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People are whispering about Ivy. I had noticed it a little bit as I headed to class earlier, but even during class, every so often, I hear her name whispered.

The person next to me, a guy with auburn hair is currently whispering to his friend about it.

“I heard someone saw her at the party, stumbling around and totally out of it,” he whispers with his phone in his hand. “Like she was drugged.”

The blonde woman he’s talking to—I think her name is Bailey—rotates toward him. “I heard she went upstairs with two guys, and that she was high, not drugged. She had a reputation for sleeping around. I think she’s like screwed half the football team or something.”

The muscle in my jaw ticks. I’ve seen this before. Victim blaming. Slut shaming. Rumors and gossiping and making everything so much worse. I’ve experienced it firsthand, and witnessed it destroy my sister.

“I heard it was the basketball team, the redhead snickers. “Twenty bucks says she’s hiding somewhere because word got out she hooked up with two guys.”

I grip the pen I’m holding so tightly I swear it’s about to snap in half.

“You okay?” Wylder whispers to me as the professor continues to prattle on about… Well, I have no clue.

I glance at him and the concern on his face leaves me wondering what this guy’s deal is. “I’m fine.” It’s a total lie.

I’m about one step away from reaming into this gossiping drama queens sitting to my right.

“How would either one of you know?” Wylder beats me to it, slanting forward and catching the auburn haired guys’ gaze. “You weren’t at the part, and I really doubt you know anyone that went to it.”

The woman’s cheeks turn bright red while the guy opens his mouth but then closes it, faces forward, and pretends to be deeply engulfed in the professor's lecture. The woman keeps flicking glances in Wylder’s direction and mine. She appears to be attempting to figure out something about me, but I have no idea what and honestly, I don’t care. I’m just glad they shut the heck up.

My gaze slides to Wylder who offers me a small smile before directing his focus back to the lecture.

A handful of seconds later, though, his dumbass friend starts talking shit about me. Wylder sticks up for me. I don’t quite understand it. Why is he suddenly being so nice to me?

The last time a guy was nice to me…

No, I won’t think about that.

I do my best to shove all thoughts of the past and Wylder away, but I can’t completely empty out my brain. Questions claw at my psyche, slicing through the fog I’m trying to instill in it.

Up until the other night, I’d never talk to Wylder, and now suddenly he seems to be everywhere. Or maybe I’m just noticing him more because of what occurred at the party.

The party that Ivy disappeared from. At least from what everyone has said.

I think about what happened with Brooks, and Ollie and Zayla. There was so much commotion between them that I’m not entirely surprised no one saw what happened to Ivy. Although, there is that chance she left the party and was picked up by someone. That’s the worst case scenario. Another scenario would be that something happened to her at that party and she wandered off in the trees like a whisper of wind wishing to vanish into the night.

Chapter 8

Harper

The Past…

“Zoe!” I shout as I stumble through the trees, branches clawing at my flesh. “Zoe, where are you!”

The soundless of the night encompasses me, as still as death. It’s terrifying, how motionless everything is and it contrasts with the panic pulsating through me.

I cup my hands around my mouth and shout, “Zoe!”

Nothing.

I need to find my phone so I can call for help, but I don’t want to leave her out here. It’s foggy, just like my brain, groggy to the point that time keeps slipping away from me.

“Zoe…” My voice fades.

I blink and I’m out of the trees, standing back in front of that house. Panic slams through me as the terror of not knowing how I got here. The last thing I can recall was running after Zoe after I spotted her stumbling into the trees. I stumbled after her, but she vanished like a ghost. I’m starting to wonder if maybe that’s all I saw, a ghost and that really, Zoe is still inside, partying away.