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She did as she was told, pulling half her books out with the faint stink of sulfur rising, then she stood, slamming her locker shut. I knelt and re-did the lock.

“All day long, pretend that nothing has happened to you. That you didn’t even notice this. That you definitely, absolutely, do not give a fuck. Can you do that?”

She caught her breath and nodded. “Yeah.”

“Okay.” The warning bell dinged overhead. “I’ll see you at lunch.”

I walked through the halls to biology with a purpose. I saw myself more as a creature of light than as human anymore—I didn’t want to be human, if being human meant hurting like this. I expanded myself, my consciousness, I didn’t know what words to use for it, only that I felt wings unfold from me like a net to snoop-taste-spy on everything within range. Whoever had done that to Lacey—surely they’d stuck around to see her reaction—and surely they had to crow about it to someone.

I stumbled into biology feeling like I was leaving half of myself in the hall and sat down by Sarah, conscious of the worried way she was looking at me but too busy listening to the chaos of everyone else’s phones.

“You’re acting weird, Jessie,” she whispered.

Ms. Liebel closed the door, same as teachers all around the school, and the level ofit’s my birthday!—is your brother’s friend visiting from college this weekend?—look at my shoes!—dampened. I turned towards Sarah slowly. “It’s been a weird week.”

Her nose crinkled. “Are you high?”

“What?” I wheeled on her, condensing all of my attention back to the real world as she studied my pupils.

“Just asking. It’s a valid question.”

“Not of me, it isn’t.”

“Sorry, I forgot you’re all straight edge and stuff.” There was this thing about having an alcoholic parent that Sarah could never understand—booze didn’t interest me in the least.

“So—about Liam, you promised,” she went on, whispering under her breath as Ms. Liebel began to lecture.

“I think I got him an A on our pop quiz yesterday—and he invited me to a party on Friday.”

Her eyes widened and she made a silent scream. “Is this an invite, like, as a friend? Or, something more?”

“Doesn’t matter. I said no.”

She punched me, hard. “Are you insane?”

“Ow!” I yelped, and held my shoulder where she’d hit me.

“Ladies!” Mrs. Liebel said, and both Sarah and I pretended to pay attention. Halfway through the first sentence she wrote on the board, Sarah elbowed me, muttering under her breath.

“You have to go.”

Charge built in me. I was ready to take it out on her—how dare she say that when she didn’t know what they’d put Lacey through—then I immediately deflated, both because she was my friend and because she was right.

“I’ll see if I can go,” I muttered back.

Sarah beamed at me like she’d solved world peace, and turned back to take notes—while I spent the rest of biology trying to figure out how I was going to explain my change of heart to Liam—and then wipe Danny’s phone.

CHAPTER 27

Ididn’t want to leave Lacey alone during lunch, but right before and right after lunch was when most people had their phones out. I found myself in a juncture between halls, festooned with crepe paper, half talking up prom, the rest declaring how Bison Baseball was going to be Victorious!

My dress doesn’t fit anymore?—

I got this eyeshadow?—

do I have to buy her flowers?

—want to split a limo?