3
It was like those moments you see on TV, where the camera zooms in and the world fades away and you can just feel the intense pressure in the air.
It was too much.
I dropped my phone, letting it tumble out of my hand without thinking.
Why was this still happening?
For what possible reason?
I tried to think back to everything I had done since I arrived at school. I couldn’t recall doing a single thing to affront anyone. I hadn’t so much as bumped into someone accidentally in a hallway. No books knocked down, no papers flying everywhere. Nothing. All I had done up to this point was work my ass off just to keep up.
“Why?” I pulled my legs from their dangling position over the lip of the stage before standing. “Why is this happening to me?” My head buzzed. My heart beat rapidly. My breathing became shallower and faster with every moment.
“Whoa, hey.” Riot looked up at me and held his hands out, flat-palmed like he wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to jump off. “Aubrey, what happened? Tell me.”
“It’s another text,” I said through a tight throat. “More of the same. Threats. Accusations.”
“Let me see,” Riot said, reaching for my phone.
“No, don’t!” I cried, but it was too late. I wasn’t quick enough to dive down and grab the phone before Riot had it in his hands.
He stared at the words, no doubt rolling them around in his mind, his jaw set in a hard line.
“Aubrey,” he finally said. “It’s okay.”
“Did you read what it said?” I shook my head. “Nothing’s okay.”
“I read it,” Riot growled, the anger in his voice coursing just beneath the surface. “And whoever wrote it is going to pay for it. I promise you.”
“No,” I said, pacing back and forth. “Maybe they’re right. What the hell are we doing here?”
“What do you mean?” Riot asked.
“I mean this,” I said, defeated. “Us. The other two. All four of us. I’ve been naive. Why did I think I’d be able to get away with dating the three most perfect men on campus?”
“Get away with?” Riot cocked his head. “Aubrey, there’s no getting away with anything. There’s nothing to get away with. Sit down, please.”
“I’ve been selfish.” I stopped pacing to find my breath, trying desperately to get it under control. “This is all wrong. I can’t believe I thought I could make it work. People already think something is going on just by the way you three all act around at me. What happens if the blackmailer has some kind of proof? Something actually harmful?”
“Aubrey,” Riot repeated. “Please. Sit down. I’m here. Okay?”
“I don’t know,” I said, my voice shaky. “Maybe it’s time I put a stop to all this.”
Riot didn’t say a word. He put his hands flat on the edge of the stage and pushed himself nimbly up onto it, getting to his feet and striding towards me.
“Riot, I—”
Before I knew it, I was wrapped in his arms. He smelled so good, like a deep, rich leather. He felt so warm. I hated the idea of giving this up just to get some peace of mind. Did I have to sacrifice my heart for my sanity? It wasn’t fair.
“We might have to stop doing this, Riot,” I said. “I can’t keep looking over my shoulder like this, paranoid and scared, worried that something will get out and I’ll have to leave the school.”
Riot ran his hand through my hair, looking down into my eyes. “I don’t want to lose you. But your happiness means the world to me.” He rested his hand on my cheek. “I think you’re amazing. You’re talented and hard working. You’re smart and kind. There’s a reason you caught each of our eyes.”
“I feel like I must have tricked you,” I said.
“No, Aubrey,” Riot said in his low, soothing voice. “That’s not true. You caught all of us by surprise, but somehow we all fell for you. Maybe for different reasons, maybe for the same reasons, I don’t know. But we’re all in on this. I promise you.”
