It’s none of their business anyway. If I have to wonder, so should they.

“Ask Holden,” I suggest, pressing the down button for the elevator and feeling all three of them looking at me.

Finn scoffs. “Yeah, I tried that. He didn’t tell me shit.”

“There’s your answer then,” I say as I step inside the elevator.

The descent to the ground floor is silent. So quiet I can hear the elevator’s gears shifting, which is disconcerting.

I trail behind Finn, McKenzie, and Grace once we exit. They veer to the left of the lobby and down another carpeted hallway. They all seem confident in wherever they’re going. I resist the urge to ask. I’m not sure it matters; I’m along for the ride at this point. Expect the unexpected needs to be my motto for this trip.

Finally, we stop. Finn knocks three times on the door, and I roll my eyes at the exaggerated cloak and dagger routine. No wonder he liked the spy movie I was watching so much.

Mark opens the door. His eyes skate over the group, land on me, and widen before he aims a questioning look at Finn. Finn is already walking past him, with Grace and McKenzie close behind. Mark’s stare moves to me instead.

While Finn is easy to read, Mark is not. He’s not as impenetrable as Holden. But he’s serious and expressionless most of the time, like he is right now.

“Hey, Mark.”

“Hi, Cassia.”

“Uh, cool if I come in?”

“Wha—oh yeah. Of course.” He holds the door open wider and I slip past him, into what I realize is the hotel pool. Hot, humid air swirls the scent of chlorine around. There’s a group of people clustered around the far end where the lounge chairs are set up. Otherwise, the pool deck is empty.

Finn, Grace, and McKenzie have already melded into the group. I feel very much the outsider as I approach the loose gathering. McKenzie sets the glass bottle she brought down on the tile with a clang. I’d like to think that sound is what causes the pause in conversation, but I’m pretty sure it’s my approach.

I scan faces I know by name but wouldn’t consider friends. These are the popular kids, the people who never had to wonder about where to sit at lunch or whether they would have a date to a school dance.

I ate in the library more than a few times freshman year before Sydney joined me at Pembrooke High. I’ve gone to Homecoming with a group of girls each year. To say I don’t fit in here is no understatement.

But I attempt to act otherwise, walking forward with a confidence I don’t feel.