Chapter 9

By the time Oliver reached the school's science building, the rooftop was already packed with freshmen and sophomores who'd been at evening study hall.

Mason stood by the railing, his once-silver hair dyed back to black. With his white shirt and pale face, he looked nothing like his usual cocky self.

Gone was the reckless, rebellious guy everyone knew. Now, he looked almost fragile, like a young tree that might snap in the wind.

Sabrina stood at the front of the crowd, her face pale with fear. "Mason, please calm down! Whatever it is, we can talk about it!"

Mason turned to her with a bitter smile. "Talk? Sabrina, I got caught cheating on my performing arts exam. They've banned me from taking the SATs for good. My future's ruined. What is there to talk about?"

Oliver's stomach dropped.

He'd heard Mason had done well on his performing arts exam. As long as he passed the academic portion of the entrance exams, he should've been able to get into drama school. But it turned out he'd cheated.

Before Oliver could process that, Mason spotted him.

His smile turned bitter. "Well, Oliver. Bet you're loving this, huh?"

Oliver frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Still playing dumb?" Mason said bitterly. "You're the one who reported me for cheating, aren't you?"

Sabrina whipped around to look at Oliver.

Oliver was stunned. "What the hell are you talking about? I never reported you!"

Sabrina frowned. "Mason, are you sure? Cheating on an exam is a pretty serious accusation. How could Oliver possibly have…"

"I'm sure!" Mason shouted, his voice cracking. "It was Oliver! He wanted to ruin my life! He agreed to spy on me for your mom, and once he found proof I'd cheated, the two of them reported me!"

Sabrina's eyes widened. She'd almost forgotten that Oliver had been spying on Mason for Phoebe.

Getting someone disqualified for cheating would take evidence and connections. Oliver couldn't have managed that on his own. But it was a different story if Phoebe was involved.

Sabrina clenched her fists and turned to Oliver. "Oliver, did you really…"

Before she could finish, Mason suddenly stepped backward.

"My life's ruined anyway," he murmured, almost to himself. "Might as well end it…"

He turned toward the edge.

"No!" Sabrina forgot all about Oliver and lunged toward Mason. She managed to grab him just in time, but she wasn't strong enough to pull him back, and they nearly went over the edge together.

Oliver rushed forward and grabbed them both, hauling them back to safety.

As soon as Sabrina was steady on her feet, she shoved Oliver away and threw herself into Mason's arms. "Mason!"

She was about to breathe a sigh of relief when she looked down and saw blood on his wrist. Her breath caught.

"Mason!" She grabbed his hand. "You cut your wrist too?"

A deep gash ran across his wrist, and blood was still flowing from it. The railing had blocked the injury from view, so no one had noticed until now.

Mason was growing paler by the second. Still, he managed a weak smile. "Sabrina… There's something I never told you. When I was in Hemington, I actually had a chance to debut as a singer. But I couldn't get over you, so I gave it all up and came home…

"I knew you wanted to go to college in Northbridge. I wanted to be near you, so I cheated on my performing arts exam. I just wanted to get into a college in the same city…"

Sabrina went still. She'd always thought Mason didn't really love her. But now, she realized just how much he'd given up for her.

Seeing how pale he was, her heart ached.

"Don't worry!" she said, forcing a smile. "So what if you can't take the SATs? We'll go abroad together! You can still pursue your dreams!"

Oliver's face went pale. "Sabrina, what do you mean? You're not taking the SAT?"

But Sabrina was already helping Mason to his feet.

"Screw the SATs," she said with a bitter laugh. "Anyone who wants to take them can go right ahead. I'm done with this bullshit!"

With that, she turned and walked away without so much as another glance at Oliver.