I TOLD ONE PERSON about the Chuck incident.
I hadn't planned on telling anyone, but Emma sensed by my snappy attitude that something was off.
I showed her a few of the pictures, and I had to beg her not to act on it, because she began plotting to destroy his entire life. As much as I hated what he did, I couldn't bring myself to do anything.
After the anger eased away, I felt bad for being so harsh. Creep or not, he didn't deserve being bullied. I couldn't cope with the fact that I'd regretted helping him out, that I felt like he deserved what was happening to him. What exactly did that say about me?
Chuck needed help, not hatred. I tried to hammer that into my head. Telling Dad would be a sure-fire way to get Chuck expelled or worse, and I didn't want to worry the girls and Adam over this.
It took a lot of convincing to get Emma to keep quiet.
She told me that if he was caught again, there would be nothing I could do to stop her, though.
Homecoming day finally arrived. I planned to ride with Jen and Adam to their place after the parade, accompanied by Emma and Sam, so we could get ready and leave for the night together. I desperately needed assistance for hair and makeup, and Emma longed to see my reaction to the dress.
I tumbled down the stairs and walked to my locker, noticing Luc had already gotten to his. He graced me with the jerk of his chin, which was probably the warmest welcome on his part since I'd met him yet. I entered the code in my padlock and instantly hunted the painkiller bottle.
Do people develop a tolerance to this? Because I swear it wasn't working on the headaches so well anymore. It still got me through the harder days when sleep and water didn't fix them.
"Are you coming tonight?" I inquired as I popped the lid, eyeing Luc sideways.
He shrugged a shoulder. "Don't have much of a choice if you are."
"Do you have a date? I heard two girls in my classes sighing over you this week, it's getting bad."
He winked. "Because I'm handsome?"
"Let's not lie to ourselves. I thought you'd take advantage of the face you have," I slurred, two pills under my tongue. "Being that you're so incredibly full of yourself and all."
"Wow, you're getting better and better at compliments," he chuckled.
I smiled sweetly. "I'll take that as a compliment."
My smug expression seemed to throw him off, but my good mood couldn't be ruined. I was going to have a blast with people who actually liked me. Luc's stare lowered to my locker, and his eyes shifted.
"Um, Sunshine?"
"What?"
"What the hell is that?" He pointed at my locker's contents, and I twisted to see what he was talking about. I swallowed.
I'd left Chuck's pictures here. I was too afraid Dad would find them if I brought them home. The top of the pile was one of us in the parking lot. I was between the door and seat, head tipped up. That day, he'd asked about a book I was carrying around, I remember. It might as well have been gibberish because my description bored him royally in the shot.
"I..." I immediately put myself between him and my locker. "It's nothing."
His gaze turned piercing, his voice bidding. "Sunshine..."
Yeah, my good mood melted away. I felt my claws coming out. "Can you just drop it, for once?"
"No, I can't." He folded his arms, and he had that look on his face that said he wouldn't give me peace until I explained. And I knew better than to test him on his willpower.
"They're not photos taken by you, obviously. This happened under our noses."
I fell mum and held his intense green stare, evaluating my options. Hit and run? Scream and make a scene until a teacher came by? Lie? I was very tempted by the latter because the others involved public embarrassment and being the talk of the school again, but it was too risky. He'd know if I screwed up my story.
Luc leaned closer, entering my personal bubble. His voice came out so low it frightened me. "They're Chuck's. Everyone knows he's the one taking those kinds of pictures. It's him, isn't it?"
I kept my mouth shut.
"How many did he take?" he poked, his features turning to stone.
My hands closed into fists at my sides. Of all people, I didn't want Luc to know about this. Why? Because I didn't want to be seen as vulnerable or to be laughed at. With him, I could never predict a reaction. It was crappy enough that my safety depended on him.
"Are you going to get mad?"
He frowned. "No."
"About a dozen. I think."
He cursed under his breath. " I'm going to find his ass and drag him to the—"
"Hey!" I exclaimed, halting his tirade. I just wanted to exit this conversation. "It's too late, first of all. Let it go. And it's not your problem."
Luc looked at me like I went bananas. "That skullfuck followed you places and took photos of you. That's one thing, but then he took the time to develop the photos. It's a special kind of twisted."
My hatred for Chuck swelled, followed by instant remorse. I wanted to believe that he needed help and that he could change for the better, but what if there was more behind those photos? More concerning things?
I gazed at Luc, unsure, tossing the thoughts in my head.
"I can't change it. I'm not cool with it, but right now, I don't want to worry about Chuck."
He stepped back, clearly disapproving of my decision. "You're too kind. Only naïve people would think that."
"I don't know what to believe, Luc. I can't just barge into his home to take the photos. I don't want to publicly humiliate him, either. It could make things worse."
Adam and Jen came by at that moment, interrupting our argument. I internally screamed in joy.
"Ready to leave?" Jen's face turned sour at the sight of me and Luc. "Everything all right?"
"Yeah," I took the storage jacket and hauled my backpack over my shoulder, avoiding Luc's heavy gaze. "We're done, here."
✩