AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Nineteen
Luckily, I did manage to get Rebel’s advice about the hacking the following morning. I didn’t tell him what it was for, but he seemed pretty okay with whatever. He said it wouldn’t be too hard to do and the best news he gave me was that I could do it remotely. He even let me use his computer, promising me that he would erase my tracks afterwards.
The first thing I did once I was into the school’s medical system was set up a flag with Tilly’s name, and an automatic reroute of her results to my email. I knew it would take a week to ten days for the results to come in, but I also knew that having money would speed everything up - even waiting for test results. I set it up so that when they did come in I’d be able to reaccess the system to store, edit and mail out her results. Rebel also gave me a virus to download into the software so that it looked like a glitch at their end when Tilly’s personal and highly confidential test results ‘accidentally’ got sent to all.
Within five days (thank you rush test service) everyone in the school - students, staff, governors and even some parents - received an email informing them that Tilly did indeed have an STI, two, in fact, thanks to Chlamydia and Gonorrhea being mutually contractable, and that she was legally and morally obligated to inform her sexual partners. There was also a follow appointment for the next day for her to go and arrange treatment.
The fall out was brilliant.
Tilly waltzed into breakfast the next morning as if she didn’t have a care in the world. Everyone fell silent as she moved through the room. It was only once she was sat at the table that Belle quickly leaned over and whispered to her. Judging from the way the colour instantly drained from her face before rushing back to turn her skin a horrible shade of purple, she wasn’t aware of the email or the error. She raced from the room, which erupted into frenzied gossiping before she was even out of the double doors, and she wasn’t seen again for the rest of the day.
I smile into my breakfast while Rebel watches me closely.
“You had something to do with this,” he accuses me.
“I don’t know what you mean.” My face is a picture of innocence. “And that’s not a question.”
“No, bullshit: did you have something to do with this?”
Damn him adding in that little caveat. I can’t lie to him. I won’t. I have to accept that the feelings in our complicated relationships are real, which is why as silly as it seems because my whole identity is built on deception and lies, I pride myself on being as evasively honest as possible with the guys.
“I think you need to remember that I’m nice as fuck, so if you see me being mean to Tilly, you need to know that she earned that shit. Big time.”
He nods once, I think in agreement and gets up to leave. The next time I see him it takes every effort not to mount him where he stands: the line to the nurse's office is snaking down the corridor, and it seems like every single guy in the school - bar my four - are queuing to see the nurse. I’m sure it’s a coincidence, but there’s even a couple of male teachers in the queue. It can’t be, but it looks like they’re ALL queuing to see the nurse for STI treatment, which would imply that Tilly’s a massive skank. Nasty. Next to many of the guys, there are also furious looking girlfriends. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. I could never have predicted a fall out like this.
I spy Rebel sat further down the hallway, an amused smirk on his face and I slide up next to him. Taking a seat on the bench beside him, I say, “No bullshit: you had something to do with this, didn’t you?”
He turns to me and grins. “Who me?” He bats his eyelashes at me in an elaborate pantomime of innocence (which he sucks at), and I laugh. “This is the most fun I’ve had in ages. I didn’t even have to pay these guys off. I spoke to a couple of mates who owed me favours, and it all snowballed from there. I think it’s more of a bragging opportunity ‘I slept with the head princess’ or some stupid bullshit. I know for a fact that over half these guys queuing are bloody virgins. Still, I don’t care. Tilly’s on the outs. We’ve been trying to dethrone her for ages, you just gave us the ammo we needed to kick her out once and for all.” He kisses me in thanks. It starts off sweet enough, but he quickly deepens the kiss in a way that has me wanting to skip class and lose myself in him again. His hand reaches up to cup my breast through my school shirt, and I gasp. That’s way too much for a PDA.
“But why did you do this?” I pull away, still a little confused.
“Aside from it being amusing as fuck and because I hate her guts?” His smirk is quickly replaced by a seriously intense look. “Because if someone treats you badly, you have every right not to tolerate that bullshit, Raven. I support you 100%.” He pauses, fixing me with a hard, sincere stare, “But if someone fucks with the people I love, I burn them all down to the ground.”
My stomach flip-flops at his words. I know he doesn’t mean it - he doesn’t love me, love me - but the fact that he cares about me enough to side with me and help me means so much. The girl with no identity, no friends, no family, no love, is cared about by Rebel Lennox. It’s a tender moment for me, but I’m not about to show it.
“Why aren’t you four in the queue?” I ask to change the conversation instead.
Rebel visibly shudders, and I don’t think it’s put on. “Fuck no. I wouldn’t touch her with a barge pole.”
“But neither have most of these guys you said.”
“Yeah but we’re the princes. By not standing in that line we’re sending a powerful message. We rejected her. We didn’t touch her. She’s beneath us. And once that word gets out? She’s done.”
I understand what he’s saying - it’s brilliant really - but I can’t get that interaction between Jax and Tilly out of my head. I shift uncomfortably, and Rebel reads my thoughts.
“Not my story to tell princess. Ask him. But I don’t think you have anything to worry about.” I nod, relieved that I don’t have to ask, give Rebel one last peck on the cheek, and leave him to head to my gym class with Ace. As I go, I can’t help but smile at how perfectly this turned out. But I’m not done with Tilly, not by a long shot.
I practically float to the martial arts hub to meet with Ace. When I arrive, he’s already there with a sweet smile on his face. My heart flutters and I realise how much I really missed him - all of them really - last week.
“We good?” he asks me. I hesitate. Rebel and I are good - for now at least - but we didn’t really talk about the issue, what I overheard at the party, or why the guys ghosted me for a week. But looking up at Ace’s uncertain face, lined with worry, I find myself crumbling faster than a soggy biscuit dipped in tea. I nod, and his whole face brightens like a Spring morning, making I’m glad I made the decision to forgive him.
“I need to skip training today though, I have something I need to do.” I’m deliberately vague, not wanting him to ask questions, it’s also my way of trying to protect him in case I get caught.
“Okay.” He senses that I’m not going to give more and lets it lie. “Come later?” I so wish he meant what I was thinking, but sadly it’s just a language barrier thing.
“Sure, will you cook for us?”
“Pleasure.” Damn, he’s done it again, one word and all I can think about is sex. I tell myself to focus: I have a job to do.
