“What an idiot,” Asher says. “Coming down to a dark alleyway in the middle of the night. This is, like, the perfect spot for a murder.”
“You’re doing too much ‘research,’” I snap at him.
Bryce nods his head at someone who is approaching from the other end.
“Oh shit,” I whisper. “Someone’s here.”
We’re both crouched down on the landing waiting for the person to come into view. I recognize the clacking of the heeled boots before I see the short, definitely fried, blond hair. It’s Marissa Wilder.
“What the hell?” I say. Asher shushes me. “Do you think she’s cheating on Wes?” I can’t deny the excitement in my voice when I say it. Asher shushes me a second time.
The two of them stand alone talking too quietly for us to hear, and so close together that I start to think that really is what’s happening. If Marissa is seeing Bryce behind Wes’s back, that’d be one less obstacle for me. She starts to dig around in her purse for something before pulling out a folded piece of white paper and handing it to Bryce. I grab Asher’s arm.
“Do you see that?” I whisper. “That folded paper, that’s what my journal page looked like on Marco’s car.”
Marissa Wilder. Marissa fucking Wilder.
Maybe she did find out about me and Wes and wants revenge.
“We don’t know if that’s what it is,” he says back, but I’m already making my way down the fire escape, fueled on adrenaline. Asher tries to grab onto me but I’m out of reach.
They don’t notice me coming until I’m practically standing in front of them. Marissa snatches back the paper from Bryce when she sees me.
“What are you guys doing out here?” I ask.
Bryce blows out a puff of smoke in my direction. “What’s it to you?”
At the same time Marissa says, “We were just talking,” her tone a bit defensive.
“Oh really? About this?” I grab the paper from Marissa before she has a second to react and start to unfold it, fully preparing for it to be my handwriting on the inside. But it’s not; it’s a list of what look like answers to a math test. “What the hell?” I say under my breath.
Marissa snatches it back at the same time Bryce says, “What the fuck, Sloane?”
I realize I made a huge mistake and I’m thankful it’s too dark to see how red my face must be. “I’m sorry, I thought that was something else. Sorry,” I say again, backing away.
Marissa stands with her arms crossed. “You better not tell anyone, Sloane. If I get in trouble for giving out test answers, I’ll know it was you.”
First of all, who the fuck passes off test answers behind a bar in the middle of the night? “I won’t tell anyone,” I say.
“Good,” she says with a smirk, “because I don’t think Wesley would be too happy with you if I got expelled.”
I open my mouth to speak but Marissa turns to leave and Bryce follows. I walk back to Asher, who is now waiting at the bottom of the fire escape, on his phone looking bored.
“I take it you just made a complete ass out of yourself?” he says casually.
“It was test answers, she was giving him test answers,” I say in disbelief.
“Yeah, she sells them,” Asher says. “How do you think Jake passes classes?”
My eyes snap to him. “Why didn’t you say that before I ran down there?!”
“I did make a small attempt at trying to stop you.”
I rub at my temple and take a deep breath. “I’m too paranoid for this. I need a drink.”
“No,” Asher says. “You need to go home. You have to be on your A game tomorrow for the professor.” He turns my shoulders and starts walking with me from the alley, toward the road.
“What about following Bryce?”
