Page 88 of The Sweetest Revenge

I clicked through more images, the pit in my stomach growing heavier with each new photo. Journey gasped when she appeared in one of them—Coach's hand on her head as she kneeled in front of him. Then Mila in another. Then me.

"There are text messages, too," I said, opening a document filled with screenshot after screenshot. Kacie had been systematic in gathering evidence for months. The conversations between her and Coach started professionally but gradually revealed his pattern of manipulation.

"She was done being his victim," Journey said, her voice barely audible. "She was building a case."

Mila sank back into her chair. "And he knew it." She pointed to a message where Kacie threatened him.

Kacie: You have two options. You can resign, or I will turn everything I have over to the police and the school.

He never responded.

I stared at the screen, connections forming like constellations in my mind. "This is why she was acting so strangely those last few weeks. She was protecting all of us while gathering evidence."

"And it got her killed," Zaiden said, the words hanging heavy in the library's hushed atmosphere.

"Even if he was the one who cut her brake line," Zaiden said, "That doesn't explain how he knew what car she was driving."

"Maybe it was a good guess," Sterling said. "I mean, think about it, if the brake line was cut at the party. He could have followed her or seen her get out of the car."

"Or maybe," Mila said. "It was a lucky guess. It was the only black BMW at the party that night. I was Kacie's friend, and I would have thought that was her car."

We spent the next hour in tense silence. The only sounds were our breathing and the soft click of the trackpad. Photos of Kacie smiling at parties. Class notes. Social media drafts that were never posted. Each file was a piece of her, but nothing else that explained what could have happened that night.

The brightness of the screen burned my eyes when Journey slumped back.

"This folder's just more dance routines."

Mila sighed. "Everything else is just part of her normal life."

I closed the laptop with a quiet click of finality. "I don't think we're going to find anything else."

"I guess we got our answers," Mila said. "It was Coach trying to stop her from outing him and all his dirty little secrets."

It felt surreal finally knowing what really happened to Kacie, even if we'd never get the full truth because Coach was dead.

"So what do we do now?" Journey asked.

"We could finish Kacie's mission and make all this go viral," Mila said. "Or…"

"We can let it die knowing Kacie got her revenge," Zaiden finished for her. Everyone's gaze locked on Zaiden because this felt like it should be his decision.

"I think we all took in a lot of information that needs time to settle," Sterling said. "Why don't we meet up after school tomorrow?"

We all nodded in agreement.

I pushed out of my chair and slid Kacie's MacBook into my messenger bag. The weight of it—and everything it contained—felt heavier than before. "I guess it's finally over," I mumbled. "We finally know the truth." Though I still had more questions than answers, I was pretty sure we'd never get those answers. We could only guess what else happened, and that would have to be good enough.

CHAPTER41

ARIELLA

"Your choice." Zaiden's shoulder pressed against my car door, casual as a predator sizing up prey. "We can do this the easy way, or we can do this with zip ties." A switchblade smile played on his lips.

"Move." My keys bit into my palm, metal warm against my skin. "I mean it, Zaiden. I'm done playing your games."

"Games?" He uncoiled from the car. "Baby, if I were playinggames, you wouldn't be standing here arguing."

A chill raced up my spine. "Zaiden," I growled, squaring my shoulders. "Get out of my way. I'm taking my car without you in it."

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