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ADRIANA'S POV
The secretary called my name.
I stood up from the bench outside the principal's office, palms slick against the fabric of my skirt. My legs carried me forward even though my lungs felt like they were shrinking. The hallway was quiet. Just the click of my boots against polished tile and the sound of my own heartbeat climbing into my throat.
The door was open. I stepped inside.
Miss Valenzuela sat behind her desk with the same tight-lipped expression she always wore. But it wasn't her that mattered. It was the man sitting next to her.
He turned to look at me, pleasant but clinical. Too smooth. Like he'd done this a thousand times and already knew how I'd answer.
"Adriana Torres," he said, confirming my name even though he damn well knew it. "Thank you for coming in. I just need to ask you a few questions."
I nodded and took the seat across from him, my spine stiff and unnatural. I smoothed my hands over my knees, pretending I didn't see how badly they were shaking.
"I'm Detective Viñas," he continued. "We're speaking to a number of students today—routine, you understand. Given the... circumstances around Sofia Varga's death."
I swallowed, hard. "Of course."
His first questions were easy.
"Did you know her?"
"Yes."
"Were you two close?"
"Not especially. We were in the same friend group, but..." I trailed off. That was enough. Let him draw his own conclusions.
"Had you noticed any signs of distress from her in the days before she disappeared?"
I shook my head. "No. I mean—she seemed more tense, but it's school, you know? Everyone's tense."
He nodded slowly, scribbling something into the blue notebook on his lap.
And then, he asked the one question I hadn't figured out how to answer yet.
"Where were you the night Sofia disappeared?"
My mouth opened, then closed again.
For a moment, everything went blank.
FLASHBACK
We were at Catalina's parents' house which was located outside the city.
The kind of house that made you feel like someone had too much money and not enough morals.
