A frown creased my brow. “Cory invited me.”

“Did he?” His voice was soft, deceptively quiet.

“Yeah, so what?”

We stopped at his locker. With one try, he popped it open and tossed his book inside. “I’m not planning on going this year.”

“Why?”

He slid me a knowing look. “I didn’t think you’d want to go.”

“What does that have to do with you going? And why wouldn’t you think I’d want to go?”

“Well, I thought we could work on the thing since everyone will be gone.” He slammed his locker shut. “I also didn’t think you’d be up for being around so many people.”

“I like people. I like parties.” We started down the hallway.

“I’ll take you if you want.”

I stopped and stared at my locker. Was he offering because he now felt obligated? “Look, you don’t have to take me if you don’t feel up to it.” I finished dialing the numbers, gave the handle a tug, then sighed and started the combo over again. And then, I said something I had no intention of doing. “I can go with Cory.”

His dark eyes flashed, like tinder igniting. “I want to take you. If I didn’t want to, I wouldn’t ask. You want to go, don’t you?”

My tummy warmed for no reason.

Hayden leaned against a locker next to mine and sighed. “I don’t danceever. An elephant has better moves than I do.”

I kind of doubted that.

“I have no rhythm whatsoever. And I hate tuxes and stuff like corsages and really bad punch. Just thinking about all of that makes me want to gouge my eyes out.”

“Okay.” I laughed softly. “No dance.”

“But I’m taking you to the party.”

A stupid grin fought its way to my face. “Is that so?”

He nodded, a challenging look in his eyes. “So don’t even think about arguing with me about it.”

“Okay. I guess I can” The locker finally swung open. The blood drained from my face, from all of me.

Hayden went rigid beside me. “What the hell?”

Sitting on the shelf was one of those model cars someone usually had to order and put together with glue and stuff. But it wasn’t just any model car; it was the exact replica of Dad’s Lexus: white, four-door, luxury edition. How someone knew that kind of detail amazed me.

But it was the driver’s side of the model car that stunned me into silence. Someone had taken a hammer to it. The entire passenger side was untouched. They’d even gotten creative, drawing little red lines over the back, like thin rivers of blood. Scrawled across the side was a message. I got it loud and clear.

Dead things should stay dead.

Hayden reached around and picked it up. Fury rolled off him in heat waves.