a sharp breath. It isn’t Landon. That’s Jacob Ellis. Jared’s boyfriend.
Holy shit.
My gasp is audible, but luckily, they don’t hear me over Audrey’s slurping. I want to look away, but the comments are blowing up, and I’m distracted. I’m too frozen by indecision to stop it. Why is she here with him? Is this why Jared was so pissed?
“Hold the phone up, so he can see your face.” Audrey pauses her theatrics to direct Jacob as he snaps photos of her face in his crotch.
Why the hell are they taking photos? I don’t get it. Is this some kind of kinky game him and Jared play? Trying to one-up each other at parties with random people? And what about Landon? How does he fit into all this?
“You aren’t selling it very well,” Jacob remarks dryly as Audrey works his shaft like a possessed demon.
“Screw y—” Her response is abruptly cut off when Jacob grabs the back of her head and starts face fucking her in earnest.
UGH.
I keep the phone up but force myself to look away because… gross. I do not want to see this. And if I’m being honest, the guilt is starting to creep back in. Chances are, Jared has already heard about this. As if the last message I sent wasn’t enough. Somehow, he went from my biggest ally to my biggest casualty in the span of a few minutes.
I was convinced it would be Audrey and Landon getting it on in there. I didn’t think it through, and it’s too late to turn back now. But does it really matter? This is what I wanted. I wanted Audrey to pay for all the terrible things she’s done. One by one, I recall them, fortifying my justification.
She sabotaged my performance. She pretended to be a friend, only to take photos of me in my weakest moment and pass them around. She spearheaded the Destroy Kailani Hale Campaign. She threatened my position on the dance team. And she took Landon for herself. Not that the last one means anything because I sure as hell don’t want him.
These are just a few of her transgressions, and I’m convinced giving her a taste of her own medicine will make me feel better… eventually. But I’m also wondering if maybe my justifications are just a way to distance myself from the responsibility of what I’m doing right now. This video will hurt them all. Landon. Audrey. Jared. Maybe a few others. But did any of them step in to help me at the party? No, they didn’t.
They deserve this. That’s what I keep telling myself throughout the entire performance, which lasts roughly five minutes. After Audrey worships at his feet, he bends her over and fucks her against the table, giving all the viewers a clear shot of both their faces. It’s the final blow. And when Jacob comes, I end the video, ducking down as they pull away from each other and begin to adjust their clothing.
“Let me see the photos,” Audrey says.
There are a few seconds of silence, and then she speaks again.
“Send him that one. I want him to see your face.”
“You really are a cold-hearted bitch,” Jacob replies gruffly.
“As cold as they come,” she boasts proudly. “Now, be a good boy and run along. I don’t need anyone to see us together.”
Too late for that.
Their footsteps retreat, and then a shadowy figure rounds the corner of the gazebo. I nearly squeak as I slap a hand over my mouth. But as it turns out, it’s Courtney.
“Why are you so jumpy?” She examines me as though I belong in a straitjacket. I probably do.
“No reason.” I shove my phone into my pocket as if that will somehow erase what I just did. Courtney notices.
“You’re a horrible liar.”
“Can we please just go?” I blurt. “I’m tired, and I’m over this party.”
She shrugs, letting me off the hook for now. “I thought you’d never ask.”
9
Landon
Monday morning at school is a shitshow. Rumors are flying, and everyone’s staring at me, wondering if I know. A few random dudes in the hall offer me their condolences on my relationship with Audrey. I’m not surprised she didn’t show her face at school today. She’s probably at home mapping out a battle plan to destroy us all.
The only person who has my attention is the girl walking around with her head down, hoping to slip by unnoticed. She doodles quietly throughout first period and remains stoic at practice after school. The fake confidence she