The Mask (Boys of Elmwood)

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Sunday evening, everyone dreaded it and I did too. Sometimes.

"You're looking a bit blue. Everything good?" Mom asked me as I picked at my dinner while lost in thoughts. The taste and the smell of her homemade lasagna did nothing to boost my appetite, as my mind was elsewhere.

The weekend was going to be over, which meant I had to confront Dahlia tomorrow morning, at campus. I hadn't heard from her in the past two days, not even an apology for what she had done. There was no new post on the site about me. It was almost as if it never happened, as if Dahlia didn't post my nude photos online.

But it did happen and I knew it.

"Huh?" I snapped out of my thoughts and shifted my gaze toward Mom. She was studying me as I tried to eat my dinner. I forced a smile and said, "Yeah, Mom. Just a bit stressed about some work."

I didn't want to tell her what happened even when we were close. It was embarrassing and humiliating. It was the last thing I wanted her to know.

"You sure, honey?" She probed gently. "You know you can always talk to me if something's bothering you, whether it's boy trouble or even girl trouble. I don't judge."

I chuckled a little and shook my head, "I'll be fine. It's nothing."

She patted my hand and we resumed on finishing our dinner. Just before I could pick up my plates, my phone rang on the table and I quickly grabbed it.

"I'm sitting right across Dahlia and Theo. They are in Cafe Lune and they look pretty cozy." It was Nessa on the other end of the line, her voice rather calm and quiet.

"I'll be there in ten minutes. Make sure they don't leave." I said, my mind spinning as I dropped the plates back on the table and rushed toward the door.

"Waiting."

I grabbed my coat off the hanger, hastily put on my shoes, and was out of the door in a matter of seconds. The cold evening air nipped at my skin before I got inside my car and reversed out of the driveway and onto the road across from my house.

I had been waiting, for days to see Dahlia somewhere in town, but she wasn't here anywhere which made me suspect that she was gone for the weekend. It took me a lot of courage to tell Nessa what had happened on Friday night and I told her to tell me if she saw Dahlia anywhere during the weekend.

I wanted to be over with this before the week began again. I couldn't wait another day while knowing that Dahlia had my pictures and that she could use them against me any time. On Friday night, I got lucky and I wasn't sure if I could get lucky again.

When Nessa called me again, I answered almost immediately.

"She's leaving. Should I stop her? Talk to her or something?"

I turned on the road leading up to Cafe Lune. "No, it's fine, I'll be there in a minute."

Adrenaline coursed through my veins, making my heart pound quicker as I drove father. I hung up and tossed my phone onto the passenger seat. The neon sign of Cafe Lune became visible as I pulled into the parking lot near the cafe.

Killing the engine, I jumped out of the car and made my way to the entrance. I didn't even have the need to go inside as Dahlia was already walking with her boyfriend in the parking lot. She didn't notice me, but I did and as soon as I did, my eyes flickered to the phone in her hand.

I quickened my pace and without hesitation, I reached out and snatched the phone from her hand. Dahlia's eyes widened in shock and the smile disappeared from her face as she stopped on her steps. Before she could reach me, I flung the phone to the ground with all my might and it shattered.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? That was my phone!" She gasped in disbelief while scattering on the ground to pick up her phone. But it was gone. I could see the pieces of the phone from everyone in the parking lot.

"That's for posting my pictures online," I stepped closer to her and said. Behind, Theo neared me and I raised my finger at him. "Stay away from this."

Dahlia rose up from the ground and faced me. Her eyes burned with fury. "You think breaking my phone will make everything right? You bought it all upon yourself and you know that. I thought it wouldn't matter much since you like being a slut anyways, especially after seeing those photos. You do really act so innocent—"

"Oh, fuck you."

Her face twisted into a sneer and she laughed, "Do you think I'm the only one who has those slutty pictures of you?" She asked, raising her broken phone in the air.

I stepped back, trying to understand what she meant. She wouldn't be privately sharing my pictures with anyone, she wanted to humiliate me so she shared them publicly, but no one saw them, no one downloaded them which meant no one had them now.

I straightened my posture and laughed, "No one saw the post. I got it deleted before anyone could, so no one has my pictures," My gaze flickered to her phone. "Neither do you anymore."

Her glee faltered for a moment, her eyes widening in surprise as she realized that all her tries were a fail. "You're so naive, Aria," She quickly composed herself and smiled again. "Someone still has those slutty pictures of you and it wouldn't be difficult for me to get it from them."

I stared at her with confusion. I knew I had deleted them from my phone and her phone was broken. She couldn't get those photos again.

"Who are you talking about—"

"You posted her nudes online?" Theo interrupted me before I had the chance to know.

"Why do you fucking care so much?" She snapped at him and I could see the tension escalating between them. "Is she your fucking girlfriend or am I? We wouldn't be here if you could stop talking to her once."

Theo rose his hands in the air with frustration on his face. "I can't believe you, Dahlia." With that, he walked away from the parking lot, leaving her alone.

My arms folded over my chest and I scoffed before turning to her. "If I see my name on the site again, you might just find the next nude of me with your boyfriend. He anyways would want me than your insecure little ass."

The look on her face, the look of jealousy and defeat was just everything I needed to see tonight. With a final glance, I turned away from her and walked towards my car, leaving her standing there in stunned silence and with her own thoughts.

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