Total pages in book: 157
Estimated words: 150968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 503(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 150968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 503(@300wpm)
Elaine cocks her head to the side, in silent suspicion. “Are you just saying that to save face?”
Rolling my eyes, I place the slice of pizza back on the tray. “I really don’t care. Drop it. Let them stare and talk. It’ll pass eventually and they’ll find something else to gossip about.”
Berkshire Academy is a shark tank. But I know how this works. They will jump onto a scandal when it’s hot and then move on to the next, just as quickly. It’s all for the sake of entertainment.
There’s a hushed silence around the cafeteria and the hair on the back of my neck prickles. “He’s here,” Blythe mutters. I don’t turn around, I barely even twitch. From the corner of my eyes, I see Jasper and his friends strolling through the cafeteria’s doors.
Jenny, and two other girls with them.
“Traitor,” Elaine spats, “I can’t believe Jenny would do that.”
“Leave it.” I take a deep breath, watching as my ex-best friend sit at the table with Jasper, my now ex-boyfriend. His arm goes around the back of her chair, and he leans in close to whisper something to her. They look very cozy, side by side. I wonder how long they have been together, going behind my back before making it so public at my birthday party.
Jasper’s gaze moves to me and I fight the urge to claw his arrogant face. But I’m not going to ruin my recently done nails on that asshole. He’s not worth it, I remind myself.
Calm, cool and collected. Don’t snap, Riley.
I’m taking a sip of water when Sasha walks into the cafeteria. She pauses when she sees me, Blythe and Elaine at one table, while Jenny is sitting with Jasper at another one. Elaine blows out a breath, and I wait.
Sasha takes a step forward, and when she moves into Jenny’s direction, I can’t help the bitter smile that appears on my lips. I guess she made her choice.
“Wow,” Blythe mutters under her breath, “what the actual fuck?”
“It’s okay.” I smile through the embarrassment. Jasper cheating on me doesn’t hurt as much as my two best friends choosing to betray me. That hurts — their betrayal and their lies.
I go back to nibbling on my pizza when my phone pings with a notification. But it’s not only mine. Several phones ping simultaneously around the cafeteria, including Elaine’s and Blythe’s.
Elaine is already checking her phone before I can grab mine. She sucks in a sharp breath and a swear slips out.
“Jesus Christ,” Blythe squeaks, her eyes round in shock.
Elaine’s gaze snaps to mine, and I can see the pity there. I’m not sure I like the look she’s giving me right now. Anxiety slides through me and my hands shake with nerves as I grab my phone and open the message.
My breathing stutters; the world spins and tilts on its axis and I am left feeling disoriented. Time slows, before coming to a complete halt for a whole minute. I hear the whispers in the background. I hear Elaine calling out my name. Someone touches my arm.
But I can’t focus.
I can’t…breathe.
My vision blurs — everything around me loses focus.
My own eyes stare back at me on my phone screen. A photo of me, my top half. I’m only wearing a pink lace bra. And I know with absolute certainty that’s the same notification that everyone else got.
I briefly remember Jasper taking this photo of me last week. But we had been in the middle of making out, and I got distracted when Elaine had called me. I wasn’t paying much attention to what Jasper was doing at that time.
Oh God.
Our phones ping with another notification. This time, it’s an audio attachment. My stomach churns with nausea, and I feel faint.
I can’t breathe.
Someone…anyone…help me.
I don’t open the attachment, but Elaine does. And her volume is loud enough for me to hear what’s on it.
“You like this? How much do you want it? Tell me.”
“Just hurry up, do it. I want this.”
I instantly recognize my voice and Jasper’s from the audio clip. From Friday night. My birthday. Elaine lets out another curse and quickly swipes out of her messages, slamming her phone down on the table.
My heart pounds so hard I can feel the blood whooshing between my ears. My face and neck are flushed with horrifying embarrassment. I’m so mortified I can’t even think properly.
Is it possible to be so humiliated that you want to die, right here? Right now? I wish there was a hole that would up from the ground and swallow me whole. I want to be taken somewhere faraway from here, from this mortifying chaos.
This absolute humiliation that Jasper has subjected me to.
I hear his laughter. And his friends. I can feel their stares burning into me, and their whispers mocking me. My eyes meet Jasper’s and his smirk sets me off.