Poisoned Love, A Friendship's Deadly End

r to pay his tuition. But the day I moved to the city to b

was framed for misusing funds-the very money he'd borrowed for Alex-

lected my own health, only to b

into Alex and Ivy again. Ivy, now pre

a cruel smile on her face. "So I reported him. He died

pte

ng welcome back to the town I swore I' d nev

Rust Belt. A few weeks of fiery reds and golds, then

into my bones, a cold that mirrored the one spreading i

to outrun. The chipped paint on the porch rail, the crooked shutter on the second-floor window-they were all exact

ne, but because Alex had somehow managed to keep

k by the front door, the spot where Dad always

d, empty mortar. T

in an elevator. It was a stupid, small thing, but it sent a t

The familiar scent, a mix of expensive cologne and

ose. Too close. My back pressed against his ch

n't, I twisted, forcing myself to face him. His eyes, the sa

voice a low rumble. "You l

of what we once were. I yanked my hand free from his grasp, stepping

ng. It was the same look he used to give me when he was tryi

pocket, slowly extracting s

y day, a symbol of his pride and his life's work.

is voice softer now, almost nostalgi

ssed into a thin line. "No."

wear it, remember? For good luck

e eagle. A flicker of something unreadable crossed his f

asked, trying to sound casual, bu

trusting mys

ning towards his car, the familiar, confident swagger

times, when we were just kids, full of foolish dreams. That Alex was

ing but str