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Chapter 37
Astrid
By morning, it’s posted on all of social media—the police raid on the Pit by both the police forces of Weymouth/Rockingham as a joint effort to clean up the area and rid both towns of illegal activities. While the Pit was busted up, those of us in Stonehaven slept safely tucked away in bed.
No one broke curfew last night. And maybe I shouldn’t have risked it, but I called Nova and told her to stay away. I reminded myself that we were friends, even if I was being shut out. I told her to warn the Monarchs to stay away.
Nova: The streets were dead last night.
Astrid: No one was out?
Nova: No one who counted. You could hear the sirens from blocks away.
Astrid: Good. Let the MFs rot.
Nova: Payback is a bitch.
The sound of shouting and sirens fills the dining hall now, but no one is speaking. The noise is playing over every phone, table after table staring into screens, watching the fucked-up scene filmed by amateurs. I sit quietly at our old table with Roni and Terri beside me. Charlotte’s not around, and though I’m worried about her, I can’t look away from my screen.
The night sky is lit up with flashing blue lights, strobing against the grimy red brick in the first video. A soundtrack of curses and screams plays in the background as people are escorted out of the old warehouse by uniformed police. A chill tenses my shoulders as I watch the scene. It’s a little too familiar, but this revenge tastes oh-so-sweet. Some people walk quickly with their heads bent down, very much aware of the cameras held up by spectators.
But others put up a fight. I smirk when I recognize the blonde who doped me. Bitch. Her denim skirt is so short that her crotch is on display as the cops drag her out. Blondie twists and shouts as she tries to break free of their firm grip on her arms. Her jacket is open, exposing her naked breasts as the cop holding onto her stares straight ahead.
She sees the waiting police car and refuses to walk toward it as they yank her forward. Her skanky clothing barely covers her body as she bends her knees and screams obscenities. Blondie topples over, and the cop loses his grip. She starts to run, tottering on her ridiculous red stilettos as her skirt rides up past her hips, flashing her bare pussy. The camera stays on her as the cop tackles her from behind, pinning her facedown on the blacktop. Blondie is pulled to her feet in handcuffs.
Grinning with satisfaction, I think about what that bitch did to me. It’s gold, but we’re not even yet. I click on the following video that promises to be even better with its clickbait title. “Governor loses pants in…” I tap the screen and wait for it, “a sex raid.”
Ted is led out through the metal doors, held up by two stoic policemen. His glazed eyes stare wildly at the camera as he stumbles with each shaky step. His blond hair is a bit ruffled, and his dark suit jacket looks too posh for the scene. But then the camera pans down, revealing old man cotton boxers with black socks on his feet.
I burst out laughing, placing my hand over my mouth as I watch Ted stumble toward the open door of a police car. The cop places his hand on Ted’s head as Ted stares helplessly at the camera. He’s too high to try and bolt, so he ends up in the back seat, where he belongs. Maybe the cops will let him go when a fancy lawyer shows up an hour later, but this video will never go away. None of it will go away when the cops find the laptop we planted.
I look up, and my gaze lands on Justin, who is smirking back at me. A cold chill grips me as my eyes widen, but I shake it off quickly. For a second, in this dim light, Justin looks like a duplicate of his father. I jump when someone taps my elbow.
“Sorry,” Roni stares at me as if I’m nuts. “I didn’t mean to startle you.” She looks at her phone again and gawks with her mouth wide open. “Oh my God, this is too much. Have you ever been to this place? I mean, it’s in your town.”
I shake my head and avoid looking Roni in the eye. “Nope, never been near it.”
A third video exposes the debauchery in the private room hidden behind the two-way glass. The place where the Stonehaven kids would sit, watching IRL videos on large screens and placing bets with their allowances. Everything has changed, and no kid would ever enter it now. Not with what went on there. I cringe as I watch the camera pan across the trashed room. Empty bottles of hard liquor are strewn across the mirrored bar. Discarded pieces of lingerie lie in puddles of alcohol on the floor. A chair lies on its side, and one of the monitors dangles on the wall.
I have to close my eyes and take in a breath while I force my teeth to unclench. Ted Leister deserves to die after what he tried to do to me. I’ll get even. I have to, or this boiling hatred rising in me will consume my life. All my time will be spent thinking of ways to make Ted Leister suffer worse than I did.
My attention snaps to the screen on my phone again. Someone’s shouting on the video as the camera awkwardly jumps back. An older man who was hidden behind a toppled couch tries to run past the camera and out the door. He’s dressed in a navy blazer with a school emblem on the pocket, but from the waist down, he’s totally naked. He covers his crotch with both hands as he runs. His potbelly almost conceals his shriveled-up penis.
As he hurries past the camera, he looks up with a startled expression in his wide eyes. Fuck. It’s Getz. What the fuck was he doing there? I slam my phone down on the table, which attracts a few curious looks. I have to play it cool as Roni and Terri look in my direction for an explanation.
“My phone died,” I say to them coolly.
“You can look at mine.” Terri smiles and holds it toward me. “I’ll share Roni’s.”
I shake my head, grab my backpack, and standing up, back away from the table. I look over at the boys’ table and can tell by Pierce’s intense scowl that they’ve just seen what I saw. I don’t walk over there. Instead, I catch Bryce’s eye. He knows where I’m heading.
“No, I’m good,” I reply, leaving the table, “I have to go study. See you later.”
