Jamie and Lewis.
And then Nate walked into the bar.
He kissed the bronze plaque of the Fears and then stared right at me.
Had I talked to Nate since the night of the skating party? No.
Did he call me to ask how I was feeling? Did he call to say he believed in me, he knew I wasnât the murderer? No.
Did he say a single word to me in school?
Three guesses.
My breath caught in my throat as he slowly began walking toward our table. Iâd been feeling so hurt all week. Hurt that Nate was like all the rest.
I tried to understand it from his side. Yes, heâd been going with Ada. Yes, heâd cared about her too.
But I thought he had real feeling for me. Isnât that why he invited me to the skating party?
He nodded his head to Jamie and Lewis. Then he took my arm. His dark eyes locked on mine. âDana, can I talk to you?â
He pulled me to the bar. âNate, whereâve you been?â I asked. I couldnât hide my anger.
He shook his head. âIn a daze, I guess.â He didnât let go of my arm. âIâm sorry, Dana. I wanted to call you, butââ
âBut what?â I demanded.
âI stayed home,â he said, avoiding my gaze. âI couldnât think about anything. I know I should have called or something. But I didnât call anyone. I was . . . scared.â
I pushed his hand away. âScared of me ?â
âNo,â he said quickly. âNo way. Just scared. I mean, look. Itâs frightening, right? Two girls in our class are dead.â
âAnd . . . you think that Iâ?â
âNo,â he said again. âI donât know what to think, Dana. Iâjustââ
âI didnât even know Candy,â I said. âShe died before I came to Shadyside.â
âI know,â he said.
âHow can anyone suspect me?â I cried. âIâm a good person. Iâd never kill anyone.â
Nate finally raised his eyes to mine. âI know,â he said again. And then he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close.
For a moment, pressed against him, I felt safe. I held my face against his and hugged him tightly.
Suddenly, I realized we werenât alone. I turned to find Whitney, Aaron, and Galen standing in front of us, cold glares on their faces.
âOh.â I let out a startled cry and let go of Nate.
âWe heard what you were saying,â Whitney said. âWell, why donât you tell us this? If youâd never kill anyone, Dana, what about your boyfriend back home? Tell us you didnât kill him, too!â
19
My breath caught in my throat. I felt my heart skip a beat.
âDustin?â I choked out. âYou found out about Dustin?â
Whitney stared at me coldly, challenging me, her hands pressed tightly at her waist. She nodded. âI have a friend at your old school. She told me the whole story.â
I sank back against the wall. I struggled to catch my breath. âBut . . . no one knows the whole story.â
âI do,â Whitney sneered. âYou killed him, too.â
âThatâs a LIE!â I screamed. âIt was a horrible accident. Thatâs what the police saidâand thatâs the truth.â
Whitney, Aaron, and Galen stared at me,waiting for me to tell them more. Nate put his arm around my shoulder. âJamie told us youâve had a hard year,â he said softly. âI didnât know your boyfriend died.â
I fought back the tears, but I could feel them running down my cheeks. âIt was an accident,â I said. âDustin and I . . . we were hanging out in my pool. In my backyard. It was a beautiful afternoon. I went in the house to make us some sandwiches.â
I kept my eyes on Nate as I told the story. I couldnât stand the cold, accusing expressions of the other three kids.
âI wasnât feeling well that day. I had a big fight with my father that