I woke up to find about a hundred people standing over me, staring at me as if I was some kind of freak.

“Give her some space,” Mrs. Calloway, the school nurse said. She placed a cold cloth on my forehead. “Marayah, you had a little fainting episode, but you’re okay. Can you hear me? How are you feeling?”

I tried to answer, but my words came out garbled.

“Okay, everyone back to your seats or get to class,” Mr. Dixon said. No one dared argue or disobey him. Everyone scattered immediately. Only he, Mrs. Calloway, and Nicole stood by my side, staring down at me.

Apparently, I’d somehow ended up on the floor. Awesome.

I tried to sit up, but the room started spinning, and I fell back against the cold tile floor.

“Whoa, take it easy,” Mrs. Calloway said. “You might be a little disoriented for a while. There’s no rush. You can take all the time you need.”

She placed a blood pressure cuff on my arm and pumped air into it.

“I’m okay,” I said, somehow managing to find my voice.

“Shhh.” She stared at her watch as she let the air out of the cuff and listened to my heartbeat. “Your blood pressure is a little bit low. Have you had anything to eat or drink today?”

She glanced at my untouched lunch still on the table.

“I had some juice and oatmeal for breakfast,” I said.

“Have you ever fainted before?” she asked.

I shook my head. I just wanted to get up and get back to class.

“Well, naturally I’m a bit concerned about this episode,” she said. “When you feel like it, why don’t you come back to my office and lie down for a little while. Maybe drink some more juice and have some of your lunch. I’ll call your mother and see if she can come get you.”

“No,” I said a little too loud. I rushed to sit up, but my head didn’t like that at all. I felt like I was going to throw up. I took several deep breaths, praying that it would pass. I couldn’t add getting sick in front of everyone to the list of things I’d done this year to prove I was insane. “Please don’t call my mother. I’m fine. I just think I got dehydrated or something.”

“I’m afraid it’s school policy for us to call a parent when a student becomes ill or faints on campus,” she said, frowning.

“I’m begging you,” I said, grabbing her arm. I fought against the nausea that rolled through me in waves. “She’s already worried about me enough as it is. And I have an appointment with the doctor Friday afternoon, anyway. I promise I’ll tell them about it this afternoon. Maybe you could just write me a note or something, instead. If you call her now, she’ll leave work early, and she’s already missed too many days this year. Please don’t make it any harder on her than it already is.”

Mrs. Calloway glanced up at Mr. Dixon, as if asking his permission. He shrugged and nodded.

“I think a note would be fine,” he said. “But I still think you should take a break from your next class and sit in the nurse’s office for a little while. Get something to eat and drink and just relax until you’re feeling better.”

I sighed in relief. “Thank you.”

Nicole stood near Mr. Dixon, her arms clutched tightly to her chest. She looked genuinely scared.

“I can help bring her lunch to the office and sit with her if she wants,” Nicole said.

“That would be very nice of you,” Mrs. Calloway said. “Marayah, do you think you feel good enough to try standing up?”

I nodded. Both of the adults reached for my arms to help me stand. We took it slowly, but I somehow managed to get to my feet and stay there.

“Thank you,” I said again.

The nurse held my arm as we walked to her office. Nicole followed close behind us carrying both of our backpacks and my lunch tray. I felt the eyes of the entire senior class on me as we passed through the cafeteria and into the main hallway.

Oh well, I figured they’d already been talking about me enough behind my back over the past year. Why not give them a little more fuel for the fire? I no longer had the energy to care.

When we made it to her office, she dimmed the lights and brought me a full bottle of cold water.

“Sip this slowly,” she said. “If you can, try to eat something. Would you rather have some crackers to help settle your stomach?”

“No, this is fine,” I said, taking the roll off my plate as I sat down on the small couch in her office.

“I’ve got to fill out some paperwork in the main office,” she said. “Will you two girls be okay in here for a while?”

“We’re fine,” Nicole said. “I’ll come get you if anything happens.”

“Thank you,” she said and left the room.

As soon as the door closed, Nicole collapsed into the rolling desk chair. “Holy crap, you scared the mess out of me,” she said. “I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you like that. I never should have mentioned that stupid party.”

I shook my head. “No, it’s not your fault. I’m glad you finally told me,” I said. “All this time, I was sure someone had drugged us both. I never dreamed in a million years that Hailey had done that. I guess there’s a lot about last summer that I don’t remember.”

“I know how close you guys were,” she said. “And I know how much you miss her. We all do.”

“Thank you,” I said. “I just wish I had seen what was going on earlier, you know? Maybe I could have done something.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. Told her mom or talked to the school counselor about it,” I said. “Gotten her help before it was too late.”

“You can’t blame yourself,” she said. “Hailey was under so much stress to be the best. Everyone was talking about college scholarships and even the Olympics. She was under a lot of pressure. I think it must have just been too much for her to handle. She was probably just trying to let off some steam and feel normal for a while. It isn’t your fault.”

“Maybe,” I said.

But I knew better. Something had been controlling Hailey. Using her. She wasn’t herself.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure,” Nicole said.

“You used to go running with Hailey sometimes, right?”

She shrugged. “A few times back when we first started running,” she said. “Freshman year, I guess?”

“But not last summer?”

She shook her head. “No. The last time I went running with her was probably a year or two before that,” she said. “Hailey could run much faster and much farther than I ever could. I’m more of a sprinter than a long-distance runner. Hailey would sometimes run ten miles up in the mountains. I couldn’t keep up, so I just stopped going with her.”

I frowned. “So you don’t know for sure where she was running last summer when she went out?”

Nicole studied me, her eyes concerned. “Not really. Why does it matter?”

“I guess I was just hoping to figure out where she’d been running, because I thought it might give me some kind of clue as to what she was going through at the time,” I said. “Like maybe she’d been running up at the old factory near the bridge? Maybe that’s why she was taking us out there that night?”

“I doubt that,” she said. “There aren’t many good trails out there by the factory, anymore. Hardly anyone ever goes up there. I’m sure she was sticking to the more well-worn trails around here.”

“Maybe,” I said. “Do you think if I showed you a map of the hiking trails in the area, you could point out the places where you guys used to run together? I know it was a long time ago, but maybe she was still taking those same paths.”

“I don’t see why it’s important,” she said. “But if you really want to know, maybe you should talk to Lena. She was the one running with Hailey a lot last summer. I think Coach Silver might have gone out there with them a few times. I’m not sure.”

“Coach Silver?” I asked. She hadn’t mentioned she’d been running with Hailey last summer.

Before I could ask Nicole if that was something she normally did, someone knocked frantically on the door and then threw it open. I expected the nurse or even my mom, but it was Jordan who stood there, his eyes dark and clouded with worry.

“I heard what happened,” he said. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I said. “Have you met my friend Nicole?”

I made sure to point her out in case he started talking about things no one else would believe. He obviously hadn’t even realized she was there until I said her name.

He cleared his throat and straightened. “Hi,” he said. “I’m Jordan.”

Nicole sat up, her eyes wide as she looked from Jordan to me and back again. “I know who you are,” she said. “I didn’t realize you two were close. Am I missing something here?”

Jordan’s eyes met mine in a secret apology. He’d just made things a lot tougher for me, but I was also glad that he’d been concerned about my health.

“We’re friends,” I said. I couldn’t think of a better explanation than that, and I hoped she wouldn’t push the issue.

But from the angry look on her face, I had a feeling she wasn’t going to just let this go.

“Friends who apparently care enough to come rushing to the nurse’s office,” she mumbled. “I need to get back to class anyway, but I want to talk to you later, Marayah. I hope you feel better.”

Her tone was harsh, and she grabbed her backpack and stormed out of the room, nearly knocking Jordan out of the way.

“I don’t think she likes me,” he said, smiling and leaning against the door frame.

“I don’t, either,” I said, unable to stop myself from smiling back. “Where have you been all day? I was looking for you all morning.”

“I got here late,” he said. “But I heard some guys talking about what happened, and I ran straight here. I guess I should have given you some space. I didn’t realize us being friends might upset some of your old ones.”

I shook my head. “Don’t worry about her,” I said. “I don’t know what’s gotten into her lately. She’s almost as bad as my mom, always trying to keep tabs on me and find out what I’m up to and who I’m hanging out with. It’s really none of their business what’s going on between us.”

Silence stretched across the room, my words hanging in the air.

Was there something going on between us? Something more than just figuring out what happened to the people we love? Did he feel the same emptiness when we were apart? And the same comfort when we were together again?

Or was this all in my head?

My face warmed, and I looked away.

“Thanks for checking on me,” I said. “I’m feeling better now.”

“What happened?” he asked, taking a seat across from me. “You passed out?”

“Nicole and I were talking about the party that night, and she told me Hailey put those drugs into my drink intentionally,” I said. “After what we talked about yesterday, I know it wasn’t really her, but it still shook me up. Then Nicole grabbed my arm, and it was just like everything went dark. I guess it’s just been a stressful week.”

“But no more voices?” he asked, taking a moment to glance at the door to make sure no one was listening in.

“No,” I said.

“That’s good,” he said. “I need to get back to class. Look, I might be gone most of the week. I’m still trying to get in touch with some people about those drawings. But I’ll be back Friday. Can you meet me again after school Friday afternoon?”

I frowned. “I don’t know. My mom is worried about me and she set up this appointment with my doctor at the rehab center,” I said. “I can’t miss it.”

“Okay,” he said, but he seemed disappointed. “I’m glad you’re okay, Marayah.”

He smiled again, then left me alone in the nurse’s office, wondering when I would get to see him again.