"Are you awake?" I asked fiddling with my hair. I didn't know if I would get a response. The boy had been pretty quiet for the last hour but I didn't hear any snoring.

"Yes."

"Oh . . . Okay." I guess I really didn't expect a response.

"Are you having trouble sleeping?"

"Yeah."

Zac turned over to face me, propping his head up on his hand. "Me too."

"I suppose knowing the police are after you makes it a little difficult to fall asleep," I said, squinting to make out his features in the dark. There was a lamp next to my side of the bed but it was far too bright to keep on. Besides, it was kind of nice not being able to see. I felt like I had seen too much of everything from the hectic day.

"The police chase? That's what's keeping you up? I'm thinking about the evil spirit running around Florida looking for a host."

I chuckled. "Do you actually believe it?"

"I don't know what to believe."

"Me either."

"Why don't we talk about something happy? Or at least milder than the cruel reality we've been subjected to?"

I flipped over to my side. At this angle, I could see the outline of his figure; lean and muscular. "Okay. What do we talk about?"

"A fond memory?"

I nodded, though he probably couldn't see. "You go first."

He thought for a second. In the silence, I could hear his steady breaths right beside me. There something intimate about quiet conversations in the dark. I was hoping he would tell me about something he hadn't told anyone.

I was suddenly grateful for the darkness because it masked my reddened face.

"Hm . . . Back in middle school - when my mom was around - she packed my lunch for me everyday. My Avengers lunch box was usually filled with a grilled cheese sandwich, a brownie, and apple juice."

"Sounds delicious."

"It was. So delicious that a kid in my class got jealous and took it all." He huffed like the thought still bugged. I giggled and then pouted, patting his head.

"Oh no. Did you go hungry?"

"Yeah but luckily he got what was coming to him. Turns out my mom packed the wrong kind of brownie that day."

I was leaning on my hand now. "Wrong brownie?"

"Uhuh." He waited for me to catch on and when I did, he laughed. "The poor kid was acting bonkers the rest of the day. He made a complete fool of himself." He made big gestures, explaining the many shenanigans the boy got himself into.

"Gosh, did your mom get in trouble?"

He was running his hands along the fabric of the pillow when his fingers got caught in my hair. Before I could say anything he was running his fingers through it. "Yeah, it was one more strike that led her to inevitably losing custody of me but hey - it was a fun day."

"That's a positive way to look at it." I knew Zac's home life was rocky. A lot of people in town gossiped about his mother until she moved out of town and into a trailer park. Then they were gossiping about how incompetent his young uncle was. I wondered how true that was.

"Your turn."

I shifted through my mind for something nice that had happened to me but thinking back to the years before high school required too much thinking and I could already feel myself getting sleepier.

Shelby. She was an unexpected friend I made after losing the girls. It stung to think that she had heard about me being wanted. She was my friend when no one else was.

"I lost the girls friendship for a bit when I stood up to Hannah. I thought I was doomed to be alone for the rest of my high school experience but then I met this girl named Shelby. She's honest and kind. She doesn't try to change me."

When I thought hard about it she had every reason to not befriend me. I remembered a time or two where the girls and I had harassed her or her friends. The most memorable incidents being when we not so accidentally spilled beer all over Shelby and her friends just after spreading a nasty rumor about her boyfriend being abusive. In reality, her boyfriend wasn't interested in cheating on her with Hannah.

"She should have hated me but she didn't. Last time we really got a chance to hang out, we played Resident Evil until 4am and made banana pancakes to stay fueled."

"Now that sounds delicious." Zac yawned and rubbed his eyes. His hair was already messy and statically repelled from the pillow. "Maybe we can take a crack at those in the morning."

"Maybe."

"And Ari? Who you are now is so different than who you were a few months ago. Shelby sees that. Surround yourself with people who see that."

I knew I had changed but with what happened at the Homecoming dance I wasn't sure if it was for the better. I had attempted to strangle Hannah and ran from the cops - which were oddly enough unrelated.

"And yes . . . this version is better."

A smile creeped onto my face. All I needed was a little reassurance and I believed it.

I wasn't a murderer and I wasn't the person I used to be.

_______________________

I woke up with a start.

The air felt colder. There was a slight breeze that wasn't there all night and the sun seeped through the curtains. I pulled the blanket closer to me and rolled over to shield my eyes, expecting to see a sleeping Zac beside me.

The bed was empty.

Propping myself up, I scanned the room for him. The room was still. He must have been in the bathroom.

I kicked off the sheets and sat up, stretching.

I'm wanted for murder. The police are after me.

The memories hit me like an anchor plunging into the sea. I had to make a decision on what I was going to do.

Knowing very well that I had procrastinated on deciding enough, I proceeded to look for ingredients for banana pancakes in the kitchen. Surprisingly, the cabinets were well stocked and I took the opportunity to distract myself.

Minutes passed and soon the pancakes were finished. They had been flipped in the pan and served up on the pale blue plates. Zac was still a no show at the kitchen counter.

I poured some syrup on my pancake and took a few bites.

It was beginning to feel like being stood up at the lagoon a few weeks ago.

Impatience getting the best of me, I knocked on the bathroom door. It swung open.

The apology on the tip of my tongue fell flat onto the ground.

Zac was laying in the bathtub - fully clothed - with his limbs hanging out. His eyes were barely open but slowly found their way to me. Blood was oozing out of his stomach, soaking into his white button up.

His liquidy cough snapped me out of my trance.

"What happened? How did this happen?!" I pressed my hands over the wound. The blood was warm and filled with the life he was rapidly losing.

"No . . . Go! You have to go! They're looking for you . . ." He was fighting to stay conscious. The words seemed to tire him out and steal his breath.

"I don't care about the police anymore! We need them! You need an ambulance." Tears rolled down my face. Was the real murderer here? How did I not notice anything? He was right there bleeding out that while I was oblivious and baking in the other room!

I hated myself for letting this happen.

"The person was in a hood. They almost got you . . . in your sleep." He coughed again, this time for longer, spitting up blood.

He was dying.

"You have to stay awake, okay? Promise me you'll stay awake!"

He moved his trembling hands to mine and gave them a gentle squeeze. Then he weakly pushed them off his wound. "Promise me you'll run now."

I hated to think that he was using his last words to tell me to run. He was only seventeen. He didn't deserve to feel guilty for the death of Victoria, or live life in fear of her murderer, or bleed to death in a bathtub.

He had finally opened up to me and let me see who he was. I wanted to get to know this Zac. The one who was free from all the drama and just wanted to talk about memories over banana pancakes.

I didn't want him to die.

"I'll call an ambulance and then I'll go. You just have to stay awake while you wait for them. Deal?"

He gave me a small smile in between wheezes. "I promise."

He knew as well as I did it wasn't up to him whether he kept that promise.

And then - not because of a deal or guilt or pity - I kissed him. I planted my lips on his because he gave me my voice back by telling me the truth. He gave me Victoria's last words, he gave me her last thoughts. Zac was no Prince Charming, his timing was awful and he could have been braver but he believed in me when no one else did.

I kissed him not because I was in love with him but because he was my friend and if he left the earth that day . . . I would miss him.

While pulling away, Zac went in for a quick second. "To everything we could have been."

________________

Zac's jeep was ditched several blocks away from where I was. I couldn't drive for long before I started to think about the incident in July. With everything weighing on me then, I couldn't handle any added pressure. My mind was racing. Adrenaline giving me the energy to keep moving but not an idea of what to do.

The reality was almost every cop in town was probably searching for me. If Zac was found with no strength to offer an explanation, they'd probably think I hurt him.

Oh, I am so tired of people telling me who I am - what I'm capable of.

The explosive anger was back, stirring in the pit of my stomach and bubbling up my throat like lava.

Each raindrop plummeting for the grey sky pierced my skin like a tiny spear. It soaked into stained clothes and into my knotted red hair.

I am Arielle Rae Winters. I am strong and brave. I love my friends and can be a leader when I need to. I'm broken. I'm so sad. I'm in love with a boy who thinks I'm a murderer. I -

A car pulled over beside me. The figure marched over and yanked a can of pepper spray out of their pocket, holding in inches from my face.

"Get in the car, little mermaid."

Her hair was blown over her face but the small smirk resting on her lips was identifiable even under her rain jacket hoodie.

"Why are you doing this, Hannah?"

"Gosh, you are so dramatic! Get in!"

I eased myself in.

Part of me had assumed Hannah had stabbed Zac back at the apartment. But why not pull out the knife? Did she follow me out here?

If one thing was for sure, I wasn't a very good detective.

She climbed into the driver's seat and tucked away the pepper spray. She drove us in silence for a few seconds. Her face was scrunched up. Hannah being visibly angry wasn't common. Desperate times, I supposed.

"I did not kill, Victoria," she said, stretching out every syllable with hand gestures. It was as if she was speaking to someone who only knew Russian. "I'm gonna say that again so your little pea brain can comprehend it. I did not kill -"

"Why would I believe you?! You basically kidnapped me!"

"Well I wouldn't have to had pulled a weapon at you if you didn't try to strangle me at homecoming! Its for self defense you psycho!"

"I tried to strangle you because you killed Victoria and tried to get away with it!"

Hannah punched the steering wheel. "Oh, screw you! You're probably out here feeling sorry for yourself because everyone's accusing you of being a killer and you are doing the same thing!"

"I know you killed her!"

"You do? How do you know?" She turned to me, an eyebrow raised. "Enlighten me."

"I . . . I just do."

"How about I tell you what actually happened the night she died? Let me clear something up for you."

"Go ahead." I crossed my arms, disappointed that I couldn't defend myself better.

"She told me to meet her on the cliff overlooking the beach that night. I got a call from her and she said it was super important so like the good friend I am, I showed up."

"When I got there, she was standing right at the edge with this . . . this sickening grin on her face. It reminded me of the Joker." She shivered and shook her head. "Then Tori gave me a speech about how evil I was and how I needed to be stopped. Nothing I haven't heard before but then she started chanting."

"Chanting? Like performing a spell?"

"Yeah, I guess. It was really intense and awkward. I stood there for a while just staring at her. She was insane. I knew something had been off with her - I think we all did - but we brushed over it. Whatever was going on, she had snapped and this was her breaking point. Long story short, the spell or ritual didn't work. She freaked out and it scared me. I left."

I remembered Tori's plan to overthrow Hannah. She had explained it all in the video she made. Hannah's story made sense. It added up.

"You left? You didn't push her? Maybe even in 'self-defense'?"

"No. I left. When she turned up dead, suicide made the most sense to me depsite the crown of shells and the note. The crown of shells was meant for me."

"Wait, what do you mean? That's the whole reason the police decided it must have been a murder."

"I think the spell was supposed to kill me. She made the crown and offered it to me during the ritual. I chucked it off the cliff because I was spooked."

"So, what? You're saying she wasn't murdered? Because things have been happening to me and the girls that don't -"

"I know she was murdered now. I didn't before." Hannah winced. "That's why I forged the suicide note and placed it where your grandmother would find it. I made a mistake not speaking up and telling the police what happened that night. I thought it was the only way to fix it. I figured she jumped off the cliff after I left. I honestly thought that was what happened."

"Oh no." I brought my hands to my face, wanting to scream. The girls and I had been wrong. The worst part was that if it wasn't Hannah who killed Victoria - I had no idea who did.

"How do you know it wasn't a suicide after all?"

"Blunt force trauma to her ribs. Victoria's parents told me when we visited them. They said that was the one thing that didn't add up to them. Someone kicked her off that cliff. That's why the police had still investigating."

"It couldn't have been from hitting the water?" After refuting the idea of it being a suicide only a few weeks ago, there I was defending the idea.

"I don't know, Arielle! It doesn't sit right with me."

"Do you think I killed her?"

She chuckled, flicking on the windshield wipers. "You could never."

I hated that she made it sound like a weakness.

"So why am I in your car?"

"I want to help you clear your name. Not because I like you but because then the real killer can be found. Say whatever you want about me but I loved Victoria." Her eyes turned glassy. "Maybe I could have been better to her, okay? Maybe this is all my fault but I can't apologize to her now, can I? What's done is done."

A figure ran into the road, stopping right in front of the car.

Hannah slammed on the breaks. We lurched forward, my forearms slamming into the dashboard. The tires screeched and when I looked up I found that we had stopped in time for the person to rest their hands on the hood of the car.

Lavender hair and a tall frame.

It's one surprise after another.

She was panting and wildly signaling for Hannah to open the door to the back seat.

Still in shock, she opened the door and Shelby hopped in.

"You guys have to see this! On the beach - there's something that proves everyone here innocent! I know who did it!" Shelby's words were tumbling out of mouth like a landslide. It was hard to understand.

"Excuse me?" Hannah grimaced at the girl in the back seat.

"Drive to the beach! I found something that proves Arielle innocent!" She placed her hand on my shoulder. "I knew you didn't kill her from the start!"

It wasn't like we had any other leads and Shelby always had my back. "Let's go then!"

We drove for about five minutes in a buzzing silence. Hannah pulled up at the beach parking lot which was empty because of the harsh weather. Shelby was running ahead of us towards the path leading up to the cliff.

"We're going back to where it all began?" Hannah asked. "I'd rather not."

"You'll regret it! You want to see this for yourself!" Shelby gave me an excited yet contained smile and offered me her hand. Together, we hiked up the hill with Hannah reluctantly following behind.

The cliff was muddy because of the rain. The sand was gooey and covered my shoes. I was glad that I had switched out my flats from the Homecoming dance for some converse Victoria had stashed in her apartment and my dress for a pair of sweats and t-shirt of Zac's.

Zac.

Whatever Shelby had to show us I hoped it would be quick.

"Over here!" Shelby was a few feet away from the edge pointing at something below the edge. "I can't believe no one realized this."

Hannah and I walked over craning our necks to see without getting too close to the edge.

Hannah snickered. "What are we looking at?"

"This!"

Shelby wrapped an arm around Hannah in what I thought was an attempt to point her in the direction of the evidence. Soon, Hannah was plummeting down into the dark and perilous water with a deafening scream. Shelby turned to me, hands moving to push me too. I lost my balance on the slope and felt myself falling but I made sure that the purple haired monster was falling with me.