A police car’s siren blares briefly, Jackson’s father letting us know he’s outside to pick us up.

“That’s Jackson’s father,” I say.

The janitor stops, rubs his chin, and looks to the exit. “Maybe I’ll say hello. I’m just the janitor.”

“I’ll tell him everything.”

I pray he doesn’t hear a single tremor in my voice. He can’t think I’m bluffing. If Jackson’s father knows, then Jackson will know. And I’ll do anything to protect him from the truth.

The janitor frowns. “This isn’t over.” And he backs away, then disappears down the hallway as Jackson comes out of the room.

“Hey, did you hear the siren?” Jackson says.

I’m not looking at him. I’m still watching the shadows. Watching to see if the janitor is really gone.

This isn’t over.

“We should hurry,” I say. “Your dad’s waiting.”

He must hear something in my voice. He puts a hand on my shoulder. “You look freaked. You okay?”

“I’m just tired. Let’s get my stuff.”

He looks at me for a second. “If something’s wrong, you can tell me.” He hesitates, and that’s all I need to know how much his next words mean to him. “Please tell me.”

I know what he’s thinking about. His mom. The lies she told him.

All the more reason he can’t know about my lies. It would destroy him. But how can I just say nothing? He knows something is wrong. And there is something wrong.

Maybe I need to tell someone. I need someone on my side. Is there a better option than Jackson?

There’s my dad. But I can’t tell him. If he knew what kind of terror I brought back with me from New York…

I’m doing well enough to convince him all of that’s behind me.

Besides, he’d just blame me. Oh, a man once raped me? My fault for being a hooker. Oh, he wants to rape me again? I shouldn’t have slept with him the first time.

I could tell my mom, but it would shatter her. The day we went shopping was one of the best days of my life. It’s the first time in I don’t know how long that she looked happy.

I can’t take that away from her.

I could call Sarah, but that wouldn’t help, either. She’d have to tell my parents.

Everything we’ve worked toward will be for nothing if they learn that my past isn’t really behind me. That I’m not normal and never will be.

I’m not their little Anna. I’m still the hooker that girl became, and there isn’t anything I can do to change that.

Red and blue lights flash again. Jackson’s dad is waiting for us to come out, but Jackson is still waiting for an answer.

I think about my time in New York, my time with the police there. I’ve always been so good at letting half truths work to my advantage. It’s a way to let Jackson help me without telling him the things that would just hurt him.

I swallow. “Umm, the janitor kind of freaks me out.”

Jackson frowns and looks behind me. The hall is empty now. “He was here? Did he bother you?”

I shake my head. “No. No, he…he’s been harassing Jen after school. That’s why she won’t stay, and today he was just here calling me beautiful and stuff. It’s just creepy.”

Jackson’s eyes grow larger. “Where is he now?”

“Gone. He left when he heard the siren. You don’t need to do anything, though. I mean, I’m sure it’s nothing…”

“I have to tell my dad. He can do something about it—”

I grab his arm before he can run out the door. I know what happens if you talk to the cops, and I’m not about to make an exception for Jackson’s dad. Even when they try to help, they just make things worse.

“No, please. Jackson. He’s just a creep.”

He looks at me, looks at the door, then back at me. “Are you sure?”

I squeeze his hand. “I’m fine. Promise me you won’t say anything to your dad.”

He takes a deep breath and clenches his jaw. I kind of like him being this way. Angry for my sake. Protective.

“Okay,” he says. “I’m glad you told me, though. That means a lot.”

I shrug. Unsure what else to say. It was a half truth, not exactly anything to be proud of.

Jackson leans in close, and his breath brushes my ear. “Are you okay?”

I nod and lean into him as he puts his arms around me.

I want to believe this is enough.

The janitor showed himself, but I got rid him of, and that’s enough.

Jackson knows some of the truth, and that’s enough.

So why can’t I stop shivering?

Chapter Twenty-Nine

The next morning, I stop at the front doors into the school. A sudden blistering headache pounds on my temples.

I shake my head and remind myself who I am. I’m just Anna. The girl pretending to be normal and so far doing an okay job.

My stomach twists.

The girl who actually has a few friends, as odd as they are. The girl who Jackson Griffin actually likes.

Why couldn’t the janitor have shown himself when I first came home? It’s so much worse now that I have something to lose.

I release a breath, and the tension in my stomach releases a little. My relationship with Jackson might be a time bomb waiting to explode, but I have it for now, so I might as well enjoy it while it lasts.

Jackson’s not on the bus. What the hell? Where could he be? Maybe he got a ride from his dad, but it’s not like him to skip the bus. Not since we’ve been riding together.

I walk inside school and find him sitting on the bench reading something from his phone. I pull on one of my carefully crafted masks so he doesn’t see how tense I am this morning, then kick one of his feet to get his attention.

He looks up suddenly. “Hey!” he says, his eyes bright with excitement.

My fake smile slips into a real one.

“What are you doing in the lobby?” I ask.

“Waiting for you, duh.”

“Oh,” I say stupidly.

He stands, grabs my hand, and pulls me down the hall. “Come on,” he says.

“What’s going on?”

“I took care of the janitor.”

I freeze in my tracks. “You did what?”

He stops and turns around to face me. “Don’t worry. I didn’t tell my dad. I didn’t tell anyone.”

“Okay… Then what did you do?”

“I came in early this morning and found him. I told him if he ever comes near you again, I’ll make sure he’s fired. Or worse. I mean, that’s kind of creepy that he’s looking at high school girls. If he ever tried anything, he’d go to jail.”

“Great,” I say with a low voice.

Jackson doesn’t seem bothered by my lack of enthusiasm, though. “That’s good, right?” he asks.

I nod.

Maybe.

Maybe it is good. Jackson’s on my side, and now the janitor knows he is. Maybe it’ll be like when my dad tells my mom she’d “better do what’s good for her.” He doesn’t always have to do anything. Just the threat is enough to make her hesitate.

So maybe the janitor will give up now. Cancel the debt.

Or maybe he’ll take this as an act of war.

I avoid going to my locker all morning, just carrying my backpack around school. The heavy weight on my back is a reminder of what I’m avoiding, but I’m doing a pretty damn good job of ignoring it.

What am I ignoring? Whatever might be in my locker. Those notes have been the janitor’s weapon of choice, and I’m terrified of what I’ll find when I finally have the guts to open my locker today.

When I join Alex at a lunch table, she smirks.

“So why do you still have your backpack, again?” she asks.

I shrug and take a bite of terrible mashed potatoes.

Jackson plops down with his usual excitement. A tater tot bounces out of his tray and flies into the middle of the table.

“Nice,” I say.

He gives me a quick wink, and I find my cheeks turning red. Damn that effect he has on me.

Alex takes a bite of her sandwich “You know Mr. Dalton won’t let you take your backpack into his class, right?”

“What?” I ask, sincerely upset.