Ace of Spades Sneak Peek(55)

“Email, I’ll be expecting it,” I say, before turning, grabbing Richards’s arm, and pulling him toward the door.

Richards pulls his arm away, and I turn to give him my death glare. Why is he being such a child?

“Whoever Aces is, from everything we know, it’s clear they’ve plotted this—whatever this is—meticulously. We need to think ahead and preempt what they’re going to do next,” I say. I can’t help but notice that Richards’s eyes are tinted pink, like he’s been crying all morning.

“So what do we do?” he asks.

“A stakeout, this Sunday—we are going to catch Aces as they set their next messages.”

“Then what?”

“We’ve got all their messages and Peter’s data as evidence, and after pinning down who they are, we don’t stop until they have nothing left. Expose them and everything they’ve done—to the school and every college they’re applying to. I will ruin their future like they tried to ruin ours.”

Devon nods. “I’m in.”



* * *



I have chemistry and find my seat next to Jamie.

I sit down heavily, taking my notebook out. I remember the simpler days, when I could just enjoy my favorite subject in peace. I should have treasured those moments.

“Pair up and follow the instructions on the sheet,” Mr. Peterson says.

I cringe inwardly. Now would be the perfect time for a change of partner. Anyone but Jamie. But partner changes don’t happen easily, plus with me not talking to him, and Ruby and Ava not speaking to me either, I’d rather not try my luck with anyone else.

I look over at one of the girls on the bench next to me: Clara. She’s always hated my guts, and now she can do so openly. She gives me a smug look, before turning away.

I go up to the side tables, getting a Bunsen burner and the materials.

“Belle broke up with me,” Jamie says when I get back to our table.

“I’m sorry,” I say, though I don’t mean it.

He sniffs, and my heart feels heavy.

“I just really liked her.”

There’s silence as I unpack everything, but I can feel him staring at me.

“Sorry for leaving you behind, not being there when you needed me.”

Why is he suddenly deciding to be all nice to me? I set the Bunsen up and separate the materials.

“It’s okay,” I tell him.

“It’s not. I’m your best friend, and I left you when things got tough.”

I’m used to it, I want to say. I’m used to Jamie ignoring situations when things get tough or hard to speak about. Now I’m trying not to accept his crappy behavior.

“Here’s the list of elements we need to test,” I say—without stuttering, which I’m so happy about, because I can still feel Jamie’s eyes on me and it’s making me nervous.

“Okay,” he says. I hear whispers behind me, and at first I’m confused, until I hear the voices more clearly.

“I don’t know how Belle can hang out with someone like that…,” someone says. I look up. Jeremy smiles at me and waves and I smile back, waving with my middle finger up. His smile falters and he turns away.

“What a bitch, no wonder nobody likes her.”

Sometimes I really hate Niveus.

The best revenge right now is to not let my grades slip. I’m going to get into Yale, then med school, and then I’m going to be the best doctor in the state, whether they like it or not.

Jamie and I work side by side for the rest of the class. He even lets me do most of the Bunsen burner work. After we’re finished, he walks out with me.

“Do you want to come over to my place today, maybe go to the Waffle Palace or something?” he asks. I don’t know why I’m surprised. Whenever something happens, he always wants us to forget and move on, go back to being best friends. I don’t know if it’s Aces, Belle, or something else, but I’m finally seeing through the cracks in Jamie’s seemingly perfect demeanor.

I feel like I’m worth more than that.

“I’m busy,” I tell him.

“Oh.”

We walk and we get stared at but I keep my head up, heels clicking against the marble loudly. I imagine stomping on all of their glaring faces. I am not going to look weak.

“I could walk you home?”

I turn and say, “I have legs, Jamie. I can walk myself home, and I’m sure you can too.” I give him a tight smile, and then I walk out of the school, down the steps, and through the gate. Alone.



* * *



The house is empty when I get back.

I go upstairs immediately, opening my laptop and downloading everything Peter sent over.

The first sheet pops up. I scroll, watching as each message is traced back to the origin. Computer 17. Every message that was sent is there.

Just in. Looks like Chi’s not so sweet. Sources say she got caught trying to steal candy. Careful, Chi, don’t want a record Yale will see …—Aces

It’s been two weeks since it happened. Two Tuesdays ago. And I still can’t figure out how the candy ended up in my pocket. I wonder who these sources are. There were other people in the shop, but none I recognized as being Niveus students. Only Jamie. But it doesn’t make sense that he’d ruin his relationship with Belle by posting the later messages about us. None of this makes sense.