Annalise Starke had known her mother was going to die eventually; she just hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
At fifteen she had moved with her mother back to her home country of Australia with half a heart (metaphorically, of course) and her mo...
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𝐓𝐖 || 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐱𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭
𓇼
After my conversation with Jacks, I'd made my rounds throughout the party, and he had followed like a lost puppy. He insisted that he wasn't babysitting, but he wasn't really talking, either.
Just watching.
Watching as I'd run into Elyn Sutherland—a girl I'd known since kindergarten—and then when I saw Miller Ridley, one of Breck's childhood friends.
We'd basically been wandering around for the better part of two hours. Time was not flying, and I finally decided I wasn't drunk enough for this shit. I pulled my phone from my pocket. It was already 𝟏:𝟏𝟗 𝐀.𝐌. but I hadn't yet received any texts about leaving.
My stomach didn't hurt anymore, and I wasn't feeling anxious. I needed another drink.
I didn't know when he finally slipped away, but when I turned to make my way toward the kitchen, he was gone.
Part of me was relieved, but another small part was ...disappointed.
I kept going anyway. Who cares if Jacks is with me or not. He is free to do whatever he pleases, just as I am now that everyone is off my back.
Right as I had popped the tab on a can, and brought it to my lips, I felt a tug on my arm. Startled, the liquid soared up my windpipe. I let out a string of coughs into my elbow as I turned to see Ryan slumped against the counter.
"Lise!" He slurred, gripping the counter for support.
My eyes widened. "Are you okay, Ryan?" I took in the sight of my friend. His skin was oily, and slicked with sweat. It traveled down, dampening the collar of his shirt.
He flashed me a thumbs up, nearly falling over in the process. "Just peachy."
He did not seem so. "How much have you had to drink?"
Ryan shrugged. "Not that much," for a second, he had me convinced. But, then he opened his mouth again, "Breck has definitely had more—he's fucked up—and maybe Jacks, too."
As he gestated, I was hit by flecks of sweat...or water? "Ryan, where did you just come from? Where's—"
Ohmygod, the realization hit me.
"Where is Sylvie?" I demanded, voice coming out clipped with panic.
I hadn't laid eyes on my best friend in hours. She'd been a ghost since we arrived. I thought she'd been with Ryan, off making out in a dark corner of something, but her absence was growing increasingly scarier by the minute.
"I was in the pool. Duh," he said it like I was an idiot. "Breck was just about to do a flip off the roof, but Syl and I needed another drink."
My heartbeat started to pick up again. The anxiety creeping back in. "He jumped?" All I could hear was the pounding of my heart echoing in my ears, everything else drowned out, melting away.
