Page 3 of Tell No Lies

“I don’t like that. You guys shouldn’t be alone.” It was strange to see him without his big grin. It bothered me that I was the reason it was missing.

I looked into his deep, chocolate-brown eyes and tried not to smile. Instead, I hooked my arm through his as I walked him to the door. He was the kind of guy every girl loved: tall and muscular enough to make you feel small next to him, and he used it to his advantage.

“We’ll be fine,” I said. “If we get scared or anything, I’ll call security and text you.”

He took another glance at the girls behind me before looking down at me again. “Fine. Let me know if you need anything … I mean it.” He gave me a tight hug before opening the door.

I held it open as he waited for the elevator. “Thanks, Mike. Good night.”

He gave me a slight smile and waved as he stepped in.

Two

School was one of the few normal things remaining in my life. Few people beyond my close group of friends knew the reason Luke and I had been missing from the dance, and even fewer knew the full story about Morgan. The teachers and the majority of the students remained oblivious to the drama that was my life.

The one major change at school was the receiving party that waited for me every morning when I pulled into the lot. Mike and his normal posse now hung around his car, purposely blocking the spot next to him.

I’d been informed when I first got here that once you were considered in their group, they’d protect you, but this was extreme.

I waved as they dispersed, leaving the prime parking space open for me. Before I could turn off the ignition, my door was open.

“You didn’t text me last night.”

I looked up and met Mike’s deep brown eyes. “Yes, I did.” I was confused. We had kept a conversation going late into the night, until I fell asleep.

“You didn’t let me know when Brandon got home. I almost came over this morning to make sure you guys were alright, but I texted Brandon, and he told me you were already getting ready, and the girls had gone home.”

As much as his attention should have annoyed me, I knew he was only doing it because he cared. I appreciated it too.

I hadn’t mentioned it to him since it would make him even more protective, but I was scared.

“Sorry, Mike. We all fell asleep before he got back.”

“No problem. Next time I’ll just have to stay with you.” He winked as he held out his hand, helping me out of my car.

“Yeah, right. Brandon would completely lose it if you stayed the night.” I ducked back into my car to grab my bag from the passenger seat.

We headed toward the school with the guys flanking us. It made me feel like a celebrity with a security escort. We took a seat at one of the picnic tables in the quad, and within a few minutes, the girls joined.

Talia pushed Mike over and sat down between us. She smiled at him as he glared at her. “Calm down, sweetie. You face will freeze like that.” She turned and looked out to everyone, making sure she had their attention. I was sure if she’d had a glass and a knife, she would have started dinging. “Alright people. An adventure is long overdue. What are some ideas for this weekend?”

One of the guys from the football team—I couldn’t keep them all straight—shouted out, “Party at Aubrey’s!”

Alexis laughed and shook her head. “Nate, we do that all the time. That’s not an adventure.”

Nate grunted and looked down.

The guy standing next to him spoke up. “How about Six Flags?”

Talia contemplated this for a moment. “That’s more like it, but we just went there a few months ago.”

“Yeah, but Aubrey wasn’t there.”

Talia turned to me. “Do you want to go there? I forgot you haven’t always been with us.”

I appreciated her thinking of me as a part of their group so easily, but her announcement had thrown me off, and I was still trying to figure out if this was a normal occurrence for them. “I’m okay with anything.”

Mckayla was cuddled up with Sean, and they seemed like they were in their own little world, so it was a surprise that she was paying attention to us. “Why don’t we go camping this weekend at Catalina? Don’t one of you guys have a boat we can take out?”