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Chapter 43

"I think all you have to do is use Avogadro's number."

"Are you sure? Because – "

"I don't know, I'm not there!"

I laugh, switching the phone to my other ear and pressing it against my shoulder as I erase part of my work. Lately I've been talking to Justin on the phone as we both do homework, since it's not easy for us to find time to actually be together, in person.

Although, since he's a year older than me and has taken all of the classes that I'm currently in, usually these conversations just consist of him helping me through my work.

"Oh, hey," I blurt out, using the number he suggested and grinning as I scratch down my work. "I think you were right."

"Of course I am," he replies, and I can hear the smile in his voice. "I'm a chemistry genius."

"Shut up!" I laugh, reaching up to push back my hair.

There's a knock on my door and I look up. Mona's standing in the doorway, her eyes wide. "I have to show you something," she says quietly.

I roll my eyes and cover the phone briefly. "Can it wait? I'm kind of – "

She shakes her head, cutting me off. "No."

Slightly more alarmed, I sit up and push my notebook aside. Justin's in the middle of a sentence – of which I missed the whole first part, oops – so I wait until he's finished speaking to clear my throat and say, "Hey, um, I'm gonna have to call you back. Something just came up."

There's a pause, and I wait, expecting a casual "no big deal." Justin's usually so cool about us not getting to spend as much time together as we used to that when he speaks, I'm immediately caught off guard. "Seriously? You have to go now?"

I wince at his slightly harsh tone. "Um, yeah. I'm sorry. It's just that – "

"Viola," he sighs, and I cut off abruptly. "This is the third time this has happened this week."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, it seem like every time I've talked to you lately, or seen you in person, you're either absorbed in your phone or running off early. When I called today, you said you'd be around until nine."

"I thought so, too," I insist, glancing up. Obviously noticing that something is going on, Mona makes a face at me and ducks out of the doorway. I heave myself off of my bed and move to shut the door. "It's just that…there's a lot going on for me right now, and…"

I trail off, not sure how to finish that, but he doesn't wait for me to go on. "There's always a lot going on with you, Viola." He pauses, and I can hear him take in a deep breath. "Listen, I know junior year's rough. I went through it. But I'm sick of being your last priority."

I lean back against the door, biting my lip. "You're not! Something just came up, with my family, that's all. I'll call you back."

"It's not just this," Justin exhales. I can hear the sadness in his voice, and something else, too. Resignation. "I don't think I can do this anymore."

I feel like someone has just punched me in the stomach. My knees wobble, and I sink down to the floor, my back sliding against the door. "What are you…"

"I want a girlfriend who I can count on," he goes on. "Someone who I can see more than two times a month."

"You're breaking up with me," I say before he can, and the words sound flat despite the tears burning behind my eyes. I blink quickly, forcing them back. I will not cry, at least not until I'm off the phone.

Justin heaves a sigh. His voice is heavy. "I really like you, Vi. But this…this isn't working out. You have to see that, too, don't you?"
I want to argue, to cry and scream into the phone like all the girls in sappy love movies do. But I don't have it in me.

And he's right, I realize, thinking back on the last few months. I'm constantly cutting our phone calls short and cancelling dates, usually so I can investigate a new lead on "A" or put together some new plan with the other girls. Last year, it seemed like Justin occupied all of my thoughts. Now I find myself going days without thinking about him at all…almost like I don't have a boyfriend.

"You're right," I admit. "This isn't working. You're totally right."

"I'm sorry," he says, and his voice sounds slightly strange, a little choked up. He's not crying, is he? "The time we have spent together has been really great."

I smile despite myself. "Yeah. It has." A long pause follows this, and I take a deep breath. I need to end this conversation. "Bye, Justin."

"Bye, Viola," he replies, and I end the call, tossing my phone onto my bed before I can say something I'll regret.

I close my eyes, taking a breath, and I'm surprised to find that the urge to cry has completely gone away. Because he really was right. We haven't been together in a long time, not really. I can't even remember the last time we kissed.

Shaking my head, I get to my feet and walk down the hallway to my sister's room. She's sitting in the middle of her bed, her laptop in front of her, among a bunch of papers. "Okay, what is it?" I ask, closing the door behind me.

She glances up, frowning. "Is everything okay?"

"No," I say immediately, joining her on the bed. "He broke up with me." I am slightly alarmed by how emotionless my voice sounds. That can't be normal.

"Wow." Mona's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "I'm sorry."

I wave my hand dismissively. "Don't be," I say quickly, because I can feel my throat getting tight. I cough and avert my eyes, gazing down at the papers strewn everywhere. "What is all this? Where have you been all night?"

She smiles a little, gesturing across the room. A very familiar white nurse's uniform lays across the arm of a chair. "I snuck into Radley. With Spencer."

I pinch the bridge of my nose between two fingers, fighting off a headache. "Why?"

"To get these." Mona reaches down and grabs her bag from the floor, holding it open to show me. It's filled with old-fashioned tapes, each labeled with a date. "They're recordings from Bethany Young's sessions at Radley."

I wrinkle my nose, picking a tape out of the bag and examining it. "The girl who was buried in Alison's grave? I didn't know she was in Radley." I set it down and shake my head, unable to put the pieces together. "I still don't understand why you had to go and get these."

"I have the recording of Alison's lie detector test," she says intently, leaning forward. "The police know that she didn't kill Bethany. But they think Spencer might have. They're putting out a warrant for her arrest, Viola."

"What?" I gasp, feeling my heart skip a beat. "Did Spencer even know Bethany Young?"

"No," Mona says quietly, going back to her laptop. "But Alison might have."

"Oh my god," I mutter, all at once realizing just how big of a deal this is. "Alison knew Bethany. And they were both wearing the same shirt that night. This could be what we need to prove that Alison is 'A.'"

She smiles, still staring down at the computer. "Exactly. I need a few more days to go through the rest of the tapes. But I'm close. I'm so close."

I grin, enthusiasm beginning to replace the dread that has plagued me over the past few days. Finally it seems like we're actually closer to solving this mystery than we ever have been. But then I remember what day it is. "Tomorrow's Thanksgiving," I say, frowning. "How are you going to have time to – "

"I'll work on this all night if I have to. And you're going to help me."

Suddenly, my break-up is the last thing on my mind.

...

Next, it's Thanksgiving. And I think you all know what that means.