Breaking Point

Chapter 24 // Jesse

[Cleveland, OH]

I knew exactly when that photo had been taken.

And I was not dating Chantelle at the time.

I was dating Kennedy.

The story isn't as bad as you would think. Actually, it might be.

I was out one night with Kennedy in a private club in LA. We both took time off working on our respective projects to "work on our relationship" as we agreed, but I ended up drinking more than I usually would that evening, and Kennedy drank her typical excessive amount anyway. She had orchestrated a manipulation scheme whereby she paid two female employees to dress up as promiscuously as the bar rules would license for it and for them to touch me and act sexual and flirty with me. Despite the evident wanting from my eyes, I knew I had Kennedy and I knew it was wrong. That had been planted somewhere in the back of my mind, but my inebriation was blocking it.

In the next second after the photograph had been captured, what everyone would miss is that I shook my head to the girls, muttering something about having a girlfriend and needing to find her. When I turned my head, Kennedy was standing there, her phone clutched tightly to her chest. It was the furthest thing from my mind that night – whether or not she had captured a risqué shot regarding me and the two girls – as all I was focused on was how much of the ordeal Kennedy had witnessed. Which was all of it, of course, because I later learned during one of our following fights, that she had set the whole thing up. She blurted it out inadvertently, realising she'd fucked up a little too late.

As soon as she confessed, I took the next flight out back to Blumont, three hours later to get some space.

"That photo was taken when I was with Kennedy, but she set the whole fucking thing up. She's the one who took the photo," I argued.

Lewis lowered his phone to his side as the screen clicked off. Chantelle glanced at me but other than that, she retained her gaze on Lewis who was still endeavouring to gauge my reaction and behaviour. He shook his head at me, biting his lip. With his silence, I knew he believed me. He knew how much I fucking adored and loved Chantelle, and he knew of the struggles I had to face with Kennedy. It was the most plausible and logical explanation. Irrespective of those factors, it was also the fucking truth.

Before anyone could say anything else, Pauline entered the bus. Expressionless as ever, she declared, "I've booked one of the conference rooms inside the hotel for the next twenty minutes. We need to discuss something." She shot a pointed look at Lewis.

"I didn't want it to come to this," he replied.

Pauline simply said, "There's no choice now."

Curiosity piqued, I watched as Lewis followed Pauline off the bus. Chantelle and I remained, so I seized the moment of privacy to step closer to her and reach out to graze my fingers against her hand, catching her Disney bracelet. She didn't move her hand away which I took as a positive sign. She managed to incline her head to me, but at first she said nothing.