaded it with things I couldn't identify, my mind still reeling from the message.
Your sister's death wasn't an accident.
"The salmon is better than it looks. The pasta, however, is exactly as mediocre as it appears."
I jumped, nearly dropping my tray. Adrian Blake stood beside me, also holding a tray, looking completely at ease in this world of wealth and privilege.
"Do you make a habit of sneaking up on people?" I asked, my heart still racing.
"Do you make a habit of looking like you're about to pass out?" He nodded toward an empty table in the corner. "Join me? You look like you could use someone to talk to. Or at the very least, someone to make sure you actually eat something."
Every instinct screamed at me to refuse. The message had warned me about him. But another part of me the part that had seen genuine concern in his eyes when he'd picked up Sarah's photo was curious.
"I don't even know you," I pointed out.
"Then this is an excellent opportunity to change that." He was already walking toward the table, clearly expecting me to follow.
Arrogant. Presumptuous. And somehow, I found myself following anyway.
We sat across from each other, and for a moment, neither of us spoke. He ate with perfect manners, the way someone does when they've had etiquette drilled into them from birth. I picked at my salmon, suddenly not hungry at all.
"You received a message," Adrian said quietly, his eyes on his food. "After I left. It upset you."