The next morning, Arianne turned off the hot water and wrung her hair out before pulling on a terry robe. Her classes weren't until the afternoon, but she wanted to get a start on a project due at the end of the semester. Hopefully, the library wouldn't be busy so she could get her hands on the reference books she needed.
Her shower slippers squeaked against the linoleum tile as she walked down the hallway to her room. Several girls gave her curious looks as she passed, but she didn't think much of it until arriving at the cafeteria for breakfast. As she stood in line for an omelet, she overheard a guy saying to his friends, "That's her."
A prickly sensation crawled down her back as more people whispered around her, some nudging each other with wide eyes, and others giving her a wide berth. Abandoning her spot, she put her tray down and pulled out her phone to text Morgan when her roommate appeared. She wore her favorite grey fishnets under a simple maxi dress with a slit up to her thigh and a hoodie tied around her waist.
"What's going on?" she asked, noticing Morgan's grim expression. "And aren't you supposed to be in class?"
"Not here." Grabbing her elbow, Morgan dragged her out of the cafeteria and into an empty corridor. "Have you talked to Garrett recently?"
"Last night. Why?" Had something bad happened to him?
Morgan's cheeks flushed an angry red. "Why didn't you tell me? What did he say? Did you guys fight?"
The rapid-fire delivery was making Arianne's heart pound. "No. What's going on? Is he okay?"
"Are you sure?" Morgan demanded. "You didn't make him mad or anything?"
"No!" Her gray eyes flashed with impatience behind her glasses. "Morgan, what is this all about?"
"Have you told anyone but Garrett about your..." She looked around, and lowered her voice to a bare whisper, "...past?"
Her past? "Only you and him. You know that." Arianne's fingers twitched as her nerves shot to the sky. "Why? Did something happen?"
"It's..." Uncertainty warred across Morgan's face.
Arianne's breathing labored as the walls closed in, shrinking into a tiny box. "Tell me," she pleaded.
Morgan squeezed her hand and Arianne knew it was bad. Bracing herself, she listened as Morgan explained, "I was in the middle of class when I got this email on my phone. The sender is anonymous, but it's from our school server." Morgan pulled up the email and handed over her phone. "Here."
A wave of icy horror washed over Arianne as she read.
To: CamargoM@EasonUniversity.org
From: Anonymous1@EasonUniversity.org
Subject: Don't become another statistic
Did you know that one in eight Americans from ages fourteen to forty-nine have genital herpes? And did you know Arianne Zhang, a freshman here on campus, is one of them? If you don't want to contract an incurable STD, stay away or else become another statistic.
Sincerely,
A concerned citizen
"Who...who would do this?" Arianne asked, sliding down the wall to the floor. She hugged her knees to her chest. How could anyone hate her this much? Her stomach cramped as memories of her senior year bombarded her.
Arianne blew her nose into the tissue as tears welled. The entire school, faculty included, had been abuzz over the news of Chase and her mom. How did they find out? The only people who aware of the affair were her and her dad. She hadn't talked, and her dad would die before telling. Arianne ducked behind a trash can as footsteps approached.
"Chase, my man, I can't believe you banged Ari's mom! And all while you had Ari too? You're a legend!"
Dean, she thought, recognizing the voice. He hung out in the same crowd as Chase.
"All in a days work," Chase replied. His arrogant smirk made her stomach churn. Had she ever known the real Chase?
"I thought you were kidding at first when you said you could do better than that ski bunny you had up in Flagstaff last winter, but boy did you deliver. Ari's mom is ten times hotter than both girls."
He'd been cheating on her way back then? God, what a naive fool she'd been. How many other girls had he slept with? And had one of them infected Chase? Or was her mother the reason they all had herpes?
"I know. And talk about the differences between a girl and a woman." Chase let out a low whistle. "She did stuff that I didn't even know was possible. Blew my brains out."
Arianne silently gagged as bile traveled up her throat. To think she loved someone so heartless.
"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Dean asked.
"Who told you about me and Ari's mom?"
Arianne jumped as Dean flicked something in the garbage can. She balled herself even tighter, desperate not to be seen.
"Does it matter?" Dean asked slyly. "Everyone knows."
Chase's tone turned granite. "Only because you told Carlos and he has a big mouth. But want to know how did you find out?"
Dean caught on that this wasn't a friendly conversation. "Don't get upset but Paul spilled the beans one night while we were getting wasted up at Chicory Point."
"Paul? You're sure?" Paul was Chase's best friend and arguably, the most popular guy in school.
Dean scoffed. "I may not be in AP classes like you, but I'm not an idiot. I know who told me."
The next day Paul came to school with a black eye and a busted lip. He refused to tattle, but Arianne knew it had been Chase. Those next few weeks had been difficult. Guys made lewd comments and gestures, and girls insinuated she wasn't feminine enough to keep Chase's attention. She tried to ignore it. Told herself, at least no one had found out about the STD.
Irate yells intermixed with the beats playing out of Arianne's stereo. Normally, she would have turned the volume up or put on her noise canceling headphones but not today. Those screams were too high pitched to be her mother's voice. She crept downstairs and saw a standoff in the living room between Chase's mom and her own.
"You gave my son herpes? Herpes? I should have you arrested!"
Her mom stood proud and tall, refusing to cower. "I didn't give your son anything. He's the one who passed it to my daughter and me."
Chase's mom upper lip curled. "You're sick. To sleep with your daughter's boyfriend? Stay away from my family. I wish we'd never gotten involved with you people."
"How quickly you change your tune. You were all too happy to take advantage of your connection to us," her mom said, advancing on Chase's mom like a leopard circling its prey. "Going around telling people you and your husband were going to take over the paper mill once Chase married Ari. As if I'd let my paper mill be run by a bunch of society climbing gold diggers."
When Chase's mom gasped in outrage, her mom added, "And don't act so innocent, Sherry. I know all about the night you tried to seduce my husband. Angling for that promotion by offering to blow him. Didn't work then and it won't work now."
"You're going to hell." Her body hummed with rage, every syllable a threat. "I will make you pay."
Arianne's dad entered the room wearing a mask of indifference. "You won't do anything. Not unless you want to visit your husband in jail."
"J-Jail?" Chase's mom stuttered. "What do you mean?"
He held up a folder. "Last year, he embezzled from the company. I let him off the hook because Ari was dating your son, but since that's no longer the case, I don't see a reason to keep it quiet."
Her face paled. "You're lying. You and your whole family are a bunch of filthy liars."
"I'm willing to overlook his transgression but only if you and your husband keep your mouths shut. One hint of scandal and I will personally hand over this report to the police."
Her gaze darted from the folder to the front door. Her dad shook his head. "Don't even attempt it. I have several copies. Now get out of my house." And like most people, she followed Arianne's father's orders.
Her mother quietly said, "Thank you," as the front door slammed shut.
He threw the folder on the coffee table. "I didn't do it for you."
She made a noise in the back of her throat. "Of course not. Do you think she'll tell?"
"No. She won't risk her husband. But I doubt this will stay hidden for long. It's too juicy for the clinic's staff to keep quiet."
"It's protected by doctor/patient confidentiality."
"You should know nothing in a town as small as this stays confidential. Arianne, at least, had the smarts to go to a clinic where no one knows her."
"Yes, your perfect daughter was right again while I was wrong." She stalked out, grabbing the vodka bottle along the way.
Her father's prediction became right. Less than a week later, the news of their disease came to light. No one knew where the leak had come from, but at that point, did it matter? The damage had been done. She'd been branded as dirty and cast out of the town.
"That slimeball Garrett. Who else could have done it?" Morgan muttered. She kicked the wall with her combat boots. "I knew I should have decked him when I had the chance."
"No," Arianne denied hotly. "There's no way Garrett sent this." He wasn't capable of such a vicious act. He understood pain. He'd die before forcing anyone to go through the same. But even as she said no, doubts arose. There was once a time she believed in Chase. Her mom. Her dad. And every single one had betrayed her.
Arianne held out her hand, and Morgan pulled her to her feet. "Don't be blind," Morgan replied. "Of course it's him. It's not a coincidence that you told him and then the whole frickin' school found out."
No. She refused to believe it. Arianne paced up and down the hallway. Don't panic. Think. Who could have done this?
Arianne checked the time stamp. The email had been sent at six-forty this morning. That meant whoever was behind the email woke up early. For a class perhaps? Or maybe they lived in a different time zone. Had someone from Apache Crossing decided to extend Arianne's torture? But the thought of Garrett wouldn't leave her alone. He didn't have a class until noon, so she called him, but all she got was ringing.
"Where are you going?" Morgan asked as Arianne turned to leave.
"Garrett's dorm." She had to find answers. It was the one thing she could control.
"Wait." Morgan unknotted her hoodie and handed it to her. "Use this." Nodding her thanks, Arianne slipped it over her tank and pulled the hood around her face, shrouding her from view.
Garrett's dorm was a five-minute walk from campus. She was tempted to scour the internet looking for clues about the identity of the sender, but she knew from experience it was a bad idea. People were mean in person, but they took it to a whole different level online. In Apache Crossing, the comments posted had been minor at first. Many expressed disbelief, but then they turned ugly, whipping the flame of hate until it became a roaring wildfire, ready to devour her.
Tears welled in her eyes. Would the same happen here? She should be proactive and delete her social media accounts before messages flooded in if they weren't already, but she couldn't do it. Even the thought of looking at her accounts made her stomach churn. She'd get Morgan to do it tonight. Although, she'd have to restrain Morgan from responding. Answering hate with hate never solved a problem, and trolls would take her words and twist them to fit their own needs.
Arianne walked up the three flights of stairs to Garrett's floor and knocked on his door. No one responded. She pounded harder, unwilling to leave without talking. It opened moments later to reveal a sleepy Garrett in nothing but a pair of pajama bottoms and socks. She tried to avert her eyes but couldn't. If his muscular chest and toned abs were the main meal, then his skin—a deep yellowish brown that looked silky and decadent to the touch—was dessert.
"Who the fuck—" Surprise flitted across his face. "Ari. What are you doing here?"
She forced her mind out of the gutter. "I called, but you didn't pick up." His hair was flattened on one side, and he had pillow marks on his cheek. "I guess you were sleeping."
"My phone's on silent." He nudged the door wider. "Come in. What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"A ghost haunting my past, present, and most likely future," she muttered as she walked in. Her eyes widened. "Does your room have split personalities?"
"Just a roommate pairing gone wrong." He frowned. "No, I shouldn't say that. Greg's a good guy. Most of the time." He quickly made his bed and motioned for her to sit. The doubt she'd been harboring eased at his thoughtfulness. There was no way Garrett could be the sender.
"Have you checked your e-mail?" she asked as he pulled on a shirt. A pity, she thought, but very much needed for her concentration.
He shook his head. "I pretty much passed out after I got back from our walk." He dragged his desk chair over and sat facing her. "What's this all about? Not that I don't appreciate you wanting to see me but..." He glanced at the clock. "It's a little early."
She bit the inside of her cheek, knowing whatever happened from here on out could change their relationship. "Did you tell anyone about me?"
A strange look crossed his face. "Like how we met? Or that we're back together?" He quickly clarified, "I mean not together, together, but you know...together." A frustrated huff let his lips as he rubbed his eyes with the heel of his palms. "I'm sorry, I'm a little tired and not making much sense."
She wanted to smile at his cuteness, but his look from before made her sense go on high alert. "I mean have you told anyone that I have an STD?" His hesitation spoke volumes. While he might not have betrayed her outright, revealing what she said in confidence was still a type of betrayal.
He put his arms on knees and leaned forward, his tone earnest. "Will you listen first before—"
"Who?" she demanded, curling her hands into tight fists. "Who did you tell? It better not have been Harmony or I swear to God, Garrett I will—"
He scowled. "No! Of course, I didn't tell her. Give me a little credit." She sent him a scorching glare, and he emitted a strangled noise. "When things went to hell after B-Bash, I needed advice, so I told Marcus and Stephan. But they'll keep their mouths zipped," he rushed to assure her. "I trust them."
"But I don't. How could you?" She thought she'd finally gotten away—fours years of freedom gone in an instant. The dam inside her broke as bone-crushing fear took hold.
"Hey, hey," he said softly, kneeling between her legs. He drew her hands away from her face and gently wiped away falling tears. "What's wrong?"
"Check your email," she said curtly.
Reaching over, he dug under his pillow and pulled out his phone. The worry creasing his face morphed into outrage as he read. "What the fuck?" he said, after exploding into a string of curses. "Arianne. Oh my god. I had no idea..."
"You told," she accused, her words as sharp as a knife.
He flinched. "And that wrong of me, but they didn't. I swear to you they didn't. They wouldn't." He went to hold her hand, but she pulled away.
"Then who else?" Because someone had to have babbled. She cursed herself. She'd taken a risk in telling, and now she was paying the price.
He dipped his head so he could look her in the eye. "What about Morgan?"
Arianne shook her head. "I know Morgan. It's not her." Besides being fiercely loyal, Morgan didn't have a reason to tell. And why would she leak Arianne's secret now of all times?
"If she didn't do it, maybe she told someone."
"Morgan's not the type to blab. I trust her."
Garrett drew in a sharp breathe. "But not me, right?"
"I didn't mean it like that." Okay, maybe she did, but could he blame her? He'd told his best friends. And yes, she should have explicitly stated not to tell anyone, but she thought the promise had been implied.
He took a deep breathe and let it out slowly. "We'll get to the bottom of this. I swear."
"How?" Desperation gripped her. "It doesn't even matter anymore. Now that it's out there, people will never stop." Sorrow filled her heart. There would always be the disgusted looks, the hesitation to touch as if they could contract an STD that easily, and the condescension as they talked to her like a second class citizen.
"We start with the email. Maybe we can trace who sent it."
She scoffed. As if it was that easy. "Do you have secret hacker skills I don't know about?"
"No," his eyebrows drew up in a thoughtful look as he glanced at his roommate's desk, "but I might know someone who does."
*Author's Note* Who do you think is behind the email? I left subtle hints throughout previous chapters ;)