Oh. My. Gods.

“You are more than welcome,” he says in his typical, formal voice.

But there is a warmth in there that I never noticed before.

I can’t believe he’s really letting me tell Nola and Cesca about the school, the island, everything.

Now, all I have to do is figure out how to tell them.

“First, however,” he says in full on principal mode, “we need to have a discussion.”

Right. I knew this trust thing was too good to be true. My shoulders slump. I glance ahead at Mom and the girls who are getting ahead of us.

“Phoebe,” he says, laying a hand on my shoulder, “this has nothing to do with your friends.”

“Oh,” I say, surprised. “All right.”

“Why don’t we go to the school and your friends can look around while we talk?”

I nod, sensing that what he wants to tell me is a pretty big deal.

Considering all the major life-flipping news I’ve gotten lately, I’m a little nervous about what more he could possibly have to talk to me about. Maybe he knows that Troy cheated to help me win.

“Hey girls,” I shout, running to catch up with them. “Wanna see my new school?”

We detour across the central lawn toward the front steps.

“Pacific Park hasn’t been the same without you,” Cesca says.

“Did she tell you what she did to Justin?” Nola asks.

“No,” I say, grinning at my girls. “What?”

“It’s nothing,” Cesca says with a wink. “Really.”

Nola rolls her eyes at the understatement. “She pantsed him in front of the whole school at the homecoming assembly.”

I’m so not surprised. Cesca is not the sort of person whose bad side you want to be on. She’s vindictive as- well, as Stella, I guess.

I never really noticed it before, but Cesca can be a real bi’atch to people who cross her. Or who cross her friends. If I were on the other side of her anger I might feel the same way about her as I do about Stella.

And if I were on the other side of Stella’s anger, I might feel the same for her that I do for Cesca.

Huh. Stella as my best friend. Not likely. But still, I feel like maybe I understand where she’s coming from a little better.

“Suffice it to say I think he’ll have a hard time finding a date anytime soon.” Cesca checks her nails likes it’s no big deal. “Power Rangers boxers aren’t exactly en vogue right now.”

I laugh at the thought of Justin exposed to the entire student body.

“How old is this school, anyway?” Cesca asks, staring up at the massive templelike facade of the Academy. “This building looks ancient.”

“It is,” I say. “It’s fifteen hundred years old.”

“Holy hot tamale,” Cesca gasps.

“They have excellent landscaping,” Nola says. “I can’t believe the grass is so healthy in such an arid climate.”

“Yeah, well…” I glance back over my shoulder at Mom and Damian, following us across the lawn. “There’s a very good reason for that.”

“Phoebe!”

I spin around, looking up to see Troy standing at the top of the steps. He’s grinning like a crazy person. Maybe he is.

“You!” I shout.

“Where’d you go?” he asks, standing with his fists on his hips.

“You took off so fast I didn’t get a chance to congratulate you.”

I turn to the girls. “Give me a minute?”

“Sure,” Cesca says.

Nola nods. “No problem.”

Leaving them at the base of the steps, I stomp up to meet Troy.

“I can’t imagine why I’d want to get away quickly, can you?”

“What?” He looks genuinely confused. “You’re not making any sense.”

“What? What!” I jab my finger into his chest. “After what you did, you have the nerve to ask what?”

“What I did? What are you talking about?”

“I know what your ‘good luck charm’ did, Troy.” I cross my arms across my chest. “I saw the glow.”

“The glow?” He frowns. “I saw it too, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Look, I know you were just trying to help. But cheating is cheating. You humiliated me. I can’t even face the team, let alone look at myself in the mirror.”

“Cheating? You cheated?” He shakes his head, as if he doesn’t understand. “You’re not making any sense.”

In all my years of running I’ve never cheated. When other racers were trying anabolic steroids, synthetic hormones, and amphetamines I just trained harder. I focused on perfecting my technique, improving my endurance, and obsessing about my nutrition.

Now, after all those years of hard work and integrity, in just one race on this island, I’m a cheater. Someone-and I have a pretty good idea who that powers-charmed-bracelet-giving someone isused godly powers to help me win. I won a race that I didn’t deserve to win.

Winning by cheating isn’t winning at all.

“ I didn’t cheat,” I say, barely keeping my volume under control because I am so irritated that he keeps playing dumb, “but it feels like I did. When you gave me your powers, I-”

“Whoa!” He jumps back, waving his hands in front of his chest defensively. “When I gave you my powers? I couldn’t even do that if I wanted to.”

Holding up my hand, I pluck at the friendship bracelet. “Then what do you call this?”

“A friendship bracelet.”

“Ha,” I snort.

“We can’t just give our powers to someone else.” He steps closer, his voice calm and certain. “Besides the fact that it would probably kill the person on the receiving end, your stepdad would expel me in a heartbeat. I like you a lot Phoebe, but I’m not about to throw away my future for anyone.”

“If you’re just going to lie to me, then I’d like you to leave.” I turn my back to him and head down the steps.

He doesn’t say a word, so I think he’s gone.

When I glance back he’s still there. Staring at me. He looks like I’ve kicked him in the guts. With that wounded look in his eyes, he turns and walks into the school. I shrug it off, telling myself I don’t care about the feelings of a cheater, no matter how cute and sincere he seems. No matter how good of a friend I thought he was.

Damian smiles oddly. “I wouldn’t be too hard on the boy,” he says. “Shall we go inside and have our talk?”

I nod and we all head up the broad stone steps. Now I’m even more confused. Either Damian doesn’t know about the cheating, or he doesn’t care.

Coach Lenny is waiting in Damian’s office. For a second I stare at him, shocked that he’s there. This must be about my cheating. I drop my gaze to the floor. I can’t face him. I can’t stand to see the look of betrayal in his eyes. After we worked so hard, so many extra hours, for it all to just not count because of Troy’s misplaced desire to help.

But I know it’s Coach’s right to confront me. He put in as much extra time and effort as I did, and he deserves to grill me about why I’ve quit the team.

“I’m so sorry, Coach,” I say, dropping into the chair next to his.

“I didn’t know what he did.”

Coach frowns. “What who did? And why in Hades are you sorry?

You’re my superstar. You won the race.”

Damian moves around behind his desk, lowering into his big leather chair. “Phoebe thinks she cheated,” he