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you say anything?” My head pounded with thoughts I couldn’t voice. Images from my dream mixed with serial-killer rumors and hot boys appearing at school. My head swiveled left and right. I rubbed my neck to ease the electricity running up and down my spine.
    “I was on the phone.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s no big deal. You were in a hurry. I still can’t believe you made it here and back so fast. Impressive.”
    “What?”
    “From Buzz Cup this morning. You came back for something.” She rotated her wrist, signaling for me to keep up.
    “Right. I must’ve forgotten to lock it after I ran home.” I took one last look at the apartment over my shoulder before it disappeared into the distance. My cheeks burned with fear and humiliation. I should’ve told her the truth. Then I could tell her what I knew. I hadn’t left the door unlocked. I’d never gone home. Someone else had unlocked the door.
    Pixie chattered and texted the rest of the way until we parted. I didn’t tell her. I went as far as the edge of campus and then headed to the library. There was an obvious reason she thought the door had been unlocked. She’d been on the phone, distracted. It had been locked. She was confused.
    Inside the library, I read through every syllabus and outlined the papers due at semester’s end. I had a solid start, which would help me secure the grades I needed. I had to stay on top of things and be focused. No more being “that” girl. So what? Some gorgeous guy entered my life and I fell apart? No. No more. Same with the dream. Goodbye.
    I breathed easier inside the library. Libraries were consistent. The high wooden shelving around me showed its age. I could’ve been in a nineteenth-century museum if it weren’t for the rows of new releases near the front desk. A man seated against the wall looked me over. I didn’t recognize him from any of my classes or the hallways, but it was only my first day. He watched me, staring. I blushed. So many unusual things had transpired in one short day. I probably looked a little unstable. I chanced one last look, and he smiled. Perhaps he taught a class I didn’t have this semester. Judging by his tidy appearance and approximate age, it seemed reasonable. Before he could decide to approach me, I turned back to my table.
    I stayed at the library longer than I needed. My mind kept replaying Pixie’s allegation that Brian had followed me, and her belief that our door had been unlocked when I remembered double-checking it. Memories of the blue bike before school and the hint of it afterward were stuck in my brain. Don’t dwell. Usually my first day at a new school was uneventful. No one talked to me, and I wondered when they would. Life at Francine Frances was different; the whole town was different from anywhere I’d ever been. Everyone knew each other. They lived here. No parents. For the first time since Dad had agreed to let me go away for senior year, the concept dug in tight. No parents. No Dad at home. Ever. Suddenly, all I wanted in the world was to go back to my room and give him a call.
    “Homework on the first day?” The man stood smiling on the other side of my table.
    “Uh, yeah, some.”
    “Anything I can do to help?” He tilted his head. The simple act ran goose bumps over my skin.
    “No.” Calm down. It’s not like he’s a serial killer.
    “I’ll be around if you need me.” He whistled his way back to where he sat.
    I exhaled and pulled my bag onto my lap. The zipper on my backpack caught on the corner of an oversized text. I started unpacking to reorganize. The black ribbon, frayed and tangled, was caught by a thread in the zipper’s teeth. Perhaps the ribbon belonged to a classmate, but when I looked at it, all I could think of was my mom. My throat thickened until I couldn’t swallow. I ran my fingertips over the surface, fluffed the frayed edge with my thumb and forefinger, and imagined Mom tying the ribbon in her hair. After she died, Dad