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“It is,” Ivy agreed. “I’m not Gabby’s biggest fan, but she’s obviously talented.”

“It’s just a commentary. We all know there are people who don’t like the pageant. They should get to express themselves, too.” That came out sounding more patronizing than Felicity had intended, so she added, “Come on, look at the insane beehive hairdo on Lorelei. Tell me that’s not awesome.”

Haylie’s face softened a little as she inspected the towering mass of hair. “Yeah, okay. That part’s kind of funny. What do you think Lorelei will do when she sees it?”

“Are you kidding? There’s no way Lorelei’s going to come to the art show.” Ivy grabbed Haylie’s arm and steered her away from the painting. “Come on, let’s go see Felicity’s sculpture.”

“You’re not mad at me, are you?” Felicity asked Haylie. “I would never offend you on purpose. You know that, right?”

“I guess,” Haylie said grudgingly.

Felicity knew it was nothing compared to how she would sound tomorrow after the nomination assembly.
You have to tell her,
a little voice in the back of her head commanded.
The longer you wait, the worse it’s going to be.
But when Haylie gave her a small, fragile smile, Felicity knew she couldn’t hurt her friend again right now. Two blows in five minutes might be too much for Haylie’s goodwill to withstand.

As soon as they reached the doorway of the second room, Ivy broke into a grin. “Oh wow, that’s yours, isn’t it?” She hurried over to the sculpture. “Felicity, this is
so awesome
.”

“Thanks.” Felicity felt her cheeks flush with pride.

“It’s amazing,” Haylie agreed. “So much better than Gabby’s. How did you make it? Is this papier-mâché?”

As Felicity described the process, her friends circled her sculpture, looking at it from every angle, from close up and far away, just as Jonathan had. When she was done explaining, Haylie looked at the label on the statue’s pedestal. “
Skin-Deep.
This is what you were talking about the other night, right? How you’re afraid people think you’re something you’re not?”

Felicity wanted to kiss her. “Yeah, exactly. My mom and Brent totally didn’t get it.”

“How could they not get it?” Ivy asked. “The title makes it really clear.”

After such an emotionally taxing night, her friends’ support and understanding made Felicity’s eyes well up. “Thanks, guys,” she said, hoping they wouldn’t notice the catch in her voice.

“For what?”

“For … getting me, I guess. For understanding my sculpture.”

Ivy and Haylie exchanged perplexed looks. “Of course we get you,” Ivy said. “We’re your best friends.”

Felicity smiled at them, but she couldn’t help wondering if they’d still be her best friends by this time tomorrow.

“You’d find it easier to be bad than good if you had red hair,” said Anne reproachfully. “People who haven’t red hair don’t know what trouble is.”

—L. M. Montgomery,
Anne of Green Gables

F
elicity got to school half an hour early on the day of the assembly and headed straight for the auditorium in an effort to avoid her friends. So she was dismayed when the first person she saw was Haylie, waiting just outside the auditorium doors. At the sight of her friend’s excited face, Felicity’s guilt wrapped around her lungs like an anaconda and squeezed tightly.
Tell her, tell her, tell her,
the guiltaconda demanded.
This is your last chance
.

“Hey!” Haylie cried, throwing her arms around Felicity. “Ready to get nominated?”

“Absolutely.” Felicity swallowed hard. “Why’re you here so early?”

“Vanessa wanted to talk to me about the final order for the dance show. It’s so ridiculous—we’ve already changed it like eight times. And now I can’t even find her.” Haylie shrugged. “So, is your mom excited that you’re getting nominated for prom queen? Mine was totally freaking out this morning.”

Felicity knew she had to explain what was about to happen. Haylie would be furious, but at least she’d be prepared. Maybe she could even find someone else to nominate her. Felicity struggled to take a deep breath. “Haylie, there’s something—”

“Felicity, is that you?” Madison’s voice echoed through the empty auditorium. “Come help me with this banner.”

Haylie giggled at Felicity’s expression, interpreting her distress as hatred for Madison. “Go! It’s fine. We’ll talk later, when we’re both prom queen nominees!” With an ache in her stomach, Felicity watched her friend go. After this assembly was over, Haylie might never smile at her again.

Felicity tried to make up for her impending betrayal by being extra helpful to Madison—maybe everything would balance out in the grand, karmic scheme of things. They hung the
paint the town red
banner, set up the prom committee’s chairs on the stage, and unwrapped the red roses they’d present to all the female nominees. By the time they had finished setting up and the rest of the committee had arrived, students were trickling in, chattering excitedly and making last-minute nomination plans. Felicity sat down onstage and watched Haylie and Ivy enter the room, followed closely by Gabby. All three of them waved at her, and she wondered if it was possible to throw up without having eaten anything.

When everyone was assembled, Madison stepped up to the podium and beamed at the applauding crowd as if her heart were full of puppies and bonbons. “Thanks, everyone!” she chirped. “Welcome to this year’s prom court nomination assembly! Let’s start with the girls. I’ll begin. I, Madison Banks, nominate Georgia Kellerman for prom queen.”

“I, Chelsea Barrington, second the nomination for Georgia!” called another cheerleader.

Georgia stood up and smiled as if she had just been nominated for an Academy Award. “Thank you
so
much. I accept your nomination.” Everyone cheered as she did her shampoo-commercial walk up to the stage, received her rose from Madison, and performed a little curtsey.

Felicity was so nervous she could barely pay attention to the five cheerleaders who were nominated next. She prayed someone would come to her rescue and nominate Haylie; then she could claim she had decided to nominate Gabby at the last minute as an act of charity. But everyone was too busy nominating their own best friends to pay attention to hers.

The world seemed to slow down and recede when she finally saw Haylie stand up and say, “I, Haylie Adams, nominate Felicity St. John for prom queen.”

Across the auditorium, Brent stood. “I, Brent Sanderson, second the nomination for Felicity.” He grinned and gave her a thumbs-up.

Felicity’s legs took control, and before she knew it, she was standing. Her whole body trembled slightly, but she hoped it didn’t show. “I, Felicity St. John, thank you and accept your nomination,” she heard herself saying. Savannah smiled and passed her a rose, and there was a roar of applause. Felicity could barely distinguish it from the ringing in her ears.

Now was the moment. She had to get it over with before she chickened out. She looked at Haylie, who was preparing to make her way down the aisle and accept her own rose. Her little freckled face was radiant with anticipation. Gabby, who was sitting two rows behind her, stared at Felicity expectantly.

Do it,
her eyes said.
Do it now. Or else.

“Felicity? Does the fact that you’re still standing mean you’d like to nominate someone?” asked Madison, the sweetness in her voice edged with annoyance.

Felicity took a deep breath.

“Yes. I, Felicity St. John, nominate Gabrielle Vaughn for prom queen.”

The sound of one person drawing in her breath is almost inaudible. But the sound of three hundred students drawing their collective breath was surprisingly loud. There was a moment of silence following the gasp, and then the whole room broke out in whispers and laughter. Felicity forced herself to look at her friends, then wished she hadn’t. Haylie looked stricken, and she was gripping Ivy’s hand as if she were afraid she might drown. Felicity mouthed, “I’m sorry,” but there was no way Haylie could read her lips at this distance.

Madison banged her clipboard on the lectern, and the noise subsided. “Everyone, please settle down,” she called, sounding more like the sharp-tongued Madison Felicity was used to. “Would anyone like to second Felicity’s nomination for … um … Gabrielle Vaughn?” She seemed to have trouble saying the name out loud.

Marina stood up. “I, Marina Rios, second the nomination for Gabby.”

Gabby stood and looked around the auditorium with a beatific smile. She seemed oblivious to the fact that the entire junior and senior classes were staring at her with shock and horror. “I, Gabrielle Vaughn, accept your nominations. Thanks, Felicity and Marina.” There was a feeble smattering of applause as Gabby approached the stage and pried a rose from the hand of flabbergasted Kendall. She nodded at Felicity before she walked away.

Felicity collapsed into her chair. It was done. Her secret was safe. But she didn’t feel the relief she had expected.

Gabby wasn’t even back in her seat before Ivy jumped up and announced, “I, Ivy Locklear, nominate Haylie Adams for prom queen.” She shot Felicity a cutting look. Vanessa Caldwell, who was in the dance troupe with Haylie, seconded the nomination. When Haylie stood up to accept, she looked composed, but Felicity had known her long enough to recognize the slight catch in her voice. It was obvious how hurt she was.

It wasn’t until Haylie was a few feet from the stage that Felicity realized it was her turn to present a rose. She chose the prettiest flower in the box and offered it to her friend, her eyes full of apologies. But Haylie refused to look at her as she snatched the rose away, raking a thorn across Felicity’s thumb.

The rest of the assembly was a blur. Felicity didn’t even remember to nominate Brent until Gretchen Williams, who had been trying to steal him for the last six months, did it first. She considered leaving school immediately after the assembly, but she doubted she could slip out of the building unnoticed.

She was right. As soon as the assembly ended, a stormy-faced Haylie was on her feet and pushing through the crowd toward the stage. Ivy followed in her wake, also looking grim. Felicity left the rest of the prom committee to clean up and hurried off the stage before Haylie reached her. The last thing she wanted was for their confrontation to turn into a show.

Haylie ripped into her the moment she was within shouting range. “So, there’s nothing going on with you and Gabby, right, Felicity? Is that why you just chose her over me in front of the entire freaking
school
? What is
wrong
with you?”

Everyone in the immediate vicinity paused to listen, their eyes fever-bright with curiosity. There was nothing Scarletville High liked better than a good scandal. Felicity grabbed Haylie’s shoulder and tried to steer her toward the exit at the side of the auditorium, but Haylie jerked away. “Don’t touch me!” she snapped.

“Can we please talk about this somewhere else?” Felicity begged. “I don’t want to do this with a hundred people listening.”

“You know what? I don’t care how many people hear what I have to say, because I’m
right
.” There was a chorus of “Oooooohs” from the eavesdroppers, and Felicity’s ears and cheeks started to burn.

She lowered her voice. “Yes, trust me, I know you’re right. What I did absolutely sucked, and I’m the worst friend ever, and I’m so, so sorry. But seriously, I can’t talk about this in here, okay? Will you please just come out in the hall with me?”

“Fine.” Haylie pushed past Felicity and headed for the side door, and Ivy started after her. Felicity took a few deep breaths, trying to keep from crying. Then she followed her friends into the passage along the side of the auditorium.

The door slammed behind them, and everything went perfectly quiet. Ivy leaned against the wall behind Haylie with her arms folded across her chest. Though she didn’t speak, the steely expression on her face left no doubt about whose side she was on.

“What the hell just happened?” Haylie demanded. “Is there a
reason
you humiliated me in there, or was that just your way of trying to get ahead?”

“Get ahead? Ahead in what?”

“I don’t know! People’s opinions! The pageant! Whatever it is that’s making you act like a total
crazy person
! Let me give you some advice, Felicity: shooting down your friends in public is
not
going to make people like you more!”

Felicity had no idea where to begin. “I wasn’t trying to humiliate you,” she started. “I would never hurt you on purpose, and I’m not trying to get ahead. I tried to tell you what I was going to do before the assembly, but I just … I didn’t think you’d understand, and I knew you’d be totally pissed at me.”

“I
am
totally pissed at you, and I
don’t
understand!” Tears were spilling down Haylie’s cheeks now. “You’re supposed to be my best friend, and you
promised
you’d nominate me. I’ve
always
been there for you. I even let you have the perfect pageant gown! You know how much that meant to me, and I gave it to you, even though you’re my competition and you’re already
so
much more likely to win than me—”

“Haylie, this isn’t about—”

“And then you go and hang a massive picture of me as a hyena in the art show, and then you give my nomination to that bitch, who you claim you’re not even friends with!”

“I’m
not
friends with her!” Felicity protested. “I didn’t want to nominate her!”

“But you
did
nominate her! It’s not like anyone was forcing you! So what the hell is going on? Do you secretly hate me or something?”

There were only two possible courses of action: Felicity could tell Haylie and Ivy she was being blackmailed, or she could refuse to tell them what was going on and look totally heartless. For a moment, she seriously considered spilling her secret. But if anyone else overheard her, the news would spread faster than a viral video. She’d become a social outcast in five seconds flat, and she’d probably be kicked out of the pageant, for which her mom would never forgive her. Plus, winning that prize money was her only ticket out of Scarletville, her only chance to have the life she really wanted.

Telling the truth just wasn’t an option.

Four accusing eyes stared Felicity down.

“No, Hays, I don’t hate you at all. And I do have a reason for what I did, but I can’t tell you what it is. I’m so sorry.” Both Haylie and Ivy gaped at her, incredulous. “It has nothing to do with you, I swear. You just got caught in the cross fire. I wish more than anything that I could take it all back, or at least explain it to you, but I just … can’t.”

“What do you mean, you can’t? We tell each other everything. You don’t trust us all of a sudden?”

“I do trust you. But I … I can’t talk about it right now.”

Haylie and Ivy stared at her, and she stared back. Nobody spoke, and in that silence Felicity felt something break between her and her best friends. Finally, Ivy said, “If you have nothing else to say for yourself, I think we’re done here. You can come find us when you’re ready to be honest.” She took Haylie’s arm and pulled her gently but firmly toward the door. “Come on, Hays. We have English.”

Felicity followed them. “You still got nominated,” she said to Haylie, her voice full of desperation. “I was sure you would be. I never would have left you stranded.”

Haylie whirled around and shot Felicity a furious, wounded look. “Getting nominated wasn’t the point,” she said. “Georgia’s obviously going to win. I just wanted to be nominated by
you
.” She followed Ivy into the hall.

“I’m so sorry,” whispered Felicity, but it was too late. The only response she got was the slam of the door.