We don’t start breathing easier until Tim and Shane’s footsteps disappear down the stairs. Two sets of footsteps, it sounds like. Which means they’re both still alive.

“We need to find a weapon.” Chelsea rifles blindly through Shane’s desk drawer. I can’t help but think about the bat Tim has been wielding as his weapon. “Because eventually, we’re going to have to leave this room.”

I plop down on the bed where Shane deflowered me earlier in the evening. Was that only a few hours ago? It feels like another lifetime. When I touch my fingers to my lips, I can still taste him. I can still smell the sandalwood of his aftershave.

I should help Chelsea look for a weapon. She’s right—we shouldn’t just sit here, twiddling our thumbs. But I can’t help it. My thoughts won’t stop racing.

“Do you really think one of them could be a killer?” I blurt out.

Chelsea pauses in her search. She straightens up. “Oh, Brooke…”

She settles down beside me on the bed and throws her arm around my shoulders. And for the first time this evening, I burst into tears. It all just hits me at once. Brandon is dead. Kayla is dead. And one of the two boys I care about most in the world is responsible.

And I don’t even know which one.

“They couldn’t have done it,” I sniffle. “Neither of them. It’s not possible.” I lift my eyes. “Right?”

“Oh, Brooke…” She squeezes my shoulders, pulling me close to her damp, blood-stained shirt. “I know Shane is your boyfriend, and you and Tim go way back, but look at what happened. There is nobody else here. It had to have been one of them.”

I rub my runny nose. “Who… who do you think it is?” She pauses. “I don’t know.”

“Yes, you do. You just don’t want to say.”

Chelsea lets out a long sigh. “Fine. It was Tim.”

I lift my eyes in surprise. That wasn’t what I thought she was going to say. “Tim? But…”

“It makes the most sense, Brooke.” She tucks a strand of wet hair behind her ear. “Shane’s right—Tim’s the only one who had the opportunity to go up there and do it. And he was the one who was cuddling up with Kayla all night. Shane barely knew her.”

“But…”

But it can’t be Tim. Not my first best friend. My first kiss. The guy I’ve known all my life, who would do anything for me. I touch the snowflake necklace, remembering how pleased he looked when I opened the box.

“And he dated Tracy Gifford,” she reminds me. “What’s up with that? He had a bunch of dates with a girl who turned up murdered, and he figures he doesn’t need to mention that to anyone? That is hella suspicious, Brooke.”

“I know, but…”

“Plus, he’s frustrated,” Chelsea adds. “Because you’re dating Shane, and of course, he wants you for himself.”

I swivel my head to stare at her. “What are you talking about?”

She lets out a dramatic sigh that lasts several seconds. “Come on, Brooke. You must realize that Tim is madly in love with you.”

I snort. “No, he’s not. We’re friends.”

“Right. You think of him as a friend, and he’s in love with you.” She cocks her head to the side. “I thought for sure you knew. You really don’t see it?”

I reach for the charm on my necklace again, my fingers shaking slightly. Is Chelsea right? I always thought Tim and I were on the same page about our relationship. I mean, yes, he used to talk about us getting married back when we were little. But we were children.

And yes, we kissed that time. But it was just once, even though it lasted twenty minutes. And we were practicing. It wasn’t like it meant anything…

Oh God.

She’s right.

Tim is in love with me.