The Second Time She Was Framed

Chapter 4 The Offer

Wednesday morning, I went to find Luke.

I did not go to his dorm. I did not go to his classes. I went to the coffee shop near the business school where he worked three shifts a week, because I knew he would be there at nine, and because I wanted him to see me coming.

He was behind the counter, wiping down the espresso machine. When he saw me, his face did something complicated. Surprise, then a flicker of fear, then the smile he used when he wanted people to think he was harmless.

"Cassie," he said. "Hey. How's Sophie?"

"Cut the act."

"I'm serious. I feel terrible about the post. But she did take Caroline's food. I saw her."

"You saw her." I leaned on the counter. "Where?"

"At Gerber Hall. Around eight forty-five."

"Funny. The library log says she was inside the north entrance until ten fifty-two."

His smile flickered. "Maybe she left and came back."

"Maybe. Or maybe you were the one at Gerber Hall, since your own order arrived at 8:38."

The espresso machine hissed. Luke's hand stopped moving.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said.

"I'm talking about the register log at the noodle place. Two orders to Gerber Hall that night. Caroline's at 8:41. Yours at 8:38. You were there, Luke. You took her food. And then you blamed my sister."

His face went red. "You can't prove that."

"I can prove enough." I pulled out my phone and showed him the screenshot of the register log, which Hector had texted me. I did not show him the library email yet. I wanted him to think I had more than I did.

He stared at the screen. His jaw worked. Then he said, in a voice that was almost a whisper, "What do you want?"

"Take the post down. Today. Post an apology. Say you were mistaken. Say Sophie had nothing to do with it."

"And if I don't?"

"Then on Friday, the campus paper runs a story about a jealous boyfriend who stole his girlfriend's rival's dinner and blamed his own girlfriend for it. And I give the forum every screenshot I have. And I give the dean's office a formal complaint about harassment and defamation. And you spend the rest of your senior year explaining to every person you meet why you did something so pathetic."

He looked at me for a long moment. Then he laughed, and it was not a nice laugh.

"You think anyone is going to believe you?" he said. "You're her sister. You're biased. And Caroline likes me. She thinks I'm helping her."

"Caroline thinks you're a useful i***t," I said. "She's not going to protect you when the truth comes out. She's going to protect herself."

His face changed. I had hit something.

"Take the post down," I said again. "You have until tonight."

I left before he could answer. I did not look back.