When I tried to step towards some particularly dense foliage, Bryce yanked me back.

“No,” he only said to my glance.

We continued up the trail. We met a few homeless on our path, but they only watched us warily and didn’t say anything. They sat off the trail and underneath a tree or brush.

Bryce asked about Mena and Leisha. No one had seen them.

Twenty minutes passed before I started, “So…”

I saw the tension enter Bryce’s shoulder as he waited.

“Can you be nice to Mena?”

“Why?” he clipped out, uncaring as he swept his flashlight around a rock.

“Because you said she was weird in front of everyone.”

“So?”

“So…that’s kinda—I like Mena.”

“You shouldn’t.”

“I do, so be nice to her. Okay?” I snapped out.

“Whatever.”

“Bryce.”

“I said whatever. I don’t like her,” he argued.

“You don’t like her brother and that’s just going to Mena.”

“No,” Bryce said shortly. Firmly. “I don’t like her. She’s weird. She looks at you weird. So does her brother.”

“You don’t like Steele because I slept with him.”

“No. You screwed him. You didn’t sleep with him. There’s a difference. And it’s not because of that.”

“Right,” I snorted in disbelief.

Bryce stopped and turned to look at me. “I don’t like that you were with him, yeah. It’s not about that, though. He’s off. Can’t you see it when you look at him?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Like he’s not totally right. He’s weird.”

“Can you define weird?” I said tiredly as Bryce started back up the trail.

Bryce shrugged again.

“Fine. He’s weird. Mena’s weird, but I like Mena and I don’t have a lot of female friends.”

“You’re friends with that Leisha chick.”

“Leisha’s like a puppy. She’s not a real friend,” I retorted.

Bryce chuckled. “Hope you don’t describe me that way.”

I grinned. “Well, some people really love their pets.” In gross and totally disgusting ways.

Bryce snorted.

I grabbed the back of his pants and stopped him. “Are you going to be nice?”

“No,” he clipped out. “I’m not going to pretend to like someone if I think they’re fake. She’s fake.”

“You won’t even be civil?”

“No, Sheldon. Drop it. I don’t ask you to be nice to my mom.”

“Your mom’s a bitch.”

“So is Mena, you just don’t see it.” Bryce argued, but stopped abruptly.

I walked into his back, but Bryce snaked an arm around and caught me so I wouldn’t fall back.

I was right behind him, so I couldn’t see anything. When I tried to peer around, Bryce shifted to block my view.

“What are you doing? Why’d you stop?”

Bryce didn’t say anything. He just held me behind him. He had both arms wrapped around me.

“Seriously, Bryce. Move,” I ordered.

He coughed and it seemed to strangle him.

“Bryce?” I asked, quietly. “I want to see.”

He wouldn’t let me.

“Bryce, seriously. I need to see.” My voice sounded a little panicked now.

Slightly shrill.

Nothing.

I started to hit his unmoving back. “Bryce.” My voice sounded weak now.

“Bryce.”

“Let’s go back,” he whispered, hoarsely, and started to walk backwards.

Awkwardly, I stumbled backwards. I wanted to see, but he still wouldn’t let me.

“Stop!” I cried out. “What is it?”

“Sheldon, let’s go. Let’s go back to the street. Come on.” Bryce turned finally and it was enough.

I sprinted past him, but a leg tripped me and as the ground rushed up to me, a silent scream wrenched from my throat.

I landed beside the leg and I saw the shoe.

There was smeared blood on it and the leg was black and blue, bruised.

“Oh god.” My voice was ripped out of me. It was weird, like from another body. I felt weird. I felt…I wasn’t really there, but I was there. I was far away, but I was too close to tear my eyes away.

A body lay in the bushes and I stepped forward.

Bryce said something behind me, but I couldn’t hear him. My back was turned to him, but I saw him speak. I saw his mouth open and close and open again. He was saying a lot of stuff to me, but I didn’t hear it. I don’t know how I knew he was talking. My back was to him.

I looked inside the bushes and it was Leisha.

My hand froze as I lifted one of the branches out of the way, but I saw myself bend down and pick something up.

It was an envelope.

I held it in my hands.

Bryce was talking to me again, he was right beside me. He stopped talking when he saw the envelope, when he saw what was written on it.

I didn’t move again for a very long time.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Bryce and I sat at the end of the ambulance. The police had called the paramedics because I started to shiver uncontrollably. Bryce had hugged me to him, but it hadn’t helped. I just kept shivering. One of the paramedics said it was shock and he had checked to make sure Bryce was alright too.

The flashing lights highlighted the terrain. It was ugly and pretty at the same time.

We weren’t allowed to call anyone so it was another hour before the guys parked beside the police cars and ambulances.

Corrigan gestured for everyone to stay in the cars while he walked over to us.

“Hey,” he murmured, hands stuffed in his front pockets. His eyes skimmed over me and Bryce. He swore and slumped beside me while Bryce stayed on my other side.

“So, who was it?”

I turned mute again.

Bryce answered, hoarsely, “Leisha.”

Corrigan swore again. “Is she…? I mean…”

“Dead,” Bryce said flatly.

Corrigan whipped back to us, but didn’t say anything. I didn’t think he could say anything.

“I wanna go…somewhere,” I mumbled. We’d already given our statements and had been ordered to give official statements the next day at the station. I was really getting tired of going to that same place.