“Sorry, dude. I just thought that video had made things pretty clear.” He held up his hands, gave me one last smile, and walked away.
“The nerve of that guy.” Harrison’s face was like a storm cloud. “Asking me to introduce you like you’re not my girl.”
“What video was he talking about?” I asked.
“I have no idea,” Harrison said, unconcerned, spearing a piece of grilled chicken in his salad.
I looked around and saw that most people seemed to be staring at their phones and then looking at Harrison. It was unusually quiet in the diner, though there was a low buzz of conversation, as if people were whispering. I frowned. What was going on? I glanced over and saw Aubrey looking at me with a sort of creepy smile, and a chill washed over me.
“Excuse me,” a pretty woman tapped on my shoulder. “Are you Sadie?”
I studied the girl’s face, wondering if maybe we’d had a class together. I didn’t recognize her. “Yes.”
She nodded, a grim look on her face. “Can you come over here with me for a minute? I know you don’t know me, but this is important.”
There was something in her voice that made me follow her.
“Look, I’m going to show you this because I wished someone would have helped me out a couple of years ago. I’m not trying to hurt you.”
“What’s this about?” I asked the girl.
“I would want someone to tell me if I was in the same situation.”
“What situation?” I was beginning to feel nauseated, and my heart was beating too fast.
A group of girls walked past me giggling. “Sorry, Sadie,” one of them said in a sing-song voice while the rest collapsed with laughter.
I frowned. “No problem,” I said, even though I had no clue what she was talking about. I turned my attention back to the stranger.
“Do you know Aubrey Seeks?”
The pit in my stomach turned into a sinkhole. “Yes.”
She nodded. “Look at this.” She turned her phone around. It took me a moment to understand what I was seeing. At first, I thought she was some weirdo who showed porn to random strangers in restaurants. But then I recognized the people in the video.
My reaction was visceral. I felt like a knife had been stabbed right through my heart.
“Oh my God.” I covered my mouth as I watched a video of Aubrey going down on Harrison. My heart plunged into my stomach, and I thought I was going to be sick. I pushed the phone away.
“There’s more,” she said apologetically. “I just don’t want him to lie to you and tell you it only happened once.”
I nodded, unable to say anything. My heart was pounding so hard I wondered if I might have a heart attack. I swiped to the next video. Aubrey was in his lap, riding him, and he was lifting her up and down his cock. I swiped to the next video, feeling more and more horrified. Aubrey was in his bed on all fours while he held her hips and drove into her from behind. I pushed the phone away in disgust when the next video showed himperforming anal on Aubrey, his head thrown back in ecstasy. “How many more?” I whispered.
The girl put a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Just a couple. As far as I can tell, there are six videos that stretch over a couple of weeks.”
A couple of weeks was bad enough, but what if it had really been the whole summer? Did it start as soon as I left? God, I was such a fool. What if it had been going on even longer? Had he been sleeping with her all year?
A sudden wave of dizziness passed over me, and I thought I might faint. I leaned against the wall in the diner, trying to suck in air. It felt too… crowded, too close, like I was breathing in everyone else’s air. I knew I had to get outside soon, but I wasn’t sure I could make it without fainting at that moment.
A couple of more people passed me, both of them saying, “Sorry, Sadie,” and laughing. I stared at them in confusion, not comprehending what was happening.
My thoughts were on Harrison and Aubrey.
Had they laughed at me together after I’d bought the story that they’d gone out to eat with a group from class the day I left town? Had they mocked my text messages and voicemails?
The girl looked incredibly sympathetic. “Look, Aubrey wanted to break me and my ex-boyfriend Ben up a couple of years back. So, she did. It wasn’t even difficult for her,” she said bitterly. “But just remember… it takes two people to make a choice like this. My ex tried to blame her completely like she put a spell on him or something. Just don’t lethimtell you he wasn’t responsible, too.” She gestured at Harrison, then took back her phone. I was happy to return it.
“Wait.” I grabbed her arm before she could leave. “How did you find this video?”
