Page 48 of Stalked

“Remember senior skip day when we drove to the lake?” James is saying now, sprawled across Lia's couch. “Lia was the only one who brought sunscreen and saved us all from burning.”

They laugh, sharing memories I wasn't part of.

That was always the problem. The invisible lines drawn around social groups. The unspoken rules about who dates whom. The assumptions about where we'd all end up. Even when Lia and I crossed those boundaries, the expectations remained—that whatever was between us would be temporary. A deviation before she returned to her predetermined path.

And she did exactly that. Running off to New York without a word.

I watch her face light up as they reminisce, and the familiar rage bubbles up. These people represent everything that came between us—not by standing in our way, but by reinforcing the idea that we weren'tmeantfor each other.

Well, they're about to learn how wrong they were.

19

LIA

“Oh my god, you guys!” I laugh as James finishes his story about his disastrous first date with Dani after graduation. “I can't believe you still married him after that.”

Dani rolls her eyes but squeezes James's hand. “What can I say? The heart wants what it wants.”

The five of us are sprawled across my living room, wine glasses in hand. It's been over an hour since they showed up unannounced at my door, and despite my initial shock, I'm grateful for their presence.

“I still can't believe you didn't call us when you moved back,” Megan says, tucking her legs underneath her on my couch. “We had to hear about it from Elliot.”

I take a sip of wine to hide my grimace. “Sorry. It's been hectic getting the gallery ready. I meant to reach out once things settled down.”

“Well, we're here now,” Zoe declares, refilling her glass. “So spill. How was New York? Did you meet anyone special we should know about?”

My mind flashes to Vane and the Hunt tomorrow. My stomach tightens with a mixture of anxiety and anticipation.

“No one serious,” I say. “Work kept me busy.”

“Always the overachiever,” James teases. “Remember when she color-coded her study guides for the entire class before finals?”

I throw a pillow at him. “Those color codes got us all through AP Bio, so you're welcome.”

The conversation flows easily, as if fifteen years haven't passed. We reminisce about prom night—though I carefully avoid mentioning what happened after. The time Zoe got us all detention for sneaking into the school pool, and Mr. Peterson's infamous history pop quizzes.

With each story, the knot of tension in my chest loosens. For a few hours, I'm not Lia Morgan, soon-to-be prey in a dangerous game. I'm just Lia, hanging out with old friends and laughing about high school memories.

“We should do this again,” Megan says, checking her watch. “Maybe next weekend? Proper warning this time.”

I smile, nodding. “I'd like that.”

I don't mention that by next weekend, everything might have changed.

“So what made you come back?” Dani asks, leaning forward. “I mean, you were always the one with the escape plan.Ravenwood is too small for me, you used to say.”

I laugh, but it comes out more awkward than I intended. “I did say that a lot, didn't I?”

“Only every day of senior year,” James chimes in. “We had a bet going on whether you'd ever visit for longer than Christmas break.”

“Hey! I came back for your wedding,” I protest, pointing my wine glass at him and Dani.

“For exactly forty-eight hours,” Megan counters. “You literally flew in the morning of the wedding and left the day after.”

I feel a flush creep up my neck. They're not wrong. I'd always been the one with one foot out the door.

“I kept in touch,” I say defensively.