Whatever it was in the drink seems to be working, because I feel calmer than before. I take a deep intake of breath, and try to brace myself for what’s coming next.
No matter if the image spreads tonight — it will spread out eventually, or at least, the word of it will. It will reach my parents' ears sooner rather than later, and I need to do some damage control before shit hits the fan.
My eyes snap shut, and the anxiety starts swirling inside of me. The anger, the fear, all of the above slowly start to overwhelm me, andI feel like throwing up. It’s not the alcohol, since I’ve had perhaps three glasses, with the fourth one being the mysterious shot.
“Oh, God,” I bury my face in my hands. “My life’s ruined.”
“It’s not ruined, Soph,” Avalon puts her hand on my shoulder. “When we find out who leaked it, we’ll make their life a living hell.”
“No. I will make their life a living hell, after beating the shit out of them.”
“That’ll just land you in jail.”
“Oh, who cares?”
I lift my head, just in time to spot Aria strolling toward me with a glass of wine in her hand. She squeezes herself between the two chairs where Avalon and I are sitting, her eyes skimming through the crowd. She leans a little, whispering in my ear.
“Most of it’s been deleted,” she mutters. “Arlo shut down the website and deleted it from the IP address as a whole. If it reappears, we’ll know and take appropriate measures.”
A sigh of relief slips from me. “Wait, he shut down the entire website?”
Aria nods. “Though, given the nature of it, I’m sure a new one will be created. He was able to track the devices that received the email with the image and delete it from everything. It’s been wiped. But there’s a possibility that someone still has it. You’re still not in the clear.”
“This is still better than nothing,” my shoulders slump. “Thank you, Aria. I owe you one.”
“That, you do,” she chuckles. “Now, for the really sweet treat for you.”
I look up at her. “Yeah?”
“The girl in the violet dress is one of the people running the website. Arlo tracked it down to her, though she’s not the only one.”
“Violet dress?” I frown.
Immediately, I start looking frantically through the venue. The lights have been dimmed after the dinner ended, and a lot of people are in every corner, chatting, drinking, and laughing. Quite a few of the women are wearing different shades of violet, though one stands out in particular.
My heart sinks to my feet, and I’m numb for a moment. I struggle to breathe, my mind going into a frenzy. Why the hell would she do that? She’d do it to me, but why would she do that to Soren?
“Astrid Ford,” I breathe out her name, making Avalon and Grace snap their heads in my direction.
“I’ll beat the bitch up,” Grace jumps off the stool, and my hand wraps around her wrist immediately, pulling her back toward me. “Let go, she’s about to kiss the fucking floor.”
“No,” I shake my head. “I’ll do it.”
“No, you will absolutely not,” Avalon protests. “Violence won’t solve anything.”
“Oh, let the girl get all that anger out,” Aria comments, sipping on her drink. “I’ll tag along in case Astrid starts winning.”
Avalon immediately starts protesting, but the moment I see Astrid leaving the venue alone, I’m off the stool, following her. Aria and Grace are close behind me, and Avalon’s nagging fills my ears. I managed to filter it out successfully.
The cold air hits my face, but I don’t feel it. Adrenaline’s pumping in my veins, my entire body feeling hot. I swallow a knot that forms in my throat,and pick up my pace. The music fades into the distance, and there’s no one in sight.
“Hey, Astrid.”
The girl stops dead in her tracks, her body going rigid. Slowly, almost as if I’m watching a movie play out in slow motion, she turnsto face me. She’s trying to cover up the anxious expression, and as she glances around, she sees that there’s no one nearby.
“Yes?”
I don’t respond verbally. My fists are by my side, and without thinking, I lift one up, aiming for her nose. She doesn’t see it coming in time, and the sound of her nose cracking fills my ears when my fist connects with her skin.
