Players were leaving the field, and, when Danielle spotted Evan and Shelby among the group, she threw up her hands and cried, “I have to go!” Then she took off, leaving me standing there, stunned by what she’d revealed.

Slowly I walked away, trying to figure out what to do. How could I make a serious accusation against Josh’s best friend? I didn’t know for sure what he’d done that night. Had Evan copied the test? Was he still planning to cheat? Had he witnessed the vandalism? Or had he taken part in it?

I didn’t like Evan much, but would he trash his own school? He was a cheater, not a vandal, I thought. Maybe he’d just seen what happened and was afraid to come forward.

Or maybe Danielle lied—again.

Grabbing my bike by the handlebars, I started to leave, when I felt a tap on my shoulder. Whirling around, I found myself face to chest with a tall football player. “Evan!”

He flashed a lazy grin. “Don’t act so happy to see me. What were you doing here? Checking up on me?”

“No.” I propped my bike back against the fence. “Why would you think that?”

“It’s no secret you’re not a fan of football—or me,” he added accusingly. “Josh has been different since hooking up with you. I hardly see him anymore.”

“He’s busy, I guess.”

“Don’t try to interfere in our friendship. No girl has ever come between us.”

“And there have been plenty of girls,” I couldn’t resist saying sarcastically. “I saw you out on the field with your new girlfriend. Where’d she go?”

“Some babysitting job.” He narrowed his gaze at me. “And I saw you—with Danielle.”

“She left. I’m leaving, too.” I stepped away from him, eager to get on my bike and leave.

“Wait!” He shifted around to block my way. “What did Danielle tell you about me?”

“Nothing.”

“Sure about that?”

“Well, she was upset about Shelby. I see you’re living up to your reputation.”

“What’s wrong with moving on when things don’t work out? That doesn’t make me a bad guy.”

“Depends on why they didn’t work out.”

“Josh wouldn’t judge me without hearing my side first.”

“He always sees the best in people, and I admire that about him, but I’m not as trusting. Not that my opinion matters—this is between you and Danielle.”

“We’re over. I’m with Shelby now, and she’s nothing like Danielle—she knows how to treat a guy right.”

“Does that include stealing—” I slapped my hand over my big mouth. Then I glanced at my watch as if I’d just remembered a late appointment. “I have to go.”

“Wait.” He seemed to grow taller and wider as he blocked my way. “Obviously Danielle told you some lies and you’ve jumped to the wrong conclusion.”

“I really have to leave.”

“She told you about the test. Didn’t she? Which means she also told you we were at the school last Sunday.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I stepped to the side, only he slid right back in front of me.

His smile never faltered—like he was toying with me—and he even casually waved at some kids who passed. “If you wanna know what really went down that night, don’t rush off. I’ll tell you something I haven’t told anyone.”

“What?”

“I have a picture of the dude who trashed the school, caught in the act. So, do you want to hear my side now?”

I didn’t trust him, yet how could I walk away from this? A picture! Real proof! Manny would be totally blown away. So I nodded.

“I’m ashamed I tried to cheat.” Evan’s sincerity seemed genuine as we walked toward the school. “But when Danielle found out I was going to be kicked off the team if I flunked another science test, she offered to copy the test, and I couldn’t talk her out of it. So I went along and kept watch outside.”

Obviously not a close watch or the janitor wouldn’t have caught us, I thought. Then I wondered, does he know I was there, too?

“I was keeping a low profile and saw this guy sneaking around. He was carrying a spraypaint can, acting real suspicious. I couldn’t call the cops because Danielle could get in trouble. But I have one of those cell phones that takes pictures, and I took his.”

“Why didn’t you get Danielle out of there and call the police?”

“I wasn’t sure what he was up to at first. It wasn’t till the next day that I knew what went down.” Then he hung his head and added quietly, “Sorry if I came on strong at first, but Danielle gets to me.”

“You’re the one who dumped her.”

“I felt bad about that. I was really into her until she started talking crazy, making all these threats about killing herself, me, and anyone I ever dated.”

“She was just hurt.”

“So was I.” He sighed dramatically. “Come on—I printed the picture out and hid it somewhere safe, just in case I needed it.”

I folded my arms across my chest, not sure whether to believe him or not. It all seemed so polished and convenient. But I did want to see the picture. So making sure my bike was locked, I followed him toward the school. I walked quickly, glancing nervously over my shoulder.

Sabine, came a mental whisper. Opal. It was just like her to butt in when I was finding answers on my own. So I shut her out by visualizing Manny’s reaction when I showed him the vandal’s picture. He’d be way impressed—especially when I revealed I hadn’t had any help from the other side.

As we neared the same unlocked door that Manny had used to get into the school, Evan paused to look around.

“Did you hear that?” he asked, glancing around uneasily.

“What? No one’s around.”

“You never know who’s watching,” he said ominously.

Why was Evan acting like this? A prickly feeling made me look over my shoulder again, and I glimpsed quick movement in a tree-filled courtyard. Only a bird or squirrel, I assured myself. Still, my heart pounded as I walked with Evan into the hushed, dimly lit building. With the school shut down for the weekend, the halls seemed eerily quiet.

“With all the locker searches, I didn’t trust leaving the picture in my locker. Since I still had the key Danielle used to get into the storage room, I hid the picture in here.”

Evan stopped at the supply room where I’d found Danielle. He dropped his backpack and reached into his pocket for the key. He opened the door and made a gentlemanly sweep of his arm. “Ladies first.”

I froze, remembering the last time I’d been here—caught by the janitor. Had it only been a week ago? Glancing inside, I saw nothing threatening: a desk, chairs, and file cabinets. Yet something felt very wrong.

“I don’t know about—” I started to say, only a vicious shove from behind knocked my breath away.

Gasping, I tumbled forward, falling hard onto the concrete floor. Pain shot through my knees, the door slammed, and the room went dark. It happened so fast. Before I could jump up to rush at the door, there was a sharp click of the door locking behind me.

Pounding my fists, I screamed, “Let me out!”

Evan just laughed. “Scream all you want,” he said through the door. “The janitor can’t hear you. He’s picking up trash by the football field.”

“You jerk!” My knees stung, but I ignored the pain as I yanked and rattled the knob. It wouldn’t budge. “Why are you doing this?”

“Damage control—and it’s kind of fun.”

“I’ll damage you when I get out of here!”

“So naïve,” he taunted. “You really believed I had a picture?”

“No picture? Then why did you—” My body stiffened but my brain whirled. “You put that stuff in my locker! Why target me? What did I ever do to you?”

“Come between me and Josh. He’s always looked up to me like a big brother, but he wouldn’t listen about you. I suspected when I met you that you were trouble. And I knew it for sure when you started hanging around Danielle, getting her to tell you things about me.”

“So you set me up?”

“I knew your locker combination from watching Josh. It was a brilliant move, shifting the blame on you. I’ve been trying to figure out how to show Josh you’re not right for him. He’ll be upset when he finds out you’re a thief, but I’ll be there for him. He’ll listen to me in the future before he dates some nobody.”

My mind continued to grind out the details, not fully comprehending what Evan was saying. “You called in the anonymous tip!” I smacked the door harder, wishing it were his face.

“Clever, huh? Only, somehow, you got lucky and found the stuff before Dunlap searched the lockers.”

“Wait till I get out of here! I’ll tell him everything.”

“Try it. Think he’ll believe you over his star football player? My team will cover for me, say I was with them, so it’ll be your word against mine. And no one will trust you by then. Including Josh.”

Panicked, I balled my hands into fists and pounded harder. “Open up! Now!”

“Keep making noise. When the custodian finishes the football field, he’ll let you out. Only he’s not going to be very happy when he sees what you’ve done.”

“I haven’t done anything!”

“No one’s gonna believe that.” A strong odor wafted through the crack at the bottom of the door. Paint! And Evan laughed in a cold way that made me shudder. “By Monday morning the whole school will know who the vandal is. You.”