“He might as well be dead too.”

I pause a moment and then say, “Mine too.”

Thane puts his cigarette out against the brick. “Aren’t you going to ask me how she died?”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m assuming you want to know how she died,” he says. “Everyone does. Keeps them from googling it later.”

I stare at him. I hadn’t considered doing any research on Thane in my spare time.

“It was a car wreck,” he says. “The driver who hit her was drunk and speeding. He had a really good lawyer and never served time for her murder.”

“That’s horrible.”

“Tell me about it,” he says, pulling out another cigarette. The cherry brightens with his inhale, and as he flicks the ashes away, he says, “Smoking is a bad habit. It smells and will probably give me cancer. But it could be worse. My uncle should be glad I’m not using his money for cocaine.”

“Drugs won’t help you feel any better.”

He smiles, his eyes narrow, amused. “Shows how much you know.”

An awkward silence spreads between us. I think about asking Thane about Shy—why aren’t they friends anymore? Does it have anything to do with the fact that he’s a death-speaker or the blade Shy carries at his side? Is Shy a death-speaker too? Before I can ask, I hear my name.

“Anora.”

I twist to find Lennon standing a few feet away.

“What are you doing?” she asks.

“Uh.” I look back at Thane. “Just talking.”

“Are you okay? You just sort of ran away.”

“Yeah. Yeah…I’m fine.”

“You better run along,” Thane says. “You don’t want people to talk.”

His eyes don’t move from Lennon as he speaks. The tension between them reminds me of the tension between her and Shy, and I have to wonder why everyone’s suspicious of Lennon Ryder.

“I’ll see you around,” I say.

At that, Thane smirks. “I hope that’s a promise,” he says, and it’s clear he likes the idea of becoming friends. I don’t know how I feel about it.

I follow Lennon back to the stands. As we go, she explains what I already know—that the game was delayed because of a fight. The police and ambulance were called. I do my part and act both surprised and shocked. I ask all the right questions: Who was involved? Why were they fighting? Is everyone okay?