lovely | thirteen reasons why

(20) tyler faces the music

She bit her lips. "Baby, that's not why I'm calling. But if anyone should be apologizing for that, it should be me. Listen to me, someone leaked the tapes."

There was a long pause. "Someone-WHAT?" She could hear him scrambling on the other line.

"Someone went on the comments of the blog and uploaded every single file of Hannah's tapes. Along with Bryce's confession Clay got. I checked every single one at fast speed. They're all out." She explained.

"Fuck!" She heard him curse. "What's gonna happen to us now? We're all going down! But I guess-I guess I won't have to worry much about a future. Being a dead man walking and all."

She sighed. "I'll find a way to get around this somehow. I'm not gonna let them kill you."

He was breathing heavily. "Are you sure it was just about the money when it came to your brother? There was nothing else that set your dad off? Nothing at all?"

Libby thought for a moment. She never actually asked. "There was-there was something else. Hailey, Viktor's wife, she may have kidnapped and held me at gunpoint."

Another long pause. "Why didn't you tell me that? God, Libby! I'm obviously never gonna do something like that to his family. They scare the shit out of me! I knew there had to be more than spending a billion dollars, which I know you will never do either. I'm safe!"

She shook her head. "That's not entirely true. Yes, it took a lot for Viktor to be punished. But that was because he was Viktor, the favorite. Giles hates me, I know he does. All he wants from me is allegiance, and he's threatened to skin my loved ones alive if I do not break to his will."

"Loved ones like Clay? Loved ones he already knows about. All of them except me. Yet you don't sound afraid for Clay's life. What's the difference?"

Libby swallowed hard. "The difference is that I love you more than life itself. The difference is that the thought of you being hurt by them makes me want to burn them all. The difference is that I have already taken a life to defend you and I now know in my heart that I would do it again. That is the difference."

She could hear him getting more and more distressed, and all that was doing was making her wanna hold him more. "I can't deal with this right now. I don't care what you let them or stop them from doing. Kill me or not. I'm so fucking done living by the whim of your fucked up family. I love you more than life itself, but until we can get back together like you said, please don't keep me updated on whether or not I'm going to die." And he hung up.

What has gotten into him? Cyrus! That piece of shit was making her baby think he had to be asshole to get ahead. She was gonna break all of his fucking teeth. Mark her words!

She spent the rest of the early hours of the morning trying to contact Jess. Give her a warning, but once again voicemail. These kids needed to stop trying to have a normal sleeping schedule in the middle of a crisis.

Driving into school the next day was nerve wracking as she searched for anyone she recognized. Luck was on her side as she saw Sheri nervously walking into the building. She ran as fast as possible up to the girl. "Be honest, how bad is it?"

Sheri sighed. "Let's find out. I need to talk to Clay."

"And I need to find Jess." Libby added.

As the two walked down the hall, Libby noticed all eyes were on her. Some students were even shrinking away as she got too close. It made her nervous as she started walking faster, ramming her body into the last person she wanted to see. "We need to have a word about your school's latest gossip." Her words were final.

Libby shook her head. "I have class-" She couldn't look her sister directly in the eyes.

Angelica sighed as she saw how physically distressed she was. "Libby-" But the girl in question ran down the hall, away from her.