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I don’t know how he’s discovered the truth, but he says it with such confidence, such unwavering conviction, that I know I’m screwed. But I’m a minor, so nothing was ever confirmed. Being Florence Bowen’s daughter means an internet search will show you that I was arrested, sure, and there were rumors, but he knows Stan’sname.
My voice comes out strong, but on the inside I’m trembling. “You don’t know shit.”
“I know plenty. And I have proof.”
“Bullshit.”
His nostrils flare, but I hold my ground.
“You can’t just go around making stupid accusations.
Sure, this school and this town love their gossip, but when you start saying stuff that ridiculous, the only gossip people will be spreading is that you’re a liar who’s obsessed with me.”
It’s a bluff. Even without proof, people will take the story that I killed Stan and run with it, probably even embellishing it to make me seem ten times worse and adding facts that never happened, but it’s the only card I can play right now.
Brandon’s smirk is vicious, and I hate that I always feel like I’m one step behind him in our interactions.
“It’s not astupid accusationif I have proof.”
He says it so confidently it makes me hesitate for a moment. But besides a full confession from me or Gia on video, which I know he doesn’t have, there isn’t anything he could have to back up that statement. “You can’t have proof of something that never happened.”
His smirk grows bigger. “Is that so? Then what’s this picture I have on my phone ready to send out to everyone with the click of a button?”
He presses a few buttons on his phone and crosses the space between us to show me. When he holds out his phone, my heart stops.
What? How can this be?
Not caring that I’m putting myself even closer to Brandon when moments ago I wanted nothing more than to escape, I snatch his phone from his hand and hold it as close to my face as I can to make sure I’m really seeing what I think I’m seeing.
It’s a picture of a computer screen, and on the screen is a picture of my file, mysupposed to be sealedfile, as in it shouldn’texist. I zoom in on the photo and see the date and time in the corner of the computer, and it’s dated from while my case was still ongoing.
That’s unbelievable. Someone took a picture of my file while my case was ongoing. Not only is that completely illegal and unethical, but it’s a violation of my rights.
Now there will always be a record of what happened, and somehow, Brandon’s got his hands on it.
He doesn’t even care that I’ve taken his phone, leaning back on a desk with that stupid smug look on his face like he knows he’s got the upper hand. He must have copies of it, because I have his phone, and he knows nothing is stopping me from deleting it, but he’s not worried.
“Where’d you get this?” I demand, dropping the innocent act and waving the phone in his face.
Now that he knows he’s won, the hostile energy has shifted into arrogant control. He crosses one foot in front of the other and lifts a pompous eyebrow. “From the Apple store. I had to get a new one after you stole the other.”
“I mean thepicture, Brandon. This is completely illegal!”
He shrugs, plucking the phone from my hand and stuffing it into his pocket. “It doesn’t matter. I didn’t break any laws. Whatdoesmatter is that you want this to stay buried, and the only reason it hasn’t been sent out to everyone already is because I need it for leverage.”
“You mean blackmail.”
“I mean you’re going to do whatever the fuck I want, and I won’t make sure everyone and their grandmother has seen this picture.”
I’ve always hated Brandon. From the very first moment I saw him grabbing Lily, to when he forced himself on me, to when he spread rumors about us sleeping together, to what he did to Gia, to breaking into my house and ransacking my room, I’ve only grown to loathe him more and more as he proves over and over what a shitty person he is. And right now, I’m reminded once again that Brandon has absolutely no redeemable qualities.
“How do I know you’re not going to send it out to everyone anyway?”
“Do you even understand howleverageworks? If I send it out, you won’t do what I want.”
Brandon is one of the least trustworthy people I know. Even if I do whatever he wants, he’s going to send it out anyway. Everyone will know my past, and then I can kiss my dream of being a normal teenager and getting into college goodbye.Giacan kiss that dream goodbye.
Not only will this small town hate me, but the internet is a thing, andeveryonewill know. It’ll get back to Florence, and she’ll find a way to make this about her. Maybe she’ll go through with that documentary without me if there’s enough press coverage.My life with my daughter, the killer!
