He could clearly see my hiding spot. A sharp stab of panic went through me.

He squinted at me. "Nikki Donovan?"

I felt a flare of anger push past my fear. "What do you want?"

"Why are you down there?"

I hissed out a breath and watched the air freeze in front of me. My heart was thudding wildly against my ribs. I didn't want to be the kind of girl who hid from danger or got pushed around. I'd much rather be like Melinda in the cafeteria today-the sort of girl who confronted things head-on without fear. But yelling across a crowded room was one thing. Being followed into a deserted park was another one altogether.

A quick head-to-toe scan of the guy confirmed that he wasn't carrying a knife. Or a gun. In fact, he didn't have anything, not even a winter coat or scarf to keep him warm. I forced myself to stand up and shuffle away from my protective area-which I now realized wasn't very protective at all.

I crossed my arms tightly in front of me. "You shouldn't follow people into dark areas."

"Sorry. I… I didn't mean to scare you."

Naturally, I wasn't convinced.

"What do you want?" I asked again, glancing over at the wooden staircase. I could get to it in less than thirty seconds if I ran fast. I wished my backpack wasn't so heavy, but it was filled with books I needed to finish cramming for my Shakespeare test tomorrow.

"I need to talk to you," he said. "It's urgent."

I swallowed hard. My guard was still up. Way up. "Who are you?"

He looked confused. "Who am I?"

"It's not a trick question. What's your name?"

For a second I didn't think he was going to tell me, but then, "Michael. My name's Michael."

I'd been nursing a headache since having the chocolate cake last night and I'd gone all day without any Tylenol. My head was pounding now and getting worse by the minute. "Why are you following me, Michael?"