Free The Perfectionists by Sara Shepard

skill Parker used to have, too.
    Suddenly, they were coming upstairs. The girls dodged back into the bathroom, closing the door except for a fraction of an inch. A moment later, Ava half escorted, half dragged Nolan past. He looked wasted already.
    â€œI’ve missed you so much, baby,” she purred. They could hear him mumble something in response.
    They all ran out into the hall. From there, through an open bedroom door, they could see Nolan lying on his bed, Ava standing over him.
    At first he was pawing at her, but then his eyelids started to droop sleepily and his words began to slur. Parker recalled glancing over her shoulder nervously, hoping no one would come up the stairs and see this. All of them gathered to watch, and for a second, it seemed wrong, like they’d turned into bullies.
    Then he noticed the others in the doorway. He picked them out one by one, saying something about each of them. Parker’s heart had hardened again. She was almost glad when his eyelids fluttered and he drifted off.
    He’s fine , she’d heard one of their voices say. He passes out every weekend. Let’s get to work.
    That had been when Mackenzie pulled the bright-colored Sharpies out of her bag. They each had taken a pen and crept closer. Caitlin had swept in first, drawing Not to be trusted across his forehead. Mackenzie had started to write LIAR , and Julie had written Monster.
    â€œThe police are going to question everyone at that party,” Ava broke in now. “What if someone saw us go up there with him? And, I mean, it’s not like we were careful. Our fingerprints were probably all over that bathroom and the beer he’d drunk. They could go back and collect everything for crime investigation.”
    Mac put her hands on her hips. “You’re saying this as if we actually did something. We only gave him one pill, Ava, something he did himself all the time. Just because we talked about killing him doesn’t make us guilty. The police found evidence of foul play—there’s no way one pill could be foul play.”
    â€œBut we did do something! We still gave him a pill. And we wrote all over him,” Caitlin exclaimed hysterically, raising her hands.
    Parker twisted her mouth. But she couldn’t quite look at the issue head-on. She could barely relive that night without getting a headache.
    â€œMaybe we should tell someone about this,” Mac suggested. “Like, you know, come clean about how we pranked him.”
    Ava’s eyes boggled. “We still gave him Oxy, and that’s still pretty bad. What if they don’t believe us? What if they think we did it anyway?”
    â€œI agree,” Julie admitted. “We could get in a lot of trouble. I mean”—she swallowed—“we all have a lot to lose.”
    They were all silent again, thinking of what was on the line—their reputations, graduation, college, their parents’ approval.
    â€œI don’t understand what actually happened,” Caitlin finally whispered, glancing nervously back and forth. “I mean, everyone’s saying it was Oxy. If so, someone else must have given him more drugs after we left, don’t you think?”
    â€œA lot of people hated him,” Mac whispered, glancing uncertainly at the packed parking lot.
    Then Parker had a horrible thought. “Do you think someone’s trying to pin it on us?”
    â€œI wondered the same thing,” Ava said.
    Mackenzie fiddled with her glasses. “No one was near us when we were talking in class.”
    â€œThe room isn’t that big,” Caitlin said shakily. “Who’s in film studies with us?”
    â€œNolan,” Julie said. “Or he was. ”
    â€œAlex,” Ava said. “He’d never do something like that, even if he was eavesdropping.”
    â€œOliver Hodges,” Caitlin named. “Ben Riddle. Quentin Aaron. They’re off Nolan’s radar. Ursula