Not everything that glitters is gold, but today was an exception. The gold evening gown I wore hugged my body. I styled my hair so that it would fall in sleek black waves. I knew I looked the part with liquid eyeliner, a more dramatic wing than usual, and dark red lipstick.

Except something was missing.

Someone was missing. I tried to ignore the dull pit in my stomach, blocking Griffin's face from my mind.

"Finally," Dev said, pushing the door open before I could say anything. "I knew girls took long to get ready, but you've been in there for hours."

I ignored the insult. "Have you heard of knocking?"

"Not really." Dev shot me an innocent smile.

"You look handsome, Devy," I teased. He wore a black tux and bow tie and had even gelled his hair back.

"You too," he said, making me swat at him.

He backed away, laughing. "You ready?"

"Yup — wait a minute. Did you shave?" I squinted at his chin.

He flushed. "No. Okay, fine, I did. But if you say anything in front of Mia — "

"You like her?" I exclaimed excitedly. I knew he was bringing a date, but I thought it was casual. He groaned, and I put my arm around him as we walked out. "I promise I won't embarrass you. Too much."

We walked downstairs to join the others. My mom wore a gorgeous green cowl neck dress, her long black hair in a high ponytail. She moved the glass of wine in her hand as she laughed at something my dad said. His green tie matched hers perfectly.

He leaned in closer to her, whispering something in her ear.

"Please don't be gross and kiss because we're here now," Dev chimed in.

Mom turned back and smiled, shaking her head.

"Look at my beautiful kids." Dad beamed. Before I could greet Mia at the bottom, my mouth dropped open at seeing the person standing next to her.

Justin held out a gold corsage, taking my hand as I pulled him to the side.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed under my breath.

"I'm escorting my girlfriend to the charity formal," he said calmly.

"Girlfriend?" I scoffed.

"Don't be like this, Haven."

"I'm not the one — "

"We had a fight," he interrupted, his voice going up an octave before he relaxed. "Couples fight. Did you really think we'd break up over something so stupid?" He took a look at my face and sighed. "Please don't make a scene today. Not in front of everyone." He put an arm around my waist and pulled me closer to the rest of the family, and I tried to keep the smile on my face. 

As soon as we reached the hall, Justin opened the car door and offered me his hand. I took it, but only so I wouldn't stumble as I stepped out. We walked up the marble steps and into the hall. It looked gorgeous; decorated with beaded crystal columns, white and gold balloons, and an arch made of rose petals. The board had covered the tables with white tablecloths, lighted rose-scented candles, and champagne glasses.

"Oh, this shit is fancy, fancy." Dev offered his hand to Mia, and they disappeared to their allocated table.

I smiled, moving my eyes across the ballroom, and that's when I saw him.

Dressed in a navy blue suit jacket with his hair gelled and not tousled for once, making his eyes even brighter and his cheekbones more noticeable. My first thought was how handsome he looked, making me suck in a breath.

He came.

He said he didn't come to these types of things, but he came for me.

Griffin looked up as if he felt my gaze, and our eyes locked. I saw his lips part slightly as he took me in.

"Should we get going?" Justin said, cocking his head towards the table with our name place cards.

I followed him, trying to forget about Griffin. I couldn't go to him, not now. It was my mom's night, and I didn't want it to be overshadowed by my breakup. But I saw Griffin's eyes fall on Justin's grip, and his smile wavered.

"You guys look stunning," Taylor squealed. Her gorgeous deep blue gown brought out the soft blue in her eyes.

I forced myself to stop thinking about Griffin, returning her smile. Despite all the drama, I was glad things were okay again.

"We're the best-looking people here," West bragged, making me laugh.

"Where's Luce?" I asked.

"I was supposed to pick her up, but she had an emergency," West said.

A flutter of nerves ran through my stomach. "What kind of emergency?"

West's face grew serious as he leaned in, lowering his voice. "A fashion emergency."

I whacked his arm. "Not funny, West."

He grinned. "She's coming with her parents. Here she is now!" He pointed towards the front entrance.

I glanced over to see Luce, phone clutched in one hand, and the side of her long lilac dress bunched in the other.

"Hey guys," she breathed. "Sorry. Dress issues."

"The backup dress looks beautiful, babe." West nodded in approval. "I can't wait to take it off later."

"Okay, keep it PG," Taylor said. "Some of us are single and deprived of love, sex, and everything else."

"Cheers to that," Cooper added. 

I laughed, but mid-laugh noticed Luce's pained smile. Her phone vibrated, and she glanced down at it, her face growing pale.

The gnawing doubt increased.

"Let's go dance," West said.

"Not now," Luce argued.

"Aw, come on, Luce," West said. "I want to show off my girl on the dance floor."

She forced a smile. "Okay, fine. Let's go."

West pulled her towards the ballroom center, wrapping his hand around her waist. My mind was on something else, though — Luce's phone. Keeping my eyes trained on the dance floor, I reached for Luce's purse underneath the table.

This felt so wrong. What kind of jerk spied on her friends? But it wasn't like I was spying without reason. With everything going on, some digging was justified, and Luce was hiding something. I stretched out my fingers and held my breath, fidgeting until I finally got a hold of her phone. I took it out, looking down at the text still in her recent history.

I know what you did.

It's not too late to make up for it.

My eyebrows furrowed. Since the phone was still unlocked, I couldn't see if there were any other texts or if there was a contact attached. Despite the ambiguity, there was no doubt the messages were threatening.

Who was texting Luce, and why didn't she tell us about it?

"Haven!"

My heart jumped, and I almost dropped the phone.

"Open bar," Taylor said.

I forced a shaky smile, slipping Luce's phone back into her purse while keeping my eyes trained on Taylor's.

"I'll go get us drinks," I said.

"Are you sure? I can come with."

"No, go dance," I said. "I'll be right back."

"You're the best." She blew me a kiss.

I headed to the open bar, swallowing. The texts didn't have to mean anything. They could be about anything.

"What can I get for you?" The bartender glanced at me.

"Can I have your strongest drink possible? But like, make it taste good still."

He laughed. "Bad breakup?"

"I wish," I told him, smiling as wryly as I took the bartender's concoction, mixing the straw. I took a sip and scrunched up my face, but the more I drank it, the better it tasted. Suddenly, I heard a voice near me.

"Drinking alone?" Griffin's deep voice vibrated near my ear, and I instinctively bit my lip before turning to face him.

"It's better that way sometimes," I said, noticing how my heart was racing against my ribcage.

"Confessions of an alcoholic. Though I thought you were more of a good girl." His lips curved into a smile. He was so close I could smell the woodsy scent of his cologne and tried to focus on my drink.

"I thought Griffin was a ladies' man. Don't you have a date to be with?" I said when he was still hovering there.

He smirked. "I could ask you the same thing."

Got me there.

"Thought you guys broke up." He didn't look at me.

My heart somersaulted. It almost sounded like he cared. "We did," I said.

His dark eyes landed on my face, and then the corner of his lips quirked into a smile.

"Take a shot with me." He waved towards the drinks.

"Nope," I refused, not wanting to give in anymore.

"Two tequila shots," he told the bartender, ignoring me.

"Griffin — "

"Haven." He replied. "See, I can say your name too."

I shook my head at him, accepting the lime in one hand and shot glass in another. As I licked my salt, I watched him take his shot smoothly.

"Not bad," he said. "When did you stop being a lightweight?"

"Somewhere along the way," I said, shrugging. I couldn't quite read the look in his eyes. He looked at me as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't. And just like that, the moment was gone.

"I'll be at the party to see what rich kid makes a fool of himself next."

I laughed, but I couldn't ignore the weird feeling in my stomach. "Have fun."

Before he turned away, he leaned in, so close that I felt myself shudder.

"You look beautiful, Haven."

And with that, he was gone, leaving me confused, flustered, and a little warm from the tequila and his gaze.

--

It was safe to say the charity formal started as a success. People were dancing, donations were coming in, and there was something magical about the night. For once, everyone could take a break from Fairwood being a murder town — tonight was all about loved ones and raising money for our town.

I chewed my lip, imagining what it would be like if Natasha were still here. She didn't enjoy dancing much, but she would people-watch with me.

Across the dance floor, I saw Cari. Dressed in a long white gown, she looked like a fallen angel. Her pink-painted lips opened slightly as she placed the cherry from her drink into her mouth. She plucked the stem from her teeth and then finished her Bourbon, placing the glass back on her table. She looked up to meet my gaze, and immediately, her eyes grew cold, and I saw the grip on her glass tighten.

I was the first one to look away.

She, along with the rest of the school, blamed us.

Seeing Cari wasn't just a reminder that Natasha was gone — it was that Griffin was somewhere here, and I couldn't be with him, even though he was the only person I wanted to be with.

So close, yet so far.

"Are you going to be in a pissy mood the whole night, or will you dance with me at least?" Justin said, unable to hide his frustration.

"One dance," I said.

I followed him to the dance floor, letting him place his hand around my waist.

"We used to be happy, Haven." He spoke as if we were discussing business instead of a relationship. "When did that change?"

"Can you honestly tell me you're in love with me?" I said.

He looked at me in surprise. "Of course, I love you."

Those were two different things.

"In the way where love makes you desperate and constantly feeling like you need more?"

"That's not love, that's lust." He attempted to laugh it off, taking my hand and watching me warily.

"You're wrong," I told him as he twirled me around and brought me back to him. "It's stability, but it's also being driven crazy. Intimacy and passion and wildness. Do I drive you wild?"

"I just don't think that's love."

I leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Being with someone because you're used to them isn't love, either."

He stepped away from me, his eyes sparking with anger. "I'm going to go get a drink." He strode away, leaving me alone on the dance floor.

I squeezed my arms to my chest, trying not to feel alone in a room full of people, when I felt someone's gentle touch on my elbow.

"May I have this dance?" Griffin asked. The same confident smile played on his lips, but there was an uncertainty in his eyes, a fragility I wasn't used to.

I nodded wordlessly, my heart skipping a beat. His eyes seemed to light up as he gently took my hand and wrapped his arm around my waist.

I held onto his shoulders with bated breath, looking into his deep blue ocean eyes.

He spun me around slowly and brought me back to him, his gaze never leaving mine. Dancing with him felt completely different; the heat from his body and the searching in his eyes as he held me close and moved to the beat. The sultry sound from the music vibrated in the background as his fingers brushed my waist and moved up. I felt sparks light up in my stomach and closed my eyes.

What was I doing?

My eyes fluttered open. His dark eyes were watching me intensely.

"I'm sorry," I said, stepping away to create distance between us. "I can't do this. Excuse me."

Before he could say anything, I walked out of the ballroom towards the ladies' restroom, apologizing to the person I bumped into on the way. Once inside the bathroom, I reapplied my lipstick with a shaky hand. "Shit," I mumbled under my breath, grabbing a paper towel to fix the edges. The door opened, and Cari stepped in, glancing at me for a moment before walking into one of the stalls.

When she was done, she walked outside, turned the faucet on, and washed her hands.

Say something, Haven.

"I'm sorry," I said. "About Natasha. I really am. I didn't get to talk to you that day at the Vigil, but I've wanted to tell you since then."

She looked at me as if she was giving me a once-over before placing her hands under the air dryer.

"Why should you be sorry?" She scoffed. "Unless you're apologizing for the sake of formalities."

She took a pack of cigarettes out of her bag and pushed open the window. She lit her cigarette and placed it to her lips, taking a drag.

"We weren't friends anymore, but at one point, I cared about her," I said, pushing on.

"Stop saying you cared about her!"

I didn't reply to her angry outburst, and she leaned back against the wall—another drag. Exhale.

"I — I want to find out what happened," I said.

Her eyes flashed. "Why? You didn't care about her. No one did. Maybe some things are better left in the past because we're never going to know, and it's just going to be painful reliving it every damn day." Her voice caught.

"I don't know if this is something I can leave alone." I hesitated. "Natasha's murderer's somewhere out there, and I don't know who to trust. You guys were friends. If you know anything at all, Cari, then help me. Who was she running away from? Why was she at the party? She had to have told you something."

Another puff. "You trust Griffin," she said snidely. "But then again, you trusted him even during Natasha, didn't you? You stole him from her." She stubbed her cigarette, closed the window, and turned back to enjoy my reaction. I knew that was exactly what she had wanted, to make me uncomfortable.

"I'll tell you one thing. Officers are looking into the case and will find out that one of you did it. It's all a matter of time. But you guys don't care. You never did. You want everything to go away, so you can return to caring about parties and your own lives."

Her heavily mascaraed eyes flashed as they met mine.

"Instead of being so hellbent on finding the actual killer, why don't you look at the people that broke her while she was alive?"

She pushed past me, bumping my shoulders. The door shutting was the last noise I heard before the bathroom was empty. Her words stayed in the air, causing a chill to run down my spine.

I tilted my head back in defeat. I hadn't expected the conversation with Cari to go well, but I had wanted more.

I opened the bathroom door, walking down the empty hall. The entire time I had been searching for Cupid's Guide to Murder to lead me to Natasha's killer, but I was nowhere closer than I had been moments ago. Natasha was still dead, and Killer Cupid was still somewhere out there.

Before I could turn the corner, the quiet hall flooded with the sound of arguing. I yanked the door open, holding the edges of my dress in my hand as I hurried towards the commotion. I turned the corridor, eyes widening.

"Get the fuck out of my face."

Before I could open my mouth, Griffin had pulled his arm back and punched Justin.