MAIA

I WAITED THREE DAYS. STILL nothing from Chris. I called Hayden and Gabby to come over. It was an emergency, I told them. I needed a favor—a big one—and they agreed before even knowing what it was.

We told our parents we were heading out to the beach for one last hurrah before school started back up.

But that was a lie.

We got into Hayden’s car at daybreak and drove.

We only stopped twice for gas and food, then one last time when we were twenty minutes away so I could change my clothes and brush my teeth and fix my hair, and pretend like I hadn’t just spent the last ten hours in a car.