wherever I looked, people looked back at me.

Jasper swearing in French was what interrupted my frantic search for a hint as to what was going on, his phone in one hand.

Seth, who was sitting in the armchair next to him and could therefore see what Jasper was reading, paled a little.

“What is it?” I asked.

“It’s um . . . it’s The Chitter Chatter,” he said. “There was an update fifteen minutes ago.”

“What does it say then?” Noelle sighed.

After exchanging an unsure glance with Seth, Jasper hesitantly handed her the phone. Leaning over her shoulder, I read:

Well, that didn’t take very long. Evelyn and Noelle solved the little guessing game I gave you losers themselves before any of you truly had to use your gray matter.

Remember how all of us thought Noelle would rip that sweet girl to pieces when she first arrived here? How we were honestly scared for her well-being? How we thought she wouldn’t last more than a few weeks with Noelle as her roommate?

Funny how the tables have turned, huh?

I’m not sure for how long exactly they’ve been getting it on, but that’s beside the point. Their little fling is nothing compared to the real big secret Noelle has been hiding from us.

Or should I say: That Ashley has been hiding from us?

Yes, you read that right. Her real name is Ashley Danell, born and raised in New York, daughter to the semifamous R&B singer Crystal Danell. If you had to look up who that is, then welcome to the club. Danell is quite a big number in the US, but apparently too mediocre to make it all the way to Europe.

Just like her daughter, she’s probably just popular because of good looks and a decent amount of charisma.

At least now we know why it seems like Noelle thinks she’s better than everyone else here, hm? I wonder what it was that made her change her name? Bets are now on . . .

Noelle took longer than me to read it. My lungs felt like all the air was being crushed out of them as I studied the succession of emotions on her face, vague curiosity turning into amusement turning into shock turning into something that simply looked . . .

numb. By the time she handed the phone back to Jasper her hands were shaking, eyes glassy.

“What does this mean?” Jasper asked. He had the same wide-eyed look I was sure I was wearing.

Noelle shook her head, tongue clamped down by panic. Her empty mug clattered to the floor as she got up, but she didn’t pause, didn’t look like she noticed at all. Ignoring Seth’s questioning gaze, I picked it up and hurried after her.

I caught up with her in the girls’ wing, almost at our door.

“Noelle,” I said, reaching for her sleeve. “What’s going on?”

When she turned around it was with tears welling in her eyes, a guttural sob tearing free from her throat. Pressing a hand to her mouth, she shook her head.