But I hear it. The very slight waver in her voice that tells me I’m right. Even though we’re enemies and she just got my best friend expelled, I feel for her.

“You don’t need to go through this alone,” I persist. “Ryan can’t keep hurting you—”

“You have no idea what you’re saying.” She cuts me off, then projects her voice so the people walking around us can hear. “Annalisa White did this to me! She’s psychotic. You can spin whatever lies you want but the truth is she attacked me out of nowhere and was rightly expelled for it.”

“Kaitlyn—”

“You and your friends need to leave me alone,” she sneers, leaning in threateningly toward me. “And don’t think I haven’t noticed your hair. You’re trying so hard to be me it’s pathetic.”

And with that, she spins on her heel and struts down the hallway, leaving me no room to protest.

How do you help someone who doesn’t want to be helped? Especially when that person hates you with a burning passion.

20

Since all our friends still have no idea what’s going on, and Annalisa wants to talk about what happened, we get together after school. Aiden’s house is the most logical spot to meet since he has a free house and doesn’t have babysitting for his brothers.

Charlotte and I volunteer to stay back and grab all of Annalisa’s stuff from her locker, so by the time I get to Aiden’s, everyone else has already taken up the parking spots in his driveway. Apparently, someone else on his street doesn’t care it’s a Monday night and is throwing a party, because there are cars everywhere. I have to park down the block, but I don’t mind, since it’s a pretty nice day out.

“So, have you and Chase still not talked?” I ask Charlotte as we walk to Aiden’s house.

Third period chemistry, the class I share with Chase and Charlotte, was awkward to say the least. She’s still mad at him for the way he acted at her brother’s house party, and I think Chase just doesn’t know what to say to make it right. The only reason lunch wasn’t an awkward disaster was because we were all wrapped up in what had just happened with Annalisa.

“Nope. And I don’t plan on talking to him unless he makes the effort to come up to me first,” she says with a stubborn set to her jaw.

I can’t really blame her. I’m sure if my best friend of ten years acted like that toward me, I’d be much pettier than her right now.

When we get into Aiden’s house, Charlotte makes sure she sits on the complete opposite side of the room from where Chase is, squeezing in between Julian and Noah, who are talking to Jason and Jackson.

“Did you see our new video game? Bet we can beat you this time!” Jason holds up the box with a mischievous grin. “It’s a continuation of Return of the Zombie Aliens Part Three and a Half!”