with my photo or yours," she said. "But it wasn't me."
"I get that now," I said, as much as I hated to admit it. I took a deep breath. "Look, I saw the box
hidden in your room and I figured you must have gone back to Cheyenne's room to retrieve it. I
figured that the broken necklace inside and the box itself could be used as evidence against you,
so you stole it back."
Ivy shook her head. "Damn, Reed. Not that it's any of your business, but I got the box in the mail
from Cheyenne's mom about two weeks after she died. She knew it was mine and figured I might
want it back. I don't even know how the necklace got inside."
I turned and dropped down on the edge of my bed, resting my face in my hands and my elbows on
my knees. "I was so sure it was you," I said through my fingers. "I was so sure it was over."
"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint," Ivy said sardonically. "But I'm not a murderer or a stalker."
"Then who?" I said, dropping my arms down and looking up at her, my back hunched in
exhaustion. "Who the hell killed her? Who's doing all this?"
Ivy gave me a look like it was so completely obvious. "Oh, I don't know... Noelle?"
A laugh escaped my throat. "Not this again."
"Why not? She had the motive--wanting to get back into Billings. She knows all the secret ways to
get on and off campus. Plus we all know she's evil and she has a reason to mess with both of us--
me because I turned down her precious invite to Billings, you because you tried to take over while
she was gone. Not to mention scoring with Dash," Ivy
216
said matter-of-factly, leaning back against my dresser. "Nice work on that one, by the way. He is
hot."
"She's not evil, just powerful," I said, ignoring her last comment. "There's a difference."
Ivy rolled her eyes and scoffed. "You really need to open your eyes and see her for what she is,
Reed. This whole loyalty thing is pretty pathetic at this point," she said, gesturing at my room to
remind me of how I'd gotten there.
"Whether I'm pathetic or not, Noelle has an alibi that's almost as airtight as yours," I said, grabbing
my pillows and folding them behind me so I could prop myself up. "She was at a charity event in
the city all night, and there are pictures to prove it."
"No way," Ivy said.