Page 25 of Shattered

“No, Sienna. This has to end now. No more texting.”

My heart crumbles in my chest when I realize what that means for me. The last little piece of happiness I had has been torn away and is unraveling in front of me.

“What? Why?”

Why? All I keep thinking about is how Jacob was sent to prison for the sexual assault of a minor. What if something like that happens to me? What if people find out and think the worst of me? They already have a bad opinion of the five of us and think we’re guilty of something. Shit, I’ve masturbated to a sixteen-year-old. I sent her pictures of my dick.

Oh, god.

The scent of her perfume now has my stomach twisting. It smells like poison, like trouble.

My thoughts toward her have always been innocent. The natural observances of a man toward the opposite sex, noting how she was turning into a woman. But now, looking at her, all I can think about are the pictures of pink pussy lips and soft breasts that she has since sent me, and it all feels so wrong.

“You’re way too young for me, and I never would have replied if I had known,” I tell her, my breaths coming out faster.

Whether that’s actually true or not, I’m not sure. But what happened to Jacob has changed everything.

Sienna crosses her arms, her eyes still shiny. “You’ve been talking to me for months and never thought I was too young.”

“That was—” I suck in a deep breath and exhale immediately, trying to squash some of the panic slithering up my spine. “How could you do this to me?”

“Do what?”

“You tricked me. You made me believe . . .” I shake my head again. “This has to end now.”

“I didn’t trick you,” she replies, sounding offended. “I’ve been there for you. You said you needed me.”

I mash my teeth together, jerking my attention to the ground. “You are not what I needed.”

A strangled sound escapes her throat. “Are you serious?”

I’m sure the words were as painful to hear as they were for me to say them. She’s been my lifeline—someone I had envisioned being with.

God, everything in here feels like it’s suffocating me, including the clothes on my back, and it’s only made worse when I finally glance up to see the tears trickling down Sienna’s cheeks. I pull my glasses off, rubbing a hand over my face just so I don’t have to see them and feel even worse.

I need to tell her to delete everything—the pictures, the conversation—and she needs to forget everything I’ve told her about Jason.

Shit. I told her about the pills he’s been taking . . .

I’ve told her everything.

A noise from somewhere in the house alerts me to the fact that we’ve been in the bathroom together for some time now, and my eyes widen in panic. It will look more than a little suspicious if someone comes to use the bathroom or sees us walking out together.

“You need to get out of here, Sienna.” I grip her shoulders and push her toward the door, my voice urgent.

“What?”

“Please, go.”

“Neilix.”

“Go.”

She glances to the side, her lips pulled into a straight line as she nods and avoids eye contact. Then she turns and hurries out without another word.

I blow out a breath, leaning against the wall for support for a few extra seconds, my head tipped back and hand pressed to my aching chest. What the fuck am I supposed to do now?

My source of comfort.

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