Chapter 177

​The silence that blankets the courtyard is thick, absolute, and completely terrifying.

I stare at Chloe, my heart freezing solid in my chest as the cold afternoon air suddenly feels like ice in my lungs. Her history notebook slips from her fingers, clattering against the concrete steps, the pages fluttering open as she takes a slow, unstable step toward us.

​“Chloe,” I say, my voice barely cracking past the giant lump of panic rising in my throat. I drop my hand from Eli’s jacket, stepping away from him as if the physical distance could somehow rewrite the words she just heard. “Let me explain. It’s not what it sounds like.”

​“Not what it sounds like?” Chloe asks as her face twists into an expression of pure, unadulterated betrayal. Tears instantly spring to her eyes, spilling over her lower lashes. “I stepped out of class and came out here to check on my best friend because she has been acting completely off all day and I wanted to make sure she was okay. And