Page 149 of Dead Girls Don’t Forget

She tried. Her face answered for her before she could even speak.

A medic appeared a few seconds later. I passed her off. “Stay with her.”

The second she was safe I turned and started running again.

Making up the lost ground wasn’t impossible, but it hurt. Every position I reclaimed cost more than it should have. I pushed hard through the wooded trails, legs burning, lungs screaming, forcing myself past runners who had already settled into their pace.

I crossed the finish line mid-pack, exhausted and furious. One look at the clock told me everything. I hadn’t made it.

Jackson was waiting at the chute. He pushed through the bodies the second he saw me, hands landing on my shoulders as his eyes scanned me head to toe. The bond pulsed hard with worry.

“Are you hurt? What happened?”

I shook my head. “Not me. Cassidy. Naomi tried to take my ankle out. I cleared it, but Cassidy was right behind me and went down hard. I got her to the medics and went back out.”

Jackson’s expression darkened. Through the bond I felt the sharp edge of his anger, controlled but close to the surface.

Coach Miller stood a few feet away with his arms crossed and his mouth pressed into a flat line. His silence cut deeper than any yelling would have.

Around us, parents and supporters drifted toward the runners who had finished well. A few girls got congratulatory hugs. Others got claps on the back and promises of post-race food. I received a couple of polite nods and nothing more.

Jackson’s hand settled at the small of my back. “Come on.”

We headed toward the team area. Cassidy was already there, sitting in a folding chair with an ice pack wrapped around her ankle, face pale and furious.

“There she is,” Naomi said loudly as I approached. “The reason we didn’t place.”

Several heads turned.

“You stopped in the middle of State,” she continued. “Cassidy didn’t finish at all because of it, and we lost points. Real team player.”

Cassidy’s head snapped up. “It’s your fault. You tried to trip Harper and took me out instead.”

A low murmur ran through the team.

Naomi scoffed. “Please. You fell on your own. Clumsy as always.”

No one had seen it clearly. The trail had curved just enough to hide the worst of it.

Coach Miller’s voice cut through the tension, low and cold. “Enough. If anyone has actual evidence, bring it to me. Otherwise this discussion is over.”

Naomi folded her arms, still looking pleased with herself. Cassidy looked ready to commit murder.

I said nothing. I just stared at Naomi until she was the one who looked away first. My cat wanted blood. So did I.

When the final scores were posted later, our team wasn’t even close to placing. My individual time hadn’t been good enough to qualify either. The cross-country season was over.

The men’s race went exactly according to plan. Jackson crossed the finish line first, chest heaving hard. He bent forward with his hands on his knees and took two steady breaths before straightening up.

His coach met him with a wide grin and a hard slap on the back. “That’s how you do it.”

Jackson looked up. His gaze found me almost immediately through the crowd and he pushed through the bodies without slowing. He caught me around the waist, and lifted me clean off the ground, swinging me once before setting me back down.

My cat purred with delight.

I was still stinging from my own race, but his joy cut through some of the bitterness. I couldn’t help smiling.

“Congratulations,” I said.