Finding a pack of gummy bears at his doorstep, Jaiden doesn’t hesitate to scoop them up. Armani must have left them as a silent apology, or maybe a bribe to stop Jaiden from nagging him about accidentally killing that big ass green worm that hitched a ride on his T-shirt during their caterpillar hunt.

  After a cold shower, Jaiden pulls on a set of clean, soft clothes and winds fresh bandages tight around his left wrist. His wraps have been getting dirty one after another since he arrived at this place; it feels like a full-time job washing them with soap and hanging them to dry on his room’s small rack.

  On the other hand, his hunger is growing like a monster. Thanks to the drama at the lunch table, he couldn't eat enough. In fact, he’s starting to realize he hasn’t been eating well at all lately. Leaving a snack by his door was the kindest thing someone could do for a starving friend.

  As he walks through the hallway of Genevieve Hall, he glances up at the towering statue of Jesus. The old receptionist is snoring soundly at her desk, oblivious to the boy as he slips past. Jaiden’s pace slows to a leisurely stroll as the distance between him and the group’s secret hideout closes. He tears open the pack, tossing a few candies into his mouth as he nears the deserted office.

  Inside, Zoey looks up from her phone. She’s already claimed her seat at the red round table. Her eyes crinkle into a smile, unconsciously mimicking his own.

  "Look what Armani left by my door." Jaiden lets out an easy laugh, sliding into the chair opposite her. "He’d do anything but admit he’s wrong. Have some."

  He extends the open bag across the table, the plastic crinkling under the harsh, yellowish glow of the overhead light. Zoey chuckles, "Gummy bears? What are we? Five?"

  Jaiden’s smile drops, and his offering hand falters. "You don’t like gummy bears?"

  "It’s not that I don’t like them," she says with a shrug. "I’m just not a big fan."

  His hand remains stubbornly outstretched. "Come on. Just try one."

  She reaches out a shy hand and selects a single red bear. She holds it up, observing the details of the tiny, translucent candy as it glosses under the light.

  "You know who loves gummy bears?" Jaiden asks, leaning back and shoving another handful into his mouth.

  She looks up, a warm, soft light in her eyes. She shakes her head calmly, the bangs of her black wig ruffling with the movement.

  "Guess." He chews, watching her squeeze the candy between two delicate fingers.

  "I’m not sure," she says.

  Jaiden drops the bomb. "Bryan."

  Zoey gasps. "Oh my god. How did I forget that?" She lets out an audible laugh—a captivating, airy giggle that is new to Jaiden’s ears. "He loves all sorts of candy. He’s the biggest fan of sweets I’ve ever seen."

  The sheer delight in her voice makes Jaiden stop chewing. A faint hue of red tints his brown cheeks, and his voice drops an octave. "Yeah."

  "You know, Benjamin never really lets me eat this stuff," Zoey continues. "He says it’s full of preservatives and sugar, that it’ll kill my muscle mass and make me gain fat in the long run." She notices how Jaiden has his head tilted to the side, his wide smile softening into something more contemplative. She pauses to catch her breath. "But Bryan has a sweet tooth. He used to hide candy in our lab and share it with me."

  A bitter realization suddenly takes root in her chest. Her fingers tighten, cruelly squishing the poor candy bear. Jaiden swallows and pauses. The dazzling glint in his dark brown eyes keeps her from breaking down in this very moment.

  "Have you ever noticed," Jaiden asks softly, "how you call Hunter Benjamin when you think of him as your brother?"

  "What do you mean?" Zoey mutters, her gaze dropping to the now-mushy gummy bear trapped between her fingers. "He’s always been my brother."

  "No. You call him Hunter when you’re thinking of him as this badass guy." He watches her forehead furrow. "But you call him Benjamin when you’re thinking of him as family."

  "I don’t think so," she says, shaking her head. "I call him Hunter because not everyone knows his first name. That’s all."

  The gummy bear in her hand has become a sticky, shapeless mess, utterly unappetizing. She shouldn't have let it linger in her grip, but she hadn’t realized her palms would sweat so much the minute Hunter’s name was spoken.

  The door slams open, hard enough to rattle the light fixture. Armani fills the doorway, eyes flicking from Zoey to Jaiden, already grinning. "When I said get a room you both, this is not what I meant."

  Annie peers over her boyfriend’s shoulder and waves at Zoey, who rolls her eyes in response.

  Jaiden’s face burns in shades of red. He hisses, "Stop."

  Zoey watches the two boys pick at each other. Her fingers let go of the gummy bear underneath the table; a single foot nudges the sticky candy farther away. She folds her arms on the table, watching the couple close the door behind them as they walk in and settle down. Annie drops into the chair beside Zoey, cheer uniform rustling, and smiles brightly at her. Zoey returns the smile, under the mask, and the other girl is clueless whether she’s being smiled at or stared at, considering the dim light of the room.

  "Gimme that." Armani tries to snatch the gummy bear pack from Jaiden’s hands.

  Jaiden slaps his friend’s hand away. "Fuck off. Why didn’t you get one for yourself?"

  "Come on. Don’t be an asshole." Armani rises from his chair but Jaiden pushes him away and swallows the rest of gummies in the pack in one go.

  "Where did you find that, Jaiden?" Annie asks in a fruity tone, she glances at Zoey. "Finding gummies is like finding a rare Pokémon here."

  "You can find sour candy at some vending machines." Zoey shrugs.

  Annie thinks for a moment with a pout. "Yeah, but not Gummy Bear."

  "Asshole." Armani rolls his eyes at his smiling friend; the latter’s cheeks bulge due to his full mouth.

  Jaiden speaks with his mouth full. "Kiss my ass the next time you wanna say sorry."

  Laura walks into the room, muttering, "You’re so fucking loud I could hear you from outside." She storms towards the desks lining the dusty walls.

  She hurries to bring the vase to the middle of the round table, standing behind the empty chair between Zoey and Armani. "Am I late?"

  Armani and Jaiden exchange a look before the latter smirks at Laura. "How are things going with your crush?"

  Laura sighs, "I don’t know. At this point, I think he might be gay—wait, how did you know I have a crush?" she frowns, "Are you stalking me or something?"

  "Isn’t that how the game works?" Zoey asks, glancing at the nodding Jaiden for approval.

  "Creepy." Laura shudders and tosses her paper into the vase.

  "Are you guys excited for the first round?" Jaiden follows with a big smile.

  Armani clicks his tongue, dropping his paper inside the vase. "I know someone will fuck up."

  Laura tilts the vase to Annie and Zoey and they throw their papers, then proceeds to shake the vase before tipping the pile out on the table. "Remind me why we’re doing this again?"

  Armani urges her to start. "Come on, we don’t have much time before dinner."

  Laura reaches for the first slip of paper and unfolds it. "Laura. Oh, it’s me." She flips it over, her eyes scanning the messy scrawl. "Laura was faking being sick. One minute she’s dying, the next she’s totally fine."

  She exhales, letting her arms loosen. "Fine. It was just my period messing with me. You know how it is; one minute you’re fine, the next your body is giving up on life." She looks over at the boys, who nod back with aggressive passion, as if they have any clue what she’s talking about.

  "Next." She snatches another paper. "Jaiden." A wicked smile creeps across her face before she reads it aloud. "He’s a virgin."

  A wave of giggles erupts around the table.

  "What’s wrong with being a virgin?" The cluelessness in Jaiden’s voice only makes it worse. He elbows the cackling Armani. "Stop laughing, or I’m telling everyone who you lost your virginity to."

  "What? Why me?" Armani’s head snaps toward Annie, but she doesn’t seem to be following the thread; her smile is already starting to flicker out.

  "What does any of this have to do with finding out who shot the blonde asshole?" Zoey’s sharp remark cuts through the laughter. "Aren't we playing this stupid game to find out who’s operating behind our backs? Since we’re assuming someone in this room is playing us?"

  Jaiden nods quickly, his cheeks darkening to a deep mahogany. "Exactly. This isn't even relevant."

  Armani glances at Jaiden, still laughing. "I told you someone would fuck the game up, but I didn’t expect someone else would notice how much of an incel you are." The latter punches him in the arm.

  "Okay, enough. Let’s move on." Laura hurries to unfold another slip. "Next up, we have Annie."

  Annie straightens her back, her breath hitching in her throat.

  Laura stares at the back of the paper for a long beat, a grimace deepening on her face. A heavy, suffocating tension begins to brew in the air, thick enough to feel in their chests. When she finally looks up, her tone has turned brittle. "Who wrote this?"

  "That’s the whole point of the game, Laur," Armani says, leaning back. "You aren't supposed to know who wrote what."

  "Is it bad?" Discomfort clouds Jaiden’s expression.

  "It’s irrelevant," Laura counters, her grip tightening on the paper.

  "Just read it," Armani says with a shrug.

  Laura lets out an audible, shaky exhale. "Annie’s whole story about being in a camp is a lie. She had a normal life until her parents went to prison for killing a public figure. She went to live with some family friends after that. She just loves the drama and playing the victim card."

  A stinging silence swells in the room. All eyes dart to Annie. She looks ghostly, her skin losing its color as she refuses to meet anyone’s gaze, especially Zoey’s, who can’t stop staring at her.

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  Laura adds quickly, "Annie’s life is no one’s business. Why would anyone even write this?"

  Annie rises from her seat too slowly. She says nothing. She looks at no one. She simply turns for the door. Armani hurries after her, catching her arm and pulling her to the side. She won't look at him, either.

  "Hey, it’s okay. You don’t have to run away," Armani whispers, taking both of her hands in his.

  Laura strides over, joining them. "Whoever wrote that is an asshole, Annie. You don’t have to explain anything to anyone. No one here is judging you."

  Armani nods. "Yeah. Besides, we don’t care where you came from. You don’t owe anyone your story."

  Annie ducks her head, a violent tingling sensation crawling over her skin that forces her shoulders to square up. "They didn’t know," she chokes out. "No one was supposed to know."

  Laura leans in close to Armani, her voice is low. "I don’t think Zoey and Jaiden knew. Or maybe just Zoey didn't. Annie kept telling them all that stuff about the camp."

  Armani whispers back, "Who cares? The whole thing was unbelievable anyway."

  Annie’s head snaps up, her eyes brimming with shocking tears. Her hands wrench out of her boyfriend’s grip. "Let me go."

  Laura grabs her arm, trying to hold her in place. "No, you're not going anywhere. Even if you were making it up or lying about it, no one is judging you. We all love you for who you are, we don’t care where you grew up or who your parents were. Right, Armani?”

  Armani reads the fierce command in Laura’s expression, then looks at the raw pleading in Annie’s eyes.

  "Absolutely," he says in all seriousness.

  At the table, Jaiden presses a flat palm against his stomach, his expression tightening. "Man, something feels off. Were those gummy bears expired or something?"

  He grabs the bag, squinting at the plastic to find an expiration date, but a sharp stab of pain makes him whimper. He slides the crinkling package across the table toward Zoey. "Can you check for me?"

  Zoey catches it. "What kind of asshole gifts his friend expired candy?" She scans the back of the bag, but the dates aren't what catch her eye; under the harsh glare of the overhead bulb, she notices a few tiny, glistening droplets coating the inside of the plastic. Probably heat. Hopefully not drool.

  Jaiden looks over at Armani, who is returning to the table. "Dude, where did you find those gummy bears?"

  A look of confusion crosses Armani’s face as he wheels out his chair. "What do you mean?"

  "They aren't expired," Zoey says, her eyes still fixed on the bag. "Maybe you ate something bad earlier."

  The grip on Jaiden’s stomach eases slightly. He grunts, turning back to Armani. "Maybe it was that Monster—” He stops, jaw tight, as the pain returns.

  "What was wrong with it?" Armani frowns. "It tasted fine to me."

  Across the room, Laura is dragging the tearful Annie back to the group. The yellowish light reflects off the red tabletop, casting a sickly hue over Annie’s miserable face.

  "Guys," Laura says, her voice firm, "whether the stuff about Annie is true or not, no one has the right to judge her. She can say whatever she wants, whenever she wants."

  Jaiden turns in his seat, trying to lighten the mood. "Oh, come on! We don’t judge each other. Right, guys?" He looks expectantly at the two sitting at the table.

  Armani nods slowly. "Yeah. We don’t judge."

  For a second, every eye in the room lands on Zoey. She sits with one eyebrow arched, feeling the weight of their gaze, including Annie’s, who looks like she’s trying to shrink into the floor.

  "Yeah," Zoey says. A quiet word, yet it’s enough to dull the sharpness of their stares.

  Jaiden waits until Annie is finally seated before Laura moves to the next slip of paper. "Guys, this isn't how we’re supposed to play. We should be focusing on the actual secrets."

  "Exposing Annie as a liar isn't enough of a secret for you?" Armani snaps.

  Laura reaches over and swats his chest, her voice a hushed shout. "Shut up!"

  "I lied about the camp thing." Annie finally breaks her silence, her voice cracking. "My parents were criminals. My dad… he taught me how to shoot. Katya was his, and he painted it for me. I’m sorry for lying. Don't bully me, please."

  The room goes dead silent once more. The lamp over their head buzzes, too loud in this moment. The group seems to forget how to breathe, let alone speak, as a single tear tracks down Annie’s face. she wipes it away with a frantic hand.

  "I was just saying," Jaiden starts, clutching his stomach again as the pain returns with a vengeance, "that we were supposed to find out who shot Armani... or anything related to that."

  "Okay, let’s keep going." Laura unfolds the next paper. "Next we have Armani."

  "I bet it’s something stupid," Armani mumbles, leaning back.

  Laura reads: "He has connections with adults on campus."

  Armani doesn't look bothered; instead, he shoots a smirk at Zoey. "I wonder who wrote that."

  Laura flips the paper over, checking for more. "That’s it?"

  Zoey’s blood begins to simmer. She looks around the table, floored by everyone’s nonchalant reactions.

  "I told you someone would fuck it up," Armani sneers. "We need to redo this round."

  Jaiden’s face twists in a grimace. The pain is squeezing his insides. "Can we... ugh... can we just hurry up, please?" he mumbles, his voice strained.

  "I know, I know," Laura says. "Let’s just check the last one before we start over." She opens the final slip and pauses. "What? Armani again?"

  Armani’s eyes lock onto Zoey. "Not only are you dumb, but you’re a cheater, too."

  "I did cheat, but I’m not dumb," Zoey fires back, her voice ringing with a sudden, cold clarity. "I know for a damn fact you’re playing us for fools."

  "Oh, really?" Armani sits back, his posture relaxed. "How so?"

  "Because I saw you talking with a lot of people in this place, including the staff. And I bet you asked one of them to shoot you on our first day just to stir up drama and make us fall apart."

  The room goes still. Armani doesn't fight back; like the others, he simply watches her, listening as she spins her theory.

  "You’re making us play this game so we’ll dig up each other’s dirt," Zoey continues, her voice rising. "You want us to turn on each other. Look at what you just did to Annie! She was ready to walk out that door and never come back."

  Annie holds her own cold hands together, betrayal glinting in her eyes as she gazes at her boyfriend leaning against the table.

  "And why would I do that?" Armani asks, his voice calm.

  "You’ve said it yourself a dozen times—someone is onto us. You said someone among us is trying to break the group so they can pick us off one by one."

  He doesn’t react, as if she’s telling him a bedtime story, or some gossip.

  She goes on, "It all makes sense now. You’re the one behind the theories because you’re the one behind all this shit. You thought if you played Sherlock Holmes, we’d never think to look at you."

  Armani pauses for a beat, a cold flash of amusement in his eyes. "Well, I’m impressed. Jaiden, are you impressed?"

  But Jaiden isn't listening. He has one hand clamped over his face, his breathing coming in shallow, ragged bursts. He can feel something moving inside him. Something is wrong. His stomach emits a grotesque sequence of gurgling, vibrating, and contracting.

  "I don’t care if you’re impressed," Zoey snaps, her voice trembling with conviction. "It makes sense. At least to me."

  "Yeah, but if I wanted to kill you, I’d have done it already," Armani counters, his tone dropping into a casual register. "I wouldn’t be wasting time playing games."

  "If Armani wanted us dead, he would’ve started with me," Annie interjects, her voice small. "We were alone a couple of times. He didn't do anything."

  Before Zoey can fire back, Armani adds, "You’re delusional. Stop wasting my time."

  The words hit her like a physical blow. She has the theory; she has the intuition. Yet, she has no concrete evidence, or someone willing to listen. She seals her mouth shut, the smug look on his face making her skin crawl with a mix of cringe and burning embarrassment.

  "Guys... you need to check this out." Laura’s eyes are glued to the slip of paper in her hand, her face drained of color. "Armani has a gun and he keeps it in his room. The bullet found on the ground when he was shot matches the ones in the gun’s magazine."

  Laura looks up, her gaze darting between the four pale faces at the table. "That’s insane."

  "First of all, I don’t have a gun," Armani taps his finger rapidly against the table. "And even if I did, the idea that someone took it from my room, shot me with it, and then put it back is ridiculous."

  "Wait, there’s more." Laura continues reading, her voice tight. "The gun is buried by the big oak tree in the back garden."

  "There is no way that’s true," Armani says, though his confidence flickers. "I’ve been here since Saturday. Today is Wednesday. I’ve searched every inch of my room and there is no gun."

  Zoey’s brow furrows. "Wait. You got here on Saturday? Not Sunday like the rest of us?"

  "Yeah."

  "Why?"

  Armani hesitates. "What do you mean, why? I just arrived a bit early."

  "What were you doing here alone before we showed up?"

  "Nothing."

  "What do you mean, nothing?" Zoey’s voice rises, the frustration boiling over. "There’s no way you were just chilling here by yourself."

  "I was chilling. Why are you so paranoid?" Armani lets out a cynical, dry laugh that makes Zoey simmer with rage.

  "Who’s paranoid?"

  "You are."

  "I’m not paranoid! You’re stalling, because I know you were doing something fishy before we moved in."

  Beside them, Jaiden sinks back in his chair and closes his eyes. He shoves a hand over his mouth, swallowing hard against the bitter, acidic tide rising in his throat.

  "Guys, stop it!" Laura interrupts. "Let’s get back to the point."

  Armani exhales sharply. "I don’t know anything about a gun, but we can go check if it's really there by the big oak tree. Annie, you still have the bullet, right?"

  "Huh?" Annie blinks, startled. "What bullet?"

  "The one we found when I got shot."

  Annie shakes her head quickly. "No, Zoey found it."

  Zoey turns to her, eyes wide. "Yeah, but you took it to inspect it!"

  Laura looks at Armani. "Wait, didn't you keep it?"

  "Keep it where? I was being rushed to the nurse’s office. I thought one of you grabbed it."

  Laura’s face twists with a look of pure disgust. :It was covered in dirt and blood. I didn't touch it."

  Armani turns to Jaiden, who has been weirdly silent for longer than usual. "Jaiden, did you keep it?"

  Jaiden stands up, choking back a series of grunts. One hand is clutched to his stomach, the other clamped over his mouth. His spine is curved forward, his body folding in on itself.

  "I’m gonna throw up," he mumbles against his palm, his feet stumbling toward the door.

  Armani stands. "Hey... are you okay?"

  With every step Jaiden takes, a muffled groan escapes him. The sound is so raw and alarming that Zoey and Annie find themselves standing up, too. Armani's chest tightens as he strides after him. "What’s wrong?"

  Jaiden can’t answer; he can only offer pained whimpers. His feet hit the corridor floor with a quick, sloppy rhythm. Armani is on his heels, with the girls trailing a panicked distance behind.

  "The bathroom is the other way!" Annie calls out, watching Jaiden head for the back gate instead.

  "He can’t go to the bathroom there," Laura says, breathless. "This is the girls’ dorm."

  Jaiden’s whimpering intensifies, the sound echoing through the building. He leans forward and presses his palm hard against his mouth. The overwhelming buildup of saliva reaches its breaking point. He throws up at the gate.

  Zoey’s feet pound against the polished floor as she struggles to match Armani’s pace. "It’s because of those gummy bears!" she shouts at his back. "That weird pack you gave him! Couldn’t you have checked the packaging or seen how they were stored before handing them over? You asshole!"

  Armani looks over his shoulder, confusion on his face. "What?"

  "It’s all your fault!" Zoey’s voice cracks. "I knew something was wrong the second I touched it. It was mushy and gross!”

  Armani’s footsteps slow, then grind to a halt. He turns to face her, his brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

  "The gummy bears!" Zoey repeats, "The ones you gave him!"

  "What gummy bears? I gave him nothing," Armani says, his voice flat.

  Zoey feels her heart drop into her stomach. Her feet go numb, and her eyes grow wide as the air in the corridor suddenly feels thin. "Didn’t you leave a pack of gummy bears by his door? The ones he just ate?"

  At that moment, Laura and Annie catch up, breathless and pale, flanking Zoey like a pair of ghosts.

  "I haven't even been back to the dorms since this afternoon," Armani says, his gaze locking onto Zoey’s.

  "What is going on?" Laura’s eyes dart between the two of them, sensing the shift in the air.

  "Jaiden said Armani left him that pack of gummy bears he was eating," Zoey says, "He thought he was apologizing or something."

  Jaiden treads outside. His retching is echoing inside the hall.

  "No, I’ve been with Annie this whole time," Armani says, his voice losing its edge and turning into something closer to fear. He glances at Annie, who offers a slow, terrified nod of confirmation.

  "If you weren’t the one who left them there..." Dread seeps into Zoey’s voice, turning it cold. "Then who did?"

  The realization weighs them down, stealing the breath from their lungs. For a heartbeat, time seems to stop, and the hallway lights feel like they’re withdrawing. What Zoey thought was some harmless condensation or sweat inside the plastic pack turns out to be something much more sinister.

  "Oh, god." Laura’s voice quivers as she loses her breath. "Does this mean…?"

  "He was poisoned." Zoey whispers, the horror settling in her bones. "He’ll die."