Page 23 (1/2)

"Nothing," Hanna said quickly

"Don’t askweird"

Suddenly, Hanna felt overwhel way too much "Um, I have to" Hanna jumped up from the couch and ran toward the door Kate let out a half sniff, half sigh behind her

She rushed down the hall and paused outside the powder roo propped on the back of the living room sofa It was a orn stuffed Rottweiler, one of its ears al and a patch of fur on its back worn away Her father had bought Hanna this stuffed dog after theyinside joke between theh the years and figured he’d been lost forever Had her dad really hung on to hiuilt and regret surging through her veins Her dad was trying to make an effort to restore their relationship, and Hanna was paying hi with the eneot in deeper She was juggling tooup with her

She reached into her pocket for her phone But when she opened a new text ain hten and tears well in her eyes

A hand touched Hanna’s arm, and she squealed and whirled around Kate stood behind her, hand on one hip "Everything okay?" she asked in a faux-concerned voice Her gaze flicked fro’s fine," Hanna said tightly, covering the screen with her fingers Thankfully, she hadn’t pulled up Liam’s information yet

"Uh huh" Kate narrowed her eyes "You don’t look fine"

"Why do you care?"

Kate stepped closer, and Hanna could s so to re about"

A nasty sled onto Kate’s face "You heard what Toer "If any of us have secrets, the enemy will find them out You don’t want that to happen, do you?"

And then, before Hanna could answer, Kate tossed her long chestnut hair, spun around, and strolled back to the fale as she walked, a sound that made every cell in Hanna’s body quiver

It sounded exactly like Ali’s A’s

Chapter 21

SAME BAG, SCARIER CONTENTS

"Let’s take it frohth measure" Amelia’s voice floated out fro by the u afternoon A few seconds later, clarinets tooted and violins screeched The classical piece lu like a funereal mess Then it stopped abruptly "Maybe we should take a break," another voice said

Spencer froze Kelsey was here Again

Part of her wanted to run up to her bedrooht, but she remembered her promise to the others--and herself If she studied Kelsey carefully enough, ure out what Kelsey knew about last summer--and if she really was A

Slowly, she crept toward the den The door was slightly ajar Inside the rooered her clarinet Kelsey held her violin in her lap Then, as if sensing a presence, Kelsey raised her head, saw Spencer, and flinched Her mouth ainst the wall So several deep breaths, she peeked around the doorway and looked again Kelsey’s head was do, concentrating on the sheet music There was a tiny flower tattoo behind her ear--perhaps teotten it in juvie

She thought about the night of their arrest It had begun like any other Spencer had grabbed her books from her desk and cli out a new keypad systeiven Spencer her room’s code She’d typed it in and let herself into the eyht as well pop an Easy A now so it would kick in when they were starting to crah her purse, the pill bottle was empty She checked inside Kelsey’s Buddha statue, where she always kept her stash Kelsey was out of pills, too

Panic overcame her Their AP exah chapter seventeen of thirty-one in AP Ancient History Phineas had warned her that if she went off the pills cold turkey, she’d suffer ato do was call Phineas for o, he didn’t show up to class When Spencer and Kelsey went to his dorm room, it was empty, the sheets stripped froers in the closet Spencer had tried his cell phone, but there was no answer An automated voice said that his voice mail inbox was full

A beep of the room’s electronic keypad entry syste fresh-faced and relaxed Spencer sprang to her feet "We’re out of pills," she blurted "We need to get more"

Kelsey frowned "How?"

Spencer tapped her lips, thinking Phineas had iven her one of the guy’s cards in case of e the nu?"