I tighten my grip on the steering wheel, refusing to to go down a certain rabbit hole. Jasmine is my best friend. My sister. I would know if she was a psychopath.

Right?

"Lena?"

"What?" I ask, unintentionally snapping at Elliot.

"Pull over, please."

I listen to his instruction and stop the car in a nearby service station, immediately loosening my seatbelt. I'm suddenly too claustrophobic. Too anxious. My breathing is laboured, coming out in random spurts. Restricting. Exhausting.

"Stop jumping to conclusions," he soothes, reaching across the centre console to brush his fingers along my cheek.

"What if she's in trouble?" I ask, doing the exact opposite of not jumping to conclusions.

"Then, we help her."

"And what if she's not in trouble?" I continue. "What if-"

"She's a serial killer, thirsty for blood?"

I sigh and rest my head on his chest. "I don't know what to believe anymore. One minute we're on a roll. The next, we're back to square one, and I'm contemplating whether I'm cut out for this."

"What d'ya mean?" he asks.

"Penn. Becoming a defence lawyer. Everything."

"Helena..." he argues. "It's normal to feel like this. But you have to put your personal feelings aside and go where the evidence is pointing. I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation. And as for you not being cut out for this... that's the biggest load of shit I've ever heard. You're amazing. Penn is lucky to have you!"

I further burrow my head into his sweater and breathe in his scent, hoping that it calms my anxiety. "How am I supposed to ask my best friend if she's a murderer?"

"You don't," he ensures. "Not yet. Let's hold off on speaking to her about this until we have more evidence." He pulls me closer, caressing my back as he goes. "And let me drive the rest of the way. You've got a lot on your mind."

"I'm sorry. This was supposed to be a fun trip for you. Instead, it's turned to shit."

"It hasn't turned to shit at all." He smirks. "And we've still got a couple of hours behind us yet. So turn that frown upside down, Gallagher. Or else!"

"Or else what?"

"Or else it's ABBA the entire way home!"

Say no more!

We switch places and get going; Elliot humming along to the music, me thinking about Jasmine. It's too big a thing to just put to the back of my mind and forget. Despite wanting to, I can't not think about it.

I can't not suspect her.

****

Tom chooses today to return to school, though for the most part, keeps his face hidden. People stare. They talk and I'm pretty sure he hears it all. Every nasty remark. Every differing opinion. He still faces charges of statutory rape, the fact hanging over his head like a heavy rain cloud. Always there. A reminder of what he did.

"Lena!"

Jasmine's voice echos down the hall, her smiling face a punch to the gut.

Oh no.

"Wait up!"

I fumble with my locker combination, desperate for my hands to be doing something. Anything.

"How was Ohio?" she asks, smile unstoppable.

Her lips are painted sunset orange, a true representation of her personality. Bright. Luring. But the sunset can be deceiving. What we perceive as a beautiful moment can indeed be dangerous. Look at it for too long and you're dazzled. Tricked.

Is Jasmine tricking me?

"It was fine," I reply. "How was your weekend with Shaun?"

She smiles. "It was great. We started planning our summer. It seems you and Elliot have inspired us. We're thinking about taking a road trip."

"Did you tell him about Elliot?" I ask, half hoping she says yes.

"No."

Oh.

I grab my biology text book and pretend to flick through a few pages, processing my disappointment.

"PERV!"

I follow the insult and find Chad towering over a terrified Tom, playing up for the sake of his small audience. He has Tom backed up against a locker, thinking he's the big man. The hero our school needs.

"What is he doing?" asks Jasmine, scowling.

I'm just about to reply when Chad's fist rains down of Tom's cheek, the sound cracking as contact is made. I bolt forward and squeeze myself between the the two, grabbing Chad's arm.

"Leave him the fuck alone!"

"Butt out, Helena," spits Chloe, emerging from the sea of people.

Her face is a picture of pure hatred, directed straight at me. Poisonous.

"Eat shit, Chloe!" I retort, grounding myself in front of Tom like a human shield.

He tenses from behind, too afraid to move. To speak. I catch Jasmine up ahead, her eyes widening at something happening to my lef-

"Fucking bitch!"

I'm jolted by the pulling of my hair and dragged to the floor, kicks and slaps my only companion. Chloe scratches my cheek and draws blood with her claw-like fingernails, enjoying every second of her brutal attack. I gasp for breath, desperately trying to get a sense of my surroundings. Of my options.

Shouts and chants start up as my backpack is grabbed by one of Chloe's pals, the contents spilling to the floor. They grab my textbooks and rip them to shreds, all awhile Chloe kicks me in the stomach. They find my journal and prize it open, reading from my entries.

"Well, look at what we have here. Our very own Detective," mocks Demi, the person behind my bag explosion. "Oh, and a list of suspects."

No, no, no, no!

Demi gasps. "You won't believe who's on here!"

"Did I make the cut?" laughs Chloe, pinning my arms back.

I attempt to break free but it's no use. Apart from having zero upper body strength, I'm largely outnumbered. Even Chad looks like he might jump in at any second. Tom–surprisingly–is nowhere to be seen.

"Yes, but you're not the only one," sings Demi. "Jasmine's on here. Her own best friend."

I cut my eyes across to Jas and I see the very moment Demi's revelation registers. The moment she realises her own best friend suspects her. Something foreign flashes between eyes but it just as quickly disappears.

"Jas-" I mumble, struggling to speak past the pain in my lower abdomen. "Please."

She runs away, leaving me to fend for myself. To fight off my attackers alone.

"Looks like I'm not the only one you've pissed off," laughs Chloe, slamming my head into a nearby locker.

The pain is excruciating, making me sick. I swing my arms and manage to slap her cheek, catching her off guard for a minute. She looks furious. Ready to kill. And raises her arm as if to emphasise her complete displeasure. I'm moments away from being punched in the face when Elliot's voice rings through the air.

"Helena!" Chad attempts to block his path but Elliot squares up to him. "I dare you to keep standing in my way."

He quickly relents and in doing so, prompts Chloe to take a step back. Elliot tends to my slumped body and cradles me to his chest, checking the base of my skull for blood.

"Is this what you do now?" he asks, turning to Chloe. "Beat people in the school corridor?"

She says nothing.

"You're a fucking disgrace," he adds,

"What is she anyway? Your girlfriend?"

Elliot ignores her and sees to my needs.

"Does she know about us?"

I stiffen in his arms and continue to stare, wondering what she means by that. By us.

"We slept together," she informs, facing me. "Last year."

Elliot tightens his grip around my shoulders, protecting me from her hash words. Her attempt at hurting me further.

"Get me out of here," I plead, holding onto Elliot's sweater.

He gathers my things and picks me up with little to no effort, whisking me away like my knight in cashmere. My partner in crime.

My friend.

Probably my only friend now. Jasmine will likely hate me forever and Shaun too when he finds out what I've done. Perhaps all these years of watching murder documentaries has messed with my judgement. Turned me into a paranoid freak. Hell, at this point, I might as well start suspecting my own mother. Shaun too.

I used to think this was my calling. That I'd be good at protecting people.

I was wrong.

Everyone hates me.

Everyone except Elliot.

****

"Eat shit, Chloe." is quite possibly my favourite line from this book so far.

And on that note, what do we all feel about Jasmine bailing?

Is she simply hurt or running from the truth?