"People lie on here all the time to gain points," I say weakly, but I type in his name, each tap of my finger on the keyboard like a drumbeat of doom.
I hesitate before pressing enter, my heart dropping to my stomach for the slightest second before the word 'Denied' comes up and I breathe out the breath I didn't know I was holding.
"It's not Asher." I look to the side at Charlie, "Who is left?"
She chews her lip. "Leon."
I close my eyes, before staring back at the pain in her eyes. "Leon wouldn't have submitted anything, he wouldn't do that to you."
She doesn't answer and I input his name, the site opening up instantly and Leons team photo right at the top of the leaderboard, Justin dropped back one and Asher still number seven.
But Leon is only at the top because of a most recent submission. One from this morning.
"How do you see the entries?" She says softly and I move to the drop-down menu, repeating the same actions I took yesterday to find the search bar.
"Search my name."
I do and no result is found. I feel more then hear Charlie let out a breath.
"Search party and Leons name."
I do.
A list of entries pops up, each one longer than the other, some girls going into details that I don't bother to read but Charlie skims them, her mouth tightening with each new sentence.
"Charlie?"
She doesn't say anything.
"People lie on here all the time, anyone can submit anything, we could submit something, and it'll get approved. There's no fact checking."
"But some of it could be true?"
I nod.
"Charlie. This doesn't mean that what you did with Leon-"
I hear more than see her freeze, the air she sucks in.
I follow her gaze to the entry that was just added this morning. The one that pushed Leon to first place.
Left the afterparty with a mouthy brunette. Friend of a . . . friend. Didn't take much convincing. Sweet on the surface, not so innocent underneath. Kept the lights low. Didn't sleep til sunrise. Worth every second. 10 points.
My vision blurs for a second.
It doesn't say her name.
But it doesn't have to.
"Guess I'm a high-value achievement," she says lightly.
The joke lands wrong.
"They're disgusting," I snap. "That's disgusting." I want to throw the phone. "That doesn't even sound like him," I say quietly. "He doesn't talk like that."
Charlotte finally looks at me.
"No," she says. "He doesn't."
