Closer to the Whispers

Murder in the Night

**TW mentions of violence and murder. Mentions of drug use and SW. Don't forget to like and follow me! We are almost to the end of the story now **

After dinner we walked back to the overwater bungalow slowly, the long walk sweet even as his mood had shifted with the darkness of the night. Close to the bungalow we saw a camp fire started on the beach and the rest of our group was there drinking, laughter coming from the trio who seemed to have melded perfectly without my presence.

I was happy Jasmine had made friends with Stacy and Marie, obviously, but a small part of me worried she would have more in common with them and she wouldn't want to be around me anymore. She was my only true friend and meant the world to me, but she had always been a social butterfly.

"Hey, girl! Over here!" Jasmine said, calling us to their little campfire. The beach was cold at night, so the warm fire was a welcome change after we had walked from the restaurant.

"Where were you guys?" Stacy asked, her tone full of unhidden jealousy. The moment Leo sat down, she went to sit by him, even going so far as to brush sand off his expensive sandals.

I sat down across from them next to Jasmine. He looked at her oddly, and I was sure that was the first moment he had actually noticed her flirting.

"Women, it's sand, we are on the beach." He said briskly pushing her away.

"Those are custom Joliquines from Italy. They start out at five thousand a pair." She said with a smile, brushing her long hair behind as if knowing every brand was her best feature.

"And?" He asked coldly.

"Well, obviously, that's nothing to someone of your stature. Oh, my dad called to make reservations for the snorkeling, and he said it's the weekend for the island, so there aren't tours tomorrow, but he got us in at the end of the week." Leo scoffed at this and opened a beer from the cooler they had ordered out to the bonfire.

"Stacy, I have never been told they have a weekend here. They alternate staff. That would be like a hotel saying they are only open Monday through Friday. They just didn't know who your dad was." He said, taking a long drink of his beer.

"Neither do I actually now that I think of it." He added thoughtfully.

"I made reservations already for tomorrow." He told her, glancing at me as she grabbed his arm thankfully.

"Oh, you are a miracle worker. What would I do without you? So this will be like our first date. Maybe we should add in a dinner at the Paletio on the next island over after snorkeling." I snorted in amusement when he shrugged her arm off rudely. Her eyes flashed to me, her happy demeanor vanishing instantly.

"What is your problem laughing at my dinner idea?"

"Well, it's just..." I didn't get a chance to finish.

"You realize you are only here because I paid everyone else in the competition to intentionally lose. A scholarship sucker like you couldn't possibly win without my help." She said, smirking and looking me up and down with contempt. She somehow seemed to have picked up on my feelings for Leo, or maybe it was because she was feeling threatened about us doing dinner together, but either way, her claws were out.

"You did no such thing," Leo said smoothly, his voice icy.

"Of course I did! They said they felt bad for her anyway. Her mom is a druggie and lost custody after trying to kill her in a drug-fueled rage. Ms. Skinner took guardianship of her and admitted her to the school after that. You're nothing, Isabella, and yet you have the audacity to throw yourself at Leo as if you're worthy to even sit at his feet."