The Switch のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 41 - チャプター 50

SAGE'S POV "Your teachers are worried, Sage. You failed a quiz in AP History. You've never failed anything. You even fell asleep in English class.....twice and you didn't turn in your art project. Ms. Lopez said that's the first." I didn't respond. I couldn't sleep at night so I passed out during the day, I couldn't focus on homework when my brain won't stop replaying the park conversation. That art felt pointless when the person who made me love it doesn't want me anymore. Mrs. Palmer slid a paper across her desk. "This is a referral for counseling. I think talking to someone might help." I stared at the paper and ignored it. Mrs. Palmer leaned forward. "Is everything okay at home with your family?" "Everything's fine." "Sometimes breakups can affect our academic performance more than we realize. I heard you and Julian...." "I said I'm fine.....urrgh" I rolled my eyes. She didn't believe me and could see it in her face. But she couldn't force me to talk. "The refe

SAGE'S POV At exactly 6:45AM, I met Madison in the parking lot. Her hair was in a messy ponytail with dark circles under her eyes like she didn't sleep at all."Get in my car. We need to talk where no one can hear us."I got in the passenger seat and she immediately locked the doors."I spent all night researching and looking into Victoria's claim about your bracelet." She pulled out her laptop from the backseat. "And I found something...eerrr...but you're not going to like it."She opened the laptop and showed me an old photo of a party from Lincoln's high dated two years ago and in the background was a younger me with different hair and a silver bracelet on my wrist. I gasped."You were there, at that party. The night Cameron Morrison got his lead and you were wearing the bracelet she claims to have."I stared at the photo and tried to remember."It's not a bluff," Madison said quietly. "Victoria's telling the truth.""Do you remember this party?" Madison asked.I thought hard. "

SAGE'S POV I didn't tell Madison and Aria that I was going to the coffee shop. The place was mostly empty with only a few college students and an elderly couple. I ordered coffee that I couldn't drink. I just held it and watched the door. What if he doesn't show? What if Victoria walks through that door instead? I thought. At exactly 10:00 AM, a man entered. He looked like he was in his late fifties with gray hair, an expensive suit and tired eyes. He scanned the room looking for me than he finally saw me, walked over and sat without asking. "Thank you for coming. We don't have much time. Victoria thinks I'm at a business meeting in Chicago." He slid a manila folder across the table. "Everything you need is in here. But you won't like what you find." Thomas ordered coffee while still watching the door. "I'm Thomas Ashford. Victoria's uncle. I've watched her destroy people since she was twelve." "When did it start?" I looked up. "In middle school. A girl named S

ARIA'S POV "I'll plant the bracelet in a crime scene where Sage has never been. When police find her prints there, she becomes a suspect." Victoria's threat kept ringing in my head as soon as I woke up. Victoria didn't need Sage to actually be guilty. She just needed her to look guilty and that Sage's bracelet from two years ago was the proof. I grabbed my phone and texted Madison and Cole: Emergency meeting in your house, now. I got dressed and went to Madison's house and met them waiting for me. Madison looked like she didn't sleep. "I found how Victoria knows everything we're doing." She opened her laptop and showed me lines of code. "Spyware on all our phones." My stomach dropped. "How? I wasn't there". "Remember the showcase? Everyone left phones in the lobby during performances. Maybe not yours but mine". Cole leaned forward. "She had access to your phone?" "These apps install in fifteen minutes." Madison closed the laptop. "She's been reading every text. ." "I

ARIA'S POV We pulled into the driveway and saw both mom and dad's car there. The living room lights were on.They saw the news coverage and the videos going viral. They knew something happened but they don't know everything yet."Ready?" I asked Sage.She stared at the house for a while. "No.""Me neither." I said.But we still got out and walked to the front door.Inside, Mom and Dad sat at the kitchen table and when we entered, they both turned. Mom's face was relief mixed with fury. "Where have you been? Your phones were off and we've been calling for hours.""We saw videos from Ashford. Victoria Ashford being arrested and you two in the middle of it." Dad's voice was firm. "What is going on?"I looked at Sage. We agreed to tell the truth."We need to explain everything from the beginning."Mom pulled out chairs. "Sit and talk."We sat and Sage took a breath. "It started with the switch. When Aria and I decided to trade schools."For the next hour, we told them how the switch the