And with that, everyone stood and retrieved their journals to write. I only pretended to. I was still furious. Phoebe could fool Brooke and Dr. Kells and the rest of them—I knew from experience it wasn’t that hard—but she could not fool me. She wrote the note, and I would make her admit it.
And just before the end of the day, I got my chance.
I found her in a small lounge area, writing something in her journal with robotic, bloodless focus.
I looked around. There was no one in the hall, but I didn’t want to be too loud. I kept my voice low. “Why’d you do it?” I asked her.
She looked up at me, all innocence. “Do what?”
“You wrote the note, Phoebe.”
“I didn’t.”
“Really,” I said, my temper flaring. “You’re really not going to cop to this? I don’t even care—God knows you have enough problems—I just want to hear you say it.”
“I didn’t write it,” she said robotically.
I grabbed the door frame with one hand and squeezed it. I had to go or I’d lose it.
“I didn’t write it,” Phoebe said again. But her tone had changed; it made me face her. She was staring directly at me, now, her eyes focused and clear.
“I heard you.”
Phoebe dropped her eyes back to her journal. A smile inched across her lips. “But I did put it there.”
34
MY BLOOD RAN COLD. “ WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?”
Phoebe began to hum.
I walked right up next to her and crouched so that I could look her in the eye. “Tell me what you said. Right now. Or I’m going to tell Dr. Kells. Right. Now.”
“My boyfriend gave it to me,” she said in a singsong voice.
“Who’s your boyfriend, Phoebe?”
“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy, when skies are gray,” she sang, and then reverted back to her humming.
I wanted to smack her head off of her spine. My hands curled into fists. It took everything I had right then not to hit her.
I almost, almost wanted to kill her.
I closed my eyes. After a minute of paralysis, I turned around and walked away. Let’s call it progress.
I was very ready for the pointless day to be over. When I got home, I wanted to try and decipher New Theories in Genetics, and also see if Noah had any luck scouring Calle Ocho on his own. But Joseph roped me into a video game war before I made it to my room, and when I called Noah after I lost thrice, he sounded strange.
He asked if I was all right. I said yes, and then immediately attacked him with questions. But he cut me off quickly, saying we’d talk tomorrow.
I hung up feeling a bit uneasy and I hated myself for it, for feeling insecure. We’d been spending nearly every moment together and I was even the one who suggested he spend more time at his house, more time apart. But his voice sounded so off and we were dealing with so much—I was dealing with so much—that part of me couldn’t help but wonder if my baggage might be getting too heavy for him to want to carry anymore.
When the last day of my first week at Horizons arrived, I found myself about to unpack some of said baggage in front of my older brother. It was Family Therapy Day and I was completely unenthused about having Daniel bear witness to the whole psycho-sister scenario in full color. We were greeted by Counselor Wayne, who led us to the common area where we were divided into mini-groups. Most people brought parents, but a select few, like me, brought older or younger siblings. And when they sorted us into smaller rooms, and Jamie walked in followed closely by an older, freckled, very chill-looking girl I didn’t recognize, my mouth fell open when I realized Jamie was one of them.
The girl behind him must be the infamous sister. The one Jamie said Noah defiled in some kind of twisted revenge game.
This could be interesting.
Jamie sat down in a plastic chair, his newly long legs stretched out in front of him. His sister sat beside him with an identical posture. I smiled even though Jamie kept glancing at the door.
Because of the way they split us up, there was a chance we’d end up with Wayne or someone else to “facilitate” today, and I hoped we did. Brooke was ditzy but relentless.
“Hi, everyone!” Brooke waltzed in.
Alas, no luck.
“Horizons students—what a wonderful morning! Family members, thanks so much for being here. Let’s all go around in a circle and introduce ourselves—sound good? Because we’re all family here.”
I glanced over at Daniel. He seemed to be giving Brooke the side-eye. I loved him so much.
She pointed at Jamie first. “Why don’t you start us off?”
“Hi, I’m Jamie!” he said, mocking her enthusiasm.
“Hi, Jamie!” Brooke said, not realizing it.
His sister—if that’s indeed who she was—sucked in her lips in what I assumed was an attempt not to laugh.
“Who have you brought with you today, Jamie?”
The girl answered and lifted her hand in a wave. “Stephanie Roth. I’m Jamie’s very lucky sister.”