did it happen, Maddy?”
“How did what happen?”
“How did you get drugged?” I asked, diving straight into the question she was clearly trying to avoid.
“Drugged?” She laughed again. “Oh, Chloe, I wasn’t drugged. I just ate something bad, that’s all. Des overreacts sometimes. I was fine.”
I frowned. She definitely wasn’t fine when she’d been mumbling incoherently in the back seat. “I think it was more than that, Maddy.”
“Well, whatever, I’m fine now, and I owe you a huge apology. I can’t believe our night was cut short by that.”
Was she seriously going to pretend it didn’t happen? “Maddy, are you sure it wasn’t something more?”
She hesitated, but only for half a second. “Yep, I’m fine now. Anyway, I have to go, I’m on my way to Lola’s to help with homework. I’ll see you tomorrow!”
I hardly managed to utter a goodbye before the line disconnected. I stared at the blank screen, empty of notifications.
My mind reeling, I fumbled for my purse and checked its pockets. Inside was the fake ID, as well as Desmond’s business card. On it was his phone number and email, and on the back a postal address, which looked residential.
Taking down the remaining names on my list seemed easier to visualize now, with a treasure chest of potential material lying in Desmond’s grasp.
On Monday morning, I woke before my usual alarm, preparing my schoolbag and doing my makeup quick enough to be almost an hour early for school. I’d taken extra care to wing my liner and wear an outfit that clung to my waist, the white blouse cropped close and the plaid skirt grazing dangerous territory.
Today, my place on Level One would be rocky, and looking the part was the least I could do.
William still hadn’t texted me all weekend, save for a message late last night explaining he’d meet me at school. I wasn’t satisfied with that, though. I wasn’t about to walk into Arlington without him, especially if we weren’t on good terms.
I made my way to William’s home. I’d never been inside the mayor’s estate, but I’d driven past numerous times, always gawking at its high fences and the towering building behind it. It was bright and crisp out, the lawns still glittering in a fresh coat of dew.
I’d sent William a text, hoping he’d see it and feel alarmed enough to come outside. I killed the engine and waited.
It was five minutes before the gates opened, revealing a tall figure with mussed hair. I wound down my window.
“What are you doing here?” Though he sounded annoyed, I thought I saw relief flicker across his face. I wondered if my mind was just playing tricks on me or if it was really there.
“You ghosted me this weekend,” I said as he climbed into the Audi. “That’s not part of our deal.”
He let out a sigh, his hands moving to rub his eyes. On closer inspection, it looked like I’d woken him up with my message. It was crazy to think the boys of Level One could just roll out of bed and head to school, while I spent an hour just on makeup alone.
“Look, Chloe,” he said as I killed the engine. We needed to sort this out before we reached campus. “I just . . . I’m not sure if this is all a good idea.”
My heart sank, and I tried to keep my gaze straight ahead. “You can’t just decide you don’t want to do this. That’s not how it works.”
“I know.” There was a long pause. “Sometimes I forget that all that’s between us is my dad’s corruption and your revenge plan.”
My fingers burned as I clenched them around the wheel.
“I just—I need this, William,” I said. “I’m so close—I know I am. I’m so close to exposing them, to getting the revenge Monica would have wanted—”
“Would she?” he interrupted. “Is this what Monica would have wanted?”
I clenched my teeth. “You didn’t know Monica.”
“Well, from my experience, she would have done anything for attention, especially Lola’s. Maybe even worse things than Lola herself would do.”
I wanted to slap him. I glared at him, fury blinding my vision.
“Chloe . . .” His tone told me he almost regretted his words. His hand reached out to touch my arm, but I dodged his touch. “We need to talk about her—”
“No,” I said harshly. “We don’t.”
“Okay.” He held his hands up, as if posing himself as harmless. But right now, he was doing so much harm. He was my strongest asset. No, my