Ice.

Chapter Twenty-Three.

When I get to the door I run into Sophie, who's eyes are wide. She shakes her head, pity dripping from her face and I push past her.

I run. I don't know where I'm going to go, but I need to get outside. I need to leave this building right now.

I feel a hand grip my wrist and pull me to a stop. I can't hear anything over the blaring clamor of my own thoughts. How the hell did they get that? Who even is they?

Cam pulls me into his chest, his arms wrapping tightly around me. My arms are wedged between us and it's not until I see my hands violently shaking that I realize I can barely stand up.

Lindsey's voice sounds faint, even though she's right next to us. "I'm texting Finn."

I feel myself starting to fall and Cam eases down with me. I back up until I hit the hard surface of the brick wall and bring my knees up to my face.

What the hell am I going to do? A room full of at least 50 kids just heard me at my most vulnerable state, and there's no way more won't hear it. They heard me moaning my boyfriends name as he- Oh my God.

I gulp when I hear the sound of running footsteps. Suddenly, a pair of hands are on my arms that are folded on top of my knees. I look up and meet the eyes of my very worried boyfriend. "What's going on, eh? What's wrong?"

My voice is cold. "Did you record us?"

His face drops. "What?"

"Did you record us, Finn?" I say through gritted teeth. I feel my tears roll off my face. "The other night in the hotel room."

"Of course not, Avery." He looks pissed that I would even think of it. "Why the hell would you ask that?"

"Because an audio recording of it was just played throughout the entire cafeteria!" My voice hurts as I shout, but I don't mean it directly at him. I'm just so fucking overwhelmed.

He goes ghostly white. "W-What?"

"Someone played a recording of you guys.." Cam trails off. "They played it in our study hall."

He covers his mouth as his eyes study me and I chew on my lip as it starts to tremble. He stands up suddenly and starts to pace, his hands running through his hair.

I hug my knees closer to my chest as I watch him. "How the fuck did this even happen?!" I can see the pure anger radiating off him. "It was a recording? Of what exactly?"

"Of us, Finn." My voice clips. "Of me fucking moaning."

He flinches like he was just punched in the gut. He continues to pace as he runs his hands through his hair before he runs them down his face.

He stops suddenly, looking at me. "Give me your phone."

"I didn't record us, Finnegan." I snap.

"I didn't say you did, Avery," he responds hastily. "Give it to me."

I dig through my bag and take it out with a shaky hand. He grabs it from my grasp and unlocks it, since we know each others passwords.

I watch intently as he looks through it with his eyebrows furrowed. What is he doing?

His face hardens suddenly, his eyes flaming with indignation and resentment. He looks more enraged than when Jack showed up at his house.

He looks like he's about to throw my phone but he just shoves it in his pocket instead. "Fucking Hughes."

"What?" I ask, my voice cracking. What does he have to do with this?

"He fucking called you again that night," he spits. Oh my God. "You hit accept instead of decline. He was listening to us for thirty fucking minutes."

I feel the blood leave my face, making me literally go lightheaded. My phone rang when we were together but I kept hitting the screen until it stopped. I thought I declined it. How could I of been so careless?

"He was listening," I say quietly. I can't. I'm fucking mortified. I look back up at him as I chew on my lip to keep myself from bawling my eyes out. My voice breaks, "Finn. He was- He was listening."

He goes to his knees in front of me, gripping my face with his hands. "Baby, listen to me. I'm going to fix this, eh? I'm going to fix it."

"What are you going to do, Finn?" I ask hopelessly. "The whole school heard me- they heard us-"

"I'm- I don't know. But I'm going too." He urges. Lindsey speaks up, "Okay, but Mason isn't in our study hall. How would he have played it?"

I shake from his grip and put my face in my own hands. "I can't believe this is happening."

Finn moves my hands and kisses me quickly before he stands up. "Cam, lets go."

I stand up too. "Wait- wait. Where are you going?"

"I'm going to fucking find out who else was involved and end it," he spews angrily, as if it's that easy. He can't erase the memory of everyone who was in the room and of everyone who has heard about it by now.

Cam and him are in the door of the school the next second. "I'm not staying out here."

Lindsey grips my arm as I start to walk, "Avery, wait. Are you sure you want to do that?"

"I'm not standing out here like a damsel in distress. I'm fucking angry and mortified and embarrassed, Lindsey. I can't just stand here and do nothing."

She bites her lip, obviously trying to be rational. "Fuck it. Okay. I'll be by your side the whole time." She grabs my hand and interlocks our fingers.

I feel like my heart is going to fucking explode when I walk back into the building. Okay. What first?

"I think Mason has O'Leary now," Lindsey answers my thoughts. "I had him last period and he walked in when I was leaving."

Rage builds inside of me as I head towards the English wing. I'm going to hear it from Finn that I went alone but I don't care. This is my ex boyfriend. The guy I dated for 6 months. The guy that brought my mom flowers the first time he met her. The guy I broke up with because it was obvious he liked me more than I liked him.

The bell rings right when we get to the English department and my heart falls. The halls are filled with students in an instant, everyone going deathly quiet when they see me. Word travels fast, I guess.

My eyes lock on Mason as he walks out of the room, his eyes trained on the ground. I disconnect from Lindsey, quickly walking up to him and pushing him against the locker.

His eyes widen and I spit, "What the fuck is wrong with you, you fucking sick creep?!"

"Avery, h-hi. You look pr-"

"You fucking listened in on my boyfriend and I? Are you kidding me? How fucking lonely are you?" I shout, my blood feeling like it's lava in my veins. I back up before I can't stop myself from choking him with my bare hands. "You're sick. I can't believe I ever even liked you as a friend. I broke up with you for a reason, Mason. Finn was right-"

"Don't say his name," he snaps at me. Oh? He doesn't like Finn? Yet he had no problem listening to him eat me out? Got it. I'll make sure to be more respectful next time.

I raise my eyebrows in disbelief. "Don't say his name? Are you serious right now?! That's crossing the line but listening in and recording us being intimate isn't?!"

Before I can stop myself, my hand comes flying across his face. "How fucking dare you. You worthless-"

"Avery," Lindsey tugs my arm. I try to shake her off but she doesn't let me. "No, Avery, stop. Look."

I look back at her and see her gaze is fixed on Mason so I look at him. What is she talking about- Oh my God.

He's fucking hard. He has a fucking boner right now. Oh my God. I'm going to be sick. I'm going to throw up.

She pulls me back, her hand grasping my arm tightly. I'm about to fucking run as far away from the situation as possible when I hear people gasp.

I look down the hall and see Finn red hot, his sights set on me. Fuck. This isn't going to go well.