“What the hell?” I blurted, stopping in my tracks.
Kyle stood there—leaning against the wall with a stupid toothpick in his mouth like he hadn’t just ghosted me for days. He had a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes, clearly trying to stay under the radar, but not exactly blending in. His hair stuck out in messy tufts, movie-star perfect in that annoyingly effortless way. Hoodie half-zipped. And those stupid gray eyes—locked on me like I had something to answer for.
He didn’t say a word.
He just looked at me.
“Well?” I snapped, crossing my arms. “Aren’t you gonna say anything? Or are you just gonna stand there chewing that damn toothpick like this is casual?”
Kyle sighed, finally pulling the toothpick out. “Listen… I need you to listen to me.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “You need me to listen to you? Are you serious right now?”
He stepped forward, but I didn’t move.
“You’re the one who disappeared, Kyle. Or not even disappeared—you got escorted out of a restaurant by God knows who. The police? Who were those men? What are you, Kyle?”
He looked at me for a long time. His jaw clenched. “I… I can’t tell you that yet.”
My mouth dropped. “What do you mean you can’t tell me that yet?! Are you a felon? That’s what everyone is saying!”
His brows shot up. “A felon? Do you seriously think I’d be here if I was a felon? You think I’d be standing right in front of you if I had a record?”
I hesitated. “So what the hell are you then?!”
Kyle ran a hand through his hair. “I can’t explain everything. But you need to trust me, okay? Just… listen to me. Please.”
I folded my arms tighter, trying to keep my chest from exploding. “Why should I?”
“Because you’re being watched,” he said quietly.
I blinked. “Watched? You’re the one who’s watching me.”
“No, Debby. Not me. Not this time. Someone else. Dangerous people.”
My stomach flipped. “Dangerous… what kind of people? What the hell did you get yourself into? Are you—are you a drug dealer?!”
Kyle groaned. “No! Jesus, Debby, I’m not a damn drug dealer!”
“Then what?!” I shouted. “I don’t freaking know who you are. Are you even a real hockey captain? Are you even a student? You disappear. You reappear. You say cryptic crap like I’m being watched. Who are you really?!”
Kyle stepped toward me, his voice rough. “I’m someone who cares about you. That’s who I am. That’s why I’m here.”
“That’s not good enough!” I yelled, voice cracking. “You don’t get to walk back in here and give half-answers and expect me to smile and nod like everything’s okay!”
He gritted his teeth. “Just stay home, Debby. Go to school. Come home. Lay low. That’s it.”
I glared. “You can’t tell me what to do.”
“God,” he snapped. “Why are you so fucking stubborn?!”
He stepped closer. Too close. His hand reached up fast, like he was about to grab my face—but before he could touch me—
“HEY!”
Susan’s voice sliced through the moment like a blade.
We both turned. She stood at the end of the hallway, wide-eyed, holding her ice cream cup like a shield.
“What is going on here?” she demanded.
I shoved Kyle back instinctively, my heart racing. “Nothing!”
Susan’s eyes locked on him. “Is that—oh my God. Kyle?!”
He raised his hands. “Relax—”
“Stay away from my friend!” Susan shrieked. “Don’t kill her!”
“I’m not gonna kill her,” Kyle growled. “I was trying to protect her!”
“Protect her?” Susan barked. “By what? Disappearing on her? Breaking her heart? Leaving her wondering if she imagined the whole thing? That’s protecting?”
Kyle looked like he wanted to explode. “You don’t understand what’s going on!”
“Neither do we! Because you won’t tell anyone shit!” Susan yelled, voice shaking. “She cried for days, Kyle. She defended you when everyone else turned on her. And now you show up like some mysterious action movie star and expect her to just listen?”
I swallowed hard.
Kyle turned to me again. “I know I hurt you. I know. But I came back because I couldn’t stay away. And because I knew something was coming. You’re not safe, Debby. That’s not a lie.”
Tears stung my eyes. “Then tell me the truth.”
Before he could answer—his phone buzzed.
He pulled it out of his pocket and answered.
“What?” he barked into the phone, face going pale in seconds.
My heart sank. Something was wrong. Kyle’s hand tightened around the phone. His jaw locked. He didn’t say anything else. Just stood there. Frozen.
“What is it?” I whispered.
But he didn’t look at me.