Sleep came in fitful, broken fragments that night, and Lily woke the next morning feeling more exhausted than if she hadn't slept at all. Ethan had kept his promise, staying close throughout the house, though Richard had insisted, firmly, that he sleep in his own room rather than camp outside Lily's door a second night in a row, citing the need to avoid raising Susan's suspicions any further than they already had.
At school, the vandalized car had become the talk of Ridgemont Prep, exactly as Lily had feared, with theories ranging from a jealous ex to some elaborate prank gone wrong. Vivian's earlier gossip about the chemistry lab photo had been entirely eclipsed by this new, juicier scandal, and Lily found herself the subject of stares and whispers wherever she walked, though at this poi
