I can’t even respond. I turn and head the opposite direction. Away from Alice, away from the rumors, tears and crying. I open the door to the yearbook office and shut it behind me. I don’t turn on the lights, just happy to have a moment alone. I drop my bag and drop my face into my hands, letting loose the tears that have I’ve been holding inside since last night when I saw her car.
Rose is gone. I can feel it. I don’t know if that means something terrible happened on that bridge, or if it means she vanished on her own free will. What I do know is that any chance we’d ever have to repair our friendship is probably over. And that’s what I’m mourning right now.
I’m so lost in my emotions that I don’t realize I’m not alone until the chair across the room squeaks. I look up and see another person hiding in the dark. Our eyes meet, and grief turns to embarrassment being caught emotional like this.
Ozzy crosses the room and stands in front of me, his own eyes rimmed in red. He doesn’t hesitate to reach for me, pull me into a tight, warm hug. I stiffen, caught in the weirdness of Ozzy Drake hugging me, but he doesn’t let go and finally, I relax into his arms. We stay like that for an eternity, until I’m all cried out.
He steps back and places his hands on my cheeks, wiping away the tears with his thumbs. “You okay?”
“I’m not sure,” I confess. I’m confused about my feelings. Confused about why Ozzy is here and how I didn’t realize how much I needed him until this very moment. “But I do know that if I go back out there, I’ll lose my mind.”
He nods. “Same. It’s pretty fucking intense out there. You wanna ditch?”
“Please.”
We grab our bags and slip out the side door just before the bell rings. I spot Alice standing down the hall searching for me. I duck my head, not wanting to be a part of whatever toxicity she’s spewing right now.
We escape into the fresh, clean, fall air and leave Thistle Cove High behind.
The bridge is closed, but I don’t want to drive that direction anyway. Helicopters have been flying overhead since morning, and every minute that passes that we don’t get a text saying everything is okay, fills me with a sense of dread. But I also don’t want to be alone or sit in my house with my mother as she obsessively watches the news. So Ozzy and I go down to the windy trail above the bay and take a walk. It’s perfect; wind and the crashing waves against the rocky surface make it impossible to talk. We walk side by side until Oz suddenly stops.
We’re right in front of the Wallers house.
It’s a massive two story with gray painted shingles and a slanted roof. A large porch wraps around the back. Technically, it’s part of our neighborhood, but the Wallers built it to their specifications the year after he won a spot on the city council. My eyes go directly to the upstairs balcony that I know leads to Rose’s room. Near the back stairs I see a sign staked into the ground. “Brice Waller–Mayor,” as if he’s trying to catch the vote of fishermen and sailors.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been in that house,” Oz says, tugging at his cap.
“Yeah, me too.”
He cuts his eyes at me. “You ever going to tell me what happened between you two?”
“Do you think it matters at a time like this?”
“Don’t you?” He shoves his hands in his pockets. “Rose is missing, and you’re her number one enemy. Seems like it may come up.”
I gape at him. “You think I did something to her?”
“No, but whatever did happen between you two was so big no one has ever talked about it. It looks suspicious.”
I exhale. “It’s just embarrassing.”
“It can’t be that bad.” He smiles crookedly, and my heart does a surprising flip-flop. Nerves, most likely. The idea of telling someone—Ozzy specifically—what happened that night suddenly feels right. But this isn’t the place. I need somewhere less windy. More private.
I scan my eyes over the Wallers' estate and an idea pops into my mind.
“Come on,” I say, gesturing toward the boardwalk. “I think I know where we can go.”
9
Ozzy
Kenley jogs up the weathered steps to the boardwalk that leads to the Wallers' waterfront house.
“You want to go to the house?” I ask, completely confused.
“Nope.”
There’s a small break in the railing—an overgrown path. She jumps down and gestures for me to follow. I do, although I’m not sure how I feel about sneaking around the property of a man on the city council member. A powerful man who is currently running for mayor. Kenley doesn’t seem concerned, and soon enough, we’ve entered the shady forest that runs adjacent to the house.