“This is all your fault, you know. Always thinking you were better than me. You never thought I was good enough for your brother, but I know the truth. He would do anything for you, including fucking me if you asked,” she sneers, her real feelings for me finally rearing their ugly head.
Wow. I knew Stacey had lofty delusions, but now it’s all so much clearer. She was never my friend in the first place, only using me as a stepping-stone to my brother. “You’re wrong, he can’t stand you,” I throw back at her. “He’s been telling me to get rid of the deadweight for ages now.”
She shrugs. “Oh well, I got what I wanted. My virginity was taken care of, and James was extremely impressed with my blowjob skills. I can suck cock like a pro now thanks to you. It’s only a matter of time before it’s me on his arm and not Nikki.” She keeps her voice low so no one can hear us.
“I’ll tell everyone that it’s you in that video,” I threaten, and she shrugs.
“No one will believe you because I told them you would say that. I paid good money for someone to doctor that film, so you’ll never be able to prove it’s me.” I want to punch her stupid gloating fucking mouth.
The whispers and laughter hammer at my already shattered heart. Catcalls and ugly remarks from some of James’s friends have me hunching my shoulders and curling in on myself while she stands there smirking at me, but then her face changes. It loses all color, and her grin is replaced by a look of fear.
“Tori!” My brother’s bellow has everyone scattering, Stacey included. Everyone knows better than to get in the way of Gio Russo. He reaches me and pulls me into his chest, hugging me hard. “I will kill that bitch,” he growls, and I start to sob into his chest.
“How did you know?” I ask him, my voice muffled by his shirt.
“I didn’t. I was coming up to get you because Dad is back and he needs us. I saw people laughing in groups and stopped to see what they were laughing at.”
I shudder. I can’t believe my brother saw my complete and utter humiliation. Could things get any worse? “I can’t believe you saw that.” I sob harder, and he shakes me gently as everyone stares and tries to eavesdrop on our conversation.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me what she did. This is what you were so upset about last week, wasn’t it? We could have gone to the cops. We still can.” He turns me around and leads me back the way I came, tugging my car keys out of my pocket. He stops by Gwen, who has been waiting patiently off to the side.
“Can one of you bring Tori’s car home for her after school?” They quickly agree, but I can’t even look them in the eye to thank them.
He hurries me through the now dwindling crowd and helps me into his car. By the time we start moving, he’s forgotten the idea of going to the cops and is now muttering about the ways he plans on making Stacey pay. I hear confusing words about knowing she was going to be a problem and Dad should have put a stop to the friendship years ago, but at the moment, all I can see in my head is that video.
It was on everyone’s phones. God, I wonder where else it’s going to end up. I’m never going to be able to look anyone in the eye again. Oh my God, what if my dad sees it? My tears start to give way to ice-cold fury. It wraps its way around my body and caresses me like a lover. I embrace the anger and revel in the fury pulsing through me. Wiping my face, I turn to Gio.
“No.”
“No, what?” He keeps his eyes on the road, but I can see the tightness in his jaw and his white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel.
“Whatever you’re going to do to Stacey.”
He looks at me incredulously. “You want me to leave her alone? You don’t want her to pay for this?”
“Oh no, that bitch will pay dearly, but I will exact my revenge. It will bemewho will revel in her tears and pleas of mercy. I’m going to make it so that Stacey wishes she was dead. Can you help me with that?”
The grin Gio gives me is nothing short of pure evil. “Sis, you have no idea of the things that I can help you with, but you’re about to find out.”
I sit up a little straighter as I remember what he told me when he had first drawn me into his arms. “You said Dad was back?”
“Yes, and remember when I told you he wanted to tell you something?” I nod. “Well, prepare yourself, because your world is about to get blown apart.”
I snort in anger. “Like that hasn’t already just happened.”
“Tori, that was nothing compared to what you are about to learn, but I think you’re going to be okay. In fact, I think this may be the key to getting your revenge against Stacey.”
When he pulls into our driveway, the ice-cold fury that is keeping me from falling apart is still simmering in the back of my mind. Sure, I’d love to rage and throw things and burn the world down, but that’s not going to solve anything. No, I need to keep a calm head and figure out what my next move will be. It won’t be hard to sabotage Stacey. All I would have to do is tell Nikki Steel about her plans for James, but she’s probably prepared for that.
“Focus, Tori.” Gio is standing in my open car door. Lost in my own thoughts, I hadn’t heard him get out of the car. “Forget Stacey and what she did. It’s small potatoes, and we will deal with her. You need all your wits about you for what’s to come.” I start to ask questions, but he holds up his hand. “Just be patient, young grasshopper, it won’t be long.”
That brings a watery smile to my lips, but it doesn’t stay there.
He helps me out of the car, and we enter the house together. I can hear murmured voices in the lounge, and when we get there, Dad, Penelope, and Uncle Mickey look like they are having a quiet argument. Penelope has her arms crossed and appears to be angry, whereas Dad and Uncle Mickey would look relaxed, like nothing was bothering them, if it weren’t for the glasses of amber colored liquid sitting in front of them. It’s barely nine in the morning, so it’s a little early for the hard stuff, which does nothing to ease my anxiety about the upcoming conversation.
“Vicki.” My dad stands with a wide smile, and I feel a genuine one appear on my lips for the first time today.
“Daddy.” I cross the room quickly, and he engulfs me in his arms. I breathe in his familiar scent and soak in the love. Dad is as tall as Gio and just as broad. He has a touch of gray to his black hair, but he’s still a very handsome man, and I can see what Gio is going to look like in twenty years’ time.
