at night. I’ve never stayed this late, but I’m starting to think I’m the only person at Until Proven who leaves on time. The office is still buzzing, every desk full and littered with empty pizza boxes and Coke cans. Bethany picks up her discarded crust and nibbles on the edge. “They gave that classmate of yours the same treatment. Jake Riordan, remember him?” Like I could forget. “Star athlete involved in Simon Kelleher case,” Bethany says in her newscaster voice. “Oh, you mean involved like how he tried to kill his girlfriend? That kind of involved?”
“That was bullshit,” I agree.
Bethany snorts. “The justice system works very differently when you’re white, male, rich, and good-looking.” She nudges the last piece of pizza toward me. “Good to know, I guess, if you ever decide to turn to a life of crime.”
I pick up the slice, but it’s so cold and congealed that I can’t bring myself to take a bite. “I’m only two of those things.”
“Don’t sell yourself short, kid.”
Eli passes by, holding a phone with a familiar case that he waves at me. “Knox. This is yours, right? You left it in the copy room. Also, Maeve is calling.” He looks at my screen. “Was calling. You just missed her.”
I thought my phone had been strangely quiet. “Sorry about that,” I say, taking it from him. I register a surprising number of texts before I lay it on my desk like a busy professional who doesn’t have time for Bayview High gossip. Eli finally knows my name and has started giving me more interesting stuff to do. I don’t want to blow it by acting like a phone-obsessed teenager in front of him. Even though I am. “Do you need anything?”
Eli runs a hand through his newly shorn hair. “I need you to go home. There are child labor laws, or so Sandeep keeps telling me, and we’re probably violating them. Especially since we’re not paying you. Anyway, call Maeve back and then get out of here, all right? Everything else can wait until tomorrow.” He glances at Bethany, who’s still stapling news articles. “Bethany, can you sit down with me and review next week’s court schedule?”
“Yeah, sure.” She gazes around the crowded office. “Should we go in Winterfell?”
Eli rolls his eyes. He’s never going to get used to those names. “Fine.”
They leave, and I eye my phone warily. I really do hate making calls, but maybe Maeve’s on her laptop again and can’t text. I press her name, and she picks up before it’s even rung once.
“Oh thank God.” Her voice is low, breathless. “I was afraid you wouldn’t call me back.”
The sweaty guy is pacing circles around Sandeep in the conference room, distracting me. “Why wouldn’t I? I’m only kidding about being allergic to phone calls. Mostly.” The line goes so silent that I think we’ve been disconnected. “Maeve? You there?”
“I…yeah. Um, what are you up to?”
“Still at work, but I’m gonna leave soon.”
“Okay. Right. Have you…” She trails off, and I think I hear an audible gulp. “Have you been checking your phone?”
“No. I left it in the copy room for, like, an hour. What’s up?” I look at the wall clock again, and it hits me. “Shit. Your Truth or Dare text came, didn’t it? What did it say? Are you all right?”
“Oh God.” Maeve’s voice thickens. “I’m sorry, Knox. I am so, so sorry.”
“What? Maeve, you’re starting to freak me out.” I pause, alarm snaking through my gut as her breath hitches. “Are you crying?”
“Um…” She definitely is. “So, I think…okay. I’m going to read you the text from Unknown because, um, I don’t want you to have to read all the comments to get to it. Because they’re stupid and pointless like always.” Maeve draws in a shaky breath. “But before I do—I need you to know I didn’t say that, okay? Not exactly that. I wouldn’t. I’ve been racking my brains and I can only come up with a single conversation that’s even a little bit pertinent but I swear to God, it was a lot more nuanced than that. And it was with Bronwyn, who would never breathe a word, so I honestly don’t know how this even happened.”
“Maeve, seriously. What’s going on? Who do I need to fight?”
“Don’t.” She groans the word. “I, okay. This is what it said. Maeve Rojas, um…” I hear a deep breath, and then the rest of the words come out in a