Riley's POV
The cold night air bites through my light jacket as I navigate through the shadowy trees, keeping to the darkness. I should have grabbed something warmer, but the theater would have been heated, and when we left earlier the temperature was mild. The drive-in caught me completely off guard, though packed together in the car with everyone, the cold never touched me. Now I'm paying for that oversight.
My emotions are a tangled mess right now. Part of me wonders if tonight was all an elaborate performance, some twisted game they're playing to execute whatever plan they have for me. If that's the case, they're doing a damn good job of it. Until Stella materialized like a bad omen, I was actually enjoying myself.
For those few hours, it felt natural. Like we'd been friends forever, like this easy camaraderie was something we'd built over years instead of days. But then Stella appeared, and every instinct I have screamed at me to run. So I did what I do best. I disappeared.
