I can't get the image of Drew and Xander fighting out of my head.

As make our way outside, I drink in a few gasps of ocean air. Something inside me is still shaking.

"That was bloody intense!" Iris says. "I mean, what the fuck—right? Drew's lost his mind. Did you see the way he was staring at Xander? Like he blames him for what happened to Kate."

Now that she's said it, that's exactly what it looked like. Drew was enraged. When Xander asked where he was last night, he even countered back with the same question.

But I know better. Kate had Ava's phone. Either Drew was the one Ava was texting—as Xander believes—or Kate told him about what she saw. No matter which it is, Drew knows more than he's letting on. He has to.

All the things I want to tell Iris rise in my throat, but I stop them from coming out. Xander said to keep what we know to ourselves. At least, for now.

"What I don't understand is why Xander let Drew get to him like that. He's always so careful to stay out of trouble."

Iris shrugs. "People can only take so much. Xander may seem like he's got his shit together, but how much do you really know about him?"

Not much, obviously. I haven't been around long enough to have discovered all his nooks and crannies. But when Xander told me about his family, and how he's at Maliseet Bay because of them, I believed it. That need to be here. To graduate and go to college to fulfill his mother's dying wish, shown like a beacon in his eyes. The past few years, that drive and determination has kept him focused on his path.

So, what the hell happened today?

"Let's go see Theo," I suggest, trying to keep my mind occupied. If I don't, I'll get stuck there; asking the same questions over and over; reliving the same scenarios. It's like a maze in my head, and no matter where I turn, all I do is get more lost.

Iris lets out a groan. "I know you want to talk to her, but can't it wait? Things are so tense right now. You see the way it's affecting people around here. First, with Drew kissing you. And then whatever the hell happened to Kate. Now, the fight. Everyone's acting like they've gone mad. "

But Theo's voice snakes its way back into my brain. A couple days before Ava died, I saw her and—

And what? I need to find out what she was going to say.

I shake my head. "I have to stay busy. And I want to make sure I'm around when Xander is done talking to the headmaster." He has some explaining to do.

Iris recoils before agreeing. "Fine. But only because I love you."

"Hey, Iris—wait up!" a voice calls out. When we turn toward it, Khalil is waving at her from across the courtyard. As he reaches us, he leans over and plants a kiss on Iris's cheek and her eyes briefly flutter closed. 

"Hi," she says, giving him a shy smile.

He smiles back. "I need to get off campus for a while—shit's too heavy around here. You want to head into town with me? We can hit up the shops on the main strip." When Iris turns to me, he adds, "Mia's welcome to come, too."

So much for our plans.

My shoulders sink, but I try to play it off. "I have some things to do here, but you should totally go," I tell her. She doesn't want to see Theo anyway. And even though I'd prefer not to go alone, maybe this is better.

Iris looks guilty, yet relieved. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Go and have fun. I'll be here when you get back."

She leans in and gives me a quick squeeze. "You're the best."

After Khalil and Iris head toward the office to sign out, I crouch down to tie my boot lace, and it only takes a moment before a shadow blocks out the sun. When I glance up, Drew is standing over me.

Oh, shit. I hadn't expected to run into him so soon. Everything I've learned over the past twelve hours has confused me where he's concerned.

I fight off the jackhammering in my chest and stand, forcing myself to meet his eyes. He looks even worse up close. His eyes are bloodshot, stubble lines his jaw, and his clothes are wrinkled, like he picked them up from the floor and blindly threw them on.

"How are you?" It feels like the safest place to start.

His voice is thick. "Do you even have to ask?"

I push down the dull ache of unease. "I'm sorry, Drew. This is terrible. I don't know what to say."

Drew lets out a bitter laugh and turns away, his eyes narrowed as he gazes out toward the ocean. "Funny. I thought out of everyone, you would understand what I'm going through." When he glances back at me, his eyes are shining, no longer the same Drew that violently confronted Xander. This Drew is destroyed. It catches me off guard. "Everything is so fucked up, Mia. I don't know what to do."

And then, he's crying. Full-body sobs that shake his shoulders, his body folding in half. Not knowing what else to do, I wrap my arm around him and guide him around a tree to the nearest bench. Being with him like this throws me back to the other night, after the bonfire. The way he helped me when I couldn't help myself.

When we sink onto the wooden seat, Drew's elbows dig into his knees and he buries his face in his hands. "I can't believe this is happening," he says, his voice muffled behind his palms.

A group of students shamelessly stare as they walk past, their mouths moving as they whisper behind Drew's back. I glare at them before turning my attention back to Drew, my hand still on his quivering back. "Were you with her last night? Did you know she was going to the cliffs?"

"No. Me and a couple guys took my dad's boat out, and we didn't get back until curfew. Then, I went home, took a shower, and crashed. Before I fell asleep, I put my phone on Do Not Disturb, so I didn't get Jessa's texts. I found out early this morning when my dad woke me up." His voice cracks. "She sent me a text earlier in the night, but I ignored it. Maybe if I hadn't, Kate would still be..." He doesn't finish.

"Was she upset the last time you spoke with her?"

He glances over at me, his chin still in his hands. "It's Kate. She's always upset about something."

I can't help but notice how he's speaking of her in present tense. Like she's still here, walking around campus with her friends, or running with the cross country team. "Do the police have any idea what happened? Your dad didn't give us much information," I tell him, knowing he wasn't there for the announcement.

"My dad was with them when they questioned Jessa, but apparently she was too distraught to talk. But she did say Kate was upset. She caught her crying."

"Do you know why?"

"No." Drew takes a shuddering breath. "I know how Kate can be. She's hypersensitive and impulsive. And lately, she's been a little—I don't know—depressed, I guess. Either something or someone was bothering her. But whenever I asked what was wrong, she'd say nothing."

"You think something was bothering her?"

"I do. But Kate never liked to talk about that kind of stuff. She didn't want anyone to think she was less than perfect."

My brows come together. "Do you think she...?" The words stick in my throat.

Drew sighs. Leans into the bench and tips his head back, staring up at the blue sky. "I don't know what to think anymore."

So, Kate was upset, possibly with a friend. It couldn't have been Drew. Could it? If he was on the boat like he said, he'd have witnesses. An alibi. "Who did you go boating with?"

Drew doesn't look at me. "Eli and Stone."

"And you were back by eleven?"

"Yes. Why?" His head rolls to the side, his gaze drilling into me.

"No reason." That's about the time Xander and I went back to our rooms. "Do you think she could have been—I don't know—with anyone?"

"What do you mean?"

I shrug. "It's just weird that this has happened again."

Drew continues to study me, as if his eyes are trying to penetrate my skull and peek inside my brain. It's unnerving. Finally, I can't take anymore and glance away, just in time to catch someone walking past. It's Theo.

My stomach twists into a giant knot. I shift in my seat, wanting to call out her name, but stop myself before it leaves my mouth. That would be rude. Drew just lost his childhood sweetheart. He's upset. If this is all an act, he deserves an Academy Award.

Theo continues toward her dorm, her back now to me as she walks further away. My attention bounces back to Drew. He's still watching me.

He glances over his shoulder at Theo and sits up straight. "I should get going. Kate's parents are on their way from Boston. I don't want my dad to face them alone." His voice grows quiet. "I'm sorry I broke down on you. It's just—I don't have anyone else. Not really."

How can he say that? Drew has his father. His friends. I'm just a girl he's known for a few weeks.

I nod, trying to stay focused and not to look back at Theo. "I'm glad you feel comfortable enough to confide in me."

Drew pushes himself off the bench and extends his hand. When I take it, he pulls me to my feet. "Thank you for being here. It means a lot." He draws me into a hug and the proximity makes my stomach squirm. The only time I let myself get this close to someone is after a few drinks, when the liquor has numbed my inhibitions and tricks me into thinking I'm worthy of being loved.

After what feels like forever, he steps away. His mouth opens like he wants to say more, but then decides against it. And then he's gone without another word.