10:05 PM Friday, Bear Lake cabins

Johnson takes slow steps toward me. My heart thumps in my chest. I need to get out and run. I need to hide.

Why am I here? How do they know each other?

I look back and forth between the two of them, and suddenly it dawns on me. “You’re with him? You’re fucking with him?”

Michael nods. “It’s—Jessie, it’s not what you think.”

“Did you do something to Chris?” I cry.

“No, no, that’s why I’m bringing you out here. You have to talk to Dave, he’s real bent-up about this.”

“What?” My whole body shakes with rage. He’s bent-up?

“Give me a chance to explain,” Johnson says in his overly deep voice. He moves closer, blocking the door, towering over me. I can’t get out.

I spin toward Michael. “Your boyfriend attacked Chris three weeks ago. And he punched the crap out of a girl half his size. What the fuck? You said you liked jerks, but Michael, he’s not just a jerk. He’s a killer.”

“He didn’t—”

“Oh my god,” I rage. “Michael, I saw him. Looking at Chris’s phone. Looking at pictures of Chris. And Chris was down there, running, at the same time he was. You’re telling me this is all a coincidence?”

“It’s not,” Johnson spits. His blond, buzz-cut head is so close to mine, his saliva lands on my face. “But you gotta stop this bullshit.”

I look into his killer’s eyes. He has no problem hurting girls. He lunges toward me, his fist clenched.

I scramble backward. He’s going to kill me. I climb over the open convertible top fabric, jump off and bang my knee hard on the bumper. It hurts like crap. I cry out, grab my knee, and stumble to the ground.

“Jessie! He’s not going to do anything to you,” Michael says, leaping out of the car.

Johnson saunters around the convertible. “Calm down. I’m not going to hit a girl.”

“Really?” I jump up. “What about Tamara?”

He rubs his hand over the top of his head, looking uncomfortable. His eyes focus on the trees behind the cabin. “That was a mistake. I lost control. I didn’t mean to hurt her.”

“Like you lost control with Chris?” I limp a few steps back. My eyes dart to the woods. Maybe I can make it there. But Johnson is fast.

“I didn’t lose control with Chris,” he says in his lazy, rich boy drawl. “I meant to teach him a lesson. It should have been me getting recruited. It was my fucking time. He sweet-talked the coach.”

“Stay away from me.” I hobble backward, away from him.

Michael runs his hands through that blond hair, like he’s frustrated—with me. “Come on, Jessie, give him a chance. Just listen to him.”

They both walk toward me. I feel cornered and look back at the woods. Maybe I can run. But first, I need to know the truth. “What happened on Friday night then? Did you ‘lose control’ again?”

“No.” Johnson shakes his head. “No, that’s not what happened.”

But clearly something did. I see it on his face.

My phone is in my pocket. Maybe I can record this. I can record it and I’ll have proof—if I can get away. I fumble around in my pocket, try to turn it on. “How did you get Chris’s phone then?”

“I ducked out on my friends to meet up with Michael—it was after Chris dropped you off—but I left my stuff, because I was planning on coming back. They were so drunk they didn’t notice.”

I remember Michael talking about meeting his new mystery guy. I teased him about putting on cologne. He said his boyfriend liked it. But Johnson was down by the river, with his friends.

“Your friends know you’re gay?”

“What do you think?” Johnson lets out a bitter laugh. “They thought I was taking a piss. A long piss. Michael and I were, um, together and then I look up, and Kirk is standing there, with his fucking phone. I thought he was taking pictures of us. So I took off after him. But he threw the phone at me, said to take it. I just wanted to delete the photos. He told me his password and he said to give it to you when I was done with it. Then he ran off.” His eyes are haunted. “I looked on the phone and he hadn’t taken any pictures. I didn’t know what the fuck to do. I had no idea why he wanted me to give it to you.”

“What was the password?”

“0708.”

That’s your password. Did he beat it out of you? I look at Michael. “You knew this?”

“I didn’t know the guy was Chris, I swear—I would’ve told you. My back was to him. I didn’t even see him. Dave just took off.” He sucks in a shaky, scared breath. “He didn’t tell me who it was. He didn’t mention the phone. I had no idea until Sunday. When Dave’s face was plastered all over social media, I called him and he told me everything. I said I’d back him up, but the police already suspected him, so he didn’t want to tell them about the phone.”

Why would you just give this asshole your phone? “Nice story.”

“He didn’t do it. I’m telling you, there wasn’t enough time.” His face is solemn. “Seriously, he’s been real broken up about what he did to Chris.” He looks back at Johnson, who’s just staring at me with cold killer eyes. “Tell her.”

Tell me what? I look back between the two of them, hot with fury.

Johnson blinks his pale eyelashes. “It was shitty, what I did to your boyfriend. Yeah, he was an arrogant asshole, but I regret it. Especially now.”

Asshole? He’s the asshole. I’m so angry, I can’t even think of my own safety. I just want to hurt him. I fly at him and shove hard at his brick wall of a chest. He doesn’t move.

Fury slides over his face.

Then he shoves me. I stumble backward and fall on the ground, scraping my hands on the gravel. He towers over me. “You don’t hit me.”

“Holy crap, Dave.” Michael pushes between us and helps me to my feet. Then he shoves his shoulder against him. “Get back,” he grunts.

Johnson pushes him aside. He’s way bigger than Michael. He jams his finger at me. “I didn’t do anything.”

“Why didn’t you give me the phone if you’re so innocent?”

“I wasn’t going to give you shit. You know how many news stories there have been because of you? My life is destroyed. Everyone’s saying I’m guilty. The cops have been at my house all week. I’ve been getting hate messages. Because I got in one fight with the guy three weeks ago. You pretty much killed any remaining chances I had to get scouted for anything. No college is going to accept me. I’ve been training my whole life for this. You took that away from me, you fucking trash bitch, and now you say I killed him? When you’re the person who broke up with him? You did this, not me. I didn’t do nothing to that fucking—” And then he says it. He says that word.

Oh my god. I fly at him and slap his face as hard as I can. My nails rake his cheek.

Johnson winds his hand into a fist and drives it at my head. It doesn’t hurt, weirdly, not that bad. Not like you’d think. But I can’t hear.

“Stop!” Michael shoves him away from me. They grapple with each other, look like they’re wrestling. Johnson’s trying to push past him to get to me. Michael shoves him hard. They fall on the ground. Michael is on top of him screaming: “You said you just wanted to talk to her.”

“Get off of me!” Johnson grunts.

“We’re done,” Michael pants. “You hear me? We’re done.”

“Fine. I was done with you anyway.” Johnson jerks away, pulling himself to his feet.

“Don’t go near her,” Michael says, standing, and blocking him. His chin is bleeding. Weirdly, I can smell his cologne.

Behind us, a car screeches up. I’m hoping for the cops, but it’s a familiar Toyota. Josh jumps out. “Get the fuck away from her.”

I dive into his car and lock the door. My whole body is shaking. Josh drops back in and takes off, tires screeching. “Holy shit,” he’s saying. “Holy shit.”

I look back.

Michael is getting in his car. Johnson is sitting on the ground.

We drive off. Michael follows. We leave Johnson there.

I pull out my phone with fumbling fingers and call the detective. He says he’ll be sending a squad car out to pick up Johnson for assault, but he knows everything I’m telling him and they’re looking at your phone. “I’ll have more news soon, Jessie.”

“What do you mean?” I breathe. “Did you find his body?”

“No.” He lets out a heavy sigh. “I can’t tell you anything yet. But I will soon.”

I hang up and turn to Josh. “He says he has news.”

Josh grips the steering wheel hard and lets out a groan.

“What?” I say.

“Um, Jessie.” He takes in a giant gulp of air and lets it out as he speaks: “I have something to tell you.”