Chapter 14

Rebecca inhaled deeply. "A month ago, right before school started, I got a text from Emia with photos of me and Mel's dad… in compromising positions."

Milo's expression darkened. "So you were blackmailed."

Rebecca nodded. "Yes. The deal was that, in exchange for them not releasing those photos at Mel's back-to-school bash, I had to do whatever it took—seduce, drug, whatever—to get Ashton and me into a room where we were supposed to have sex so Emia could film it."

Luke's jaw clenched. "And you agreed?"

"I didn't have a choice." Rebecca looked at Ashton. "The night of the party, you were so drunk. All I had to do was grab your hand and take you upstairs. We started making out. We got to the bed and when I moaned you name.

You stopped. You looked at me and said, 'Rebecca?' Then you started cursing, throwing my clothes at me, telling me to get the fuck out. So I did."

Ashton stared at her. "So… nothing happened?"

"No," Rebecca confirmed.

"Then how the fuck do I end up naked?"

Milo ran a hand through his hair. "Emia. They probably didn't get the footage they wanted, so when you passed out, they stripped you to make it look like you did have sex." 

Rebecca sighed, running a hand through her hair as she stared at the floor. Her voice was quiet, almost hollow.

"I thought I was safe," she murmured. "I really did. After that night, I didn't hear anything from Emia. No threats, no messages, nothing. I thought maybe… maybe they got what they wanted, and I was in the clear."

She let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "But boy, was I wrong."

Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "When Emia dropped those pictures, they didn't just expose me to the entire school—they sent me a message, too. Just one."

Rebecca swallowed hard, her eyes dark as she recited it from memory.

"You thought you were spared. But you didn't follow through on our deal… sooo enjoy."

She exhaled shakily, wrapping her arms around herself like she was trying to keep from falling apart. "They never planned to let me go. No matter what I did, this was always going to happen."

Luke exhaled. "That still doesn't explain why we had to give you our phones."

Rebecca hesitated before speaking. "Because… Emia had me install tracking software onto Parker's phone."

Their faces paled.

Milo started pacing. "This shit has gone too far. You're telling me we're dealing with a fucking hacker?"

Silence.

Luke whispered, "Do you think it can also hear things?"

A collective horror settled over them.

"If they did," Milo said, voice low, "they know we're here. And they know we're speaking to Rebecca."

Outside, lurking just beyond the house, Jasmine let out a frustrated sigh.

"She just had to throw the phone out," she muttered. "Fucking bitch."

Still, if Rebecca had already spilled everything, there was no point in holding back anymore.

She pulled out her phone and tapped the screen, pressing send.

Then, she hesitated, smirking. She pressed send again.

Two posts. Two different people. The same destruction.

Drumroll, please. The one who slept with Parker's girlfriend is… Ashton. Those who speculated and made bets? It's true. Below is the video to prove it.

Love, Emia.

Luke, Luke, Luke… even your father doesn't believe you. And I think the university won't either. What father says "no comment"?

Attached was a video of the press hounding Mayor Haynes for a statement regarding the speculation that his wife bribed his son's future university, leading to allegations of a rigged scholarship. His only response? "No comment."

Emia had edited the clip to repeat his words over and over again in different voices.

No comment. No comment. No comment.

Jasmine chuckled as she walked away, stuffing her phone in her pocket. "What ice cream should I get on my way home?" she mused aloud.

They'd learn soon enough.

Nobody cares about the truth.

Not when the lies hit first. 

The tension in the air is already thick after Rebecca's confession.

Someone's phone buzzes—first one notification, then another, then another.

Ashton and Luke check their phones at the same time. Silence. Then, it sinks in.

Ashton sees his reputation crumbling in real-time, the comments flooding in with accusations and disgust. His jaw clenches, fingers tightening around his phone as he scrolls through the wreckage. "They really went nuclear" he mutters, fury radiating off of him.

Milo, glancing over at Ashton's phone, feels his stomach drop. "Ashton—"

But then he sees Luke.

Luke watches the manipulated video of his father saying "no comment" on repeat, Emia twisting it into a public spectacle. His hands start shaking—this is worse than he thought. His father isn't just silent… he's indifferent.

The room around him blurs as panic sets in. His worst fear is happening in real-time.

Milo notices first—the way Luke's breathing turns shallow, how his fingers grip the phone too tight. "Luke, breathe."

Ashton, still furious over his own public downfall, doesn't notice right away. But when Luke suddenly shoves his phone away like it burns, hands gripping his hair, Ashton realizes—Luke is breaking.

"He's not even going to fight for me," Luke whispers. "He doesn't care."

Milo and Ashton try to ground him, but the words barely register. It isn't anger that consumes Luke—it's something worse. Hopelessness. If his own father won't defend him, who will?

Luke got out of the car and to his front door as his body moved on autopilot. 

Luke walks into the house, his dad at the front door ready to greet him.