“Correct. And I only blame myself for not seeing that statement for what it is: suppressed evidence, aka the lie-by-omission technique. Very crafty. So while it’s true that you didn’t make the video, what you omitted is that you did find it on the Faculty Activities board of Park Prep’s website.
“I still don’t know why you were looking at the dead-zone Faculty Activities board—have mucho time to kill, do you?—but you must have been all-caps SHOCKED to see it. You downloaded it pretty quick, huh? Because you knew that as soon as anyone else saw it, Dr. Graff would zap it from existence. Then you created your own account for it and reposted it. First on YurTube, then on the Student Activities board, which you very well know is as much a part of every Parkside Prepper’s five-minute checks as ConnectBook.
“Your G-Calendar says your mom was choreographing the Rockefeller Center Christmas show the day before the video dropped. I’m guessing you were killing time at the Forty-Second Street library, waiting for her to get out, before your annual holiday-windows walk?”
I was getting good at this detective stuff. It was almost as easy as they made it look online.
Ailey gazed out the dining room windows. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Okay. Sure, so I guess it’s a total coincidence that AnyLiesUnmade is an anagram of your name. Kind of clunky, no? Did you come up with that yourself? Or did you use an app? I’m guessing app.”
“Kyle,” Audra said. “Stop.”
“Almost done.” I held a hand out to Audra, warding her off. “I see the proceeds of the video let you buy that car you always wanted—told your parents you were using your savings, right? The rest is probably already stashed away in your money-market account. You know, I never figured you for a stalker, Ailey.”
“What makes you think this is even about you? And who’s been stalking who? You’re the one who wouldn’t stop txting me.”
“I didn’t know it was you. I was trying to get my hater to take down the video.”
“Wait,” Audra snapped. “You were txting AnyLies? Why would you do that?”
“To be honest? I thought it was you, Audy.”
Ailey burst out laughing. Not in a comical way, but like in a she-might-go-for-my-eyes kind of way. Audra stepped back. The outside streetlights cast a sickly pallor on Ailey’s face.
“Of course,” she said. “Of course you’d still never see me. All those txts we sent each other? It was just like old times. Don’t you remember how we stayed up until two a.m. txting? You think Audra would ask you if your friendships were good for you? Don’t you see? I believed you were innocent before any of them. I tried to help you. I dug around online and told you there were other girls. But did you thank me? No, instead you got famous.” She laughed. “You’re indestructible, Kyla Cheng. And that means you’ll probably never get it.”
“Get what, Ailey?”
But she just stared blankly into space. I was at a loss for words. I hadn’t intentionally hurt Ailey all those years ago, but I guess I’d known she had to be hurting. But it wasn’t like I’d been her only friend. She’d had those swim-team girls. And then she’d found Ellie. Was it my responsibility to make sure she made it through high school?
But Ailey was right. She’d believed me when I’d told her it wasn’t me in the video. Instantly. Her AnyLies txts had filled in all the gaps that Audra’s lack of txts had left in my life this past week. In her own weird way, Ailey had stepped up. And if I had done the same all those years back, even a little, we probably wouldn’t be here right now.
I tried again. “Jessie and I spoke on the bus ride back from Philly.”
I’d sent her a txt that said,
moi Sorry I = psycho. But I know it’s not you who’s been doing this. I know who is. Mind running over some things with me? Know this isn’t great for you either. Truce?
She’d called me—voice called me—immediately.
“Jessie said she never posted those videos. That she doesn’t even own @JessieRosenthal. All her profiles are under @DarkEnchantress. I’m guessing it was you who organized that flash mob via Regrets Only? It was you who was in the locker room at the Y?”
Ailey rocked forward a little, nodded. “Catching the fight was just a lucky coincidence. I was going to surprise Ellie and walk her home. And then I heard Ellie say that Jessie was her best friend. And I knew. It was happening again.”
“What was happening again, Ailes?” Audra asked.
“I was losing her. Ellie this time, I mean. Once again, I was falling out of my best friend’s graces.”
It felt like the entire dining room was one giant screen and we were watching Ailey’s avatar. There wasn’t an ounce of emotion in her voice. I never expected Ailey to put up much of a fight, but I also wasn’t expecting this toneless, dronelike honesty. Audra and I were transfixed.
“Ellie clarified and said Jessie was only one of her best friends,” I said as gently as possible.
“I guess that makes everything okay, then, does it?” Ailey tilted her head to regard me. “Do you even know what true friendship is, Kyle? I don’t think so. Every time I was around Fawn, she was doodling your brother’s name—you’re welcome for sharing those, B-T-W. Mac’s out slurping it up with other girls, letting me be all handsy with him in the hall. Even Audra—sorry, Senpai—she knew I took those pics of you with Mr. E. We were shooting B&P when I saw you check in at those apartments. We even searched the building together, squealed when Mr. E.’s name was listed as a resident. It was her idea to drive all the way out there. Audra sat next to me as I snapped away.”
Audra shook herself a little, surprised to be dragged into it. She cleared her throat, took a sip of water. Reluctantly her eyes left Ailey and met mine.
“I was concerned,” she said. “I thought you might be in trouble.”
I snorted. “You’d never drive half an hour to anywhere, especially somewhere like Brighton Beach, out of concern. Oh my gosh, Audy, you never did believe me, did you? You were trying to bust me.”
“Sharma said there was no way someone could make that video.” Audra sounded as exhausted as I felt. “I didn’t see how it couldn’t be you. Even when you ‘found’ the source video, next second it mysteriously disappeared? I believed someone was after you. But, no, I didn’t for one second believe that wasn’t you. And then when Ailey said you were at Mr. E.’s, I thought catching you in a secret might make you less high and mighty when I told you mine. Guess I was wrong.”
For once she wasn’t being nasty. All our fury had been burned away by Ailey’s bizarre monotone speech. So I nodded, like, Fair enough. Audra’s expression became less pinched. We almost reconciled right then. I could imagine after Ailey went home we’d go upstairs to rehash this very fight, but then something occurred to me.
“Wait. So then you knew it was Ailey. She took those Mr. E. pics Sunday night and posted them on the Student Activities board under AnyLies. That was on Monday. You’ve known for almost three days now.”