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Some girls make their way down the hallway, and as they get closer, I hold my breath and shrink back against the wall. None of them even look our way.

“Did you hear she actually left?” one of them asks.

“Yeah, and Jayden apparently went with her. Like, what the hell?”

“So weird. I bet she talked him into something.”

Their voices fade as they stroll away, and I bite the inside of my cheek so I don’t snort. Sure, because Jayden totally does whatever I say. Poor him. But the rumor is out there now, and if those girls know about it, then Supreme probably does too.

“Told you,” Jayden whispers. “Everyone’s talking about it.”

“Good. Then our plan is working.”

Still, I hold my breath whenever anyone passes us, and I turn my back to them so they wouldn’t look too closely. Luckily, no one seems to think someone would be hiding behind this particular wall, or maybe they see two people and think Jayden and I are making out or something. Then again, no one cares unless they recognize someone interesting, and Jayden and I currently look just like random students.

When the door of the nearest lecture hall finally swings open, students come out in groups, chatting and checking their phones. My gaze darts from one face to the next. Where are the guys? It’s mostly girls.

But then a tall guy comes out with a white bandage wrapped around his hand, and I clutch Jayden’s arm so hard that he winces.

“There,” I hiss. “Look at his hand!”

Jayden’s head snaps up. “I see him.”

But right behind the tall guy, another guy has his hand wrapped too, and so does the girl who holds the door for them. Wait, what the fuck?

“Oh shit.” I gape at them. “Why does literally everyone have a bandage?”

Jayden’s mouth opens and closes. “What the hell?”

More students crowd the hallway, and I lose count of the bandages, because if I didn’t know any better, I’d think the whole senior class got into a knife fight last night. Some of the bandages are neat and tight, and some are wrapped so sloppily that the ends flap around when their owners wave at their friends. One girl even has a bandage with little pink hearts drawn on it.

Jayden’s phone buzzes in his hand, and he mutters a curse under his breath, then turns the screen toward me. I scoot closer so I can read the texts. They’re from Montoya.

Dude, did u really leave??? Also campus is insane today. Everyone’s wrapping their hands up, what?

Some protest thing. Against something?? No one even knows what it’s about. One of the popular girls started it this morning and now everyone’s copying her.

Jayden’s grip tightens around the phone, and he mumbles another string of curses under his breath.

“A protest,” he says through gritted teeth. “Against what? Are they kidding me? Today? It’s complete bullshit!” He shoves the phone into his hoodie pocket. “Supreme did this. Fucking hell!”

A girl holds up her wrapped hand so her friend can take a photo of it as she grins as if it’s the prettiest accessory she’s ever had, and I bite down on my lip. Fuck.

Supreme must’ve started all this, just to be safe, because there’s no way in hell this is a coincidence.

“I bet Supreme is loving this.” I sigh.

Jayden groans and runs a hand over his face. “Great. So all of this was for nothing. We’ll never find him now.”

“Maybe, but we could still watch for a genuine reaction, since fake ones won’t bother to wince or something.”

“Sure, but it’s unlikely we’ll figure it out.”

“We’ll see more if we split up,” I say. “You check around the dining hall and the library, and I’ll check the lecture halls. Then we’ll meet at the parking lot.”

Jayden frowns at me. “I don’t like the idea of splitting up.”

“We’ll text each other.”