“I am sure you did,” Gem said. “Just like I am sure that trauma can affect memory.”

Lia’s fingers picked at the fraying leather strings meant to keep the journal shut, and flipped open the journal to Aubree’s page.

“Afraid of dogs and bees,” read Lia. “Great. My memory is terrible, our friends are dead, and someone I can’t figure out is going to take me out of the game.”

Lia drew a line through everyone on the football and soccer teams. They had withdrawn and forfeited their upcoming matches.

“Not to be a broken record,” Gem said, “but priorities. Mark off Ryder. He was tutoring. I can’t imagine Laurie getting her hands dirty, Jax is creepy but was on a date, and Mateo was streaming League all afternoon. His streaming schedule is in his bio.”

Lia sank down into her seat and propped her feet up on the chair in front of her. “Okay, that helps.”

They lapsed into silence. Lia watched the rehearsal, in awe of the way the players shifted from students to musicians. Devon tilted his chin and arched his fingers, preparing to play, and the tension seeped from him as the music carried across the auditorium. There was a purpose in the movement and calm in his face, and Lia couldn’t think of a time when she had ever felt how he looked. But still a sense of calm settled over her as Devon and the others played on. The instructor called for them to stop and spoke to the horn section. Devon lowered his violin.

He caught her gaze every time he could, the crook of his smile lost in the stage lights.

Gem groaned. “I’m going to run to Sonic and you can moon over Devon while I’m gone.”

“You’re still in the game and there is a literal murderer running around,” Lia pointed out. “I should go with you.”

“If you go with me, we won’t be let back into the school.” Gem raised one hand to Lia’s face. “I love you, and I understand your fear; however, I need a minute or two alone to eat jalapeño poppers in my car with no one to judge me.”

“I only judge you when you eat all of them before I can have one,” Lia said.

“And…well…I’m going to talk to May.”

Lia’s face fell. “Oh.”

“Yeah, she said she wanted to talk, and I don’t really want to do that with an audience,” Gem said, their smile slipping. “I’ll text you when I get to my car, when I get to Sonic, and when I get back. There’s this stairwell right behind the stage. I should get back during their first break, and you can let me in through there.”

“You’ll lock the car, right?” Lia asked.