Two lives.

41. A tip, A bottle, A lie

I stared at the woman in front of me, my expression unreadable. I didn’t want to say anything that could get someone in trouble—so I decided to say nothing at all.

“Sienna, Sienna, Sienna,” she hummed, stacking the papers on her desk before folding her arms over them. Her voice was light, almost playful, but I knew better than to fall for it.

I just sat there, unfazed. This wasn’t my first time in a situation like this. Back home, I had plenty of practice lying for Kayla or Luke whenever they got caught doing something stupid. It always played out the same—I was the one people trusted, the good kid, the one who never got into trouble.

And that’s exactly why they believed everything I said.

Mrs. Burke sighed, shifting in her seat. “I’m going to be honest with you, and I hope you’ll do the same with me.”

“Okay,” I mumbled, my voice barely above a whisper.

She leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice like she was letting me in on some big secret. “Look, there have always been kids who smoke here. That’s just how it is. We’re never going to catch every single one of them.”

I stayed silent, watching her carefully.

“But when we do catch someone,” she continued, her tone sharpening, “we take it seriously.”

I nodded slightly, though I wasn’t sure if it was to acknowledge what she was saying or to make it seem like I was actually considering telling her anything.

“Your friend Andi.” Mrs. Burke glanced down at the papers on her desk before quickly lifting her head again. “She’s your friend, right?”

I hesitated for a second, weighing my options. If I said yes, I could get dragged into this mess with her. But if I said no, would that mean I couldn’t help Andi get out of trouble?

“Yeah,” I finally said, keeping my expression unreadable.

Mrs. Burke nodded slightly, watching me closely. “Okay. Well, we received an anonymous tip that someone had drugs hidden in Andi’s room.”

My stomach twisted, but I forced myself to keep my face neutral.

“And what does that have to do with us?” I asked, leaning back in my seat, tapping my foot against the floor. I was desperate to get out of this room.

She exhaled slowly, as if preparing to drop a bomb. “Along with the drugs, we also found alcohol.”

I blinked. Alcohol?

Andi doesn’t drink.

“That’s not hers,” I said immediately, sitting forward in my chair. “This is bullshit—someone planted that.” My frustration was bubbling over, my pulse quickening.

Mrs. Burke didn’t react, just folded her hands neatly on the desk. “We never assumed the drugs were Andi’s,” she said evenly. “We’re trying to figure out if Andi has any enemies. Someone who would do something like this.”

Summer.

I could feel my pulse pounding in my ears, but I forced myself to relax, leaning back again. “I don’t know of anyone,” I said flatly, keeping my voice steady.

Mrs. Burke studied me for a moment before sighing. “Alright. You can go.”

I didn’t need to be told twice. I shot up from my chair and walked straight to the door, barely resisting the urge to sprint.

I prayed that Ekko and Skin were still standing outside.

Of course I was right.

Ekko and Skin were standing right outside the door like I’d hoped. Ekko was leaned casually against the wall, arms crossed, his foot tapping the floor. Skin, on the other hand, was sprawled out on the hallway floor like he owned the place, taking up nearly half the space.

“Finally,” Skin said, looking up at me with a lazy smirk.

I didn’t respond. I just kept walking—straight past them, straight out of the office. I was mad. Scratch that—I was furious. I really thought all the drama with Summer had died down. That maybe, for once, she was done with the petty sabotage. But of course not. She had to keep pushing.

“What happened?” Ekko jogged a few steps to catch up with me, gently turning me by the shoulder to face him. His brows were furrowed, eyes scanning my face like he was trying to gauge how bad it was. He could probably feel how tense I was.

I blew out a breath, practically vibrating with anger. “I’m like ninety-nine percent sure Summer planted alcohol in Andi’s room,” I snapped, barely able to keep my voice steady as I turned back toward our hall.

“Oh, brother,” Skin groaned behind us, leaning his head back dramatically against the wall like he was already exhausted by the situation.

Ekko just kept walking beside me, quiet, waiting for more.