It started with a phone call.
Penelope was mid-homework, half-listening to an indie playlist that Julian said "made his sketching hands feel feelings," when her phone buzzed.
Veronica: Can you come over? Now.
The text was short. No exclamation points. No dramatic gifs.
Which was how Penelope knew—something was wrong.
Fifteen minutes later, she was climbing the familiar stairs to Veronica's room. Posters still on the wall. Candles still burned down to cute, aesthetic nubs. But Veronica?
She was sitting on the floor.
Legs crossed. Hair a mess. Eyes red.
"I did something stupid," she said before Penelope could ask.Penelope's stomach dropped. "Stupid like… you cheated on a test? Or stupid like… federal crime?"
Veronica gave a tiny snort. "Somewhere in the middle."
She reached under her bed and pulled out a torn piece of paper.
"You remember when you told me about the sketchbook?" she said. "The one Julian gave you?"
Penelope nodded slowly.
"I got curious," Veronica said. "And when you left it in your bag during drama club last week... I looked."
The world tilted slightly.
"You what?"
Veronica flinched. "I didn't take anything! I just… I flipped through a few pages. I thought maybe I'd understand him better. Understand you better."Penelope stood frozen. "That book wasn't about you understanding anything. That was his heart. And you violated it."
"I know," Veronica whispered. "And I think—I think someone saw me."
Penelope's chest constricted. "You think that's how the gossip started?"
Veronica nodded, miserable. "I never meant for it to spiral. I didn't tell anyone. But… I think someone did. Someone who saw me. Someone who hates him."
Penelope sat down hard on the bed.
"You have to tell him," she said quietly.
Veronica swallowed. "I know."
And just like that, the friendship that had always felt unshakable… cracked.
Not shattered.
But cracked wide enough to let the truth in.Ready for Chapter 24? Choices are coming—and not everyone will choose right.