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  Giving her girl a hug, Sanaa said, “I would have never even suspected him.”

  “Me either. How dumb am I?”

  “Can I talk to you, please?” Stephen asked, startling both of them.

  Pia turned around and slapped him hard. She dashed off. Sanaa was boiling hot.

  “Oh my gosh, Stephen! You put her on the list?” Sanaa said.

  He shared, “She won’t listen to me, but I need you to.”

  Sanaa just put up her hand and walked away. She didn’t want to hear any words from Stephen. She was in shock that a guy close to her girl would sell her out for any reason.

  “Hey, you wanna wait up for me or what?” Miles asked her.

  Sanaa had seen Miles standing close to Stephen before he caught up to her. Sanaa and Miles had been dating on and off for a few months.

  “Miles, were you walking with Stephen?” she asked.

  “Yeah, he told me what happened. You should hear him out,” Miles said.

  “You know what he did, and you were still walking with him, and now you’re defending him?”

  He touched her arm. “Look, I don’t even know Stephen like that. The cat was just asking for some advice, and his rationale for what he did sounded cool to me. But I don’t wanna have any beef with you because of what’s going on with somebody else’s relationship.”

  She jerked away. “Oh, so, did you put me on the list, and you think you got a rationale too to explain it all away?”

  “What you talkin’ about?” he said as he stopped her in her tracks. “Wait, wait, wait. Come here. Look at me. I didn’t sell you out. Tell me you believe I didn’t put you on the list. You asked me that months ago. I told you then I didn’t do it, and I’m standing by it now. I didn’t do it! Both of us know who put you on the list.”

  “Now hearing that a girl wrote it, and Toni’s been all cool with Hillary, I guess I do know for sure who lied on me and ruined my rep.”

  “Wait, Hillary wrote the list?” Miles questioned.

  “You didn’t know that?”

  “No. I didn’t submit nothing to no list. I mean, I heard everything was anonymous about it. But maybe Toni knew Hillary wrote it. I don’t know, and I can’t say for sure Toni put you on the list, but you were the first girl on the list, and Willow was the second. Suspect,” Miles said, making sense to Sanaa.

  “I bet you those two heffas planned this mess all the time, and then just got some other stupid guys, like Stephen, to go along adding other girls’ names to it. But them two would’ve been satisfied if it was just Willow and me on the list. Oh my gosh, this is so trifling!” Sanaa screamed.

  “So you don’t think I did it? You truly get me now? I wouldn’t sell you out like that. I care about my girl too much to go down that road,” Miles slid closer and asked.

  “Yes, yes, yes.”

  “Alright. ’Cause, I’m just sayin’ ... when we first got together an’ you told me to keep it secret from Toni, I had your back then too.”

  “Well, I was wrong about that. Of course we should’ve told her. I didn’t know it’d blow up this bad. Point learned ... don’t keep secrets from your best friend.” Sanaa stroked his cheek. “I’m sorry for accusing you. You wouldn’t sell me out like that. And I know you’re saying you respect my wishes to slow things down.”

  Eyeing her whole body and licking his lips, Miles said, “When you gon’ be ready again?”

  “When you put a ring on it!” Sanaa said to him. “But for real, for real, you’re there for me as a boyfriend. I know you wouldn’t sell me out. You’re the truest.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Boldest (Willow’s Middle)

  “All I know is, I’m going to need my momma to give me my car back,” Willow boldly said to Olive as the two of them walked to their respective classes.

  “All I know is if you ask her like that, don’t hold your breath. Good ol’ pastor needs respect,” Olive teased.

  “Right, right, right. You know I’ve been begging, being a good girl. But shucks, Olive, it’s been months since the car accident that I didn’t even cause.”

  “Yeah, your brother was the one driving, right? And you took the blame for him?”

  “Yep. But he actually told my parents last month that is was him driving.”

  “Really?”

  Willow nodded. “I like the knucklehead now. Since I’m getting to leave for college, I’m going to miss him. I told him not to say nothing. They already mad at me. No need for them to be mad at the both of us. He thought that telling would make them give me my car back, but they were just mad that I lied, so they kept my car anyway. It’s graduation time, and I want my wheels. I’m tired of depending on other people. I’m about to text her right now.”

  “You better be sweet about it.”

  Willow texted, “Give me my dang wheels, shoot!” But before she sent it, she looked over at Olive, who was reading the text and shaking her head. Willow erased it, nodded in agreement that she needed to back off, and typed, “Mom, I love you. I’m sorry I was protecting my little brother. Please, if you can find it in your heart to forgive me, I’d love to drive the next couple weeks. Can I have my keys when I get home today and go somewhere with my girls?”

  Both of them held their breath as they saw three dots scrolling across the bottom of the phone screen, indicating that her mother saw the message and was typing something back. And they never screamed so loud when they saw three letters pop back: “y-e-s.”

  “What we gonna do? Where we gonna go? I ain’t mad at Octavia, but her car put-puts around, and I ain’t got no problem with Sanaa’s, but it’s all vandalized ... If I see that daggone Hillary ... ”

  “There they go right there,” Olive said, wishing she could take the words back as she grabbed Willow’s arm to stop her from dashing over to Hillary and Toni. “No! Don’t go over there.”

  Willow tugged away and uttered, “Girl, let me go. I’m sick of this heifer. I’m about to show her ain’t nobody no punk.”

  “Wait, let’s talk about where we’re going later,” Olive replied, wanting to distract Willow.

  “I don’t care. Wherever you want to go,” Willow shared, just trying to get to Hillary.

  Bright-eyed, Olive lit up. “You mean that? Like, you’re not going to take it back? Like, if I give you some gas money, wherever I want to go, you’ll go?”

  Willow frowned and asked Olive, “What you talking about doing? You saying it all like that, now I know wherever you’re saying I’m not going to want to go. Tell me, Olive. What are you thinking?”

  “We need to go to Warner Robbins. I know the name of Leah’s school, got directions to where it is. We need to check out this girl who’s been sending us letters from beyond the grave and end the whole mystery thing.”

  “What? Because you don’t really believe she could be sending us letters?”

  “Of course I don’t believe she’s actually writing them. She’s dead. But let’s find out who her friends were. Let’s find out who knew her that might know us. Let’s do some investigations and put this whole thing to bed.”

  “Urgh, I’ll think about it. They’re about to walk away,” Willow grunted, seeing Hillary and Toni head off. “I need to talk to this girl right now.”

  “Well, look who the midnight has dragged out,” Hillary called as Willow sashayed right up to her and stood between her and Toni.

  With a rolling neck, Willow yelled, “I don’t know what y’all think. Y’all can just get away with anything you want to do, coming to people’s houses egging cars and stuff, throwing paint on cars, but I saw you, Hillary.”

  “You ain’t seen nobody,” Hillary scoffed back.

  Willow stepped closer. “I saw you.”

  “Show me the proof. We got proof when you went to Toni’s house late in the night. Everybody saw you acting stupid in her driveway, but if you saw me ... show me. Because you must of not talked to your girl if that’s all you got beef with me for. I don’t have any problems admitting to
what I do, boo,” Hillary jumped and said to Willow.

  “I ain’t your boo,” Willow said. “And what are you talking about? What did you admit to?”

  “You better talk to Pia.”

  “I’m talking to you!”

  “And I said I ain’t tellin’ ya. Now what?” Hillary said, getting real loud.

  Willow was fuming. “You’re just a jealous wench. Always wish you could dance better than me. The only way to get rid of me was to throw me off the dance team. It’s not like you got skills of your own that could take me. You wanted all eyes on you when we hit the court, but they weren’t, they were on me. And that’s been eating you alive.”

  Hillary shouted, “They were looking at a freak, and once they found that out, they didn’t want to look at you no more! You were nasty, opening up your legs for any Tom or Harry. You know how to work your body all right. I feel sorry for those so-called friends of yours because you’re the only one who truly deserves to be on the swoop list. How many guys you’ve been with, Willow? Too many to count? You need to go and get checked to make sure you ain’t got VD.”

  Willow raised her hand and was about to slap Hillary, but Hillary caught her wrist before she could. Willow’s eyes watered and her beautiful, dark skin trembled. The heart of the lion was more like a cub.

  “What? The truth hurts?” Hillary taunted. “Or now you’re just mad that my insults hold truth and are the coldest and boldest?”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Meanest (Olive’s Middle)

  Olive was thrilled to pieces that she was in Willow’s car with the other swoop list girls. They were heading to Warner Robbins High School, Leah’s old school. All of the girls agreed that they wanted to figure out the Leah mystery, but no one was really pushing to make it happen. Pia had been helping Olive, but then all of a sudden she mellowed out. Willow was still pissed about being embarrassed by Hillary at the school, and Sanaa and Octavia were just quiet.

  Olive said to Willow, “You can’t let folks get to you.”

  “You can’t tell me how to feel, Olive. I mean, I know that you’re trying to be sweet and helpful and all, but I’m sick and tired of being called a slut. Particularly when the shoe fits.”

  “Hillary is just a mean girl. Just don’t let her ruin you and make you ... ” Olive didn’t know how to finish the sentence without hurting Willow’s feelings.

  “What? Make me mean again too?” Willow asked.

  “Yes,” Olive uttered. “You’ve come such a long way. We’re getting along so well.”

  “What was Hillary talking about anyway, Pia?” Willow questioned. “She said you had information about her, or something.”

  “Well, Sanaa already knows, but y’all aren’t going to believe this,” Pia said.

  “With Hillary, I believe anything. What did she do now?” Willow asked.

  Sitting in the front passenger’s seat, Sanaa turned around to Pia, who was sitting in the middle, and shook her head like, Please don’t tell her. She doesn’t need to hear anything else that’s going to set her off with Hillary. She might turn the car around and go fight the girl right now. No, don’t say anything!

  “Don’t tell her not to tell me,” Willow said to Sanaa.

  “She needs to know this,” Pia replied, tapping Sanaa on the shoulders.

  “Well, tell me!” Willow shouted at Pia.

  Pia complied and blurted out, “Hillary started the swoop list.”

  Willow almost wrecked the car. “What? Then she put me on it!”

  Olive put her hand on Willow’s shoulder. “We all got put on the list, so the fact that a jealous girl put you on there should make you feel better.”

  “The only thing that’s gonna make me feel better is when I whoop her tail. How about that?” Willow said, trying to act tough, but shaking from the emotion.

  Trying to keep them all focused, Olive said, “Alright, well, can we just put it all aside for now? Ain’t nothing we can do. The school is right up here, and the guidance counselor is waiting to meet us.”

  Twenty minutes later they were sitting in a conference room in the counselor’s office. Olive tried to keep her crew engaged. It was difficult because they all seemed preoccupied.

  “Are you Dr. Speed?” Olive said to the older lady with glasses. “Thank you for taking time to meet with us.”

  “Well, when you called, I had to stay around to make time to speak to you. First, I hate to hear that there’s a swoop list out at your school too. One was released at our school with just one name on it. It did such damage. But I don’t think we’ll ever have another swoop list again.”

  “That’s a great thing,” Olive said.

  Dr. Speed nodded, but responded, “The problem is it did so much damage. So if there’s anything I can do to help you all, I’m certainly willing to do it.”

  Olive looked at her friends and clearly saw their interest waning. She got to the point. “We just wanna know about the girl, Leah Golf—the one name that was on the list. She’s been writing us.”

  “You said that, but you know she’s deceased, right?” Dr. Speed questioned.

  “Yeah, I keep telling them that it ain’t her. I mean, she’s not even alive,” Willow said.

  “Right, but she’s written all five of us. She texted some of us from a blocked number. And she’s even said in her letters that she’s dead. To me it doesn’t make sense. We’re just here with hope you can shed some light on it,” Sanaa explained.

  “What happened to her?” Pia asked.

  “I’m sure y’all know from when the list came out for your school, it was devastating. Everybody hates you. It’s like you’re really being bullied. You guys at least had each other to lean on. Imagine if you were the only one all the daggers were pointing toward.”

  “But what happened to her?” Octavia said.

  Olive was happy they were all listening. They needed closure. She just hoped Dr. Speed could give it to them.

  Dr. Speed leaned forward and said, “She couldn’t take the pressure. Some guys had taken some nude photos of her, and those started surfacing. Things were happening here that we didn’t really know about until after she was gone. Everybody felt remorseful after this girl couldn’t take it and took her own life. I don’t know who’s writing you the letters. I know it’s not Leah, but her death affected everyone, including me. I wish I would’ve done more. So, the letter writer could be anyone who knew her, trying to right his or her own personal wrong they did to her. I know that doesn’t give you any answers, but if anything in those letters has helped you become stronger, then Leah’s death isn’t in vain. One thing everybody learned here was that we all looked down on Leah because of this list, and we were wrong to do that. A lot of the rumors about her were proven to be true, but who was anybody to judge? Leah ended her life because, collectively, we were the meanest.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Deepest (Octavia’s Middle)

  On the ride back from Warner Robbins, all the girls were somber. Octavia knew everyone felt bad hearing how Leah was tormented at her school in such a bad way that made her take her own life. That in and of itself was depressing.

  Adding to the heavyheartedness for Octavia was the fact that she had an extra piece of anxiety weighing on her. She had no idea how she was going to break the truth to the girls she’d grown to love so deeply. Pretending she wasn’t holding anything back from them was no longer an option.

  “We can’t just stay out, y’all,” Olive said. “I wanted us to come down here and find out all we could about Leah.”

  “We didn’t find out anything,” Willow said.

  “Yeah, we found out a lot,” Olive defended.

  “We found out it could be almost anybody in the school,” Sanaa uttered. “Pia, what you think?”

  Pia said, “I agree with y’all. I mean, Olive, it’s good we went down there, we found out it was truly a girl who went through so much, but we don’t know any more than we did before.”

  “Yes we do. We
know that all she went through hurt her so bad that we would never want to be that cruel to anybody, ya know? Aren’t we all different from hearing her story? Octavia, what about you?” Olive asked.

  The last thing Octavia wanted to do was talk. It was becoming harder and harder for her to live with her own lie. The only thing she wanted to say to any of them were words she knew would make them never speak to her again. However, how could she say those words when they would make her end up just how she started ... alone?

  “What’s wrong with you?” Willow looked back and asked Octavia.

  Octavia shrugged her shoulders, and that made Olive say, “Yeah, you’ve been real quiet.”

  “Everybody’s been quiet,” Octavia snapped.

  “Okay, I’m sorry!” Olive said. “Dang, excuse me.”

  “I’m hungry,” Pia uttered, diminishing the tension.

  Thinking she needed to find a way to work things out, Octavia said, “Why don’t you guys come over to my house? I can fix us some spaghetti.”

  “What? You’re Italian now?” Willow joked.

  “Ha, ha, ha. You hungry or not?” Octavia asked with a little sass.

  She knew she was going to need it because if they agreed, she had made up in her mind that she was not going to let them leave without being transparent. Her moment of truth was here. She would not let the sun set without them knowing.

  About an hour later, they were all sitting around Octavia’s dinner table. There were only four chairs, but she was happy to play hostess and let them all be comfortable. She knew what she was going to share would be anything but comfortable.

  “You can sit down with me,” Sanaa said, being so caring.

  “Girl, maybe you are a little Italian,” Willow messed with her. “This spaghetti is the bomb.”

  “You’re just hungry,” Olive said as Pia laughed.

  Pia clutched her heart and stopped laughing. “See, I’m not even supposed to be happy right now.”

  “Yeah, so tell us about this. Stephen put you on the list?” Willow questioned, wanting confirmation. Pia nodded. “That is so trifling! I hope you’re through with that. No matter what he comes back and tries to say, Pia, you’re done, over, and finished with his behind. Right?”