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“So...shower?” RJ asked.

I groaned. “Fine. Give me a few minutes.” I slowly sat up. My whole body still ached.

“Maybe make it at least ten minutes, yeah?”

I chucked another pillow at him.

He laughed and caught it. And then he looked at me in that way that I was suspecting meant he knew everything. I wasn’t sure how. But RJ knew. I could tell.

I was pretty sure my dad knew too. He’d tucked me in the other night and told me a long list of new tech that Hunter Tech was developing. All very lethal weapons. It was a good thing he didn’t know about Mr. Halifax. I was worried he might actually kill him.

But I really hoped no one else knew.

Because no one knew how to act around me once they knew. My dad also kept tickling me. Which was not helpful. Yes, it made me laugh for a minute. But it wasn’t a lasting antidote to losing your virginity to a man who hated your existence.

I quickly showered, changed into a pair of fresh pajamas, and made my way out into the hall.

I could hear all my friends laughing about something. But when I walked into the room, the laughter stopped and their attention turned toward me. And they weren’t looking at me like I’d just been tragically dumped. They were staring at me like I was completely broken.

Crap. They all knew.

And there was only one way they would have found out.

“Scarlett,” I said. “Did you tell them? I told you that in confidence.”

“I...” she started.

“Don’t be mad at baby doll,” RJ said. “I forced her to tell me. I was worried about you. I had to exchange ten favors for it. Brutal negotiating on her part. But she still owes me ten more.”

“I do not!” Scarlett hissed. “We’re even. Stop it.”

“Ten more,” RJ said and turned back to me. “And I told everyone else. Sorry. But how were we supposed to help you through this if we didn’t know?”

I couldn’t do this right now. I turned back around to head to my room.

“No way.” Jacob wrapped his arms around me from behind and lifted me in the air.

“Let me go!”

“Never,” he said. He carried me like a sack of potatoes over to the couch. He deposited me onto the cushions.

I immediately stood up to bolt, but he sat down and pulled me back down with him. He put his arm around my shoulders so I couldn’t flee.

“Everyone stop looking at me,” I said. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine, Soph,” Scarlett said. “Talk to us.”

“No, I am,” I said. “Well, not fine. It’s terrible. But it’s good I figured it out before I got any older.”

Axel lowered his eyebrows as he stared at me. “What are you talking about? Wasting any more time on that asshole?”

“No, this has nothing to do with Mr. Halifax. I’m the problem, not him.”

“That is definitely not true, Soph,” Jacob said.

“No, it is. It’s my worst fear come true.”

They all just stared at me.