AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That’s assuming it gets out of the locker room.”
I give her a look that tells her we both know that it’s impossible it won’t. Some of the guys might have a conscience, but inevitably, one of them will slip up and share it with a friend or a nosy tabloid willing to pay a price.
“Even if the pictures don’t, everyone will still be talking about it. Some of the other students are bound to hear, and the rumor will spread.”
“The rumor that two adults who are dating were having sex in their home unaware they were being violated by having someone film them and disseminate the photos?”
“What if they filmed Lizzy too? Someone’s going to have to sweep the house to see where all the cameras are. I can’t believe the security team didn’t check for that. I guess… I guess they couldn’t have suspected at the time. We didn’t suspect, but still.”
“Do you want me to send someone over? I have some connections I’ve been working on in town for when we launch the PR firm. If Cooper’s investigator isn’t able to do it, I’ve got someone.”
“I don’t know. We didn’t discuss everything the person he has on it is doing yet. We didn’t get that far with how busy this week has been. If you have someone, yes… I say let’s get them over there sooner rather than later. I want to make sure there’s nothing that could hurt Lizzy. I’m sure Cooper would feel better knowing that as well.”
“All right. I’ll make some phone calls. You sit tight, okay?”
I nod and take a sip of my tea, watching as she moves to her office and picks up her phone. She paces the room as she talks, and I’m grateful I have a friend like her to run to. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a commotion on the screen, players involved in a scuffle, and my heart skips when I see the two Rawlings brothers are at the center of it.
I don’t have to have the sound on to see how loudly one of the refs is blowing the whistle or hear the yelling that’s taking place as they try to pull them apart. Yellow flags are flying through the air, and now even the coaches are on the field trying to break up the mess.
Tears form in my eyes because all of this is because of me. If I’d just stayed away from Cooper, if I had leaned on literally anyone else for help, they wouldn’t be getting penalized in a game right now. Lizzy wouldn’t be at her mom’s, and her parents wouldn’t be stressing over what sort of life-altering photos or information is lurking out there in the hands of someone who wants to do us all harm.
My phone buzzes in my purse and jolts me back to the present. I pick it up and see that it’s my mom.
“Hello?”
“Bea? Honey, are you okay?” My mom immediately launches into sensitive mode, and for a woman who’s well practiced at maintaining a calm and poise demeanor, it chills me to hear it.
“Yes.” My heart bottoms out. She knows. Somehow, she already knows. “How do you know already?”
“They sent the images to your father as well. To his phone somehow. His team is already on it.”
“Oh my god.” I start to cry. It was humiliating enough to know a whole football team I worked for had seen me half-dressed, but knowing they sent them to my father too? “I could die. Did they send them to Xander?”
“I don’t know, honey. You know he won’t care about that. Your dad doesn’t either. Someone violated your privacy. He’s furious on your behalf. Whoever is at the bottom of this, we’re going to make sure they pay for all of it. Don’t you worry.”
“Mom… It’s impossible not to worry right now.” My voice is shaky from how hard I’m trying not to sob into the phone. “Cooper. Dad. Lizzy. Everyone is going to suffer from this, and I can’t do anything to stop it. I kept thinking it was nothing, and I didn’t do something fast enough. I should have told Madison. I should have done more. I should have gone home when you asked me to.”
“Honey… None of that matters right now, okay? You did the best you could with what you knew at the time. You’re a strong woman, and you have a lot of people who love you and will help you get through this. None of this is your fault. Absolutely none of it, do you hear me?”
“I wish that were true. But I’ve ruined so much just being here.” I can’t help the flow of guilt and self-flagellation that follows, and I just start bawling while she sits with me on the phone. She’s mostly quiet, telling me in intervals it’s not my fault. There’s a flash on the screen that distracts me.
My eyes lift to see it’s already halftime. The banner at the bottom of the TV declares, “Rawlings Brothers ejected from the game.”
“Oh my god.” My heart drops in my chest.
“What is it?”
“Cooper and Rob were both ejected from the game. I told you. All of this for what? Because I was stupid and selfish.”
“Bea?” Madison enters the room again and looks at me with worry. Her eyes dart to the screen and back to me, and she hurries over and hugs me. “Who are you talking to?”
“My mom.” I barely get the words out because my throat is so scratchy, thick with mucus, and my eyes are swollen as I rub at them again.
“Okay. Let me talk to her for a minute, and you just sit here with me.” Madison pulls me onto the couch next to her and takes the phone from me. I curl my legs up under myself and lean my head on her shoulder. I’m busy worrying about Cooper’s likely looming suspension and fines. How the team, and more importantly Coach Undergrove, must be feeling given that Westfield and Rawlings have gone back-to-back weekends with more drama than most teams have in an entire year—on a team he’s desperately trying to reform into a playoff team.
Worse yet for Quentin, who is doing so well despite everything. Another rack of guilt runs through me. Cooper is a good guy. He doesn’t get into trouble. No fights and certainly no ejections.
Madison and my mom would never blame me. I have a solid record of always being the good one which gives me passes for situations like this. But objectively, this is my fault. I could have done more. I should have done more. I would’ve scoffed at a client trying to play this all off like I did.
