Not quite sure what happened to everyone last chapter, especially since I got so much feedback on the one before. But big thanks to RHatch89, Fun With Typing, and lseth23 for reviewing! This is a big chapter where things start to heat back up, so let me know what you think. Five reviews for a quick update sounds fair, right? ;)

Chapter 25

Justin is waiting in the front hall when I come downstairs, my purse slung over my arm and our latest novel for English, To Kill a Mockingbird, in my hand. As soon as I spot him, I drop both to the floor and rush over. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

I had only planned on hugging him, but before I even know what I'm doing, I reach up and kiss him right on the mouth. Then my brain catches up with my actions and I pull back. "Oh my god, I – "

"So much for taking things slow," he says with a grin. "Not that I mind."

I feel my face redden and turn away, slowly bending down to pick up my bag and book, which I tuck under my arm. "Sorry. I'm just…really grateful. I mean, you're driving, like, ten minutes out of your way."

He shrugs like this is no big deal. "Our school starts later than yours. And I can skip homeroom." I breathe a sigh of relief, finally getting my bearings, and he gives me a strange look. "Is your car broken down or something?"

I wince and avert my eyes, not sure how to answer this. Last night, Mona, along with Aria and myself, found her car dumped behind the high school. It worked properly and nothing appeared to be stolen, but she's been totally freaked out ever since, naturally, and insisted that she couldn't get in that car again this morning. And honestly, I didn't trust myself to drive, either, so I sent as vague a text as possible to Justin: Would it be horrible of me to beg you for a ride to school tomorrow?

He'd immediately sent back a "yes," without any questions, but I had doubted that he would actually be willing to drive all the way from Brookhaven just to drive us to school.

I can't believe he's really here.

But it seems like his line of questioning is only just beginning. "It's fine," I answer. I look up, hoping that this is good enough, but he wrinkles his brow at me, obviously confused. I think fast and continue, "Um, it's just that…my sister, she, uh…she almost got mugged last night. We're both a little freaked out." There. At least I could end on something true.

Justin's eyes go wide. "Whoa. Are you serious? Where was she?"

"I don't know," I blurt out too quickly. I resist the urge to clamp my mouth shut. I can feel my guilt growing. I told myself that I was done lying to Justin, that I wouldn't let secrets tear us apart again. But there's no way that he can know about this. I wouldn't even know where to begin. "I wasn't there. She's fine, but it…um, it happened right by her car, so…"

"Gotcha," he says, nodding, and my heart flutters with gratitude. I know right then that this is why I have to keep lying to him. There's no way I'll ever be able to find a better guy.

Mona rounds the corner, stopping when she notices Justin. I look carefully at her throat, glad to see that most of the bruises have been covered with makeup. "Oh. Hey," she says. "You're giving us a ride?"

"Yeah," he confirms, giving her a sympathetic look. "Viola told me about what happened last night. It's no problem."

She raises her eyebrows, looking at me over his shoulder. I make a face and nod enthusiastically in response, mouthing, play along. Fortunately, my sister is a very good liar. "That is so great of you," she gushes. "I don't think I'll be able to drive, like, ever again." I give a discreet thumbs-up, quickly rearranging my facial expression when Justin turns back to me.

"Well, we'd better get going, right?"

"Yes!" I practically shout, grabbing my purse. "Let's go." We call goodbye to our mother and follow Justin out to his car.

Mona lags a little behind, pulling me back. "Can you see the bruises?" she whispers, glancing ahead at Justin, who is oblivious.

"Not really," I say under my breath. "Maybe if I squint. But then I already know that they're there. Now come on, hurry up."

The ride to school is slightly awkward. Stopped at a red light, Justin clears his throat and glances in the rearview mirror. "So…what happened to you…that must have been pretty scary."

He is clearly trying to make conversation, but I leap in too quickly. "Yeah, like I told you," I say loudly and clearly, "she was almost mugged."

"But you don't know who it was?" he asks, glancing back at my sister.

"No," she says smoothly, catching on. "They were wearing a mask."

I turn my head toward the window to hide a grin as we pull up in the parking lot. "Here we go," Justin announces, throwing the car into park. "And a whole three minutes before the bell. I think I'll even be on time for my school."

"Thank you," I say again, hopping out of the car and walking around to his window. "Seriously. You're awesome."

He rolls his eyes, smiling. "Like I said, it's not a big deal."

"No." I reach into the car, squeezing his arm. "It really is."

Smiling, he looks for a moment like he is about to lean out and kiss me. But he doesn't. Instead, he says, "See you later," and waves, pulling out of the lot.

I groan, fed up with myself, and hurry to catch up to my sister. "I think I'm losing my mind," I tell her, shaking my head.

Mona stops outside of her classroom, turning to me. "You really can't see anything?" she asks, gesturing to her neck.

I sigh and look closer. "No. Why? Does it hurt?"

"Just a little sore," she says, so I reach into my bag, handing her a container of aspirin.

"I have to go to my locker," I say, zipping my bag closed. "I'll see you at lunch. Text me if you need me." I wave and head off, twisting the combination on my locker and pulling the door open.

I'm halfway through gathering my things when I see it. Taped to the inside of my locker door is a white envelope. Curious, I set down my books and pull it off, turning it over in my hand. It's closed tight but unmarked, no name or anything.

I look around, up and down the hallway. No one is paying any attention to me, not even looking in my direction. I feel my stomach sink a little. How could someone have gotten into my locker without knowing my combination? The only person who is capable of something like that is…

"A."

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. I don't even know what this is about. Who knows, it might not even be anything bad.

I turn my back to the hallway and rip the envelope open, my heart thumping. I turn it over, shaking it, and a photograph falls into my hand. I hold it up and stare. It takes my brain a moment to understand what I'm seeing.

The blurry view. The strange angle, like someone stuck their phone or camera through a doorway. The man's hand on the girl's shoulder, their lips pressed together.

The word feels like it's tilting. I reach out, grabbing onto my open locker door as my heart plummets. It's the picture of Ian and me, the one that Mona showed me that night in the lair. The one she threatened to send out if I didn't join the team.

Suddenly shaking with anger, I rip the picture in half, and then again, until it's completely in shreds. I dump the little pieces back into the envelope and crush it in my hand. Somehow, I know that my sister didn't do this. When could she have? We've been together since last night.

It must have been Red Coat, then, I decide, suddenly feeling a panic attack coming on. Red Coat broke into my locker, sometime last night or this morning. She put that picture there, probably as a warning. Maybe this is my punishment. Instead of trying to kill me, she's going to finally reveal my secret.

I push back tears. The first bell rings, but I ignore it, rushing down the hallway and pushing into the bathroom. I lean against the sink, holding tight to the cold ceramic and trying to steady my breathing.

Something doesn't feel right about this. This doesn't seem like Red Coat's usual style. "A" doesn't do things like this without a warning, an accompanying text or message to really bring home the fear. It feels strange, getting a completely anonymous envelope without any sort of identification.

I hear one of the stalls swing open behind me, but I stare down at the sink, not caring to have a conversation. Then I hear a familiar, cold voice. "What's wrong, Viola? You look…freaked."

I whirl around. Macy is standing behind me, her arms crossed. Despite her concerned words, there is a smirk on her face. "Oh. Um, n-nothing," I stammer, willing my face to return to a normal color.

She raises her eyebrows, walking over to the sink beside me and fixing her hair. "Are you sure? Because you look weird. Almost like you got…caught?" There's something strange in her tone, an emotion that I'm having trouble identifying.

"I'm fine," I insist, putting my hands behind my back to hide the fact that they're shaking. "I just had, like, a panic attack or something."

She turns away from the mirror, her brow wrinkling in concern. Her blue eyes study me carefully. "Oh really?" She begins to smile, and I suddenly recognize the tone of her voice. Taunting. "It wouldn't have anything to do with this, would it?" She reaches into her purse, pulling out a small, flimsy piece of paper.

"W-what?" I say in confusion, just as it dawns on me that what she's holding is not a piece of paper. It's a photograph. Though she's holding it out too far for me to make out the details, I don't need to. I see a flash of blue and my mind puts the pieces together. "You – you put that picture in my locker."

It's not a question, but she nods anyway, smirking. "Thanks again for letting me keep my stuff in your locker last year. Knowing your combination really helped."

The world feels like it's spinning too fast. I want the ground to open up and swallow me whole. Nothing about this makes sense. I feel like I'm talking to a total stranger, not my ditzy, popularity-obsessed "best friend." "Oh my god. You…how did you get that picture?"

She turns away, pulling out a tube of lip gloss and touching up her makeup in the mirror, leaving me to stare in shock, unable to move, until she's finished. "Someone left a bunch of copies in my mailbox. I guess that whoever 'A' is wanted me to know just how much of a slut you really are."

Of course "A" was involved with this. I should have known – who else could have had that picture? – but I still feel dizzy with this new information. "Wait…you mean, 'A' left that for you?"

"Sean's party, right? Summer before freshman year?" Macy leans casually against the sink, still smiling. "And I thought we told each other everything. Some best friend you were, not even bothering to tell me about your little older boyfriend."

He wasn't my boyfriend! I want to scream, my head pounding with confusion and hurt. He took advantage of me that night! He tried to rape me! But I can't get the words out. My throat feels like it's made of sandpaper.

I cough, stumbling back. I pray that no one else comes into the bathroom right now. "I can't believe you…who else have you shown that picture to?"

"No one. Yet."

I understand why "A" put the photos in her mailbox. But Macy's part in this is what I can't figure out. "Why? Why would you do this? What did I ever do to you?"

Her satisfied smile flips upside down, turning into a glare. "I know it was you who totally destroyed my room, Viola," she snaps angrily. "After what you said to me in school that day? It was obvious."

Oh. So much has happened since then, I'd almost forgotten about that night. For a second, I feel the urge to deny everything, to pretend like I have no idea what she's talking about. Maybe she'll believe me and rip those pictures to shreds.

But I think back to our conversation outside of the biology lab, and what I wrote on her mirror. It is a little obvious that I was the one to vandalize her room. And judging by the look on Macy's face, even if I were to deny it, she wouldn't believe me.

I throw my arms out at my sides, my desperation growing. "I only did that to get back at you, for what you did to my sister!"

The nasty look drops off of her face. "What? What are you talking about?"

Once again, I get the feeling that something is not right here. "You…you left that cow brain in Mona's locker. On her first day back."

Macy shakes her head in confusion, pushing her hair out of her face. For the first time, I finally catch a glimpse of the girl I've known for years. "That wasn't me," she says slowly. "I never did anything to Mona."

My head is spinning once again. This does not make sense. "What? Of course you did. That same morning you were complaining about her being back. And right after it happened…I saw you. Coming out of the bio room."

Macy's brow furrows. She's clearly thinking, remembering this, the horrible picture still clutched in her hand. She shakes her head again. "That's not why I was in the lab," she insists, her voice going quiet.

Now it's she who looks a little intimidated, afraid even, as I fold my arms over my chest. "I don't believe you."

"Fine, you want the truth?" she bursts out. "Biology hasn't been any easier for me than chemistry. I'm not some genius like you are, okay? And since Lucas wasn't selling test answers anymore, I had to get them myself."

"Wait a minute," I interrupt, holding out my hands as the realization dawns on me. "You stole the answer key to our last test? From our teacher?"

"I was returning it when you saw me," she says, staring at the ground. "I had nothing to do with what happened to Mona."

I stare at her, thinking this over. It occurs to me that I actually believe her, despite what she just did to me. "I can't believe it," I mutter, shaking my head, guilt suddenly overtaking me. "I vandalized your room for no reason."

"I knew it was you," Macy explains, but the venom is gone from her voice. "So when this 'A' person gave me those pictures, I knew it was the perfect way to get back at you."

My heart speeds up again at the mention of those pictures. I meet her eyes. She no longer looks angry, and I know that Macy never holds grudges, but I'm still worried. "Macy, I swear," I beg. "I never would have done that to you if I hadn't been totally sure that you played that prank on my sister. I'm sorry. Really." I pause to let this sink in, then continue, "But you can't show anyone that picture. It'll ruin my life. Please."

She frowns, looking down at it. "You broke practically half the things in my room. I had to get all new picture frames. I'm still picking up pieces of glass."

I twist my hands together nervously. It's over. She'll never forgive me, and even worse, she'll show that photo to everyone in school. I always figured it would be "A" that would somehow ruin my life. I never thought it would be my own friend.

We're both silent for a moment, me staring at Macy and her staring down at the picture. By this point, I might as well forget about even going to first period at all. Class is already halfway over.

Macy looks up at me after what feels like years, then back at the picture. She smiles, and I feel my heart drop. Then she turns, walking right into one of the stalls. Startled, I rush after her, not bothering to shut the door behind us.

I have absolutely no idea what she's going to do. She holds the photo out in front of her, smiling, and in one sudden movement, rips it right down the middle. I gasp, my jaw dropping in shock as I watch her drop both pieces into the toilet.

"Oh my god – " I begin, gratitude and relief flooding through me, replacing the fear, but she shakes her head and flushes, cutting me off.

"It's gone. I wouldn't do that to you."

...

Hope you enjoyed! Next chapter, Viola's life takes another turn when Mona turns herself in for Wilden's murder.