Their teacher walked in, instantly breaking the moment.
Students turned forward, conversations dissolving into whispers.
But Chloe noticed something important.
Tristan hadn’t moved.
He was still staring at her.
And there was unmistakable fear in his eyes.
The cheerleading training room smelled like sweat and hairspray.
Music blasted through the speakers as the squad practiced their routine.
“Five, six, seven, eight—!”
Chloe moved automatically through the choreography.
Lift.
Spin.
Kick.
Smile.
Years of practice made it easy to perform without thinking.
Which was good.
Because her mind was somewhere else entirely.
Luna stood beside her in formation.
Perfect.
Graceful.
Untouchable.
Halfway through the routine, Luna stumbled suddenly.
She collided with Chloe.
Hard.
Chloe lost her balance and fell to the floor.
Gasps echoed through the room.
“Oops!” Luna said quickly, reaching down.
“Sorry, Chlo—I didn’t see you there.”
Chloe stared up at her.
For a split second, Luna’s smile slipped.
And Chloe saw it.
The satisfaction.
Then Luna’s hand brushed something from her pocket.
A photograph fluttered to the floor between them.
The room went silent.
One of the girls bent down and picked it up.
“Oh my God.”
Everyone crowded closer.
Chloe slowly pushed herself to her feet.
The photo showed Tristan.
And Zoe Collins.
Standing close together.
Laughing.
His arm around her waist.
The date stamp in the corner read two weeks before Zoe died.
“Why do you have this?” one girl asked Chloe.
Luna’s eyes widened in fake surprise.
“Wait… Chloe, is that yours?”
“No,” Chloe said immediately.
But the damage was done.
Whispers exploded around the room.
“Why would she keep that?”
“That’s creepy.”
“Maybe she was jealous of Zoe…”
Luna covered her mouth dramatically.
“Oh my God… Chloe, were you stalking her?”
Chloe felt anger flare inside her chest.
But she forced it down.
Now wasn’t the time.
“I’ve never seen that photo before.”
Luna looked uncertain.
“But it came out of your pocket.”
The coach clapped her hands sharply.
“Enough! Back to practice.”
The girls slowly dispersed, still whispering.
Chloe bent down and picked up the photo.
Her fingers tightened around the edges.
Luna leaned close.
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
“You should be more careful.”
Chloe turned to her slowly.
“About what?”
Luna’s smile returned.
“Digging into things that don’t concern you.”
Then she walked away.
School ended under a gray afternoon sky.
Chloe left campus and headed toward the small café across the street.
Her head throbbed.
Her reputation was already cracking.
Exactly like Luna wanted.
She pushed open the café door.
A bell chimed softly.
The place was mostly empty.
Except for one person sitting in the corner.
Jasper Voss.
The mysterious transfer student looked up from his laptop.
Dark hair fell across his eyes as he studied her.
“You look like someone just declared war on you.”
Chloe slid into the chair across from him.
“Maybe they did.”
Jasper closed his laptop slowly.
“I heard about the cheer room incident.”
Of course he had.
Nothing stayed secret at Westview.
Chloe leaned forward.
“Why did you give me that note?”
His expression didn’t change.
“What note?”
“The one about Tristan and Luna being at the rooftop the night Zoe died.”
Jasper was silent for a moment.
Then he reached into his backpack.
He slid a folded piece of paper across the table.
“Because you’re asking the right questions.”
Chloe opened it.
Inside was a web address.
“What is this?”
“Security footage.”
Her heart skipped.
“From the night Zoe died?”
“From a camera behind the science building.”
Chloe’s pulse raced.
“Why give it to me?”
Jasper studied her carefully.
“Because you’re the only one who hasn’t accepted the story Westview tells.”
“And you haven’t?”
Jasper leaned back in his chair.
“No.”
Chloe hesitated.
Then asked the question that had been burning in her mind.
“Did Zoe really jump?”
Jasper’s gaze darkened.
“No.”
A chill ran down Chloe’s spine.
“What happened to her?”
Jasper didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he pulled something else from his bag.
A small USB drive.
He placed it on the table.
“Watch the footage first.”
Chloe stared at it.
“Why are you helping me?”
For the first time, something like emotion flickered across Jasper’s face.
“Because someone needs to uncover the truth.”
He stood.
Slipping his backpack over his shoulder.
Before leaving, he paused beside her.
“One more thing.”
Chloe looked up.
Jasper’s voice dropped to a quiet warning.
“Be careful who you trust.”
His eyes flicked briefly toward the café window.
Chloe followed his gaze.
Across the street—
Tristan stood beside his car.
Watching them.
And when Chloe looked closer…
She realized he wasn’t alone.
Luna stood beside him.
Both of them staring straight at her.
Like they knew exactly what she was doing.