Sweet Deadly Lies (A Dark Academia Mystery) Watty Winner ✔️

Six

After class, Kate is at Drew's side before we're even out of our chairs. "That was so lame," she says, pulling Drew to his feet. She links her arm through his and angles her head so close they could pass for a two-headed beast. "Who does a group project on the first day of school?"

"Mr. Plavik?" The words are out of my mouth before I can stop myself.

Kate slowly turns to face me. "Excuse me?"

Drew steps in and breaks the sudden tension. "Kate, have you met Mia?"

"No." She gives me a slow once over before flicking her eyes back to Drew's. "Drew-Bear, will you walk me to my next class?"

He glances at the clock on the wall. "Sorry, I don't think I have time. World Religion is on the opposite side of campus."

"World Religion? That's in the Humanities Building, right?" I say, standing from my chair. "I'm headed there, too."

Kate's eyes widen as she turns from me back to Drew. "You've got to be kidding me."

"I'll see you at lunch, okay?" He gives her a smile. "It'll be here before you know it."

"Whatever."

Kate doesn't say goodbye. She just flings her messenger bag over her shoulder and stalks out the door.

As soon as she's out of ear shot, I give Drew a look. "See? She doesn't like me."

"It's because you're new. That's no excuse, but not many students transfer here after freshman year. When they do, it takes a little while for others to warm up to them." He shrugs. "I'm sorry. Typical new kid problems."

"And what's a New Kid without a Mean Girl, right?" I roll my eyes. "Will we ever grow out of stupid stereotypes?"

"Probably not." He grins. "Do you want to walk to class together?"

"Wow. What are you, some kind of masochist?"

He laughs. "Kate's already going to give me the cold shoulder at lunch, so why not live dangerously?"

When we exit the building, a blast of salty ocean air hits me in the face as I search for something to say. "So, you said your dads are best friends?"

"Yeah. They were students here when they were in high school, and have been close ever since. We've even spent holidays together. Sometimes we'll go to Massachusetts, or their family will come here." Drew readjusts his book bag as we cross the lawn to our path. "I'm planning to study law, and Mr. Baxter owns an office in Boston. He already said I can intern there."

"That sounds like a great opportunity."

"Great is an understatement," he says, giving me a look of astonishment. "I could be working at the biggest litigation firm in Boston right out of law school."

"Looks like you've got it all figured out. A pretty girl on your arm, and a high-profile career at a fancy place. Your dad must be proud."

Drew laughs again. "He should be. He's been pushing me in that direction since elementary." He hesitates before going on. "Do you know what you're going to do yet?"

I gaze into his eyes and look for judgement in their depths. But there isn't any. It's just a normal everyday question asked by an inquisitive new friend.

I bite back a sarcastic reply. "No clue."

I don't bother telling him I'll be lucky to finish high school. Or that I'll need to scrounge up the motivation to do something worthwhile after that. Grades aren't the issue—I get A's without even trying. That is, when I care to do the work. It has more to do with finding a reason to move forward.

And that's when I see them.

During the tour Iris gave me, she never took me to the cliffs. She didn't even mention them. Maybe I shouldn't be surprised, but I thought she'd be more straightforward than that. It's the one place I want to visit, though I never admitted it out loud. I'm not sure why I insist on torturing myself, but I need to see the place where Ava died.

"Is that them?" I ask, coming to a standstill in the path.

"What?" Drew follows my gaze. "You mean, where Ava—"

"Where she fell," I cut him off. "That's it, isn't it?"

"Yes." His response is quiet. Almost too quiet over the rush of waves. "It was her favorite place to paint."

It must be true. Nearly every canvas we received was of the ocean. Some were of crashing waves, while others were towering rock formations. And some were ships in the far-off distance. But my favorite painting was of a sapphire sky with an enormous full moon half-hidden by the horizon.

I let out my breath in one long exhale. "I want to go there."

"What—you mean, right now?" He sounds panicked.

"After school. How do I get there?"

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

I turn to face him. "I have to. I can't explain why, I just do."

"Okay." Drew still looks unsure, but he points in their general direction. "Over there, inside the trees, are some old steps that go up the hill. Once you're at the top there's a clearing with trails shooting off in different directions. If you follow the path on the far left, it will take you to the cliffs."

Up the hill and through the trees. So many fucking trees.

"Do you want me to go with you?" he asks.

I shake my head. "Thanks, but I need to do this on my own."

"At least give me your number in case there's a problem. Do you have your cell?" He pulls his from the back pocket of his khakis and thrusts it in my direction.

I slide off my backpack and reach into the front pouch. We exchange phones and add our numbers to each other's contacts. As we hand them back, another student swerves around us on the path.

When I turn and apologize, he doesn't answer. But I recognize him immediately. He's the guy from the cafeteria with the eyebrow piercing. I'd asked Iris his name, but she never did say.

I hook my bag over my shoulder and watch him walk away. "Who is that?"

A shadow crosses Drew's face. "His name is Xander Lim."

There's something unexpected in his tone. "What's his deal?"

First Iris called him a black sheep, and it's obvious now that Drew doesn't care for him. He carries himself differently than a lot of kids here. Comfortable but not overly-confident, like he doesn't have anything to prove.

"He's trouble. I'd stay away from him if I were you." Drew shifts his head toward Humanities. "Come on. We better hurry before we're late."

An uneasy silence stretches between us as we start again down the path, and I can't get what Drew said out of my head. He's walking beside me, his shoulders tense, mouth fixed in a taut line.

There's an odd vibe on this campus, and I get the feeling it's not because the sister of a dead girl has joined the ranks. Something more is going on.

A knot tightens in my stomach, and I can't stop from looking over my shoulder. When I do, I immediately regret it. Xander is watching me from the middle of the path, his eyes dark and dangerous, like the apocalyptic black holes from Mr. Plavik's physics posters.

The black holes of nightmares, destroying everything in their wake.