Kellen scoffs. ‘This is nothing to do with Ethan or Tiffany or the rest of Hawthorn. What you’re really saying is that I don’t belong with Rhys.’

‘No, I’m not.’

I definitely am.

‘If you’re gonna say it, say it with your whole chest.’

‘OK, fine,’ I say. ‘I don’t think you belong with Rhys. There. Happy now?’

‘Thrilled.’

‘You’re infuriating.’

‘I’m infuriating?’ He laughs. ‘You’re the one who’s dragged me over here for this meaningless conversation.’

‘It’s not meaningless!’ I say. ‘Someone is about to leak Ethan’s photos. Shouldn’t we be doing something to stop that? He’s meant to be your friend, right?’

‘What are we supposed to do?’ Kellen says. ‘It takes time for something to go viral. Those photos were probably leaked hours ago. It’s too late to do anything about it now.’

He’s right, I realize, but that doesn’t stop me. ‘We could still figure out who it was … Expose them, get some justice.’

‘Justice? You hate Ethan, Zach. Why do you suddenly care so much?’

‘Why don’t you care?’ I say. ‘I mean … it wasn’t you, right?’

‘Of course it wasn’t me! How fucking dare you?’

‘Well, it was someone.’

‘And that someone wasn’t me,’ he growls. ‘So why don’t you run along and play Sherlock Holmes on your own. And while you do that I’m gonna go enjoy prom. With my boyfriend. If that’s OK with you?’

‘Whatever,’ I say, stomping away. I can’t believe I’ve actually missed hanging around with him. He’s as insufferable as ever.

‘Just make it go away!’ Tiffany screeches into her phone, right on schedule. I guess I’m too late. ‘I don’t care, Daddy! I swear to God, if I see anything about this in the Herald …!’

She hangs up and glares around. Her eyes land on Chase for a moment, and you can see her scrutinizing him. I think she’s about to charge over and accuse him like yesterday, but then she glances away and continues scanning for suspects. It looks like taking the heat off Chase by making sure that he didn’t hack the results might actually have worked.

At least I did something right.

‘Who do you think did it?’ Bec says as I join them again. ‘I know they have a lot of enemies, but … this? Could someone really be so heartless?’

‘It could be anyone,’ I say, looking around the crowd.

There’s nobody at this school that Ethan and Tiffany haven’t snubbed, bullied or demeaned at least once. Even Ethan and Rhys have locked horns a couple of times. Literally everyone is a suspect. Including Kellen. Despite what he said, I can’t rule him out. With the way they treat him, he definitely has a motive. Maybe he just wanted to bring them down a peg on prom night.

Maybe that’s why he doesn’t want me sniffing around …

‘At least Ethan seems to be taking it pretty well?’ Bec says.