I searched his face, looking for that silent promise that I would come first to him. That I wouldn’t be so easily cast aside as I had been by my parents, by boys and men I’d dated in the past. It was unfair to even quietly look for that vow. We barely knew each other; had only kissed. Yet somehow, it felt as if I’d known Griffin for a lifetime. That he could see inside every nook and cranny of my soul. And with that knowledge and vision came the potential for devastating hurt if he decided that I wasn’t good enough.

I tried to force the thoughts from my head, to settle in the knowledge that I wasn’t alone for now. It would have to be good enough. I laced my fingers through Griffin’s. “Let’s go.”

We rounded the house, making our escape without the soccer players noticing. We reached the front of the farmhouse just as Parker’s SUV rounded the drive. I gripped Griffin’s hand tighter as Parker came to a stop and climbed out. He wore an expertly fashioned mask. I couldn’t read a single expression on his face. And that scared me even more.

He strode towards us, stopping just a couple of steps away. “Caelyn, I’ve got some news.”

My eyes burned in my effort to keep them open, to not look away from whatever was coming my way. “Say it quick.”

Parker nodded. “Two deputies went to pay your mom a visit. There was no answer at first. But when they knocked harder, the door opened. I’m sorry. She’s dead.”

I stayed ramrod straight, willing all the steel I could muster into my spine. “Overdose?” I’d waited for that call ever since my mother’s arrest. I wasn’t an idiot. I knew there were ways to get drugs in prison. But to have it come now? I sucked in a sharp breath. “Oh, God. This is all my fault.” My knees began to shake.

Griffin gripped my shoulders and turned me to face him. “What are you talking about?”

“I—I was awful to her this morning. I told her I didn’t want to see her unless she turned Dad in. Oh, God. She must’ve gone to score after that.”

“Caelyn,” Parker began. “It wasn’t an O.D.”

“Then what—?” I stopped mid-sentence at the look on Parker’s face, the brief moment when his mask slipped.

“She was murdered.”