Page 50 of Fueled Fury

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Lainey

The air is instantly sucked out of my lungs as I try to speak, heaving as I bend forward. My eyes blur, but I still see it. Us having sex in the garage.

“Lainey, I didn’t do that.”

“You recorded us!”

Everyone. Every person on campus. Hannah said every person on campus has it. Bile rises in my throat as I heave, trying to catch my breath. “I can’t do this anymore.”

Austin’s hands harshly grab my arms, shaking me as he shouts something I can’t understand. Eli is pulling him away, but Austin isn’t fighting Eli, he’s trying to get to me.

“Stop,” I say but the chaos continues. “I said stop it!” I scream as loud as possible. Finally, the two idiots listen.

Holding his hands up in defeat, Austin says, “I didn’t record it. There was only one other person in this house.”

My fingers tangle in my hair as I let out a scream.

“Lainey,” Austin shouts above my scream. “It wasn’t me. Can’t you see that? I wouldn’t ever do something like this to you. He recorded it. He sent it. He knew exactly how to break us up …” Austin turns to Eli. “You warned me the following morning. You said I’d fucked up. You son of a bitch.” Austin surges forward his fist slamming into Eli’s face as Hannah screeches and backs away. Lifting Eli by his shirt with one hand, Austin pounds his other fist repeatedly into Eli’s face. A horrible crunching sound fills the air as I rush forward.

He’s gonna kill him. I slam into Austin, but he continues his assault. Jumping up, I charge towards him, grabbing his arm as I scream. “You’re gonna kill him.”

Every muscle in Austin’s arm goes rigid as he automatically halts his assault, remaining still for a few seconds then throwing himself back. Looking at his brother lying bloody on the floor, groaning as he cups his hands over his battered face.

Austin looks to me. “It wasn’t me. You have to believe me. Please trust me.”

Looking to Eli lying bloody on the floor, my eyes move to Austin’s fists then up to his face. “I hate you. All you’ve ever done is hurt me. Why would I trust you?”

His shoulders fall forward in defeat as his eyes search mine. “You picked him. He said you would.”

With that, Austin walks out of the room, leaving utter destruction in his wake. Again.

* * *

Eli slides a cup of coffee across the counter as my eyes drop to the cup. And I hate that my first thought is there’s no cinnamon in it. Austin never forgets the cinnamon.

I attempt to look to Eli but quickly glance away, my fingers wrapping around the warm ceramic mug. “You should probably go to the hospital.”

His face isn’t as bloody as it was when Austin stormed out more than an hour ago. But his eye is completely swollen shut and bruising already zigzags around his face.

“At least call the police,” Hannah pleads again as she sits beside me, her hand stroking Eli’s arm.

“No. It’ll just make trouble for my parents.”

“Eli, you should tell them what happened,” Hannah continues but Eli shuts her down.

“It’s fine. He’s away from us all. That’s all that matters.”

The video replays in my head. I can’t go back to school. I can’t be here. “I should go.” Far away. Extremely far.

“Lainey, don’t go, please. He left,” Eli says as I avoid his gaze.

“I can’t stay. That video.”

“We’ll go somewhere else. You name it and we can transfer to another school,” Eli offers as Hannah and I both gawk at his mangled face.

“No. I’m not doing that to you or Hannah. I just need a little time to think.”