“I don’t want to go and see anyone. Garrett is playing and I abruptly broke up with him and slammed the door in his face. I can’t imagine he has fuzzy feelings for me. Even worse, he’s become the center of the rumors along with those other kids associated with the disgraced families. Don’t you read the news?” I stood up to shuffle over to the kitchen to attempt to eat anything after skipping breakfast.

Nausea was hitting.

She followed behind me, fussing with my clothes, trying to pull off my pajamas. “The news is for losers and Garrett won’t even see you. He’s going to be playing football! I also heard that after the game a few people are going a few towns over for a pretty sick fall festival.”

I smacked her hand away from trying to undress me. “Parties are not my jam. Tried it and I’m over it. Especially with what’s been going on lately. The mass texts are getting super weird.”

“What mass texts?”

Closing the cupboard with my hands full of candy, I nodded over to the table. “Check my phone. Haven’t you been getting them?”

She shot me a concerned look. “Um, no.”

Unlocking my phone, she scrolled through the messages, face growing more and more concerned. She looked freaked out by the time she looked back up to me.

There were three sent after the one I knew she got.

Secrets spilled create a stain just like blood.

The stakes in the game have never been higher.

Who will be the first to squeal?

“Fal, have you just assumed these were mass texts?” she asked, mouth hanging open.

I shrugged. “I guess so. If it’s just sent to me, they clearly didn’t make it obvious enough. Do you think they’re being sent to specific people now?”

Trying to maintain my composure, I pretended they weren’t sent to only me. I already had enough paranoia about the death of a supposed whistleblower, being stalked by Alexander, and Brent’s motives. Oh, and Kelly being suspicious as hell.

She’s been sneaking out, not knowing that I knew she was doing something in secret. Sure, she went out to parties and bumped coke sometimes with that boyfriend of hers, but even she was being odd lately.

And it wasn’t because of drugs.

She shifted uncomfortably. “It’s a possibility, but I don’t think you should shrug this off just yet. Maybe I can talk to-”

I held up a hand to stop her, “I don’t want to think about it. I will get ready for the damn football game if it means we don’t talk about it.”