My friends were rallying around me, but somehow, their efforts were the opposite of comforting. I wanted to be left alone. Siobhan had cooked and tried to entice me into eating. Derek wouldn’t stop sending are you okay? texts. And Zara and Noelle had kindly stepped in and offered to take over my newspaper duties for a while. Taking them up on it had been gut-wrenching, but I didn’t have much choice. I wasn’t fit to be out in public, let alone attending games and taking notes.

And later this week, I had a second interview for the Penalty Box internship via videoconference. How was I supposed to keep it together when I was dying on the inside?

When I emerged from my bedroom, Siobhan was settled on the couch watching a true crime documentary. Seemed like an odd choice for nine thirty in the morning, but I’d learned by now that her media tastes skewed eclectic, to say the least.

Crying for two days straight had taken its toll, and even after the hot shower, I ached all over. I shuffled into the kitchen and refilled my coffee. Breakfast was probably a good idea, but it held zero appeal.

Standing behind the counter, I debated whether I should talk to her about what I’d been mulling over. What more did I have to lose? Chase was already gone.

I went into the living room and sank onto the couch next to her. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.” Shiv hit pause on the remote and shifted to face me. She scanned my face, her expression softening. “Are you okay?”

“Not really,” I admitted. A lump formed in my throat, and I swallowed, willing it away. “But I have a question. Only if you can keep this between us, though. If you and Dallas don’t keep secrets from each other, that’s okay. I just won’t ask.”

“Ask away. I won’t tell him, promise.”

I trusted her. Unlike Amelia or Jillian, who were incapable of keeping secrets from each other or their boyfriends, I believed that Shiv would honor my request.

“Can you get me Kristen’s number? Or maybe figure out where I could find her on campus? I need to talk to her.”

Siobhan’s brow creased. “I can probably track her down. Why?”

“This.” I unlocked my phone and showed her the picture Luke sent me. Only then did it hit me how strange it was that Luke had this picture in the first place. Between his texts and Chase’s arrival—and subsequent implosion of my life—I’d been in such deep shock that I hadn’t considered the implications until now. Was Luke following Chase? Was he following me too? My stomach turned at the thought.

Shiv frowned, studying the screen. “That’s weird.”

“Right?”