Chapter 1
Present day—January
Brianna Hastings slipped into the rear of the classroom, choosing the corner with the poorest lighting. Perhaps she wouldn’t be noticed by the professor back here. She’d registered for this class because, first, it would fulfill one of her requirements. Second, her mom had badgered her into it.
“History is interesting. Give it a chance. You’ll love it.”
Right. Fascinating. Sure.
She sank onto the chair and pulled her laptop from her bag, setting it on the table in front of her. After connecting to the college Wi-Fi, she clicked to open her messaging app. Quickly, she typed a text.
Meet for lunch at Dairy Queen?
She watched the moving bubbles indicate her best friend, Hannah Smith, was reading the message. Seconds later, the reply came.