Page 27

Chapter 27

Scarlett

“I swear, Melissa. I don’t know how it got there,” I plead for what’s probably the dozenth time. Resounding shock keeps me frozen at the locker where I store my bag.

Exactly where they found Noah’s man purse.

Melissa’s contained anger drives home how serious this is. I’ve never seen her wearing anything but a smile since I started here. “You should be lucky Noah isn’t pressing charges,” she replies. “What you did was totally disgusting.”

“I didn’t—”

“Your denial makes no sense, Scarlett. Otherwise, how did his stuff end up in your bag?”

“I don’t know, but it wasn’t me!” The gravity of the situation makes me thaw out. I approach her desk urgently, tears now filling my eyes. “Please believe me.”

“I believe the evidence, and it all points to you. I’m sorry, Scarlett. You seemed like such a nice girl. I understand your circumstances made you desperate, but stealing isn’t the way.” She shakes her head. “What’s worse, I have to report this to the school board—”

“No. Please!” I drop to my knees beside her desk, tears running down my cheeks. I don’t know what the exact repercussions will be, but I will suffer either way. “Melissa, please. I have my family relying on me to graduate. Give me a chance to prove it wasn’t me. Please!”

Intense sorrow moves across her face, then she sighs deeply. “Why would anyone set you up, Scarlett?”

“Someone’s still mad at me for messing with the team—which I didn’t do,” I add hurriedly when her brows lift. “They’ve been trying to get back at me since day one.”

I go on to explain what happened last March. An awareness fills her face as she leans back into the seat. “Now, that explains why they were so pissed when I brought you in. Oh, boy.”

“I swear to you, Melissa, I’m innocent. I thought they were done with the pranks—”

“They were pranking you?” she exclaims. “Why didn’t you report it to me?”

I push to stand, regret now filling me. “I didn’t want to make a terrible situation worse. I just wanted to complete my hours.” Add to the fact that their captain vowed to keep them off my back.

Which he hasn’t.

Noah has played his biggest prank yet, one that’s about to derail all my goals. Besides tussling with Noah, Aiden hasn’t done anything to protect me.

Because that wasn’t his end game at all.

My stomach twists into tight knots as the truth dawns on me. I drop into the chair in front of Melissa’s desk. “Oh my God.”

All that fighting with Noah was just a show, wasn’t it? This was the ultimate prank. Aiden not only wanted me out of here. He wanted to ruin my life, too.

“Listen, Scarlett. I can only give you until the end of the week. If you prove those guys set you up, then I won’t report this.”

“Thank you,” I mumble, numbness overpowering me. I stare ahead, feeling nothing.

“So I’m going to record your hours for today, but you can’t come back without the evidence, got it?” she says.

Which means an eight-hour setback. I’m pushing it close as it is. I nod anyway, and at her gesture, I grab my backpack and leave. I power through a lecture, then start heading to a meeting with Tabitha to wrap up our assignment but for once, I don’t feel like doing any more schoolwork. I just want to curl up under my sheet and die.

I feel so fucking used.

Tabitha answers on the first ring. “I was about to call you. Again,” she greets.

My mind recalls the three missed calls I saw after leaving the exam room this morning. “Don’t kick my ass, but I can’t make it today. I’m not feeling so good,” I reply.

“Yes, I know.”

My brows lift. “Well, news travels fast,” I comment dryly.

“What news?”

“The one where I’m a bare-faced thief. I’m sure it’s spreading like wildfire now.”

“I haven’t heard anything,” Tabitha replies.

“Then how come you knew I wasn’t okay—you know what, don’t answer that.” I already know what the answer will be.

“Let me give you a ride home,” she offers.

“In case you forgot, I own a bike,” I remind her. “Thanks anyway.”

There’s a slight pause on her end. “Scarlett, I don’t want to scare you, but I saw you covered in blood last night. You were being dragged by a tree trunk or something.”

“ A tree trunk?” I scoff-chuckle. “Tabitha, what have you been smoking?”

“I wish you’d take me seriously for once,” she replies stiffly.

“And I wish you’d stop being the bearer of bad news for once,” I throw back. “You’ve never gotten a premonition about me winning the lotto, for instance.”

“You know what? I’m done talking to you. Just turn in your half of the assignment before you die,” Tabitha snaps. A click goes off in my ear and she’s gone.

Shaking my head, I tuck the phone in my pocket and hasten my steps. Four days to prove that I didn’t take Noah’s money and I don’t know where to start.

My phone starts ringing again. Pulling it out, I stare at his name on the screen.

You could ask Aiden for help.

A derisive scoff escapes as I cut the call. How can Aiden not be behind all this? He’s the captain of the team. From what I’ve witnessed when I first got here, they don’t act without his say-so. And I definitely know this was a set-up. Noah deliberately left his locker open so the blame could easily fall on me. No one would believe that I knew his combination.

But Aiden… I’m struggling with that suspicion. We’ve shared so much together that it’s hard to believe it meant nothing to him—

“Watch out!” someone screams behind me.

I turn, just as a motorcycle comes sailing toward me.