Twisted Deception

~𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 68~

chapter 68
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Third Person POV
"First, tell us what you know about Matthew and Tod's relationship" Jane suggested.

"Since Matthew knew Tod and his friends before Lyone and Xena came into the picture, I had suspected something" Sofia explained. "Tod worshipped Matthew as if he was...some kind of god. They weren't close at all though, just had a leader-subordinate type of relationship. That's exactly why I told him he should've been his bitch instead of his follower."

Sofia held out her right hand.

"There are three reasons why Matthew is an overall shitbag" Sofia continued. "One, he was a destructive prankster. Two, he bullied anyone he could find in his view and destroyed their reputations for no reason at all. And three, he whored around with every girl he could make eye contact with before throwing them off to the side. Sound familiar?"

It took a second before it finally clicked in their heads.

"It's Vanessa and Tod's whole group!" Jane said.

"Yeah, Vanessa is the prankster, her friends are the bullies, and Tod's group are the whores" Zane pointed out. "They all check off."

"Exactly" Sofia clarified. "So those points alone are what finalize my theory."

Sofia let go of Xena and pointed to her hand.

"Tod wanted to keep Matthew's ideology alive so it would feel like he never left him" Sofia explained.  "In order to do that, he picked people who were just as trashy as him so they would easily cause chaos without hesitation. He sought out for those types of people specifically to cause chaos as well as build their status and popularity."

Sofia looked Xena in the eyes.

"Xena, the reason why Lyone went to such an extent was so he could catch Tod's interest" Sofia said. "He first needed to be nice to everyone around him so everyone would vouch for him when he finally did what Tod was looking for. In short, Lyone was a shitbag to begin with."

Xena's eyes widened, her hand reaching up to cover her mouth. "You're saying that Lyone took advantage of me...all to please Tod, a deranged and delusional subordinate himself?"

"That's correct" Sofia answered.

"But...but I never—"

"It didn't matter if you did or didn't do anything to deserve it" Sofia clarified. "In his eyes, you were nothing but the stepping stone to get him to where he is now. It's exactly what Matthew did to me."

Zane ran his fingers through his hair. "It all makes sense. The bullying, the pranks, the disrespect for women, it was all because he wanted to carry on that shitbag's legacy of chaos."

"Sofia, Xena, I'm sorry you had to go through such hell to get here" Emma apologized. "I never knew just how evil people can be at any age in their lives."

"It's okay" Sofia accepted. "Anyways, I never liked speaking about my experience with people which is why I only told two people. The first person was Mrs. Steinlidge because she was and is taking care of me and Sophie. The second was Olivia because she used to be my girlfriend for a while before we broke it off to let things be easier on both of us. So, sorry for not telling you this, Isaac."

"So, that's what your connection to her was" Xena mumbled. "I always thought you two had been like those types of friends who just flirt for fun."

Sofia giggled. "We always did have that affect on people. So, it came as a shock when Olivia told Rivera that we did actually date at one point."

"....Whatever happened to Matthew?" Emma asked.

"Him? He was sent to a juvenile detention facility" Sofia answered. "Since he'll be in his twenties next month, he's old enough to be in prison. I'll never have to deal with his shit anymore, nor will anyone else for that matter."

"...Sofia, I'm so sorry for getting so upset at you yesterday" Isaac apologized. "I knew something was up but....you were right. It was more fucked up that I thought, and I tried forcing it out of you because I thought I was just a tiny secret. But no, I was arrogant and selfish, and for that, I'm sorry."

"I forgive you, Isaac" Sofia accepted.

"Isaac, I'm gonna teach you something that I learned when I was seven" Nathan spoke. "You can't always think people are one shade of grey. Just because someone acts a certain way, doesn't mean they don't have anything to hide underneath. That's how ignorance is formed and that's how blind spots are created. Remember that."

"...How could you possibly know that at the age of seven?" Zane asked.

"Well, because I learned it the hard way" Nathan answered. "I wasn't as cautious before and you could basically say I was the one in the family who had the most energy."

"Then, what changed?" Jane asked.

Nathan sighed. "It was only until I had turned seven, where....I was kidnapped at a carnival boardwalk."

Everyone's eyes widened.

"They had knocked me out, and when I woke up, I was laying in a cage in a dark grey room" Nathan explained. "They said...they had planned on torturing me before auctioning me off and the guy who told me said it with the most...hideous grin I had ever seen. It was the first time in my life where I felt scared sitting in the same room of a smiling person."

Nathan glared at the window.

"They tortured me specifically with a game they named the Counter" Nathan continued. "They would cut me, starting from my shoulder, and would make me keep count of each cut. When I lost count the first time, they would start the process all over again, starting from where they first cut me and making the wound deeper. By the time they got bored of me, a month and a half had already passed and I already had a deep line running all the way down my back."

"Oh, my god" Jane mumbled. "Is that way you never went swimming without a shirt on? It was because of your scar?"

Nathan nodded. "The scar may have healed back into my skin thanks to those stitches, but I will have to live with that trauma for the rest of my life. Basically since it's engraved on my skin now."

Sofia said nothing as she went over and wrapped her arms around his neck in a long embrace, closing her eyes. Nathan didn't even complain as he closed bis eyes, inhaling the sweet vanilla scent that lingered on her skin. Jane and Zane both entered in on the hug as they hugged the two.

"...You know, talking this out with each other was really...therapeutic in some way" Jane pointed out.

"It really was" Emma agreed. "We should get some sleep. It's already one o' clock now."

"Yeah, we'll see you guys inna a few hours" Isaac agreed.

"Good night!"
"Night!"
"Sleep tight!"
"Go to sleep, already!"