To get inside your head?

See your thoughts.

Feel what lies under your skin.

In your veins.

In your heart.

The bell rings and I sigh as we get out of the car to go to class.

“If you get a free period, meet me out front, okay?” Ayden asks as we part ways in the hall.

“Surely durely.” I throw him a wave over my shoulder, then make a quick pit stop at my locker to douse myself in perfume because I’m one sweat away from having a serious case of BO. As I click open my locker, a piece of paper floats out and lands on the floor by my feet. Not thinking too much of it, I bend down to pick it up and realize it’s a letter.

We found the way to Ayden’s heart. Make sure to pass along the message.

My attention whips up, and I cast a panicked glance up and down the hallway, skimming the faces of everyone. I swear I see a blur of red race out the front door, but I’m not about to chase the person down.

I grab my phone out of my pocket and run straight for Ayden.

“LYRIC, WHAT’S WRONG?” I GAPE at her as she races up to me in the hallway, her eyes wild with panic.

Panting, she hands me a piece of paper while dialing someone’s number on her phone. “This was in my locker.” She hunches over, bracing her hands on her knees as she catches her breath.

My hands shake as I read the note. “We found the way to Ayden’s heart. Make sure to pass along the message.” More fear than I’ve ever felt pulsates through me. They left this in Lyric’s locker. My Lyric. God fucking dammit! “Fuck.” I kick the locker, then grab Lyric’s hand and guide her with me as I stride down the hallway and burst out the exit doors.

“Where are we going?” she asks as she jogs to keep up with me.

My gaze is everywhere, taking in every person, every door, every vehicle. “I’m getting the police.” Getting her to safety.

When I reach the police car, I startle the officer when I rap my knuckles on the window.

He rolls the window down, his brows knitting. “Ayden, is everything all right?”

Shaking my head, I hand him the note. “This was in Lyric’s locker.”

He reads the letter and mutters, “This sounds like a threat.” He curses then hops out of the car. “You two go wait in the main office while I check the area.” He calls for backup as we jog across the yard, parting ways at the entrance door.

“Do you think they’re still around?’ Lyric asks as we hurry down the now empty hallway and toward the main office.

“I don’t know.” I keep ahold of her arm, never wanting to let her go. “I honestly don’t think so.”

Her eyes are wide as she works to keep up with me. “Why?”

“Because I think this is another way of them messing with my head,” I say as I yank open the door to the main office. “This has to be part of their plan. Every one of their moves always seems so calculated. So deliberate.”

The question that’s really bothering me, though, is how did they know about Lyric? The answer is fucking terrifying. That they’ve been watching me close enough to know how much she means to me.

I don’t know what their intentions are with putting the note in her locker, but I have a feeling the move was deliberate. Maybe they’re going to try to use her to get to me. Or maybe they think they can scare me into handing over myself by threatening her. If that’s the case, then they’re right. I’d walk straight into their hands if it means she’ll be safe.

AFTER I FIND THE LETTER, I call my mom while Ayden and I wait in the main office. The police make a huge scene as they search the school. Thank God it’s our last day; otherwise, we would’ve had to spend the rest of our school days with everyone gossiping about what happened. While I can handle staring, Ayden, my Shy Boy, has trouble with extra attention.

Aunt Lila is the one who ends up picking us up, because she’s closest to the school. But my mom, my dad, and Uncle Ethan are headed home.

By the time Lila arrives, the police have searched every nook and cranny of the school and surrounding area and found no sign of who left the note.

She doesn’t say a word as she barges into the office and strides straight for Ayden. “This has got to stop.” She throws her arms around him, hugging him tightly. “They can’t keep doing this to you.”

“They didn’t do it to me.” Guilt laces Ayden’s voice. “They went after Lyric.”

Aunt Lila looks over Ayden’s shoulder at me, then she snags hold of my arm and tugs me in for a hug too.