Aria shifted her weight. “Well, yeah.”
Noel studied her for a long time. His eyes widened. “You knew, didn’t you? Before just now, I mean. You knew about how my dad dresses like . . . that. And you thought I didn’t know. You were keeping it from me.”
Aria felt heat creep to her cheeks. “It wasn’t like that!” she cried. Then she stepped back. “Wait. You knew?”
“Well, yeah. I’ve known for years.” Noel’s eyes blazed. “How long have you known?”
Aria’s chin wobbled. “Only a few days. I saw your dad at Fresh Fields last week. I was afraid to tell you.”
“So you decided to break up with me instead?” Noel’s mouth was tight, and his eyes were wild. “Or was there some other mysterious reason why you did that?”
“Of course not!” Aria protested. “Please calm down! We can talk about this, can’t we?”
Suddenly, she was filled with hope. Maybe there was a silver lining to this. If Noel already knew about his dad, if this wasn’t some big, ruinous, earth-shattering revelation, A had nothing on her. It was just a bluff. “I’ve changed my mind. I was confused. I want to stay together.”
Noel barked out a cold, sinister laugh, the likes of which Aria had never heard before. “That train has left the station. I knew something was on your mind, Aria. I asked you a million times about it, and you told me you were fine. Just days ago I begged you to be honest with me about everything, and instead you lie?”
“You lied, too!” Aria said, grasping at straws. “You never told me that your dad . . . you know!”
Noel’s eyes narrowed, as though he didn’t particularly like this shift of gears. “You never asked me. And, for the record, I was going to tell you. I just didn’t want to do it when we were at my house, and lately you’ve seemed so distracted, and . . .” He trailed off, his mouth dropping open. “Do you think it’s weird? Is that why you broke up with me?”
“Noel, no!” Aria cried, grabbing for his hands.
Noel wrenched away from her, a horrible twist of anger on his face. “And here I thought you were open-minded.” He spun around and went back inside, slamming the door so hard the house shook. A dreadful silence followed.
Aria stared at her shaking hands, questioning if what had just happened was real. She waited for Noel to come back, but he didn’t. How had this happened? She thought she’d done the right thing, when she’d just made things a million times worse.
And then it hit her: Maybe A had meant for things to play out this way. Maybe A had known that Mr. Kahn’s cross-dressing was an open secret all along but led her to believe it would destroy Noel’s family. After all, the only thing that was worse than A ruining a relationship was Aria sabotaging it all on her own.
26
OD-NO SHE DIDN’T
“Spencer. Psst! Spencer!”
Spencer opened her eyes. She was lying on a small cot in the middle of a room that smelled pungently of antiseptic. Her limbs felt welded to the mattress, and she was certain someone had stuffed a torch down her throat. As her vision cleared, she saw a pretty girl with blond hair and big eyes standing at the foot of the bed. She was wearing a familiar yellow dress and had a knowing smile on her face.
Spencer shot up, recognizing her instantly. “Tabitha?”
Tabitha spread out her arms. “Nice to see you again. How are you feeling?”
Spencer touched her forehead. It felt wet, as though covered in sweat—or blood. “Not great. Where am I?”
Tabitha giggled. “Don’t you remember what happened?”
Spencer tried to think, but her mind was a deep, black hole. “I don’t remember anything.”
Tabitha’s heels rang out on the cold, hard floor as she stepped closer to Spencer. Her skin smelled like the same vanilla soap Ali used to use. “You’re here because of what you did,” she whispered, her breath hot on Spencer’s face. “What all of you did. She told me you’d pay for this, and she was right.”
“What do you mean, she? Who?”
Tabitha pretended to zip her lips and throw away the key. “I swore I wouldn’t tell.”
“What happened to me?” Spencer tried to move her legs under the covers, but they were strapped down with thick leather belts. “Where am I?”
Tabitha rolled her eyes. “Do I have to spell everything out for you? I thought you were smart. You got into Princeton, after all. Not that you’ll be going there now.”
Spencer’s eyes widened. “W-why not?”
Tabitha’s smile was crooked and strange. “Because you’re dead.” And then she leaned over and touched Spencer’s eyes, as if to close them. “Say good-bye!”
Spencer shrieked and fought to keep her eyes open, kicking against the leather restraints. When she opened her eyes again, she was in a different room. The walls were green, not pink. An IV pole and a bunch of whirring machines stood next to her bed, measuring her blood pressure and pulse. Just within reach was a small tray table containing a yellow plastic pitcher, her cell phone, and three round white pills. When Spencer looked at the cotton gown she was wearing, it was printed with the words PROPERTY OF PRINCETON GENERAL HOSPITAL.
Tabitha’s voice reverberated in Spencer’s mind. It’s because of what you did. What all of you did. She told me you’d pay for this, and she was right. Was Tabitha talking about Gayle? But how did she and Gayle know each other? Or did she mean Real Ali?
More importantly, what the hell was she doing in a hospital? All she remembered was wandering to Ivy’s backyard and hearing something in the woods. There had been footsteps . . . someone had grabbed her . . . and then what?