Bee pulled her lower lip between her teeth, stopping just in front of the main office. I thought she glanced back outside toward the parking lot and Ryan’s empty spot. But all she said was, “See you at lunch?”

“Absolutely!” I chirped, doing my best to ignore David as he stormed past us.

Nothing happened the rest of the morning, but that didn’t stop me from jumping every time the bell rang. I also went out of my way to avoid the English hall, wondering if I’d ever feel safe at school again. There were no Pop Rocks in my blood, and there was no summons to the headmaster’s office to talk about Dr. DuPont, but I stayed on edge. Ryan’s absence didn’t help. Was he hurt, or too freaked out to even look at me?

By the end of first period, I’d made up my mind to call him, one more time. Cell phones were a major no-no during school hours, but I decided to risk it in the bathroom.

I’d just turned down the corridor when a hand shot out of the nearby janitor’s closet and hauled me into the dark.

Chapter 11

WITHOUT MAKING a sound, I went to slug my attacker, only to have my hand freeze in midair.

Of course.

“Are you insane?” I hissed, batting David’s hand away. It didn’t touch him, obviously, but it still made me feel better.

“I told you we’d talk today,” he whispered.

“Right. Talk. Like normal people, not . . . skulking around in broom closets.”

“Skulking? Really?” David raised his eyebrows, and even in the dim light, I could see the smirk forming.

“First of all, I’m not taking crap about word choice from the guy who uses ‘egregious’ in every article he writes. And secondly, this”— I gestured to the cluttered shelves, the cleaning products, the damp mops—“definitely warrants the use of skulking.”

Rubbing his hand over his eyes, David heaved a sigh. “Fine. We’re skulking. And since the bell rings in five minutes, we need to skulk fast. Tell me everything.”

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. “It’s . . . kind of long. And intense. And not something that can be spilled between classes in the janitor’s closet.”

“Try,” David said, his teeth clenched.