had gone looking for me just as I'd left the ballroom and she'd spotted me going into the main hall. She and Squirtle had roamed the closing booths for a while before finally hearing a noise from inside the VizaSoft booth. They'd walked in just in time to see the tail end of Sophia's confession and save me from coming to the same fate as Connor.
For which, I would always be grateful, I'd decided as I watched Sophia get handcuffed and put on a second gurney, nursing an injury of her own. Even as I detailed her confession to uniformed officers, I could hear her ranting to whomever would listen that she wasn't guilty and it was all a huge misunderstanding. I wasn't sure her lawyer would have any more luck than she was at making that sound convincing, but as the crowd from the Pixel Ball slowly made their way toward the center of commotion, I could see lots of people with their phones out, filming her fall from grace. At least she'd get one of her wishes—she was going to be pretty famous by the end of the night. Just maybe not for what she'd hoped.
Some of the very first of the crowd from the Pixel Ball to arrive on the scene had been Sam and Kyle, their faces wearing matching ashen looks of concern as they'd raced toward the crime scene tape. Which was pulling double duty now that the booth was once again the scene of an attack. Sam had tackled me in a linebacker worthy hug and cried how sorry she was that she'd left the booth. Of course I'd told her there was nothing to forgive—it wasn't her fault she'd believed Sophia's lies to lure her away. Heck, in her place, I might have done the same thing.
We were still hugging and both talking at the same time about what had happened when Raley approached the three of us.
"Hartley," he said.
I sucked in a deep, fortifying breath. "Raley."
To my surprise, instead of giving me a lecture about being at a crime scene again, he put a warm hand on my shoulder. "You okay, kid?"
The tender gesture caught me by surprise, and I felt a lump form in my throat again as I answered. "Mostly."
He nodded, a frown of sympathy on his freckled face. "Can you tell me what happened?"
I took in another breath, letting it out on a shaky sigh. "I think so."
And I did, this time leaving nothing out. Which might have been a rookie mistake since I fully expected the entire story to trickle down to Mom in no time, but I felt I owed Raley the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I even confessed to looking at his notes, which morphed his concerned fatherly look into one of anger for a few seconds, but he didn't explode at me. Which I took as a good sign.
"And then Ellen hit her with the gaming console and called you guys," I finished. I licked my lips, watching his stoic expression. "She's not gonna be in any trouble, is she?"
"Ellen?" he asked. He shook his head. "No. From what it sounds like, she acted with appropriate force in the defense of others."
I nodded vigorously, wholeheartedly agreeing. "She saved my life."
He smiled, though his eyes still held a note of concern. "Then she's a hero."
I made a mental note to call her that in my article. To make sure the entire school knew what a brave hero the introverted, unassuming Ellen was. I felt horrible for ever having suspected her for a second, and I vowed to make it up to her in any way I could.
"And Chase? Is he going to be okay?" I asked, eyes going to the gurney where EMTs were still flashing little lights in his eyes and checking vitals.
Raley nodded. "He'll be fine."
I let out a long sigh of relief. "Really?"
"They're checking for a concussion. Considering he lost consciousness, it's likely. But he's alert and responsive, so those are all good signs."
I nodded, feeling tears leak from my eyes. "Thanks."
Raley put his hand on my shoulder again. "Your boyfriend's going to be fine," he said in his fatherly voice.
I should have corrected him, but in that moment, I really didn't mind anyone thinking of Chase as my boyfriend. As long as we were thinking of him alive, Raley could call him whatever he wanted.
"Did Chase say what he was doing in the booth?" I asked, thinking back to