When Allison woke up, an entire room was staring down at her. She blinked. Nate turned to the door. "It's okay. She's awake."

A paramedic looked down at her. "Can she sit up?"

"Give her space." TJ spoke, Allison looked to the side to see him, Jake, Keeley, and Vanessa. Vanessa was recording the entire time, Allison figured that everyone crowded into the room when they saw the paramedic.

"She's fine." Nate spoke as Bronwyn helped her to her feet. Addy held out a water, Allison eyed it.

The blonde looked offended. "Do you believe-"

But she stopped talking when she figured out who was all in the room.

"Allison, we're gonna take you down to the hospital to get you checked out." Detective Wheeler spoke to her.

"I'm fine." Allison spoke, staying still a second. "That happens sometimes."

"Oh my god, does she do drugs?" Vanessa turned the phone around with a gasp on her face. "I didn't know she was friends with Nate."

Nate rolled his eyes, Allison realized she was live-streaming.

"You just occasionally black out?" Detective Wheeler looked in shock at her commented.

"It's panic attacks." Allison rubbed her eyes, finding her own water in her own bag. "I'm fine."

"We still got to take you in, protocol." the paramedic said her way.

"I can drive her." Cooper spoke up.

"Dude. You have practice." Jake cut in with a knowing look his way.

"I'll drive her." Bronwyn said, grabbing Allison's bag for her as the two headed out.

"Sketchy." Vanessa turned the camera to her.

"Turn that off, Vanessa." TJ slapped her phone out of her hand as Vanessa caught it before it could hit the ground. "Jesus."

"This is absolutely ridiculous." Brenna spoke later that night when Allison was discharged. "My little girl? A murderer? What type of people do they think we are? If it was anyone, it was that little felon that rides pasted the church every Sunday. Disturbing our service every time."

"Will I need a lawyer?" Allison asked, picking at her food.

"Big fancy lawyer?" Simon grinned, sitting across from her. "Really looked like you have something to hide."

Allison shut her eyes in disbelief, wishing he'd simply go away.

"You've done nothing wrong, you won't need a lawyer." Victor shook his head knowingly. "Don't let anyone question you again unless one of us is present though."

"This is ridiculous." Brenna said once again, walking back to the table with her plate. "Wait until I have Pastor Lewis make a statement about this on Sunday. Everyone at church will know know what a disgrace all this is and will back you up, sweetheart."

"Uh oh, religion conservatives have your back." Simon grinned, leaning on his elbow. "What would she think if she found out about the two of us?"

"Is it okay if I am excused?" Allison asked, looking toward her parents. "I'm still a little dizzy from earlier."

"Sure, sweetie." Victor gave a small smile. "Be sure to say your prayers before bed, though."

"I will." she promised, slowly getting to her feet and going to her room. Allison peaked out the window to look at Simons house, sighing loudly.

"I wonder if I miss you as much as you miss me." Simon spoke from behind her, Allison turned around to look at him. "I wonder if I miss you coming over at night the same way you miss it."

Allison looked in disbelief. "Why are you talking about yourself as if you're not you?"

Simon gave her a little grin. "Because you know i'm not."

"Allison." Bronwyn grabbed her arm the next day at school, stopping her from walking into AP English. Nate was with her, the pair standing infield of her.

"Hey, guys." she cleared her throat.

"How did you get detention that day?" Bronwyn asked her quickly.

Allison shook her head. "My phone went off in class."

"Who called you?" Nate nodded.

Allison gave an odd look. "No caller ID."

Bronwyn and Nate shared a look. Allison tilted her head. "What's going on?"

"All of us got detention in a weird way." Bronwyn whispered to her with an odd look. "I think someone tried to set us up."

"Who would do something like that?" she gave an odd look, pulling her backpack on her shoulder more.

"That's what I said." Nate agreed before all three of their phones went off, About That shining bright up at them.

Oh, Bayview, you are so predictable. Simons dead, A killer on the loose. But don't let that distract you from your selfies. I mean, so what if the police found peanut oil in Addy Prentiss' locker? Or that Allison Ziya passed out in the middle of a police questioning? And I thought I was being obvious.

Allison looked around as people began to talk, whispering as they looked in Allison's direction. She laughed loudly, looking around the hallway.

"Oh, god." Nate squeezed the bridge of his nose.

"I'm on medication for panic attacks!" Allison yelled, storming down the hallway, tossing two middle fingers up in the air as she walked off.

"Woah." Bronwyn gapped.

"Didn't know she had it in her." Nate snorted, getting a look of disbelief.

Allison's parents didn't know she went to the wake after school. Why would she go when she didn't know the boy? She stood infront of the photo of him, one he was clearly forced into taking by his parents. Allison figured this part would be some what easy. It was only a wake. Her hand out reached and touched the photo, her hand on his cheek.

Allison pulled away quickly when she realized what she was doing, where she was, and how she felt about it. Detective Wheeler watched her closely. Allison hurried up the stairs as Simons mother hit her glass to make a toast, Allison not being able to stick around and wait.

She made it to Simons room, holding herself together before letting her emotions fly. Her tears fell, and ugly cry leaving her lips. Allison shook her head, rubbing her face as she walked over to his bed. She had to smile, only it turned to a sob. He was gone. Truly. He wasn't gonna come back. He wasn't gonna meet her at night. She'd never get to go public with him on her eighteenth birthday, they'd never go to college together, they'd never get a hamster together. All things that came up in the three months they were together.

Such a short period of time, yet was so easy to fall completely in love.

Allison crawled into Simons bed, laying there as she shut her eyes. Her black finger nails rubbed across his sheets, she'd laid here so many times before. Never once was he not with her, though. Allison frowned, sniffling as she rubbed her nose with the back of her hand. Sitting up again, she walked toward his desk. His X-Box was gone, but Allison figure it would be with the way Simons mom was so quick to allow all his "friends" to take whatever they wanted.

She ran her fingers over his key board. touching the computer chair. She smiled at a little memory that crossed her head.

"And it's so crazy, right? How am I suppose to bloom if i'm locked down? It's like they're just taunting me with my birthday coming up." Allison ranted on, pacing Simons room that night as he sat at his computer. "Because being eighteen is all that makes me entitled to my own life."

"Well, from what you've said, sounds like they're gonna expect you to live the same way you are now." Simon read from his computer. "No shellfish. No short haircuts. Oh, shit, don't put two seeds in one crop. Better not get a mixed breed dog, either. Can't touch an unclean thing or you're gonna burn. Never get divorced. Oh, woah, don't ever go with the pull our method or your husband is gonna die. Better take that jewelry off too."

Allison looked in disbelief. "What are you reading?"

"Things the bible considers a sin." he turned in his chair to face her with a cheeky grin, lacing his hands together. "Pretty much your everyday life, I think you'll be fine."

"I can't stand you." Allison walked over with a grin.

"I know." he said in retried, matching her smile as Allison crawled into his lap, laying her head on his shoulder. Simon rubbed her leg slightly. "Here. Don't worry, I dropped it in holy water so it's not considered a sin."

Allison leaned back as Simon pulled one of the thin, silver chains off his neck, leaning forward to clasp it around her neck. "Do you stand when you talk to old people?"

Allison frowned her eyebrows. "What?"

"Oh, well, it says here that you have to stand when talking to the elde-" Simon began to read, being cut off by Allison cupping his face and pressing her lips onto his.

"Allison?" Cooper spoke as the four walked in, making her turn around quickly. They all took notice of her tears, her puffy face, red eyes. "Are you having another panic attack?"

"No, sorry." Allison said back, rubbing her eyes to try to stop. The last thing she needed was for any of them to suspect anything. "Just not good with funerals."

"We shouldn't be in here together." Addy spoke seriously with a panicked look.

"When you said a scarecrow gave you detention, were you talking about Miss Avery?" Bronwyn asked Nate curiously, though there was clear annoyance on her face.

"You just saw her all dressed in black and you're really asking that?" Nate looked at her in disbelief.

"I'll take that as a yes." she hummed, facing the remaining three. "Who gave you a detention?"

"Same. Why?" Cooper shrugged his shoulders.

"Allison?" Bronwyn looked at her in questioning.

"Yeah, fourth period." she nodded, rubbing her stuffed nose as it became painfully raw.

"She gave us all detention." Bronwyn stated to the four.

"So? That's basically her signature move." Cooper shrugged his shoulders her way.

"And we were all set up." she pointed out again.

"By Miss Avery?" Nate gave a questionable look.

"It just doesn't seem like a coincidence. And then there's the new About That post. Somebodies messing with us." Bronwyn stated as Nate seemed to hold back a laugh. Allison looked over at the collection of CD's near Simons computers.

"Yeah, well, that person knew what happened at my locker." Addy stated with a sigh. "You were the only ones that were there."

"Oh, you sure you didn't tell Vanessa? I mean, the two of you seem to be gossiping a lot these days." Cooper sassed her way.

"Vanessa and Jake wouldn't tell. I know them." Addy said confidently.

"No one actually knows anyone." Allison stated as all eyes turned to her. "You can think you know someone all you want to, but it's the easiest thing to hide who you really are deep down."

"Spoken like a true criminal." Addy sassed her way. "Explains why you're in here sobbing."

"I wasn't fucking sobbing." Allison's snapped in way, Nate's eyebrows shot up in disbelief. "That's what happens when people die. You cry."

"Non of us are crying." Addy pointed out. "Maybe you feel guilty."

"So guilty to drag my name into a possible killer post yesterday?" Allison crossed her arms. "Have the entire school look at me like i'm the guilty one?"

"She isn't the one that had Peanut oil in her locker." Bronwyn stood up for Allison.

"It's not cold pressed-" Addy began loudly and defensively.

"Woah. Woah. Woah." Cooper walked forward to get between the two. "Hold up for a second. Why would someone single out the five of us for anything?"

"The About That posts." Bronwyn looked his way. "The one's Simon was teasing. What if someone thought they were about us."

"But, they weren't." Addy pointed out.

"I think it's safe to assume one was about me." Nate rose his hand.

"Yeah, naturally." Bronwyn sassed his way, Allison patted Nate's shoulder.

"Weren't you calling me a nice guy, like, five minutes ago?" Nate shot Bronwyns way.

"Really?" Allison asked Bronwyn in shock, getting a look of disbelief from Nate. "Sorry, no offense, Nate."

"That was before you were sailing
drugs at a Wake." Bronwyn looked his way in disbelief and anger.

"And you've never done a criminal thing in your life?" he narrowed his eyes at her. That shut her up, Nate looked around. "So you guys have no secrets?"

Allison felt like she was a walking secret at this point.

"No."

"No."

"No."

"No. And even if Simon thought he had something on one of us, that doesn't mean he got it right." Addy spoke with a huff, twisting her hair.

"Is that why you told Vanessa that the cheating one was about Keely?" Cooper asked her with a wave of his hand.

"Oh, woah." Allison looked at her. "If I had friends, i'd never throw them under the bus like that."

"You realize you just insulted yourself more then you did me, right?" Addy asked her with a scoff.

Allison shrugged. "Yet, i'm not nearly as offended as you are."

"Damn, girl. What gave you a back bone suddenly?" Nate looked her way.

"Can we go back to the set up? I think we should go to the police." Bronwyn said confidently as Cooper laughed in disbelief, nodding his head.

"Yeah, of course you trust the cops." he continued to laugh at her.

"Excuse me?" Bronwyn asked in disbelief.

"You know what they'll tell you? That one of us could have framed the other four. And then pretend like she was framed too. I mean, you could literally be pushing this entire theory so we don't suspect you." Cooper spoke up as he took a step closer to her.

"Oh, so you're accusing me now?" Bronwyn nodded her head.

"Without Simon, you get to be valedictorian." Cooper pointed out.

"You sure have given this a lot of thought, man." Nate nodded his head.

"Maybe you haven't given it enough thought." Cooper said back his way. "I mean, let's not point out that one person lingered back with Simon while we went to the window."

"Are you kidding me? I was working on my freaking science project." Allison looked in disbelief. "My chemistry grade is a lot more important than seeing a bunch of half naked boys, Cooper."

"I'm just saying, it's the most likely explanation." he said back with risen hands. "I just haven't figured out your motive."

"Because I don't have one." she glared in return with a finger jab his way. "Unlike some of us."

"What is that suppose to mean?" he shot back her way.

"The police thing we did it together." Addy blurted out quickly to cut their arguing off, all four of them looking her way.

"What?" Bronwyn asked after a moment.

"Yeah. So, this can't happen." Addy motioned around, walking toward the door. Cooper followed with a huff. Allison waiting for Nate to go, then Bronwyn next. She looked back at the CD's on Simons desk, walking over to them and pulling the tiny stack off the desk to hide in her purse.

•

kylie speaks

i love sassy allison