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imagine them on me.
    My shoulders sagged. I took the note and turned to leave. “Thank you, Mr. Mahoney.”
    â€œNorah,” he said. His voice was a little softer than the one he used in class. “If you do need glasses, let me know and I’ll change your grade.”
    But even that didn’t make me feel better.
    Â 
    Darcy passed me a note in English.
    Â 
    Partners in Crime meeting. After school. You, me, Fiona. The Java Lamp. We need to come up with our next steps for Maya’s case.
    Â 
    I smiled, pleased that she’d gotten over whatever was bothering her the other day and had invited Fiona along. I scribbled back: I’m in . Then I pretended to yawn, stretching my arms up into the air so I could drop the note onto Darcy’s desk behind me.
    The prospect of getting one of those giant face-size cookies from the Java Lamp made me feel a little bit better after my “I may need glasses” revelation. What was also making me feel better was knowing that I had an excuse to talk to Zane sometime today. But about what?
    I was reminded of a conversation I’d had with Maya when Darcy and I were working on our first case. Maya had been nervous to talk to me, as usual, but then she’d blurted out that Zane had a secret.
    She never told me what it was, which really stank. But at the same time, it made me like Maya more because she could obviously be trusted with secrets. After Hunter started teasing Maya on the way home from school, Zane had walked with her to protect her. And they’d become friends. I’d wondered if the big secret was that they were becoming boyfriend and girlfriend, but it didn’t seem like that was it.
    After the last bell, I hung around my locker, wondering if Zane might stop by. I didn’t want to be standing there doing nothing and looking desperate. So I reached into my book bag front pocket, where I’d stashed the piece of paper I’d found on the ground behind Hunter’s house Saturday night.
    I squinted, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. It looked like some sort of swirly design. Was it three connected butterflies? No, the thing on the right looked like a butterfly, or a sideways heart, but the rest of it … I shrugged and stuffed it back into my backpack. It was just someone’s elaborate doodle. Not a clue.
    I wondered if Zane was waiting for me at his locker, so I closed mine and walked down the opposite hallway to find him. I didn’t know which locker number was his but knew it was in this block. I stopped, looked around, and sighed. He wasn’t there. I stood still for a moment, trying to decide whether I should give up and leave. Then a big hand grabbed my upper arm and spun me around.
    â€œHey, Norah,” Slade said in a mocking tone. “I hear the Old Witch is after you.”
    Great. Hunter had told his best friend about Saturday night. Just what I needed. More taunting from Slade.
    He did his best evil witch cackle, throwing his head back and laughing. His fingers were still wrapped around my arm. I tried to pull away, but his grip only tightened.
    Darcy came up beside me and growled, “Take your hand off my best friend or I will punch you into next week.”
    Wow. A time-traveling beatdown. Darcy’s threats were creative.
    Slade let go, but his dark eyes never left mine. “Watch out.” He pointed at us as he stepped backward. “One of you girls is next. The witch is hungry.”
    â€œIgnore him,” Darcy said, leading me away. “Someone’s waiting for you at your locker.”

Apparently, Zane had been waiting for me while I was waiting for him. We must have passed in the hallway, but since I was apparently half blind, I hadn’t noticed. Now, though, as I rounded the corner, I saw him leaning against my locker. And, I swear, when he saw me, his eyes lit up.
    My heart did a little flutter thing, but I told myself to be brave.
    â€œSo,” I said when