We trusted you…
Your tantrum cost us three years…
You owe us, and this has been a long time coming…
I closed my eyes, my lungs emptying. All this time they’d thought…
I looked at them again. “You think I posted the videos that got you arrested? That’s why you’re doing this?”
Oh, my God.
Michael leaned in and grabbed me by the back of the hair. I let out a small cry, sweat breaking out on my forehead.
“You had Will’s phone,” he charged.
But I shook my head. “I didn’t! I would never have done that.”
“You had the phone, because you had Will’s sweatshirt,” he argued. “Damon saw you with it. Say it!”
“Yes!” I gritted out. “Yes, I had the phone, but it fell out of my pocket when I was fighting with them!”
“You weren’t fighting with them,” he growled, his voice stinging my ears. “Stop lying!”
“I swear!”
He shoved me away, and I curled my fingers into my palms. None of this made any sense.
“You’re already caught,” Will said. “Michael says Kai was with him. That’s how we know you’re making all of this up. He wasn’t even there.”
I slammed my fists down. “He was! You all were, except Michael! You were passed out in the car, Damon was threatening me, and Kai grabbed me. When I hit him, he just laughed and said, ‘You can’t hurt me. The devil always has my back!’ You were all there, and the phone fell out when I was on the ground!”
“’The devil always has my back?’” Kai repeated, looking confused. “I didn’t say that. I’ve never even heard that before!”
I shook my head, closing my eyes in despair.
“I have.”
Everyone stilled and turned their eyes on Michael.
“My father,” he said in almost a whisper, looking uneasy. “He says that.”
Heat spread over my exhausted body, and I forced myself to take deeper breaths as I watched him turn his dark stare on Kai.
“Trevor,” he said in a low voice.
Kai’s stair hardened, and Will inched in to find out what was happening.
Trevor?
I thought back to that night. Trevor in Kai’s mask. Would he do that?
Michael turned around, and I saw Damon lock eyes with him.
“What?” he snapped.
“Will was drunk as shit,” Michael challenged. “But you weren’t. You took her into the middle of nowhere instead of directly home, and you knew it was Trevor under that mask.”
Damon blew out a stream of smoke and ground out his cigarette on the island. “You’re taking her side?”
“You’re the one lying to me,” Michael replied.
He shook his head as his friends all turned to face him. “This changes nothing.”
They waited while he stood there, and I looked over at him, completely numb. Damon never pretended to be my friend.
I felt nothing.
But Trevor…?
He’d played me for a fool. That’s why he’d whispered that night. So I wouldn’t recognize the voice.
You think you can hurt me, you fucking slut?
All these years I’d been unaware. How he must’ve enjoyed that.
Damon hooded his eyes, looking bored. “Kai left almost immediately after you did that night,” he told Michael. “That’s when Trevor showed up. He was looking for Rika, and he wasn’t happy. Someone told him that she was with us, so he came to get her.”
I walked around, standing next to Kai.
“We had words,” Damon continued, “but then I realized that we could help each other. He wanted Rika away from us, and so did I. We decided to fuck with her.”
“What was your problem with me?” I demanded.
“You had no business with us.” He pinned me with a scowl. “Women always complicate shit. Michael couldn’t take his eyes off you, and Kai was starting to notice you, too.”
Kai straightened next to me, shifting uncomfortably.
“It was only a matter of time before you tore us apart,” Damon bit out. “You’re fucking pussy and nothing more.”
Michael lunged.
He charged for Damon and slammed his fist across his face, sending Damon flying back and crashing into the stove.
He didn’t come back swinging, though. He just stood there, blinking long and hard and breathing fast. He was either in too much pain from the wound or he knew when he was outnumbered.
He swallowed and stood up straight again, continuing like nothing had happened. “We went out to your car and got the masks. If she thought it was Kai, Will, and me together, she’d get the shit scared out of her and never come around us again. Will was piss-drunk, so we put him in the car and went back in to get her, but she’d already left. We caught up to her on the road.”
“And you left my sweatshirt in the booth,” Will chimed in, “along with the phone.”
“Which I found and wore on the walk home,” I added.
Christ.
“And then Trevor found the phone when she lost it in the struggle,” Kai finished.
“So she says,” Damon snapped. “We can’t trust her.”
“I trust her a hell of a lot more than I do you!” Michael bellowed.
“Yeah, fuck you,” Damon growled. “She’s a worthless fucking cunt, and I’ll show you exactly what she’s good for!”
Your tantrum cost us three years…
You owe us, and this has been a long time coming…
I closed my eyes, my lungs emptying. All this time they’d thought…
I looked at them again. “You think I posted the videos that got you arrested? That’s why you’re doing this?”
Oh, my God.
Michael leaned in and grabbed me by the back of the hair. I let out a small cry, sweat breaking out on my forehead.
“You had Will’s phone,” he charged.
But I shook my head. “I didn’t! I would never have done that.”
“You had the phone, because you had Will’s sweatshirt,” he argued. “Damon saw you with it. Say it!”
“Yes!” I gritted out. “Yes, I had the phone, but it fell out of my pocket when I was fighting with them!”
“You weren’t fighting with them,” he growled, his voice stinging my ears. “Stop lying!”
“I swear!”
He shoved me away, and I curled my fingers into my palms. None of this made any sense.
“You’re already caught,” Will said. “Michael says Kai was with him. That’s how we know you’re making all of this up. He wasn’t even there.”
I slammed my fists down. “He was! You all were, except Michael! You were passed out in the car, Damon was threatening me, and Kai grabbed me. When I hit him, he just laughed and said, ‘You can’t hurt me. The devil always has my back!’ You were all there, and the phone fell out when I was on the ground!”
“’The devil always has my back?’” Kai repeated, looking confused. “I didn’t say that. I’ve never even heard that before!”
I shook my head, closing my eyes in despair.
“I have.”
Everyone stilled and turned their eyes on Michael.
“My father,” he said in almost a whisper, looking uneasy. “He says that.”
Heat spread over my exhausted body, and I forced myself to take deeper breaths as I watched him turn his dark stare on Kai.
“Trevor,” he said in a low voice.
Kai’s stair hardened, and Will inched in to find out what was happening.
Trevor?
I thought back to that night. Trevor in Kai’s mask. Would he do that?
Michael turned around, and I saw Damon lock eyes with him.
“What?” he snapped.
“Will was drunk as shit,” Michael challenged. “But you weren’t. You took her into the middle of nowhere instead of directly home, and you knew it was Trevor under that mask.”
Damon blew out a stream of smoke and ground out his cigarette on the island. “You’re taking her side?”
“You’re the one lying to me,” Michael replied.
He shook his head as his friends all turned to face him. “This changes nothing.”
They waited while he stood there, and I looked over at him, completely numb. Damon never pretended to be my friend.
I felt nothing.
But Trevor…?
He’d played me for a fool. That’s why he’d whispered that night. So I wouldn’t recognize the voice.
You think you can hurt me, you fucking slut?
All these years I’d been unaware. How he must’ve enjoyed that.
Damon hooded his eyes, looking bored. “Kai left almost immediately after you did that night,” he told Michael. “That’s when Trevor showed up. He was looking for Rika, and he wasn’t happy. Someone told him that she was with us, so he came to get her.”
I walked around, standing next to Kai.
“We had words,” Damon continued, “but then I realized that we could help each other. He wanted Rika away from us, and so did I. We decided to fuck with her.”
“What was your problem with me?” I demanded.
“You had no business with us.” He pinned me with a scowl. “Women always complicate shit. Michael couldn’t take his eyes off you, and Kai was starting to notice you, too.”
Kai straightened next to me, shifting uncomfortably.
“It was only a matter of time before you tore us apart,” Damon bit out. “You’re fucking pussy and nothing more.”
Michael lunged.
He charged for Damon and slammed his fist across his face, sending Damon flying back and crashing into the stove.
He didn’t come back swinging, though. He just stood there, blinking long and hard and breathing fast. He was either in too much pain from the wound or he knew when he was outnumbered.
He swallowed and stood up straight again, continuing like nothing had happened. “We went out to your car and got the masks. If she thought it was Kai, Will, and me together, she’d get the shit scared out of her and never come around us again. Will was piss-drunk, so we put him in the car and went back in to get her, but she’d already left. We caught up to her on the road.”
“And you left my sweatshirt in the booth,” Will chimed in, “along with the phone.”
“Which I found and wore on the walk home,” I added.
Christ.
“And then Trevor found the phone when she lost it in the struggle,” Kai finished.
“So she says,” Damon snapped. “We can’t trust her.”
“I trust her a hell of a lot more than I do you!” Michael bellowed.
“Yeah, fuck you,” Damon growled. “She’s a worthless fucking cunt, and I’ll show you exactly what she’s good for!”
