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I frowned at how concerned Shane was. “I’m sure it will be fine.”

“It will be if I can convince the principal not to call Dad,” Shane replied. “I really don’t want him to flip out and spend the rest of the year breathing down our necks worse than he already does.”

“Is Ally getting in trouble really going to affect you?”

Shane shrugged. “It’s a risk I’m not willing to take. I better go to the office and see if I can help.” He started to leave but paused just a few steps away and turned to me once more. “Do you know who put those posters up?”

“No, but you worry about your dad and Ally. I’ll find out who’s behind this.”

Shane nodded and breathed a sigh of relief like I’d helped lift a heavy burden off his shoulders. “Thanks, man. I owe you one.”

I waved his comment away. Shane didn’t owe me anything. If anything, it was the other way around. “Do you really think you can convince the principal not to call your dad?”

“Are you kidding? That guy loves me.” He grinned before he took off at a jog down the corridor. “I’ll see you at home tonight,” he called over his shoulder.

“Yeah, I’ll see you then.”

I waited until Shane was around the corner before I got out my phone and sent a message to Jordan. I’d been trying to find out who started the Ally rumor without raising too much attention, but I didn’t have time for subtlety anymore.

Who put up the posters about Ally?I wrote.

I knew there was no way he’d done it, but if anyone at school knew who was behind the posters, it would be Jordan. He was friends with practically everyone and was always the first to hear the latest gossip. It would be a big surprise if he didn’t know who was behind the biggest scandal of the school year so far.

His reply to my message came almost immediately.Declan.

My mouth became dry as I read the name, and my whole body started to pulse with anger as I recalled the way he’d eyed Ally on Saturday night like she was a piece of meat.

Why?I punched the message right back to him, my fingers smashing against the screen with such pressure it was a miracle I didn’t crack it.

I overheard him complaining that she was a tease on Saturday night. He was joking that she didn’t put out because she’s used to getting paid for it.

My hand curled tightly around the phone as I read the message over again, and I took deep breaths in and out as I tried to rein in my anger. Ally had been right. It was my fault the posters went up. I’d told Declan she didn’t want to dance with him, and he was lashing out at her because of it. I might not have taken the picture or placed them on the walls, but I was the reason Declan thought Ally was a tease. I was to blame for the posters, and I hated myself for causing her so much pain.

I slammed a fist into the nearest locker, welcoming the burning agony that flared across my knuckles. I couldn’t take back what I did on Saturday night, but I knew I had to set things right.

Declan needed to pay for what he’d done to Ally, and I was going to make sure the little weasel never tried anything like it again.

13

Ally

Principal Miller gaveme detention after school for my “unbecoming behavior” in the cafeteria. He didn’t want to hear that the other students had been harassing me, and he completely disregarded how upset I was about the horrible posters that had papered the walls of the school. He actually had the nerve to tell me that since there was no way to prove who was behind the prank that there was every chance I had put them up myself to get attention—just like I’d done in the cafeteria.

His accusation stole the breath from my lungs. The man was a pig, and if he told me about adhering to the school’s decorum policy one more time, I was going to blurt something out that would probably get me expelled.

The meeting only got worse when he picked up the phone to call my dad. I already knew Dad was going to lose his mind when he found out what I’d done, and I had no idea how I’d face him when I got home. I’d probably be grounded for the rest of eternity.

Thankfully, Shane burst into the office before Principal Miller started dialing. The principal’s stern frown completely disappeared when he saw my brother. And somehow, the planned phone call to my dad seemed to disappear too. The two of them launched into talking about Fairview’s next football game, and I sat there watching like an unwanted afterthought.

I hated that my brother had to come to my rescue, but when Shane started explaining my situation, Principal Miller actually listened. When I’d tried to do the same, all he’d seemed to hear was white noise, and the disparity between how he treated us couldn’t have been more unfair. Shane told the principal exactly the same things as me, and the sudden concern that appeared in Principal Miller’s eyes would have made me laugh if it wasn’t so prejudiced.

The principal even promised to look into who was behind such a “horrible act of bullying,” but I really wasn’t holding my breath. Principal Miller was all about focusing on the things that made our school look good, like my brother, and bringing light to any scandalous bullying probably wasn’t the kind of news he wanted getting back to parents.

Unfortunately, the posters didn’t change the fact I’d broken the decorum policy, so even Shane’s magical powers of persuasion over the principal couldn’t get me out of detention. It sucked, but I was just grateful my dad hadn’t become involved. He was the last person I wanted to hear about any of this, and even though it annoyed me that Shane butted in, I was really grateful for his help.

When I finally got out of school for the day, the parking lot was pretty much empty. Even Shane was done with football practice, and our car was nowhere to be seen. I had a long string of missed calls and text messages from Tessa. I knew she’d come back to school and pick me up in a heartbeat, but I figured the walk home would do me some good.

I was still so angry with Chase and furious with all the other kids who had been so cruel to me. Somehow, I’d been the one to end up in detention despite the fact I’d been the victim of so much ridicule. I hadn’t deserved it one bit, but Principal Miller seemed more interested in handing out punishments than investigating crimes.