Chapters (95)
- Front Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Contents
- Video #1
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Video #2
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Video #3
- Sixty-Six
- Sixty-Seven
- Sixty-Eight
- Sixty-Nine
- Seventy
- Seventy-One
- Seventy-Two
- Seventy-Three
- Seventy-Four
- Seventy-Five
- Seventy-Six
- Seventy-Seven
- Seventy-Eight
- Seventy-Nine
- Eighty
- Eighty-One
- Eighty-Two
- Eighty-Three
- The Final Video
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Back Cover
He grimaces as he tells me, the lines on his face etched more deeply than I ever realized. “We hit that spot where the road goes into the woods. It’s dark out there. The road is narrow. And another car came up behind me. The headlights filled my rearview mirror. I thought they were going to hit me or run me off the road. I was white-knuckling it. Frankly, it shook me how fast that car was going. I don’t know what that car intended to do to you, but when it came along and then passed me, I pulled over and stopped. I realized that it was very foolish of me to chase you and Chloe. The chips would fall where they may. I’ve faced this same music before, and I was due to face it again. I turned back to go home. I had no idea that car intended to do you any harm. And I don’t know if it did.”
“You said you returned to school, to the homecoming dance.”
He raises a hand to silence me. “I intended to just go home. But then I worried about the car that passed me and how upset you and Chloe were. I turned around and went back in the direction you were driving, and eventually, there in my headlights, I saw you. Dazed. Wandering along the road. I pulled over, got out, and went to you. It was obvious you had no idea who I was. You were incoherent. But I couldn’t just leave you out there. Once you were in the car, I asked you about Chloe and where she was, but you couldn’t answer. I thought you were in shock, maybe hurt internally, so I rushed you to the hospital. I admit, I lost my nerve when we arrived there. I was afraid to go in. So I left you and went back to the dance to finish my duties. When we learned about the accident and Chloe’s disappearance, I kept my mouth shut. I actually drove out there the next day just to look around, in case I might see Chloe. But the area was crawling with police, and there was nothing I could do that they couldn’t.”
“Except tell the truth,” I say.
“Like I said, I expected to have the police come down on me. And when they didn’t, I decided I didn’t have anything to offer them. I didn’t get a good look at that car that came speeding up behind me. For all I know it didn’t even cause your accident. But even if it did, I couldn’t describe it. Or the driver. That’s what happened, Hunter.” He points to my phone. “If you want to call the police or the principal, or both, I understand.”
His eyebrows are ragged, his teeth yellow. He looks so small.