Chapter 26: Hunter

"Where are we going?" Apprehension threads its way through her voice.

It would be all too easy to explain that I wasn't paying attention, but then I realize it's not true. Muscle memory has taken over, and I'm headed to the beach. The one we used to call our own.

Goddamn, this really was a shit idea on my part. I should turn around and head back to the relative safety of campus, but I'm powerless to pump the brakes and jerk the wheel.

"Where are we going?"

I press my lips together, afraid of the answers that might escape. After a mile, I pull into the small parking lot that overlooks the ocean. I cut the engine and allow the saltiness of the air to waft over me. Skye and I used to come here all the time. We'd have bonfires at night with our friends. She'd sit between my outstretched legs, and I'd bury my face in her hair as the wind blew through it.

I can't come here without thinking of Skye. The two will forever be entwined in my mind. She's been a beach girl for as long as