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Frowning, I stared at the screen, quickly scanning the article she’d been reading:
… the messages between Gia Blackstone and an unknown male show the couple involved in a sexy texty tryst you’ve got to see to believe…
“What the fuck.” I bolted to my feet, my fight or flight instincts kicking in until I realized I had nowhere to go and no one to fight. “Shit, shit. How did they get these? How the fuck did they...”
Several screenshots of mine and Sloane’s canoodling via messenger the first night was right there for all the world to read about. I scrolled down and down, only to find more. It was practically the entire sexting session, including when I screamed his name.
My skin burned hot with humiliation. I barely noticed the girls kicking into action around me, each grabbing their phones to see what kind of damage control could be done.
I felt sick. I felt violated. I wanted to scream at the injustice.
Oh my god. Sloane!
He would be mortified. He might hate me for this.
That thought was the worst of all.
“Those bastards,” Kara fumed. “This is illegal, right? They can’t just post personal shit, right? Right?”
I shook my head. “I… I don’t know.”
Helena’s phone slipped from my hand to land on the expensive tile floor. It was probably broken. I’d buy her a new one later.
“Gi,” she said carefully, her hand landing on my shoulder. “Gi, are you okay?”
It was a dumb question to ask, but I knew her heart was in the right place. I shook my head. Words failed me.
“Gia, who do you think did this?” That was Maisy. I recognized the fire in her voice. She wanted to know who, so she could wipe the floor with them.
“I don’t know.”
The room went silent for too many breaths. Everyone went still to match me, where I hadn’t moved since standing.
“Do you think…” Kara’s voice trailed off, but she didn’t have to finish for me to know what she was thinking. Because I was thinking it too, trying to wrap my brain around the possibility.
No. No, I wanted to scream at her.
“Would he?” Maisy asked softly.
No. Please, no.
The screenshots were from inside the app. It was… it was possible.
I stifled a sob. I wanted to sink to the floor and let it swallow me up. I’d trusted Sloane. I’d let him know parts of me I’d never shown anyone else before. And he’d opened up to me too, telling me how important honest love was to him. How he’d been hurt before, but wanted something real and lasting. Just like I did.
Would he really betray me like this after all we shared?
I couldn’t believe it, but also, mama didn’t raise no fool.
“I don’t know,” I rasped, lifting my chin. “I don’t know. But I’m sure as hell going to find out.”
Marching past my friends, I grabbed my purse from the table by the door and headed for the boardwalk.
***
I was next in line for the rollercoaster, but my stomach was already twisted into knots. I watched Sloane, my heart wilting, as he helped an older gentleman from a car and off the ride. When he turned around and noticed me, his eyes lit up. Just like they always did. I loved the way he looked at me like I was everything.
Now, I wondered if I was just a means to an end.
