The Rules for Disappearing (37 page)

I giggle and walk toward the closet where they’re keeping our

coats.

The party at Will’s starts as a small group of us hanging out around his pool but it isn’t long before his house is packed.

I’m curled up next to Ethan on one of the pool loungers, sipping on a beer. It’s chilly out but that doesn’t stop Will from taking some stupid bet to jump in the pool and stay there for at least two minutes. He will apparently do anything for ten bucks.

“Will’s such a dumbass,” Ethan says.

“Yes. He is. Look at Catherine, she’s pissed.”

“She’s pissed because she just wanted it to be a few couples here tonight.” I turn toward him, moving in closer, and just before he can kiss me, the chair we’re in gets bumped and I almost fall off.

S—

Ethan sits up and looks around but whoever knocked into us

N—

has moved on. “Damn, I’m with Catherine. There are way too many 312

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people here.” He looks at my beer and says, “I’ll grab us a couple more than we’ll get the limo driver to take us for a ride. Get away from the crowd for a little while.”

“Sounds like a good plan.”

Just as Ethan turns to leave, I tug on his pants and say, “I forgot to thank you for the flowers. They are beautiful.”

He stops and looks at me funny. “Flowers? What flowers?”

I sit up and stare at him. A creepy feeling washes over me and I ask, “You didn’t send me a bouquet of daisies today?”

He looks really confused. “No.”

I let out a nervous laugh. “It must have been Dad. He knows

how much I love them, too.”

Ethan waits a few long seconds before he nods slowly and walks away. I don’t think he believes Dad sent the flowers. I don’t think Dad sent them either but who else would do that?

With him gone, I get cold. My coat is hanging off the back of

the lounger so I pull it over me and use it like a blanket. But there’s something inside—it feels square and hard. I dig around in the coat and realize it’s in the pocket so I pull it out. It’s my journal with a single daisy stuck between the pages. A sinking feeling comes over me and I search for Ethan but he’s across the patio, talking to Trey.

I shove the journal back in the pocket and jump up from the

chair. Oh God . . . Oh God . . . Oh God. I race to the bathroom but Ethan stops me before I make it there.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’ve got to go to the restroom. I’ll be right back.” And I pull away from him.

—S

Once I’m alone, I lock the door and slide down the wall to the

—N

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floor, opening the journal to where the daisy is.

And there, scribbled on the page, is a note for me.

Dear Anna,

I’m sure you have questions and someday maybe I’ll answer

them for you. I thought it was important for you to have

this back. I hope the nightmares that haunted you are gone.

Maybe one day we’ll meet again.

T.

P.S. Tell your friend the tracker was a clever move.

Oh shit.
Maybe one day we’ll meet again.
What in the hell does that mean? I rip the page out and tear it to pieces. Then do the same with the flower. How did this get in my coat pocket?

Then I remember someone just knocked into our chair, right

where my coat was draped over the back. I scramble from the floor and race back out to the pool, ignoring Ethan calling my name.

I search the crowd, looking for Thomas, but he’s not here.

Ethan comes up behind me and says, “Anna, you look scared.

What’s wrong?”

I turn and bury my head in his chest, squeezing him tight.

“Nothing. It’s nothing.”

He leans his head close to my ear and says, “I’m here if you

need me.”

I move my hands to his face and bring his lips to mine, kissing him softly. “I know. And that’s the only thing that makes everything okay.”

S—

He hugs me tight while I look behind him, scanning faces like I N—

did a few seconds ago. And like I will do for the rest of my life.

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