Chapter 35

THIRTY-FIVE

I t was stupid to go to that party, but I needed an escape. I needed to numb myself and not feel for a moment. I never expected to see him there nor to assault him like that. I practically forced him to out himself. That's fucked up, but I think I needed to so I could end this before I got hurt even more.

Maybe I'm scared, or maybe I'm just done with loving someone who can never love me back. Either way, it's over, and I'm back to being alone again.

My friends are around me, they haven't left my side since the party on Saturday, but I feel alone. He's all I think about. I find myself reaching for my phone to call him so I can tell him about something minor that happened. I sleep in his shirt and look for him in every crowd, but he's just gone, like he was never part of my life to begin with.

I should feel relieved, but as I stare at the empty spot his car usually fills near my campus building, I only feel tired and sad.

It isn't fair. Why does everyone else get to be happy?

Why does everyone else get to be with the person they love?

Does everyone have to fight this hard not to go back to the person who broke their heart ?

The campus is tense and quiet. Some students have skipped school this week, while other classes have been canceled, and there's an increase in security and police presence. The tree is still cordoned off with tape, a stark reminder of what happened, and as I stare at it, I can't help but feel like we are all waiting for something else to happen, which wouldn't surprise me since they were murdered.

The murderer is still out here, free and among us.

I don't remember what happened in my classes. I do have a meeting with my photography advisor to discuss the images, but I know I can't use them. I can't do that to Alek when he doesn't want them in the showcase. I might be a bastard who tried to force him to accept us, but I'm not that much of a bastard. Maybe that's why I've been antsy all day. I'm angry at myself for doing that.

When the message comes, I'm almost relieved.

I head straight there after class, unlocking the mausoleum with my key and taking the tunnel like Liam showed me. It doesn't take long, and when I head into the manor house, no one is there. I must be the first. I slump into one of the sofas, letting my head hit the back as I close my eyes.

"There's my jailbird," comes a voice sometime later. I crack an eye open and smile as Bones walks my way.

"Thanks for that, by the way. I know Alek called you?—"

"Eh." He drops into the chair next to me. "I was already on my way when he called. One of us saw it go down and alerted us. Like we said, Evan, you're one of ours, and we have your back."

"You were going to come and defend me not knowing if I did it?" I snort.

"You're not a killer, Evan." He looks at me meaningfully. "But yes."

"Good, you're here," Autumn calls, hustling in with the others in tow. Everyone quickly spreads out as the meeting starts. "Okay, Evan, give us a rundown. What happened?"

"I was one of many who found the bodies. I went inside to protect a friend when the police came to speak to me." I tell them what they probably already know, and then glance at Bones.

Unlike what I told everyone else, I lean forward and tell them everything I heard. I don't know why, but it seems important that they know. Besides, I'm worried, and if anyone understands, it will be them.

"The cops also said they think they had drugs in their systems to keep them compliant and knocked out or they wouldn't have been able to move them. They also had injuries consistent with them being held against their will. They didn't outright say it, but they don't think this is suicide. They think this is murder and that the bodies were placed there for a reason. They were trying to dig." I glance around at the shocked faces. "Those two boys were murdered and hung there for a reason."

Autumn looks pale, and she rubs her face. "It's happening again." It's so soft that I barely hear it, but I frown.

"What did you say?" I ask.

Lifting her head, she swallows hard. "That it's happening again." She glances around. "None of you were here. It was five years ago, so before our time, but my older brother was head of Silent Rose then, and he told me all about it. There were some suspicious deaths on campus. They were suspected murders, and they were covered up. It was a big fucking deal."

"How? Why?" I ask.

"The guy they arrested for it at first was a member, but he was proven innocent, and they had to drop the cases, but yeah."

"And they died like that?" I murmur.

"The hanging is new, but the drugs and restraints? Yeah, they died like that and were left on campus as a warning—of what, nobody knew."

"You need to talk to your brother again or any members from back then," Bones murmurs. "We need to know who did it, then we can catch them before anyone else gets hurt. Evan almost took the fall, and the police are still looking at him, not for the actual killer. We need to clear his name."

I peer at Bones in shock, and he catches my gaze and nods. "You're one of us, Evan. We'll protect you, and we'll fix this. Until then, lie low, and don't do anything stupid or give them any reason to come after you, okay? We all know you didn't do this, so let us prove it."

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I nod stiffly.

So this is what it feels like to have a family.

As I glance around at the other members, I have the insane urge to cry. This might have started as some fun, but knowing they are willing to protect me makes me feel like I've finally found a home.