Cameron refused to understand, refused to back off like she needed him to. Still, she refused to confirm or deny Sisse's feelings, it wasn't her place or right to. If Sisse wanted Cameron to know she would tell him, she was mature enough to not require Alice's help along the way. However, that left the very raw feeling of having to confess her own, which Alice couldn't do either. How could she when it would in turn be a betrayal to Sloane? If only he had allowed her to walk away, if only he could understand this was a conversation that couldn't happen.

"I'll take her side because she actually trusts me. Because, when it comes down to it, we don't have secrets." Sure, Sisse hadn't shared this particular secret, but that was out of loyalty to Cameron and Sloane. Alice didn't hold that against her. "Because when Sisse says she fancies someone, I would sooner smother my own feelings than risk hurting her." That was what friends did, after all. "We didn't know she fancied you, she never said anything. But we — or at least I would have understood. That's the betrayal, Cameron. That's why it hurt." Tears pricked in the corners of her eyes as she spoke. It was as close to the truth as she was willing to go, the closest to a confession of feelings for both Edison and Cameron that she'd ever make.

She wiped furiously at her eyes, removing the tears before they had a chance to exist. "Your first reaction was to fear me. Me! Like I would ever do anything to hurt either of you." Alice would sooner label herself the hussy and get expelled than see Sloane face that fate. Sloane had opportunities, a life ahead of her. Alice would be lucky to get her OWLs next year. "Like I haven't done everything I possibly could to help you. None of it mattered. There was just fear and I ... I can't see past that."