He tugs on a pair of shorts and closes the door behind him.
I pause for a second, then rush for my clothes. Underwear, leggings, sports bra, t-shirt. It’s all on in a matter of seconds, and I make sure my hair isn’t crazy before I step out. The strands of pearls were yanked out sometime during our second fuck. I twist my hair up into a high bun, frowning at my reflection.
After brushing my teeth, I walk into the living room.
Riley sits on the couch, biting her nail. “Oh my god, Margo! First, amazing room. Second, this is an emergency—”
“Slow down,” I mumble.
“Where’s your phone?”
It was in the clutch. Where said clutch ended up, I don’t know. “I’d have to look around.”
She huffs, then whirls on Caleb. “I need to take her.”
He raises his eyebrows. “You can keep the room, Ri. I’ve got an errand to run, anyway.” He comes over and kisses the top of my head. “I’ll check out, so don’t worry about it. Eli can give you a ride.”
“Okay.”
He grabs his bag and reappears fully dressed. Men. I need at least a half hour to get my act together. He leaves, and Riley follows me into the bedroom.
She immediately starts laughing. “Jesus.”
“What?”
“Smells like you had a lot of sex.”
I roll my eyes. “Gross. But… true.”
I collect my stuff, throwing it in my bag while Riley watches. I save the dress for last, smoothing it as I fold it over my arm. My fingers touch something that crinkles, and I suddenly remember the paper Claire had given me. I never even thought to mention it to Riley.
I pull it out and slip it into my leggings pocket, vowing to read it later.
Finally, I place the dress in my bag and zip it shut.
“Okay, I think that’s everything.”
“Except your phone.” She’s still gnawing at her finger.
“Did you try to reach me last night? Did something happen with you and Eli?”
“What? No. No, he’s waiting for us in the lobby.”
I shrug. “It was in the clutch with my ID. Maybe in the living room?”
We scour the place, and I finally find it under the dining table. How it got there, I’ll never know. I’m about to get my phone, but Riley lays her hand on top of mine.
“Stop,” she blurts out.
I stare at her. “You’re acting weird.”
She shifts. “Remember that picture that got emailed around?”
Oh no.
“Um… there was a video.”
Oh no.
I don’t tell her I know there’s a video. That would open up a whole different can of worms—particularly because, while she knew I got a strange text when I first started, I haven’t told her about any of the following texts.
“It’s bad,” Riley whispers. “It’ll be okay, though. I just… your phone might be blowing up, and I don’t want you to freak out. In fact, you should probably just turn it off.”
I shake my head. “I don’t understand.” It’s more for myself, for Unknown, than Riley.
What did I do to push them over the edge?
“Who got the video?”
She hesitates.
I have to physically stop myself from getting angry at her. She’s just being a good friend.
“Everyone,” she blurts out. “Like, the school. And someone posted it on social media. And—”
I’m going to be sick.
The noises from that video—noises I made—play on repeat in my mind.
I rush to the bathroom, falling to my knees in front of the toilet. I throw up. The acid burns on my tongue, but my stomach doesn’t settle for a few long moments.
Finally, I’m able to straighten. Riley hands me a glass of water, giving me a sympathetic look.
I shake my head. “Don’t do that,” I say. “Don’t pity me.”
She grabs my toothbrush and toothpaste from my bag, placing it on the counter. “I’m not trying to pity you, Margo. You know I love you. I just hate that this is happening. Again.”
I nod. “Yeah. I just—”
“I’ve already reported the video. Eli did, too—”
“He saw it?” I drop the toothpaste and cover my eyes. I don’t want to know how many people are watching me get finger-fucked by Caleb Asher. But if people I’m close with are seeing it? I can’t show my face. I can’t go back to Emery-Rose after that.
“He didn’t,” she says. “Once we realized what it was… No, we didn’t.”
I let out a shuddering breath.
She wraps her arms around me. “Let’s get you home, yeah? No need to worry. The Jenkinses will probably let you take a few days off, and the school board can get it removed…”
“Yeah.” I find myself nodding along with her plan. “Good idea.”
She smiles. “I’m full of good ideas.”
We leave and I lift my hood, just in case there are more students in the lobby. I’m not ready to deal with anyone’s comments.
The lash out from the photo was bad. I’m afraid the video is going to be even worse.
Eli has his truck out front, and I practically dive into his backseat. He throws me a glance, eyebrows raised.
“You okay?” he asks.
I force myself to smile, although I think it’s more like a grimace. “Yes.”
I wonder if Caleb knows yet. I doubt he had a chance to check his phone before he ran out of the hotel room. He would’ve told me.
Right?
I spot Caleb’s car in the Jenkins’ driveway as we come up the street.
“Keep going,” I tell Eli. Shock and dread twist through me.
He glances back at me. “What—”
“Keep. Going.” I can’t breathe. I’m automatically expecting the worst. I shouldn’t, because it’s Caleb. The man who reminded me that we were fake married, who reminded me that I loved him as a kid. Who…
Riley twists around. “Is that—”
“Yes. Eli, drop me at the corner.”
He groans. “What are you planning?”
“Nothing.”
He pulls over, and I grab my bag, hopping out before they can advise against it.
“Keep your phone close, Riley. I’ll call you later,” I add.
She nods, and I slam the door. Eli drives away. I cut through the neighbor’s backyard, into the Jenkins’ backyard. I slip into the mudroom, crouching. There’s a door that leads into the kitchen, but I’m betting Caleb might be in there.
Sure enough, as soon as I press my ear to the door, I can hear what they’re saying.
“We appreciate you trying to be candid, Caleb,” Robert says. “But you haven’t quite told us why you’re trying to warn us about Margo.”
“And forgive us for thinking so, but we thought you enjoyed Margo’s company,” Lenora adds.
Warn them about me?
My heart hammers.
“I’m sorry for not being direct,” Caleb says. “It’s just that… I thought her and I were it. And then earlier today, she put out a private video trying to destroy my credibility.”
I cover my mouth with both hands. The bastard thinks I leaked that video? Like the picture, I’m sure he’s going to be lauded for it.