Defend Herself

Nicole's eyes darkened as she clenched her fists. "It doesn't matter," she said, her voice sharp with defiance. "Mathew and I were having issues that day. That's why he didn't take me to prom and canceled instead."

Chris studied her carefully, his jaw tightening. She's lying. There was something off about her explanation—something forced.

If she had been so important to Mathew, why would he take someone else to prom? It didn't make sense.

Elizabeth, too, seemed to catch on. Her eyes narrowed slightly as if she were replaying events from the past. "That doesn't add up," she said, her voice calm but firm. "If you two were just having issues, why would Mathew suddenly take Claire? Why would he think taking some other girl was what's best other than fixing your issues? And why haven't you mentioned this before? Why didn't you say so yesterday?"