Chapter 17

After that day, Micah had tried to see Lena twice more, but Caleb chased him off both times. Lena thought he'd finally given up and was starting to relax when an unknown number texted her, saying, "Lena, let's meet." She didn't recognize the number or know how they got it. Without hesitation, she deleted the message. But the next day, the same text came through again. "Who is this?" Lena warily replied. "Laris." Lena frowned and blocked the number. She was done with Micah and Laris—she'd left that life behind. Why wouldn't they let her move on? One day after class when Caleb was stuck in a lecture, Laris stepped into Lena's path. "Lena, we need to talk." "There's nothing to talk about," Lena said, trying to step around her. But Laris tightly grabbed her wrist. Lena tried to pull free, but Laris held firm. "There's a coffee shop nearby. Let's go," she insisted. Lena had no interest in dealing with her, but after getting cornered like this, she wasn't about to back down. Aft