Dangerous Games

I kept staring at the text. My hands wouldn't stop shaking. Emma saw right away.

"What happened? You just went totally white."

I handed her my phone. She read it and made a face.

"Okay that's weird. Who sent this?"

"No idea." I tried to think. "Madison maybe? Or her friends?"

"But why do they care if you hang out with Nathan?" Emma kept looking at the message. "Nathan doesn't date anybody. Everyone knows that."

My phone went off again. Same number.

"I'm serious. Nathan Cross isn't who you think he is. Meet me tomorrow at 2pm at the library, third floor, study room 6. Come alone."

"Okay now that's super creepy," Emma said. "You're not actually gonna go meet some random person, right?"

I had no idea what to do. Part of me wanted to just delete it and forget about it. But part of me was curious. And kinda worried. What if Nathan really was bad news?

"Maybe I should just cancel coffee with him," I said.

"What? No way!" Emma grabbed my shoulders. "Sophie, you just spent two hours with him. Did he seem dangerous? Did he do anything weird?"

I thought about it. Nathan had been really nice. Sweet, even. The way he held my hand, that little kiss on my cheek—he'd been nothing but good to me.

"No," I said. "He was perfect. Maybe too perfect."

"There's no such thing. Someone's just trying to mess with you. Probably Madison being pissed that you might get with someone better than Jamie."

Emma was probably right. I went to bed but barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes I'd see Nathan's green eyes, then that creepy text would pop into my head.

Next morning I woke up feeling like crap. My first class wasn't till ten but I couldn't stay in bed. I made coffee and sat at my desk trying to study for organic chemistry, but I couldn't focus on anything.

My phone rang. Unknown number. My heart started racing when I answered.

"Hello?"

"Sophie?" It was a girl, but I didn't know the voice. "This is Lisa. Lisa Harrison. I used to date Nathan."

"Used to?"

"Last year. Before he decided hockey was the only thing that mattered. Look, I know this is weird, me calling you. But I heard about your party last night. And that Nathan was with you after."

"How'd you hear that?"

"It's a small school. People talk. Especially about Nathan." She stopped for a second. "Sophie, I need to warn you. Nathan seems amazing at first. He says all the right stuff, makes you feel special. But the second you get too close, the second you want something real, he shuts down. Hockey wins every time."

"Maybe he's different now," I said. I don't know why I was defending him.

"Nathan doesn't change. He can't. His whole family is obsessed with hockey. His dad played pro, his older brother's in the NHL. If Nathan doesn't make it, he's nothing to them. He told me that." Lisa's voice got quiet. "I fell hard for him. When I told him I loved him, he broke up with me the next day. Said he couldn't have distractions."

"That sucks, but—"

"Just be careful, Sophie. Nathan Cross doesn't do relationships. He does whatever's easy for him. And when you're not easy anymore, you're gone."

She hung up before I could say anything else.

I sat there looking at my phone. Two warnings now. But they didn't match Nathan's own from last night. The guy who reads mystery books and helps his sister with math.

My phone buzzed. Nathan this time:

"Good morning. Still on for 3? I promise to not talk about mystery novels for more than an hour :)"

I smiled without meaning to. Then typed:

"Still on. But I want to hear about locked room mysteries."

"Be careful what you ask for. I have STRONG opinions about locked room mysteries."

When two o'clock came, I couldn't help it. I had to know. I went to the library and found study room six on the third floor. The door was closed but I could see someone through the little window. A guy with his back to me.

I knocked and went in. When he turned around, I almost had a heart attack.

Tyler Kim. Nathan's best friend.

"Sophie, thanks for coming." He looked nervous, messing with his blonde hair.

"You sent those texts?"

"Yeah. Sorry for being all mysterious, but I needed to talk to you without Nathan knowing." He pointed to a chair. "Nathan's my best friend. I'd do anything for him. But I can't watch him hurt another girl."

"Another girl? You mean Lisa?"

Tyler looked surprised. "You talked to Lisa?"

"She called me this morning."

"Shit. Okay so you know about that.