HAYLEY
No. No. No.
My chest pounds beneath my ribcage as I bolt down the hallways, every molecule in my body refusing to accept the words of Ivy.
Axel isn't a killer. The thought hardens in my mind like it's being cauterized by fire. I turn the same corner Ivy went down, my feet slapping against the wooden floor of the halls until I stumble out in the backyard.
As is common during lunch break, students pack the entire area, hanging around in groups. I walk past a cluster of boys, carefully scanning the faces nearby… until I sight her again.
Ivy is seated on a bench with Lucas, right under one of the apple trees by the edge of the yard. I don't bother contemplating the bizarre sight of them together before I stride forward to where they sit.
“Listen, Ivy. You owe me a lot more th
