“I’m surprised Miles isn’t broke yet,” Claudia says, not looking at me. “You go out for lunch so much. I’m sure he’s spent a fortune.”

“Okay, what’s up?” I stop walking. “Are you still pissed about Friday? Just yell at me so we can get over this.”

Claudia frowns. “It’s not—”

“Um, guys?”

Lydia holds my copy of Hamlet open in one hand and a square piece of white paper in the other. Shit. My legs stutter, textbooks toppling out of my hands.

Claudia snatches the paper and reads aloud:

Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away. End it.

“Who the fuck is this kid again?”

My stomach rolls. I swallow to keep from throwing up.

“I’m so sorry, Simone,” Lydia says, bending down to help. “I thought the notes stopped coming.”

That’s what I had hoped. I can’t bring myself to touch any of the other books. How the hell did the note get in there? It couldn’t have been slipped through the vents like the others.

I figured that telling Miles would give the note-leaver less power, but they could still tell everyone else about my secret. In some ways, it could be worse than what happened at my old school. People wouldn’t just give me a hard time; they’d bother my friends, and Miles, too.

A shiver runs through me. I didn’t even notice Eric go anywhere near my locker.

“Why don’t you tell the principal?” Lydia asks. “This isn’t getting any better. I know you don’t want to, but I don’t think it would be so bad for one person to know, especially if they’ll help make this go away.”

“No,” I sigh, grabbing my books and rising to my feet. “Not unless I absolutely have to.”

“Well,” Claudia says. “What else can you do?”

“I don’t know,” I say. “I just don’t know.”

The two of them share a glance. Lydia and Claudia are the smartest people I know, and even they don’t know what to do. Telling the principal isn’t a bad idea, but I can’t bring myself to do it.

“Is something going on?”

At the sound of Miles’s voice, I crumple the note in my hand. There’s no way in hell he’s seeing this.

“Nothing. I just dropped my books,” I say, gesturing to the pile with my chin. “You know Claudia and Lydia, right?”

“Yeah,” he says, frowning. I’m sure it’s obvious something is wrong, but that doesn’t mean I have to admit it. “It’s cool to see you guys. Do you wanna come out to lunch with us?”

“No thanks,” Claudia says. Somehow, she’s able to act like everything is normal. It’s a skill of hers. “We have a GSA meeting.”

My eyes snap up. She’s smiling, but I can’t bring myself to return the favor.