had been exposed but instead of justifying it, or even lying about it, she was fixated on Raven. This pregnancy had really hit a nerve for some reason. That’s what Devon needed to help her with. “Whoever Hutch may have gotten pregnant doesn’t have anything to do with you. That was Hutch’s business. It’s not a judgment about you.”
“No, no, it’s all connected.” Isla shook her head, sure of herself, getting worked up. “It’s all part of the same thing. Hutch always thought he was better than me.” Isla scratched at her arm again, digging deeper into her skin without flinching.
“Okay. Let’s just calm down for a second, take a few deep breaths.”
“And you. You sit there thinking you’re better than me, too. You just wish it was you with Hutch last year, don’t you? Yeah, that’s it. You’re jealous I got to screw him all year long and you sat in your little room holding onto your virginity like you were a princess or something. Well, you and your little friend Raven better watch your backs because Hutch isn’t here to protect you anymore.” Isla’s hands were shaking now. She squeezed her eyes shut and fell back into her chair. “I don’t feel good,” she whispered.
What do you do when your subject freaks out? Where was that in the training book? “Isla, are you on something right now? I know this isn’t you talking; it’s the drugs. What are you taking?” Devon reached out and held onto Isla’s hands. Devon couldn’t watch her scratch herself up anymore. “We’re going to find Matt. Okay? Matt can help you.”
“I don’t need any help,” Isla said as her chest heaved.
“It’s okay to ask for help if you need it.” Did she have a reason for not wanting to accept help or was this simply denial that she actually needed it? Isla ripped her hands away. She stood up Devon could see the beads of sweat along her hairline. “I’m fine. I don’t need you. I can see what you think about me. And you know what, you and this counseling shit can fuck off. You don’t know anything.”
“Isla,” Devon stood up but Isla turned back with a growl.
“Stay. Away. From. Me.”
MATT WAS ALONE, OUTSIDE the Dining Hall eating a banana, when Devon spotted him. She debated approaching him; was it violating Isla’s confidentiality to tell Matt about this morning? No, this was for Isla’s safety, she needed to tell someone.
“Matt, wait!” Devon clutched her backpack straps as she hurried to catch up.
Matt’s shoulders slumped when he saw her. “What?” he said. His voice sounded sharp. He threw the banana into a garbage can.
Devon waited until she was close enough to talk quietly. “It’s Isla. Would you check in on her. I’m worried, and she doesn’t exactly want to hear any lectures from me. Figured you might know best what to do.”
“I’m sure she’s fine,” Matt said. He looked over Devon’s shoulder at a gaggle of freshman girls exiting the Dining Hall.
“Matt, I don’t think she’s fine.” Devon stepped closer, invading his personal space. “She needs help.” She made a point not to blink, not to act like Matt was a full foot taller. She couldn’t flinch now; Matt had to know that this was important. His eyebrows pushed together for a brief moment and he blinked.
Raven in her Volvo honked the horn from the driveway down the hill.
“I gotta go,” Devon said. “Just make sure Isla’s okay, will you?”
Finally he nodded, “Okay, I will. Thanks. Good looking out.” Matt gave her an awkward pat on the shoulder.
“HOP IN, WE GOTTA pick up Bodhi.” Raven’s Volvo spit and sputtered as it pulled out of the parking lot. Devon tossed her backpack into the pile of towels in the back and hopped in the car. “Right one’s—”
“I got it. I got it,” Devon muttered, gripping the speaker in front of her. She and Raven smiled at each other. “I’m a pro, remember?”
The Volvo bounced down the hill into Monte Vista. Devon closed her eyes and tried to organize her thoughts. She liked Raven. They were even friends. But, she still needed to find out more about Bodhi. She hoped the arrest was all a simple misunderstanding, and that the various things that seemed to connect Bodhi to Hutch’s death in her mind could be easily explained. Wouldn’t that be the best case scenario? That Hutch’s murderer was still out there? She sighed. The best case scenario would be Hutch, still alive. It was a