Dead Girls Don't Lie by Jennifer Shaw Wolf

driver leans out. “Want a ride, chica?” He looks older than my dad.
    One of the passengers in the back leans forward, arguing with the man in Spanish. I take a couple of steps backward, plotting my escape route. I turn, prepped to run, and catch a glimpse of Eduardo in the corner of the truck. I look into his eyes, begging for help, but he looks through me like he doesn’t know who I am. The door opens. I stumble backward and then run.
    I cut across the field toward Rachel’s house, running hard, sliding over loose rocks and uneven ground. I try to hurdle an irrigation ditch and land with my ankle sideways in soft earth on the other side. It pops as I fall. A cry of pain escapes my lips, and I land in a crumpled heap.
    “Okay, chica?” the man calls.
    I grit my teeth and stand, trying not to limp as I start running again, my ankle burning with every step. The truck doesn’t turn down the road. I limp/run until I can see the top of the old house clearly, the upstairs window looming above the trees. I glance back, but the truck is still sitting on the side of the road, the headlights illuminating the field. I’m so scared that I can’t think straight. Running away now feels wrong, like I’m confirming what Eduardo said about me, but I’m driven by fear and adrenaline; I don’t know what else to do.
    I slow to a walk, still trying not to limp. If they’d leave, I’d go back that way to get home. Even if it is farther. Even if my ankle is broken. I don’t want to go by the old house, or Rachel’s house. I’m not sure which I’m more afraid of, the men in the truck or the house in front of me. I don’t dare turn around to see if they’re still watching me.
    A truck roars behind me, barreling through the field. Its headlights feel hot on my back. It’s getting closer. They’re going to run me down. I start running again, but I can’t move fast enough. I won’t make it anywhere safe before they catch me. Not to Rachel’s. Not even to the old house. My ankle is screaming a warning with every step, but I keep running.
    “Jaycee!” It’s Skyler’s voice. “Jaycee!” I stop and turn. When I see his face, relief hits me so hard that I almost cry. He slows to a stop, opens the door, and gets out. “What are you doing out here?” He pauses for a second, maybe taking in how horrible I look. “Are you okay?”
    I look toward the edge of the field, where the truck wasparked, but I’m blinded by Skyler’s headlights so I can’t tell if they’re gone. I take in a quivering breath and burst out with the truth. “No.”
    He opens his arms and I melt into his chest. “What happened?”
    “I went running.” I breathe into his neck. “That’s why I was at the school. I ran there and your brother saw me, so I stopped to talk to him. Please don’t be mad. Evan told me you were coming … to get him. I was going to wait …”
    He puts his hand on my back, patting it awkwardly. “It’s okay. I shouldn’t have—”
    But I have more to tell him, and now that it’s started, I can’t stop the flood. “I went back … I heard these guys … I think … they were following me.”
    He pulls away from me. “Wait? What? Who was following you?” He glances up the field. “Those guys in the truck?”
    I take in a shaky breath. “I don’t know. I’m not even sure—” I step back, stumble, and gasp as my ankle bites in protest.
    Skyler grabs my shoulders and keeps me from falling, but he looks really freaked out. “Did they hurt you?” He’s checking me over, like he’s looking for a fatal wound.
    “I twisted my ankle. I jumped over a ditch and fell.”
    “Sit down. Let me look at it.”
    He bends to untie my shoe, but I stop him. “I’d rather just get out of here.”
    “Right. Good idea. But shouldn’t we tell someone? I mean, if those guys were following you.”
    I glance at the truck again. I’m not sure of anything rightnow. “No. I’m okay.” I lean on his arm and try to hobble toward