The Whisper Seekers

PREVIEW BOOK 2 - The Secret Keepers

Here is the first chapter in the sequel to Whispers. The Secret Keepers is now complete and available in my works. Thanks for reading :) Don't forget to vote and comment! THANKS!!!

GRADUATION

I write my name on the car window, pushing around the tiny beads of condensation left by the rain. It's been raining all day, which means Harper's graduation party was moved from the park back to her house. Liam is driving, and Lily is in the back seat, staring out the window and bobbing her head to the music.

"Ellie, don't do that," Liam says as he swats at me. "I will still be able to see that when it's not raining, you know." I continue writing and then turn to face him. "Good, then everyone will know who this seat belongs to."

He smiles and even though I've seen that smile for months now, I still melt.

We pull into Harper's long driveway, and from the number of cars already crammed along the curb and grass, it's clear the party is in full swing. Liam hops out first and, like a true gentleman, opens my door before popping an umbrella open for Lily and me to huddle under. The rain hasn't let up, and we rush toward the front door, our shoes splashing through shallow puddles, flinging flecks of mud up our legs.

I yank the door open and we spill inside, immediately hit by a wave of warm air and the hum of laughter and music drifting from deeper in the house.

A huge "Congratulations" banner hangs from the banister, bold and sparkling. Harper's senior portrait, glossy and framed, rests prominently on the foyer table. In front of it is a growing stack of cards, and beside them sits a well-worn scrapbook stuffed with mementos from Harper's high school years.

I'm just reaching for the first page when a familiar voice cuts through the moment.

"Hey girls!" Harper's mom says. "Lily, I never got to tell you how amazing I thought your valedictorian speech was yesterday!"

"Thanks, Sherrie! I was glad Ellie and Harper helped me with it." More Ellie than Harper since Harper just complained about how boring writing a speech was the entire time. I smile at Lily's thought and we give Harper's mom a quick hug before following her into the kitchen.

Harper spots us almost instantly, her face lighting up as she pushes her way through the crowd like a girl on a mission. Despite the gray skies and chilly drizzle outside, she's glowing in a strapless pink sundress, her chestnut hair curled in glossy spirals that brush just above her shoulders.

"Thanks for coming!" she beams, flinging her arms around me in a tight hug. Her sweet perfume clings to my clothes as she pulls away.

"I still can't believe we graduated!" Lily squeals beside me, her excitement genuine. Harper grins and spins on her heel, leading us deeper into the kitchen. We trail after her, dodging elbows and solo cups, slipping seamlessly into the buzz of the celebration.

I can't help but agree with Lily, it really doesn't feel that long ago we were wide-eyed freshmen with braces and questionable fashion choices. Back then, everything felt like the biggest deal: which cafeteria table we belonged to, whether we accidentally wore the same top twice in a month, and how long our crushes took to text us back.

By sophomore year, the braces were gone, our acne was under control and we stopped handing out our numbers like candy. If a guy wanted our digits, he had to earn them. We weren't just part of the scene anymore, we were running it.

Harper hands us each a plate, and we weave through the kitchen buffet-style, filling our dishes with catered finger foods, bite-sized sandwiches, and enough desserts to put us in a sugar coma.

We crash onto her oversized couch, plates balanced in our laps, laughter echoing all around us. As I bite into a gooey brownie, I catch sight of Derek walking in with Mike and Aaron. I lift a hand and wave, my mouth too full to say anything, and Derek grins, returning the gesture. But his attention quickly shifts, he spots Harper in an instant.

He moves to her without hesitation, wraps his arms around her, and presses a kiss to her glossy, pink mouth. Her laugh is soft and a little smug, and it echoes faintly over the music and voices.

Derek and Harper have been dating for five months now, and I'm still not used to seeing them together. It's not that I have feelings for Derek anymore; it's just strange watching my ex-boyfriend grope my best friend every chance he gets.

On New Year's Eve, Harper threw a massive party for the senior class. Everyone was drunk on holiday spirit and cheap champagne, and somehow Derek ended up being her midnight kiss. I figured it was just one of those fleeting party moments, but they kept kissing after the ball dropped. Then the texts started, and the rides to the mall. By the time we were back in class for our last semester, they were official. I heard Derek's thoughts when we all started hanging around each other again, hoping that his relationship with Harper bothered me. I tried to make it extremely obvious that it didn't.

Apparently, they "bonded" over trying to become better people after the locker room incident. Like two tarnished reputations equal one redemption arc. When Harper called me, breathless and giddy, to tell me she took Derek's virginity on prom night, I bawled my eyes out on the floor of my closet. And I still can't figure out exactly why. Maybe it was the shock. Maybe it was the betrayal. Maybe it was the grief for the version of my life I'd already outgrown.

I shift my gaze from Harper and Derek's PDA to Liam, and in that small moment, I feel his fingers quietly tangle with mine. He knows I don't love Derek. He knows I've moved on. And still, he held me that night when the tears wouldn't stop, saying nothing, just letting me be confused and angry in his arms. I squeeze his hand, grateful, grounding myself in the warmth of him.

A Cheeto smacks my cheek and lands in my lap.

"All the love birds need to stop touching each other. Single people need to feel the love too, ya know," Lily jokes, and I throw her Cheeto back at her.

"Hey, maybe you'll find love on our trip this summer. Find a hot Californian to spend your time with." She rolls her eyes at me, but I know she's hoping for that to happen. She's never come out and said she hopes to find a summer fling, but I have heard her think it an awful lot.

After we all managed to stay out of trouble for the rest of the school year, our parents decided to pool their money and gift us a graduation trip to California. A last hurrah before we all scatter in different directions come August. Harper's parents offered up their beach house in Malibu, so we're spending two weeks soaking in the California sun, falling asleep to ocean waves, and pretending we're not terrified about what's next.

My eighteenth birthday falls right in the middle of the trip, and my mom nearly cried when she realized she wouldn't be there for it, but she knew I would rather be with my friends before everything really changes. There has already been a shift in our dynamics. Harper spends more time with Derek and his posse and I spend more time with Lily, Liam and the new friends he made in the robotics club. Our orbits sometimes collide, but we aren't nearly as tight as we all were last summer.

Harper and Derek squeeze onto the couch next to us, the cushions shifting under the weight of Harper's excitement. She launches into a mile-a-minute rundown of all the things we have to do once we get there. Bike rides down to the beach, late-night bonfires, breakfast burritos at that one place her dad swears by.

I glance at Liam. He's smiling politely, but I can see the tension in his jaw when Derek speaks. They've never spent more than a couple of hours in the same room before, and even that was usually layered with snide remarks or narrowed eyes. Two weeks under the same roof was a big ask.

"I'm going to start a California group chat so we can all be on the same page," Harper announces while sliding out her phone. "It will also be easier to talk room assignments without our parents overhearing." She smirks and then glances at Derek.

"Let me guess, I'll be in the twin bed, alone in the back of the house..." Lily whines as Harper and I grimace next to her.

"I mean..." Harper starts, "Unless Liam wants his own space and you bunk with Ellie?"

Liam slides a hand up my leg, I know more for Derek's view than mine.

"I'm good," Liam replies and Lily deflates against the couch. All of our phones buzz in unison, announcing we've been added to the same chat. I roll my eyes when I see that she labeled the group as "Californication" and Mike groans.