I wasn’t any closer to figuring out who was following me. At least not with any kind of concrete evidence. The phone Eli gave me buzzed against the coffee table, waking me up. It was 3:47. I grabbed it. There was a message from him. MEET ME? I though about saying no or even just not answering and pretending I slept through it. I was tired, and I had to work in a few hours. But I knew it could be important. I texted back: WHERE? His reply was instantaneous: PLAYGROUND. I knew what he meant. There was an old playground behind the elementary school we went to as kids. We used to all go there all the time: me, Eli, Reid, and Ian. Sometimes our moms would take us and stand around and talk. Sometimes we would go by ourselves. It wasn’t far. I told him I’d be there in about fifteen minutes. I kept my head down when I left the apartment building. I pulled my jacket tightly around my body even though it wasn’t that cold. The night was eerily quiet. The street was empty. Buildings I passed were dark.
