ON MONDAY, PHOENIX AND I DECIDED TO MEET IN THE LIBRARY DURING LUNCH.

My head was swimming as I stared at the clock. Overhead, Mr. Chien was comparing the government systems of Saudia Arabia and the United States. We were preparing for a debate where we would fight for the country with the better government.

"Okay, I have your groups for this round" he announced, passing around a piece of paper. "You will have two weeks to prepare for this debate and I expect everyone to participate. Everyone is getting graded separately so your lack of participation won't affect the rest of your group."

With a tired sigh from around the classroom, I grasped the paper on my desk and searched for my name. My fingers trailed down the list of names and groups until it landed on the last group.

Group 4.

IvelineCarterson, Eleanor Reece, Zachary Hillard, Katherine Andrew-Perch, Alexander Andrew-Perch.

Grabbing my stuff, I move to the back of the class where the rest of the group is.

"Ivy" Eleanor greets me with a sweet welcome. "I'm so glad you're in the group."

Her face looked oddly familiar from her black curls and tan complexion to her oversized hazel eyes and her wide smile. She wore a mustard yellow blouse and mom jeans and seemed cheerier than most of our group members

"So you're the girl Greyson is smitten with?" the guy next to her asked. He had light brown hair and brown eyes and the grey hoodie he wore did nothing but help him camouflage into the bland walls. His right hand was intertwined with Eleanor's, a small smile on his face.

"Jesus Christ Zachary." Katherine sitting across from him sneered. "How obvious."

"I was just asking" he defended himself.

She simply rolled her eyes before settling her gaze on me. Her eyes flickered up and down to my outfit with a disapproving glare and a sniff of her nose.

I felt small all of a sudden. My body shrunk into the seat as I buried my chin in the neck of my knitted sweater.

"Ignore Katherine. Her ego blinds her judgment" Eleanor teased. Katherine glared at her, raising her brows at the petite girl.

"Don't push me Eleanor" she warned, a frown settling on her lips.

Eleanor simply smiled and ran her fingers through her interlocking curls. "So where is Alex?" I asked, counting the members in the small circle.

"He's in the bathroom. He should be back anytime soon" Zachary replied with a nod of his head.

With a nod of my head, I remained silent as the other three conversed in small banter. I watched them with careful eyes and tracked all their interactions with one another.

Eleanor was overbearingly sweet while Zachary lacked any energy. He seemed stiff and dead and held on to his girlfriend's hand like she was his saving grace.

Katherine, on the other hand, was nothing but a flaming fireball. From her red locks to her sharp glares, everything about her screamed danger. Do not trespass.

Yet, her defense was a little weak.

Prying my eyes away from them, I opened my notebook and spent the next fifteen minutes comparing and contrasting the governments of the two countries. My notes were organized in small bullet points as I broke down each government type and the impact it has on the citizens of the country as well as its relationship with other neighboring countries.

Ten minutes before the class ended, the door to the classroom creaked open and Alex walked in. Mr. Chien scowled at him as the jock flashed his signature white smirk. "You've kept your group waiting long enough" he commented with a distasteful tone.

"Well I am back" Alex replied back, giving the teacher a little pat on the shoulder. The teacher scowled at him but said nothing more as he took a seat next to his sister. He stretched while making a very inhumane sound before settling his eyes around the group.

"What are we working on?" he asked, looping an arm around Katherine.

"I don't know. Why don't you ask Ivy?" his sister suggested, casting her gaze towards me. Hearing the sound of my name, I perked up and immediately felt the intensity of everyone's gaze.

"I was just working on some strategic tactics we can use for the debate." My words tumbled over one another and my fingers struggled to hold the single pencil in my hand. "If you want, You can look at my notes. I just wrote down some few-"

"Aren't you dating Greyson?" Alex asked, cutting me off mid-sentence. I lifted my eyes to meet his curious gaze and the back of my throat instantly went dry.

"No," I said hoping my voice sent some sort of intimidating vibes. Unfortunately, the smile that crept on his lips said otherwise.

"You don't have to lie to me" he pushed. "We all know you and Greyson have some sort of interaction going on." His intimidating stare had me stuttering and I cautiously tucked my notebook into my lap.

"Greyson and I are just friends" I reassured.

"But you're interested in him are you not?" Katherine pressed. I nodded but immediately backed up that action with words.

"Yes but nothing has happened so as far as I know, we are friends." A little snort came from her mouth but she said nothing else.

For the rest of the period, we went over notes and traded arguments. There was nothing much to it but I could feel Alex's intense stare buried into the back of my skull. I was grateful when that bell rang.

Gathering my stuff, I shoved my books into my bag and walked as fast as my legs could. The hallways were crowded and I managed to blend myself into the mixed body of students rushing to their next classes.

However, I was not quick enough.

An overly excited voice shouted my name across the hallway and I halted to a stop. I turned around to see Eleanor and Zach walking towards me, their fingers interlocked in a tight embrace.

"We finally caught up to you. Have you ever thought about joining track? You would be great at it." A laugh came from her lips and her pretty eyes met mine with genuine kindness. I smiled at her but kept my distance.

"Sorry. Was there something I could help you with?" I asked, walking with them at pace.

"Listen, we just wanted to apologize for Katherine and Andrew back there. They can be a bit intruding sometimes" Zach said in a timid voice. He passed a look over to his girlfriend who nodded her head in agreement.

"They have been a bit disheveled lately since Caleb's death as well." Those words captured my attention and I turned around to meet their gazes again.

"They were friends with Caleb?" I asked, stopping near the staircase.

Eleanor nodded. "Their parents went to school together so they were always invited to family dinners and Andrew was his teammate on the football team. They were like one big family." A light bulb seemed to go off in my head. "Oh. I see" was all I could say. "Listen, I have to get going but we should hang out."

Eleanor and Zach both nodded and waved goodbye as I bounded up the stairs to my locker. My head was swimming as I exchanged my AP government book for my AP Spanish notebook. I took out my phone and attempted to text Phoenix with my left hand as I carried my books in my right hand.

I went up another flight of stairs and tried to avoid as many people in the hallway as possible. As the bell rang, the message went through and I stepped into my classroom and slid into the seat.

"Late again, Ms. Caterson?" Ms. Roosevelt gave me a stern look as she took attendance.

"Sorry. Won't happen again" I muttered, opening my notebook. "That better be a promise" she replied back before turning her back towards me. I breathed out a sigh of relief as I opened my Spanish textbook and began copying the assignment.

Halfway through my work, my phone buzzed in my pocket. Looking up to make sure that Ms. Roosevelt was still occupied with grading tests, I slid my phone from my pocket and read the message.

Phoenix: I always knew there was something suspicious with their family.

I frowned at the message and quickly typed out a reply.

Me: Anyway, how do you feel about having lunch with a bigger group of people?

A moment later, his reply came through.

Phoenix: What are you up to?

Me: Here's a hint: you are not going to love it.

He sent out a flurry of texts towards me but unfortunately for him, no reply came through. Eventually, he gave up and I put my phone back in my pocket. My eyes peered at the clock right above the door.

There were still forty-five minutes left to sit through. A groan escaped my lips as I buried my head in the open textbook.

This was going to be a long class.

"I HATE YOU FOR THIS."

A scowl settled on his lips as he casted an icy look toward me. I simply laughed and patted his arm with fake sympathy.

"I warned you weren't going to like it" I warned, flicking his nose. Phoenix pulled away with a sigh and crossed his arms over his chest.

"This is the first and last time I let you dictate anything," he said through clenched teeth, his shoulders slumping.

Although I gave him a coy smile, I knew there was some truth to his words.

"Why are we sitting here?" Evan asked, taking a bite out of his taco. We were the only ones sitting at the table as we waited for the rest of its guests to arrive from the lunch line. I turned over to my brother who was drinking a bottle of Gatorade to wash the flavor of tomato sauce from his mouth.

"Just some simple investigation" I replied back, smiling. Evan frowned, shaking his head.

"You're not the ScoobyDoo gang," he said with a blank expression.

I nodded and shrugged my shoulders. "But if we were, I would totally be Daphne."

"More like Velma" Phoenix commented, licking the sauce of his hands. I kicked him under the table and ignored his growls of pain. A few minutes later, a crowd walked towards the table and quickly filled the remaining seats at the table.

Greyson and Mercedes sat across from me while Eleanor and Zach remained at the end of the table. Andrew and Katherine sat next to my brother while Tyson and Stephanie made themselves comfortable at Phoenix's side.

I could hear him swear under his breath as he ran his fingers through his dark locks.

"End my suffering" he muttered under his breath but I kicked him in the shins and forced a smile on my lips.

"So what brings you guys here at our lunch table?" Mercedes asked, opening the top of the yogurt that came with her lunch. "Ivy dragged me here with her so she's the one doing the explaining," Evan said, devouring half of his burger in one bite.

I passed him an icy look but he didn't notice since he was too busy staring at Stephanie tossing her blonde locks.

"I just felt like I needed to break out of my comfort zone and make more friends" I hastily said, the lie leaving a foul aftertaste in my mouth.

Mercedes gave me an eerie look but shrugged after a minute or two. "That's fine with me," she said, digging into her pasta.

"What did you think of the party on Friday? Wasn't it fun?" Greyson said, opening the plastic container that covered his salad.

"So fun! I never knew this small town knew how to party!" my brother exclaimed, exchanging high fives with Greyson and Tyson. From the corner of my eye, I could spot Katherine roll her eyes and whisper something to Eleanor who gave her a playful shove.

"It was minimalistic at most" Phoenix commented, earning a strange look from everyone at the table.

"What do you know about partying?" Tyson asked, looking him up and down. "That last time I saw you at a party was seventh grade after the homecoming game."

"You mean the game where we lost?" Phoenix shot back, crunching on a fry.

Tyson flinched at his harsh tone but seemed to keep his composure. "In case you haven't noticed, you're a bit of a loner. We all know you. You're quiet, reserved. You don't really do anything."

"How small is your brain to even comprehend the things I do outside of this shitty establishment?" His steel blue eyes held Tyson's gaze with no fear. A small smile crept on his face.

"Chill, Phoenix," Mercedes said, attempting to place her hand on his for comfort but he pulled away with a frown on his face.

"Don't touch me" he simply said, not meeting her gaze. An uncomfortable silence fell between the two and my eyes glanced between Mercedes whose cheeks were slightly orange to Phoenix who didn't seem to pay much attention to anyone else around him.

After a minute, Mercedes's expression turned sour and she frowned, stabbing her chicken with the plastic fork.

"Moving on" a spring voice spoke. I turned my head to see Stephanie leaning on the table, a bright smile on her face. "I'll be having another party really soon. Well, it's not really a party but a gathering."

"What's the occasion?" Eleanor asked from the far end of the table.

"Celebrating Caleb's life and accomplishments" Stephanie replied back, her voice dropping to a low whisper. "His parents gave me permission to do so. Apparently, the autopsy is supposed to come out this week."

"This must be a tough time for you and his family," Evan said, earning a small smile from Stephanie. She nodded and ran her fingers through her hair.

"More than tough. We just don't know who would think of hurting someone as good as Caleb."

"How close were you guys with Caleb?" I asked generally, gesturing around the table.

"We were like brothers," Greyson said, gesturing over to Tyson for approval. "Not only were we on the football team but we have known each other since we were kids and we always had each other's backs."

"I always thought he was messing with us when he told us that he felt like he was being followed. I never thought that day would be the last time I would see him" Tyson added on, hanging his head low.

I moved my gaze over to Mercedes who shrugged her shoulders. "I never had much interaction with him. We had a few classes together but that was about it. Any interaction we had after that was on the football field."

"He and I worked together on science projects all the time. He was a super chill guy" Zach said, turning over to Eleanor who nodded.

"And he was a part of the community organization for helping sheltered animals find a home. There wasn't a bad thing about him. He was almost a little too perfect."

"My brother and I have known him since we were kids because our parents have been friends for so long. If you knew him as long as we did, you would see that Caleb was a star-boy. There was no flaw in him" Katherine said.

I sighed in defeat. This was going to be harder than I thought.

"Phoenix should know. He and Caleb were close friends" Katherine said with a shrug, opening her can of soda.

He lifted his head and casted a mean glare in her direction but the red-head simply ignored him, rolling her away and facing away to talk to Eleanor and Zach privately.

"Caleb and I went our separate ways a long time ago" Phoenix simply said.

"Do you not feel any remorse towards his death?" Stephanie asked, leaning closer to him.

He rolled his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair once more. "I'm not heartless. Of course, I do" he replied with a blank stare.

"So how come you weren't at HillRiver River when they found his dead body? A town alert went out to everyone and you were the only one not there" she pointed out.

Again, Phoenix seemed to ignore her although his shaking leg said otherwise.

"It's almost as if you were happy that he was dead."

An instantaneous gasp went around the table as all her eyes turned to her. She didn't seem fazed by the attention though simply flipping her blonde hair out of her face. "Come on guys. Don't look at me like I am psychotic. We all know how bad their fallout was."

"I don't need to sit here and take shit from you" Phoenix uttered, getting up and grabbing his bag from the floor.

"Phoenix wait" I protested, getting up from my own seat to chase after him but he was too quick for me. In a flash, he had grabbed his half-eaten pasta and walked out of the cafeteria.

I watched his shadow silhouette disappear through the lunch doors. "What the hell was that about?" Evan asked, giving me a questionable look.

"I don't know but I'm going after him," I said, grabbing my bag off the floor.

"Are you sure you want to chase after him?" Stephanie protested. "He's a bit of a wild card. His actions are very unpredictable."

"Take it from us, Ivy. Phoenix is a strange being" Greyson remarked. I took a deep breath, trading glances with the entire table.

Although I knew that it would be the best choice to sit down and pretend none of this ever happened, a part of me bled for Phoenix.

When he left, I could feel nothing but pain radiating off of his stance and I couldn't help but see if he was alright.

"I just want to see if he's okay" I replied, grabbing my bag from the floor. Before anyone could convince me otherwise, I ran out of the cafeteria dance and headed down the staircase to The Circuit.

It was musty and dimly lit in the basement but it was also bustling with noises from various clubs. I walked past the newspaper office and biochemistry club before reaching the door to the mechanic shop. It wasn't as crowded as I expected but I was able to spot a familiar figure banging a piece of scrap metal with a hammer.

"Lycon" I breathed, trying not to inhale the debris of sparks and woodchips flying everywhere. He looked up from his creation and smiled at me through the mask he wore around his mouth. He dropped the hammer and pulled the mask down. "Finally decided to try your hand at a blowtorch?" he asked with a hint of sarcasm.

Mustering a smile, I shook my head. "Quite the opposite, actually. I was looking for Phoenix. Have you seen him?"

He nodded although his grey eyes seemed sad. "Yeah, he's in the back. He didn't look too good" he said with a furrow of his brow. "I tried asking him what was wrong but he simply ignored me."

"Can you take me to him?" With a nod of his head, Lycon removed his black gloves and wiped his sweaty hands on his apron before guiding me to the back of the mechanic shop.

One hand rested on my shoulder with a comforting pat as he took me deeper into the mechanic shop until we were in the back where most of the supplies could be found.

Sitting on a stool with his elbow resting on the table, Phoenix didn't meet my gaze even as I pulled a stool nearby and sat on the opposite end of the table. He stabbed his pasta with the weak plastic fork, mumbling something inaudible under his breath.

"If it makes you feel better, I didn't believe a word they said" I explained, reaching out to place my hand on his. He pulled away last minute, sighing deeply.

"I don't care" he breathed, not meeting my eye. "I don't care what you and anyone thinks of me"

"But I am not-"

Phoenix interrupted me before I could finish my sentence. "I don't give a damn."

Defeated, I watched him as he picked at the vegetables in his pasta. Lycon gave me a reassuring pat on my shoulders before getting another stool and sitting next to me.

"Phoenix, you know you can't believe anything those idiots say about you," Lycon said.

"It doesn't matter what I say. They'll always have the impression of me being this monster that doesn't have a heart" he said under his breath, running his fingers through his hair.

"But you're not. You and Caleb's friendship ended a long time ago and we both know that it was anything but a disaster."

"He broke it off with me" Phoenix clarified. "I tried to mend our friendship but at the end of the day, it wasn't meant to be."

"I believe you," I said too quickly, catching his startled off-guard look.

"No you don't" he replied back hastily. "You're just saying that to project some sort of sympathy for me."

I opened my mouth to defend myself but quickly closed it, realizing that his words had a ring of truth to them.

"What's going on with you?" Lycon asked, running his fingers through his blonde locks. "Since when did you start hanging out with those people again?"

"Ever since Miss Sunshine over here decided she wanted to be Sherlock Holmes and solve the murder of Caleb Hollow," he said, passing me a nonchalant look.

My cheeks burned red as Lycon turned over to me, his grey eyes filled with questions.

"Are you planning your own funeral?" he asked.

I almost laughed at his words but bit my tongue, knowing that he was serious. "Everything about Caleb's death is suspicious. From the strategies used to kill him to the fact that it was classified as a murder. And everyone in this school has some sort of vendetta against him. I know that he's being portrayed as a martyr right now but there's more to the story. Something he did pushed someone to the edge. I just know it."

Lycon's hollow cheeks flexed and blushed red as he nodded, turning his gaze back to a relaxed Phoenix who gnawed at the plastic end of his fork.

"Is she telling the truth or just mad?" he asked an edgy undertone to his voice.

"As much as I would love to say she's mad, the truth of the matter is that she's more than right. There's not much evidence as of right now but there's enough to imply the fact that Caleb was murdered by someone in this school."

"And do you have a list of possible suspects?" Lycon asked.

"That entire group of so-called saints" Phoenix replied. His friend nodded, looking past him and out the misty window that was clouded with dust. He cracked his knuckles in the silence, gnawing on his lips as he thought of something to say.

"Okay. I'll help you guys" he said after a minute or two.

Phoenix's brows furrowed and he shook his head, throwing the plastic fork into the Tupperware. "No way. It's too risky."

"Obviously not that risky if you're involved in it" Lycon shot back earning a stern stare from his friend. "I won't tell anyone and besides, I can help you eliminate who is definitely in the clear or not. Just let me help you."

Phoenix took a breath and casted his eye towards me. "What do you think little Miss Sunshine?"

"Number one: don't call me that," I said, rolling my eyes. "And number two: we need all the help we can get."

"Congratulations, man. You're in. Join the Scooby Gang." Lycon chuckled as he high-fived his friend but I simply rolled my eyes, tossing a look his way and snipply warning him, "Don't ever call us the Scooby Gang ever again."

"Make me, sweetheart" he replies back before standing up to toss his lunch in the trash.

"So what do we do now? We can't hunt down for clues during school hours" Lycon stated as Phoenix made his way back to the table.

"Well, we can always go up to the library. Phoenix and I were planning to do so anyway."

"Before we got distracted" he simply added on.

"Well then. Let's get work." Standing up, Lycon patted his friend on the arm before pushing the stool back. "Maybe we can find something in the previous articles posted about Caleb."

Phoenix and I both exchanged a quick look but nodded, grabbing our bags and following Lycon out the door.

WE DIDN'T GET MUCH DONE AT THE LIBRARY WHICH I WASN'T SURPRISED ABOUT.

Between the slow computers and Phoenix and Lycon's banter, there wasn't much to do anyway so I was really surprised when I got a text from Phoenix during the last period.

Phoenix: Meet me at the school's newspaper room

Frowning, I texted back a quick reply before paying my attention back to my honors history term paper that was due in two weeks. I stared at the computer screen for quite some time, my fingers hovering above the keyboard.

Even though I just moved to ShadowHill, my honors history teacher still decided to assign me the term paper that was due over summer break but instead of giving me three months to do it, I got two weeks. Two weeks to write a six-page paper on five different presidents around the world and their ties in foreign affairs.

I mentally cursed myself before reaching into my bag and pulling out the notes I had taken in class.

Time seemed to go by really slowly but when that bell rang signaling the end of the day, I closed my laptop and grabbed my bag. The hallways were crowded even as I pushed my way down to the staircase.

My locker was located on the third floor in the science wing so it took a lot of effort to push my way down from the fifth floor all the way to the third floor. By the time I reached my locker, my heart was beating so fast, I thought it might explode.

Quickly, I opened my locker and exchanged all my unnecessary textbooks for binders I needed to take home.

"Hey, Ivy!"

A voice shouted for my attention down the hallway and I looked up to see the hulking figure of Greyson rushing towards me. Besides him was Tyson and Alex wearing their varsity Letterman jacket.

"Hey," I said breathlessly, tossing my bag over my shoulder. "What's up?"

"We're just heading over to football practice. I wanted to stop by to apologize for everything that happened at lunch. We weren't trying to cause any problem" Greyson said, running his fingers through his sleek black hair.

"I am not the one you should be apologizing to. You really hurt Phoenix" I stated, shrugging my shoulders.

He nodded, diverting his eyes to the ground. "I know but I wanted to see you first before finding him."

"Do you know where he could be?" Tyson asked, his dreadlocks swinging in his face.

I shook my head." No. I was actually going to find him myself. I'll let you know if I do" I stated although I knew that was a lie.

Alex didn't seem to give a flying fuck about what was going on. He wore a loopy smile on his face and patted me on the shoulder.

"I have more important things to do. I'll see you guys on the field" he said. He ran off around the corner, his footsteps echoing away.

"We really didn't mean any harm. If it helps, he's more than welcome back to the table to eat with us. There's been some bad blood between all of us for a while but I think it's about time we resolved that" Tyson informed.

"I'll let him know. I hope everything turns out all right" I whispered back to him. Sensing my dissatisfaction with him, he gave me a half smile and patted me on the shoulder before walking away as well.

It was just me and Greyson left.

"Do you have any plans after school?" he asked, looking down at his feet.

"I have a term paper to finish for history class. Why?" I questioned, watching his cheeks blossom a bright red.

"I wanted to see if you would be up for a movie this week" he sheepishly admitted, catching my eye through his blue haze.

Despite how mad I was, I couldn't fight the smile that appeared on my face.

"I thought you would have more important things to attend to" I stated.

A perplexed look crossed his face. "Like what?" he asked, taking a step closer to me.

"The get-together Stephanie is having to celebrate Caleb's life" I pointed out, raising my brow at him. "Wasn't he a friend of yours?"

"So after the get-together then?" he pushed, causing me to roll my eyes.

I felt my phone buzz in my pocket and I took it out to see several impatient texts from Phoenix. The most recent one had a colorful array of swear words and a bunch of angry emojis.

"I have to.

Just text me" I said, turning around to leave.

"But I don't have your number" he shouted, causing me to stop in my steps.

I turned around to meet his smiling face, his hand outstretched with a sleek phone lying in his palms.

I quickly typed in my number and waved goodbye before heading downstairs to The Circuit. I was greeted with the smell of sawdust and freshly printed paper. A few familiar faces smiled at me as I made my way down the familiar hallways until the graffitied door caught my eyes. The words 'The Daily Raven' were inscribed on a golden plaque on the door.

Taking a deep breath, I gently knocked on it and waited patiently for someone to open it. A few minutes went by before the click of a door lock was heard and the door opened to reveal a girl about the same age as me. She had dark brown hair, large doe eyes, sharp features, and a slight scowl on her lips.

She wore a paint-stained shirt and black jeans that seemed very worn in. "You must by Ivy. Come in" she ushered impatiently.

I stepped into the dimly lit room and followed her to the back where all the action happened.

Dozens of people were on the computer and a few more crowded around a large neon table to discuss headlines. The printer was working overtime, spitting copies after copies of rough drafts that would eventually be used as the final copy.

"It's a bit chaotic in here with the homecoming game coming up soon," she said, leading me down a more private hall to a single lit room with two silhouettes hovered over a gleaming computer. "But Caleb's death is just as important."

I could see the concentrated gaze on Phoenix's face as she shut the door behind me. Lycon briefly looked up to meet my gaze and nodded before bringing his attention back to the computer.

"What are you guys up to?" I asked, pulling a nearby chair to set my bag on.

"We're going through Greyson's files," Phoenix said without making any eye contact. "Jolie keeps them on file along with the rest of the newspaper archives."

Jolie simply shrugged and rolled her eyes. "It's the only way these idiots will agree to have their personal business written in the newspaper. Blackmail is the way to go."

Her statement settled uncomfortably in my stomach but I tried to push it away.

"So what did you find so far?" I asked, pushing my hair aside so that I could see the screen better.

"Why don't you read it for yourself?" he offered.

Rolling my eyes, we switched seats and I scrolled through the file with set determination. "So he and Caleb have been friends since third grade but they had a falling out twice in their friendship."

"The first one was when Greyson tried to sabotage the ballots that would determine who would be captain of the football team," Lycon said as I scrolled past that minor detail. "They didn't talk for a couple of months after that but they had to reconcile for the sake of the team."

"But the second incident happened a month before Caleb's disappearance. It's at the bottom of the file" Jolie said, inclining me to scroll to the bottom of the screen. I read the bold text loudly, each word striking a different cord of emotion inside of me.

"Caleb had been suspecting that Stephanie was cheating on him again but he did not know who it was. He flipped when he saw a picture of Stephanie and Greyson lock lips at one of her summer parties but he claimed that it was just an instinct brought on by the amount of alcohol he had throughout the night. This led to an explosive fight between the two which prompted Caleb to end things with Stephanie for good but he and Greyson were still on good but shaky terms up until his disappearance. Caleb was planning on exposing Stephanie the night of the homecoming game but he disappeared a few weeks before school started."

"This is ghastly," I said as soon as I finished reading. I clicked out of his file and faced Phoenix and Caleb. "So what's your take on this?"

"My guess is that if Stephanie and Greyson were truly having an affair, he would want to stop any bad information that might paint her in a bad way. This gives him the motive to go out and kill Caleb to silence him" Phoenix recited as if he had explained this to me a thousand times.

"Is he really capable of that?" I doubted.

He shook his head, running his fingers through his hair. "I know you're into him but we have to look at the evidence from a certain angle. Everyone around him is a suspect." He paused, contemplating his next words. "Even me."

The sadness behind his stare was covered by the misty tears that glazed his blue eyes but it disappeared before I could question him about it. Lycon patted him on the shoulder with a frown on his face while his sister sighed.

"So what's your brilliant plan now?" she said, crossing her arms over her shoulder. "Because if you are going to drag me into this, you better have a plan."

"Ivy is going to be the pawn in this plan," Phoenix said, catching me by surprise. "How do you feel about going out on a date with him?"

"Well, he did just ask me out a few minutes ago," I said after a minute of contemplation.

Phoenix's eyes lit up with a wary spark. "It's like this plan was meant to be. What do you say? We'll even help you with curling your hair and touching up on your makeup."

A snicker went around the room as I glared at him. "Why don't I just put you in a wig and force you to flirt with him? Surely, that will be a lot more entertaining" I retorted back, earning another glare from him.

"Are you in or not?" he asked, his patience running thin.

I traded gazes with Lycon and Jolie before settling back on Phoenix.

"I'll do it for the sake of Caleb" I agreed after a long silence. Phoenix smiled and patted me on the shoulder.

"Thank you for your generosity," he said, sarcasm dripping off his words.

I huffed and pushed his hands away. "I'll let him know. In the meantime, print out his file along with Stephanie's. Maybe there is something in there that will be useful to us in the long run."

"Stephanie's files are separated into five different categories because there is so much information on this girl," Jolie said, taking my place at the computer. She rummaged through files, looking for the correct files. " Which one do you want ?"

"All of them," I said, earning a surprised look from her. "The printer does not have enough ink to print out all those papers. It's bad enough that the school pushed all the clubs to the basement but on top of that, they didn't bother to supply us with new equipment. We're working with technology that's at least twenty years old."

"Then print it at the library. Not at once but by file. You should have them all at the end of the week." Jolie's expression bordered on the edge of frustration but I turned around before she could even question me.

"You and I have a chemistry project to work on as well as complete Caleb's dedication" I reminded Phoenix, grabbing a hold of his hand.

He groaned but did not pull away. "Do I really have to pretend I care?" he complained.

"There is no need to pretend. You do."

Together, we bid Lycon a good day and left him and Jolie to sort through the files while Phoenix and I opted to get our hands a bit dirtier.

"THIS DEDICATION WILL SURELY PLEASE THE HOLLOW FAMILY AS WELL AS THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY. THANK YOU."

Principal Earlwington gushed along with Ms. Rosenberg as they held Phoenix's sketchbook in hand, running their hands along the delicate sketches of the wallflowers down to the trophy alongside Caleb's picture.

"It was all Phoenix's idea. He really captured Caleb's spirit" I said, giving him a warm smile.

He shook his head and put an arm around my shoulder. "Well it was Ivy's idea of adding the flowers to brighten up the scene" he fibbed, giving me false credit.

He looked over at me and squeezed my shoulders tight. A small smile played on his lips and I could feel my cheeks burn bright underneath his stare.

"And it certainly does! Thank you! Both of you. When can you start?" the principal asked.

"As soon as I get my sketchbook back" Phoenix demanded, holding out his hand. They rightfully returned it to him with shaky hands.

"We'll stop by the craft store at the end of the week and get the supplies. In the meantime, is there any way we can get a blown up version of Caleb's portrait?"

"I'll stop by CVS and print out different sizes. We'll talk soon." Principal Earlwington shook our hands, her smile stretching out her face. She looked briefly at Ms. Rosenberg and shook her hand as well before disappearing back into her office.

"Nice job. Both of you" Ms. Rosenberg complimented when the principal was out of earshot. "Don't forget. Your lab reports are due at the end of the week."

"Will you be so kind as to push it to next week?" Phoenix asked with a sickly sweet voice. She glared at him and shook her head.

"Don't push me, Mr. Vanderwal" she hissed back with a stern expression. She huffed and excused herself out of the main office.

We watched her disappear down the hallway before we exited out of the office. His arm fell from my shoulder and he tucked his sketchbook underneath his arm.

"Do you want a ride home?" he asked, adjusting the straps of his bag.

I nodded as we made our way towards the back exit of the school. Not a single word was exchanged between us as the cold brisk air of the afternoon wind whipped past my cheeks. I could feel my skin flush red and I ducked my head so that my hair could cover my blistering skin.

The back of the school contained the football field. The fake green grass stretched across for miles and the red staple logo of the school's mascot was plastered across the middle of the field. The football team was practicing for the homecoming game and the coach was spewing a round of questionable words.

The school's parking lot was not that far away but a voice called out to me before we could cross that little barrier that separated the parking lot from the football field.

"Ivy, wait up!"

I turned around to see a flash of black hair and a tall figure dressed in a football uniform. He took off his helmet and Greyson's face came into view.

"Hey," I breathed, watching as he stopped in front of me with a smile on his face.

"Hey," he breathed, catching his breath.

His gaze turned over to Phoenix who was trying his best to avoid his gaze but failed desperately.

"Listen, man, I am sorry about lunch today," Greyson said, nodding his head. "What I did was not cool and totally uncalled for and I hope we can push this incident aside and move on."

"A little bit of humiliation never hurt anyone" Phoenix replied back after a long pause.

His eyes looked up to meet Greyson's steely gaze and he sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

"Let's just forget about it," he said with a heavy tone.

His gaze held something dark and unwanted but he broke it before I could say anything. Greyson opened his mouth to say something but held his tongue and nodded. His gaze slid over to me and back to Phoenix.

"Can I borrow Ivy for a minute?" he asked in a weak whisper. Phoenix nodded, glancing over at me.

"She's all yours," he said, backing away. "I'll wait for you in my car."

With that, he walked away and it was just me and Greyson left in the open field. I looked over his shoulder to see his coach yelling at one of the linebackers in a gruff tone.

"Aren't you supposed to be on the field?" I asked.

"Told coach I needed to clear my head. Besides, I wanted to know if you thought about my question" he asked, his cheeks flushing crimson red.

A sigh escaped my lips as I ran my fingers through my hair. I could see the anxiousness in his eyes and the mild movements his fingers made across the porcelain helmet.

It was nerve-wracking seeing him so nervous but at the same time, I couldn't help but drag him out for a longer ride.

"I'll go on a date with you," I said after a long pause. "On the assumption that you're planning everything."

I watched him blink twice and stumble back but a bright smile broke through his face. "You're really going to make me work for it," he said with a relieved expression on his face.

I shrugged. "This was your idea after all. Impress me."

"Challenge accepted," he said with a proud expression. "Is next week okay for you?"

"As long as it doesn't interrupt Stephanie's party, I am okay with it."

His brows furrowed for a minute but he nodded nonetheless and smiled. "Great. I'll text you!"

He reached out to tuck a strand of loose hair behind my ear before giving me one last smile and sprinting back to the field. He adjusted his helmet on his head and looked back to give me a thumbs up before his feet hit the fake grass of the field.

I watched him as I walked backward, looking at the way he blended so smoothly into the ongoing practice. He didn't miss a beat and scored a touchdown within a minute. His moves were languid and calculated and for a minute, I thought there was no way he would have the balls to murder Caleb.

While he was perfectly calculated, he was also soft-hearted. There was an unknown weakness about him that I couldn't put my finger on. I kept on watching with curiosity, his brute strength making me rethink my previous statement.

He was complex and intimidating yet weak and easily fooled. I have never met anyone like him and it made me think:

What secrets do you hold GreysonChaliander?

Playing games, in the black, of the night

Stumbling, closed my eyes

Standing here, on the edge, petrified

All alone, on the side