My heart raced in my chest.This was a game, and I knew I had to speak to Jess before things spiraled any further.
“How about we wash up?”I suggested with a smile, trying my best to appear casual and hoping she'd go along with me.
“Sure!Let's go,” she replied as she stood up.“Oh, perfect!I really need to use the restroom too,” Jess added as we reached the restroom.She dashed inside, and I followed her into a single stall.“Hey, what are you doing?I can handle this alone,” she joked.
“Listen, there's something I need to tell you,” I said, gripping her shoulders.She looked at me, a mix of confusion and curiosity on her face.
“What is it?”she asked, impatience creeped into her voice.I hesitated, unsure of how to begin, and silence hung between us.“Oh please, don't tell me you two…” she implied.
“Oh no, not at all,” I replied, her expression relaxed.“Did you forget what I told you about the break-in at school and the bullies behind it?”
“Yes, and?”she said, still not connecting the dots.
“One of them is Zane!I told you this!”I explained, urgency in my tone.
“You never mentioned his name!”she retorted.
“Yes, I did!”Ordid I?
“No, I would remember.You mentioned someone named Jake, a girl named V, and a couple of other guys, but not him,” Jessica pointed out.
“Well, now you know,” I said, and felt the tension rise.
“Okay, so what?They broke into school and had some beers.We're all kids,” she said, rolling her eyes as if it didn't matter.
“What?Don't you remember my name being written everywhere?”I asked, as my frustration boiled over.
“Oh, that?Just a dumb prank,” she dismissed.
“And what about Emily?”I asked, unsure if Jess knew anything about her situation.I wasn't even certain it was my place to tell her.
“What about Emily?”she replied, brows furrowed in confusion.
“Do you know where she went when you said you lost her?”I pressed.
“She was fine!She texted me that she met a guy from her school.She seemed into him, so I left her alone.Why do you ask?”Jessica waited for my answer, and I felt a wave of guilt washing over me.If Jessica had slept with Zane, he might have recorded it.This whole situation was twisted.I needed to tell Jess.
“Listen, at that party, Emily hooked up with Jake, and he recorded it.Now he's blackmailing her, which is why she hasn't talked to me.It's all just a game to them.Zane might have a video of you too,” I said, as my anger and concern spilled out.
“No, he doesn't,” she shot back, her confidence unwavering.
“You can't know that!Emily didn't believe it either,” I urged, trying to make her see the reality.
“I'm telling you he doesn't.We just made out, that's all.We talked most of the time.Nothing more,” she insisted, her disbelief turned to anger.
“Okay, that's a relief,” I sighed, feeling drained.She stared at me, taken aback.She didn't like my reaction.
“Excuse me?Anyway, it's none of your business.If Emily got herself into trouble, that's her problem, not mine or Zane’s,” she said defensively.
“But did you hear what I just said?”I asked, incredulous at her dismissal.
“Yes, I heard you loud and clear.Now, can you please leave?I need to use the restroom,” she said, opening the door to usher me out.
Things didn't turn out the way I had anticipated.Why was she so defensive when it came to him?She didn't really know Zane.But did I?Sure, he was part of thatVipersgang, and there's a reason for that—it was definitely not because he was a stand-up guy.
He may have written my name on the classroom wall; he could have been the one who broke into my room.Or it could have been Clous, V, or even Jake.Or maybe I was just losing my mind, and it was all one big strange coincidence.That was a possibility, right?
I couldn't just sit back and act like everything was fine, pretending that I enjoyed his presence while I actually despised him—and all of them, for that matter.
