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“It was animals,” Matt muttered, “except not actual animals obviously, I’m not into that, it was people—”
“Okay, that’s more information than I needed… but the point remains. Are you willing to let that potentially ruin your whole life?”
Matt punched his fists down hard on the table. It made me jump, because I’d never expected Matt to make a move like that. It just showed what getting involved with guys like this would do to you—like, Tamara had punched a guy the other day, and he’d totally deserved it, but I was still trying to come to terms with it happening at all. “It’s too late, isn’t it? If I wanted to not ruin my whole life I should have been honest about what was happening before I broke into a government database from my own desktop machine, right?”
He was probably right, but I wasn’t going to accept that just yet. “There has to be a better outcome from admitting you were coerced into it. That’s totally illegal.”
“That’s assuming anyone will believe me. I don’t exactly have proof, that’s part of what’s kept my mouth shut.” Matt squirmed a little and squinted at me. Now he had that problem-solving look on his face, and I was worried. “Why does he want to go after you, anyway?”
“Let’s just say… he wants something from me.” I realised when Matt grimaced and turned red that he’d taken that straight to the gutter. “No! Not sex, for goodness sake. If that was all he wanted, maybe we’d be able to come to some sort of agreement.” I fanned myself a little.
“Don’t tell me you’re one of those girls who goes weak for a guy because he’s hot,” said Matt.
“Fine, I won’t tell you. But there’s no shame in being open to the idea of letting someone in your pants for mutual satisfaction, even if it’s partly to get him off your case. Women have sex for a lot of worse reasons.”
Matt shook his head, but he was looking a lot more relaxed than he had been before, and that was how I needed him to be if we were going to fight this properly. “Well that’s great for guys who can have that sort of effect on girls, I guess.”
I cocked my head at him. “I don’t know, I’d consider giving you a whirl if you really were the one trying to do this to me.”
“Can we please just pretend this whole conversation never happened?” Matt said.
“Yeah, uh, sorry. I’ve been known to take things a bit too far.” With the tension lowered, though, I realised there was a useful takeaway there. “Well I promise you I’m not planning on offering myself up to Axel, but maybe I can still do something with my… womanly charm.”
“Tell me if there’s anything I can do to help,” Matt said, “and then try not to tell me anything else about what you’re planning, please.”
Chapter Five
My heart was already pounding when I finally approached Axel. I had the feeling I was already on borrowed time in getting Mr. Henderson to hold off on having Matt’s situation passed on to the authorities.
I’d texted Callie to ask where her group was hanging out because it seemed like the quickest way to find him, and if I seemed expected it might even be the easiest way to get him to talk to me without drama. But Callie was still staring at me unsmiling when I approached the group. Axel, at the centre of things talking loudly as if he had only done brilliant things that week, didn’t bother to notice me coming.
Callie stepped forward to meet me. “How’s it going?”
“I’ve got a bone to pick with Axel,” I told her.
“Oh no.” Callie flicked her eyes over to Axel just as something he said made the entire rest of the group burst out laughing. “What’s he done?”
“I’m surprised you’re willing to believe me so quickly.” Tamara, her actual best friend, had practically gotten the lie detector treatment for having drama with Steven, when it shouldn’t have been that much of a shock to her that Lucas’s friends were as sketchy as he could be.
“Yeah well, lightning keeps on striking here,” said Callie.
Carlene, that girl Callie had been getting friendly with since getting together with Lucas, had sidled up to join us. I didn’t think much of her, but I tried to keep my feelings off my face for the moment. Anyone could have more to them than you expected. “Is there going to be a storm?”
“It’s a storm between Aileen and Axel,” Callie explained to her. I was a little too busy biting down on a smile to explain.
“He had me deleted from the state rolls,” I said.
I was actually relieved when their jaws dropped. It was starting to feel like this absolutely insane turn of events wasn’t so shocking after all.
Carlene turned right around and yelled over at Axel from where he was holding court with the rest. “Hey Axel, did you really go and get
Callie’s friend deleted?”
When he finally deigned to pay attention to her completely not-subtle shouting, when he finally looked in my direction, he had the nerve to look me up and down like he was figuring out how to deal with me. As if there might be any answer other than ‘apologetically’.
“I’ll handle this, girls,” he said finally, and did this really obnoxious gliding walk over to me. He slung an arm over my shoulders I immediately shrugged off, but somehow he was there again immediately. “Aileen, let’s take a walk.”
Callie put her hands on her hips. “I’m not leaving her side unless she’s happy with that. Lucas? Lucas!” Lucas seemed to be having hearing problems that day too, but eventually he came over too… at which point the entire group had migrated to our position like they orbited around him involuntarily. “Lucas, why are all your friends like this?”
