"where there once was love
now there's only me"

...

I can't believe this. I really can't believe this. I never thought Victoria would do anything like this. It's so petty and immature, and I just can't believe it. It's so unlike her. But she's the only other person who knows about this.

I want to curl up in a ball and just cry and cry and cry and never stop. I just feel so hopeless, and everything's crashed down. The scales have tipped, the bad finally completely outweighing the good. I just can't believe this.

I thought I knew Victoria. But I guess I don't. Because the Victoria I thought I knew would never do anything like this.

I let myself break down. I don't care who sees, I don't care if I'm late to my next class. I need to break down. I'm just sobbing, clenching the stupid pink sticky note. I can't breathe.

"Are you okay?" It's one of The Girls. Alyssa. I don't really hate her. I just really don't want to talk to her right now. She's one of the popular girls who's just so nice. She's so sugary sweet, and I can't stand it. I just can't deal with all of this right now. It's not really her fault. But she just seems so fake and so sweet.

"I'm okay," I manage. "I just need a moment."

"Are you sure? Do you want me to help?"

"I'm sure," I say. She still looks uncertain, so I add, "Actually, could you go find Ms. Cook? That would be a big help."

She nods and walks away. Except Ms. Cook isn't here today, and she'll be out of my way for a while trying to find her.

It was a jerk move, but I just cannot deal with her right now. At least it was better then just telling her to go away.

"Hazel? What's going on?" an uncertain voice says. I know that voice. I'd recognize that voice anywhere.

"I'm not going to talk to you!" I lash out at Victoria. "I can't believe you did this! And don't pretend you really care, because I know you don't. How long have you been pretending? Was it always an act? I'm sick of apologizing to you and trying to make it up to you, when the second we're not friends anymore you just stab me in the back!"

Victoria actually looks surprised. "What?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Here's the proof of it!" I gesture to the mess in front of me. "I can't believe I trusted you! I thought you were the one person who would never use my secrets and locker combination against me, but you did!"

I'm screaming at her, and people are giving me weird looks, but I don't care. I don't care. If they know what Victoria did, then fine. If I go down, you can bet that my ex-best friend is going down with me.

"Hazel, just calm down and tell me what's going on. I didn't do anything—"

I laugh. "Why deny it? You signed the note. I'm not an idiot, Victoria."

"What note? I swear I didn't do anything, Hazel. I really didn't."

Victoria is many things, but she's a horrible liar. Her lip always twitches when she lies. But her lips are simply trembling now.

I sigh. "Look. Someone trashed my locker. They covered it in something sticky so it wouldn't open. And they left a note, signed by you. And you're the only one who knows the combination. I can add up the facts."

"No, Hazel. I really didn't. Someone probably forged the note."

I show her the crumpled sticky note. "But no one else would sign it like this."

Victoria's face goes white. "Hazel, I swear that wasn't me. If it was, why would I be arguing with you? If I left a note, then clearly I'd want you to know it's me. But it wasn't."

"But who else would know that name? Who else could break into my locker?" It just doesn't make sense.

"I don't know! But look at the handwriting— does that really look like my handwriting?"

I glance at it again. In my earlier panic, I hadn't even thought of that. And she's right. The handwriting looks like a bad imitation of Victoria's, loopier and not as bubbly. "Anyone can disguise handwriting."

"Why would I go to such lengths to disguise my handwriting if I signed it? Think about it, Hazel. I know you. I know you want it to be me because it's the easiest answer, because it's the simplest explanation. But just because it's easy doesn't mean it's right."

I swallow. "Okay. But it doesn't explain how someone else had my locker combo. And how they knew the sign-off."

"Maybe they saw you open your locker and memorized the combo that way? Or they got ahold of one of the keys? Or maybe you left your locker open accidentally?"

I give her a look. "Um, Victoria. I always close my locker."

She throws her hands up. "Sorry? I'm just throwing out ideas."

Then a horrible thought dawns on me. "Wait. Maybe I didn't close it."

I think back to this morning, the last time I opened my locker before now. I hit my head and got distracted by Sera. Then I went to my next class. And didn't close the door.

I am a complete idiot.

"I'm so stupid," I say. "Ugh. Of all the days I didn't close my locker."

"It's not your fault," Victoria says. "I mean, lots of people forget to close their lockers, and that never happens."

"I still don't know who did it," I say. "And how they knew the sign-off." Every puzzle piece has fallen apart, and I'm left with a few unrelated pieces that I just can't fit together, no matter how hard I try.

"I don't know either," Victoria tells me. "But I would never do that."

I believe her. It seemed impossible when all evidence pointed to her. It made so much more sense that she hadn't done it.

"Thanks. For helping me." For picking up my pieces when I was falling apart, for still being here despite everything I did to you.

"Anytime," she says. She squeezes my hand, the way she used to. I squeeze back, holding on to the hope that maybe, just maybe I can make it up to her and finally deserve her as my best friend someday.

"I have to get to my next class," she says. "Do you need any help?"

"I'm fine," I lie. What's another lie among so many?

She doesn't look like she believes me, but she knows me enough to know that pressing me will only make it worse. "Okay." She starts to leave, then pauses. "And Hazel?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm always here if you need me."