The Dead Girl's Wheel of Wish

The day someone started spreading sexual rumors about Naomi Ellington, everyone in class claimed they were just watching the drama unfold.

They had not taken the photos. They had not made the post.

As for cornering Naomi and asking, "How much for a night?" or stuffing condoms into her backpack, those were just jokes.

…

After she jumped off the roof, they were even more innocent.

"She was the one who couldn't handle it. What does that have to do with us?"

I was the only one who remembered that the day before it happened, Naomi had been locked inside the girls' bathroom.

When I broke the door open, she was sitting on the floor, clutching her soaked backpack, trembling from head to toe.

She looked up at me and asked, "Clara, if enough people say something, does that make it true?"

That day, I told her again and again that it was not true.

But the next day, she still jumped from the roof.

…

Three months after her death, her old account suddenly posted something called the Wheel of Wishes.

I did not believe she had come back to grant these people their wishes, so when Sophia Davenport tried to spin it, I snatched her phone away.

"Give it back." Sophia reached for it, her eyes red. "The doctor says my mom has, at most, another week."

"This wheel came out of nowhere. We don't know what it is."

"But three people's wishes have already come true!"

Her voice suddenly shot up. "Felix got guaranteed college admission, Gregory's family won $5 million, and Beatrice got prettier. What more proof do you need?"

"I just want you to wait a little longer."

"Wait for my mom to die?"

The entire classroom went silent.

Beatrice Winslow leaned against a desk and let out a mocking laugh. "Clara, her mom's lying in a hospital bed, and you're still playing detective? Besides, your mom isn't sick. Do you care whether someone else's mother lives or dies? Is proving you knew Naomi best really that important?"

I stared at her coldly. "I'm just asking her to wait."

"Wait for what? Until her mom takes her last breath? Then, are you going to hug Sophia and tell her you were only trying to help?"

Laughter rippled through the room.

The class president, Felix Montgomery, tapped his desk.

"Clara, enough. The wheel has already granted three wishes. The facts are right in front of us. If you can't save someone, don't stop someone else from trying."

I looked straight at him. "The person who posted the wheel is Naomi."

"So?" Felix shrugged.

"She came back to help us. That means she forgave everyone a long time ago. It was just a few comments back then. She was the one who couldn't handle it. Are we supposed to carry that guilt for the rest of our lives?"

Beatrice covered her mouth as she laughed. "A certain someone really wants Naomi to hate us. After all, if the whole class is the villain, that makes her the only good person, doesn't it?"

Someone immediately jumped in. "Maybe she's jealous of Sophia. If Sophia's mom gets better, she won't have to depend on Clara every day anymore. Of course she'd be upset if her best friend suddenly got a better life."

Sophia's expression slowly changed. "Clara, is that really what you think?"

"You believe that?"

"Then, why won't you let me spin it?"

I tightened my grip on the phone. "Because something about this feels wrong."

"Feels wrong?" Her eyes were red, and her voice had gone cold. "My mom's life is on the line. Why should I trust your gut over that? You were so close to Naomi. Who knows what happened between you two when no one else was around?"

I froze.

Sophia bit her lip, as if she'd finally convinced herself.

"The whole class made a few comments, and she jumped off the roof. It doesn't make sense. You were with her every day. And now you're doing everything you can to stop us from touching the wheel she left behind. Clara, do you know something?"

The room fell silent.

Suddenly, everyone was looking at me differently.

Beatrice stared at me as if she had finally figured it out.

"Wait a second. Naomi only ever hung around you when she was alive. Now that she's dead, you're the one who wants her to hate us most. Could it be that the one who really drove her to suicide has been pretending to be the good person all along?"

My fingers shook with anger. "Do you all have no shame?"

Felix snatched the phone from my hand and gave it back to Sophia. "Why are you getting so worked up? Did we hit a nerve?"

Sophia clutched the phone tightly, her eyes filled with distrust. "Clara, if something happens to my mom, I won't let you get away with it."