Chapter 16

Tyler let out a shaky breath. "Since we're already spilling things... I might as well say it too." His voice faltered for a second, his throat tightening. He swallowed hard before continuing. "Alicia and I... we were dating."

Zariyah and Mason froze.

"It—it was just for the past week," Tyler added quickly. "She wanted to tell you guys, but I wasn’t ready yet. I wanted to wait. Give it some time before—" He broke off, his jaw clenching.

A heavy silence followed, thick and unspoken. Then, finally, Zariyah exhaled. "You're right, Tyler," she said softly. "We should spill everything."

Tyler blinked, confused. "What do you mean?"

Mason groaned, shaking his head. "Oh, here it comes."

Zariyah shot him a look before turning back to Tyler. "We knew."

Tyler frowned. "Knew what?"

"About you and Alicia."

Tyler’s mouth parted slightly. "Wait—you knew?"

Zariyah gave him a small, knowing smile. "The whole time."

"But—but how?!" Tyler stammered.

"Oh, come on," Mason scoffed. "You guys weren't exactly subtle. The stolen glances, the way she always found a reason to sit next to you, the way you’d get all defensive whenever we joked about you two being close—"

Zariyah cut in, smirking, "Not to mention, she literally had ‘I have a secret’ written all over her face. It was obvious."

Tyler rubbed the back of his neck, his emotions swirling between shock and relief. "And you guys never said anything?"

"We wanted you two to tell us yourselves," Zariyah admitted.

"Yeah," Mason grumbled. "Unlike someone who told me to keep my mouth shut, but then spilled everything herself." He shot Zariyah an exaggerated glare.

Zariyah rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. It was the right time."

Tyler let out a breath, a small, tired chuckle escaping him. "I can't believe you guys already knew."

Mason smirked. "We're just that good."

For the first time in a while, a hint of a smile ghosted Tyler’s lips. "Yeah... I guess you are."

Tyler sat in silence for a moment, lost in thought. Then, without a word, he pulled out his phone. His fingers hovered over the screen before he tapped on a photo.

He stared at it first, his expression unreadable. Then, without lifting his gaze, he spoke.

"Well… since you both already knew about us, I’m sure you knew about this too."

He turned the screen toward them.

Zariyah and Mason leaned in to look—and immediately stiffened.

It was the same picture.

The one they had taken yesterday. The one they had staged on purpose to scare Tyler and Alicia.

Slowly, their eyes met.

Oh.

Crap.

Tyler didn’t shift his gaze as he asked, “Well, since you both already knew about it… I’m sure you know about this too.”

He turned the phone toward Mason and Zariyah.

They both looked at the photo, then at each other.

Tyler nodded. “Yeah. Alicia and I both got this sent to us from an unknown number.” He paused before adding, “I think it could be the same shadow guy who just attacked Zariyah.”

Mason nearly fell backward. “IT ATTACKED HER?! And you didn’t think to tell me that part?!”

Zariyah sighed. “Mason, focus. We need to figure this out.” She turned to Tyler. “Okay. I’m telling you the truth about this picture.”

Mason threw up his hands. “Yes! This is definitely that shadow guy!”

Zariyah shot him a glare. “Mason, shut up.” She turned back to Tyler. “I took this picture. Mason and I sent it to you and Alicia as a prank.”

Tyler’s face scrunched in confusion. “You… what?”

Mason groaned, running a hand down his face. “So much for a prank."

Tyler stared at the picture for a long moment, his fingers tightening around his phone. “But… that’s impossible,” he muttered. “This is the exact picture you guys took to prank us. But Alicia and I didn’t save it. We deleted it.”

Zariyah and Mason exchanged a glance, both of them suddenly feeling uneasy.

“Are you sure?” Mason asked, leaning in to look at the photo again.

“Positive,” Tyler confirmed. “Alicia was scared out of her mind after you sent it. She made me delete it right away. So how did it end up back here? And why did we both get it sent from an unknown number?”

Zariyah’s stomach twisted at the thought. “You’re saying someone—no, something—took that photo and sent it back to you?”

“Either that,” Tyler said, his voice dropping lower, “or something wanted us to see it again.”

A heavy silence settled between them, only broken by the distant crackling of the fire. The wind howled through the trees, sending a shiver down Zariyah’s spine.

“Okay, nope, I don’t like that,” Mason muttered, rubbing his arms. “That’s way creepier than our prank.”

Zariyah swallowed, staring at the picture again. “It means we’re being watched.”

Tyler nodded grimly. “And whoever it is… they know everything.”

T. B. C.

What do you think is about to happen next?

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