Chapter 249 Chapter Two Hundred And Forty Nine

Chapter 249 Chapter Two Hundred And Forty Nine
Lena's POV

My finger was hovering over the call button when my phone suddenly vibrated in my hand. Jace's name flashed across the screen.

Guilt hit me like a punch to the stomach. I'd been ignoring his calls all morning, dodging his texts, avoiding him while I spiraled deeper into this mess. And here he was, still trying to reach me. Still trying to help.

I answered before I could think better of it. "Hello?"

"Finally." Jace's voice came through, edged with worry and frustration. "I've been looking for you everywhere. Where the hell are you? I checked your locker, asked around, even went back to Coach's office. Nobody's seen you."

"I'm—" I started, then stopped, my mind scrambling for a cover story that wouldn't be a complete lie but also wouldn't reveal that I'd stolen Allison's bag, cut it open, found a memory card full of incriminating evidence, and was currently sitting in an abandoned room about to call a potential criminal. "I'm just... around. You know. Hiding out."

"Hiding out where?" There was something in his voice—not accusation exactly, but definitely suspicion. He knew me too well.

"Just in one of the empty classrooms," I said, which was technically true if you counted abandoned media rooms as classrooms. "I needed some time to think."

"Well, stop thinking and get to the library." His tone softened slightly. "I'm already here waiting. Marcus and Allison are supposed to show up any minute. But I can come get you if you want. Where exactly are you?"

"No!" The word came out way too loud, too panicked. I took a breath and tried again. "I mean, no, that's okay. I'll be there. I'm not far."

There was a pause. When Jace spoke again, his voice was quieter, more careful. "Hey. You okay?"

The question almost broke me. Because no, I wasn't okay. I was the furthest thing from okay. I'd just committed multiple crimes, I had evidence I didn't know what to do with, and I was seconds away from making another spectacularly bad decision.

But something about hearing his voice—the genuine concern in it, the steadiness—made me reel it back in. Made me remember that I wasn't alone in this, even if I'd been acting like I was.

"Never better," I lied, shoving the phone number out of my thoughts. The call to that mysterious contact could wait. Right now, I needed to focus on getting through this library meeting without falling apart completely. "I'll be there in five minutes."

"Okay. See you soon, princess."

He hung up, and I sat there for another moment, staring at the phone in my hand. Then I shoved it in my pocket, along with the memory card, stood up, and headed for the library.

\---

The library was on the main floor, a sprawling space with high ceilings and rows upon rows of books that nobody used anymore since everything had gone digital. There were study tables scattered throughout, and private study rooms with glass walls along the back.

I spotted them immediately. Jace was sitting at one of the larger tables near the windows, his posture tense. Marcus sat beside him, looking uncomfortable. And across from them, with her arms crossed and her expression radiating pure disdain, was Allison.

My stomach twisted. But I'd come this far. Might as well see it through.

I walked over, my footsteps too loud in the quiet library. Jace's eyes found me immediately, and some of the tension in his shoulders eased. He stood up as I approached.

"Hey," he said quietly, his hand finding mine and giving it a quick squeeze. "You good?"

"Yeah," I lied again, sliding into the seat next to him.

Allison's eyes tracked the movement, watching our joined hands with barely concealed disgust. "How sweet," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "The cheater and the delinquent. A match made in Westbrook hell."

"Allison—" Marcus started, but she cut him off with a sharp look.

"I'm only here because Marcus begged me to come," Allison continued, examining her nails like this whole meeting was beneath her. "Personally, I think this is a waste of time. Lena's a liar who is now also a confirmed cheat. Case closed. She got what she deserved, and honestly, the school is better off without her."

"That's bullshit and you know it," Jace said flatly. His jaw was tight, his eyes hard. "Lena did nothing to deserve this kind of treatment from you. She's worked harder than anyone in this school. She earned everything she got."

"Oh, please." Allison leaned back in her chair, a cruel smile playing at her lips. "She's a social climber who got lucky with a summer glow-up and a good metabolism. Before that, she was nobody. A fat little loser who couldn't even defend herself when I—" She stopped herself, but the damage was already done.

"When you what?" Jace leaned forward, his voice dangerous. "When you bullied her for three straight years? When you made her life a living hell? Yeah, we all remember, Allison. The whole school remembers what you did to her."

"I made her stronger," Allison shot back, her eyes flashing. "She should be thanking me, really. If I hadn't pushed her, she never would have become who she is now. And look how she repaid me—by stealing my spot as cheer captain, by taking you away from me, by acting like she's better than everyone else when she's just—"

"That's what this is really about, isn't it?" I found my voice finally, cutting through her tirade. "This isn't about cheating or rules or protecting the integrity of the school. This is about you being pissed that I took things you thought belonged to you."

Allison's smile turned icy. "Oh, honey. You didn't take anything from me. I gave Jace to you like a hand-me-down dress I was tired of wearing. And cheer captain?" She laughed. "I got bored. Wanted to try something new. You just happened to be there to pick up the scraps."

"That's not how I remember it," I said quietly, but with steel underneath. "I remember you fighting tooth and nail to keep that position. I remember you spreading rumors about me, trying to turn the squad against me, doing everything you could to make me quit. And when none of that worked, you did this." I gestured vaguely at myself, at the situation. "You framed me for cheating because you couldn't stand the idea of me succeeding."

"Prove it," Allison said simply, her smile widening. "Oh wait—you can't. Because I didn't do anything. You cheated. You got caught. End of story."

"Come on, Ally," Marcus interjected, his voice tired. "Can we just talk about this reasonably? Maybe there's a way to—"

"To what?" Allison turned on him, her eyes blazing. "To let her off the hook? To pretend like she didn't violate every academic integrity policy this school has? Why would I do that?"

"Because it's the right thing to do," Marcus said, but even he didn't sound convinced.

"The right thing," Allison repeated mockingly. She looked at Jace then, something complicated flickering across her face. "You know what's funny? You used to understand how the world worked. Back when it was us against everyone else, remember? We didn't care about what was 'right.' We cared about winning. About being on top." Her voice dropped, became almost wistful. "We were good together, Jay. We were perfect. And then she—" she jabbed a finger toward me "—came along and suddenly you're all about honor and protecting the weak and doing the right thing. It's pathetic."

"No," Jace said, his voice hard as stone. "What's pathetic is you destroying someone's entire future because you can't handle the fact that I moved on. That I found someone who actually makes me want to be better instead of worse."

The words hung in the air. Allison's face went pale, then red, emotions warring across her features—hurt, anger, humiliation.

"Fuck you," she said finally, her voice shaking slightly. "Fuck you, Jace. This has nothing to do with us. This is about her—" she pointed at me again "—being a lying, cheating fraud who doesn't belong here."

"Then prove it," I said suddenly, surprised by my own boldness. "If I'm such an obvious fraud, then it should be easy to prove, right? Let me take any test you want. Any subject. Right now. No preparation. And we'll see if I'm actually as dumb as you're claiming I am."

Allison's eyes narrowed. "That doesn't prove anything about the past."

"It proves I don't need to cheat to get good grades," I shot back. "Which kind of undermines your whole narrative, doesn't it?"

"This is pointless," Allison stood abruptly, grabbing her purse from the back of her chair—wait, no, that was a different bag. Not the Birkin. Just a regular designer purse. My heart rate spiked before settling again. "I'm done here. Marcus, are you coming?"

Marcus looked between Allison and Jace, clearly torn. "Maybe we should keep talking—"

"Now, Marcus."

He stood slowly, shooting Jace an apologetic look. "Sorry, man. I tried."

They left together, Allison's heels clicking sharply against the library floor, Marcus trailing behind her like a lost puppy. Several students looked up from their work to watch them go, whispers immediately starting up.

I waited until they were completely out of sight before I let out the breath I'd been holding. "Well. That went great."