Page 143 of Dare To Break

Eli

It takes a moment for her accusation to sink in. Once it does, I go into autopilot, and words spill from my lips without conscious thought. My only desire is to get out of the way and process what she’s screaming at me.

When Miles grabs her, holding her back from attacking me, I mask my relief, grab my stuff and stalk away. I tuck my sketchbook under an arm and fish out my cell. Kellan answers on the first ring.

“Someone leaked a photograph of me kissing Arabella on Halloween. She thinks I did it.”

I hold my cell away from my ear while he laughs. When he shows no sign of stopping after a minute, I bark his name. “It’s not fucking funny.”

“It kinda is, though. Of all the things you’ve done, she picks the one you’re innocent of. There’s got to be some kind of divine justice in that.”

“Who’s fucking side are you on?”

“Yours, of course, but I warned you, Eli. I fucking warned you this would backfire.”

“Do you think you could stop gloating for a second?” I round the corner and push open the door to the dorm building. “Are you in our room?”

“No. I’m in the computer block. I’m supposed to have an … assignation in thirty minutes.” His voice is rich with innuendo.

“You’re waiting to get your dick sucked again? If it’s by the person I think you’re expecting, he might bail. His girlfriend has just gone postal on me, and I’m not sure he’s going to get away from her right now.”

“Hmmm, true. Okay, I’ll be there in ten minutes. Try not to kill anyone until I arrive. I’ll drop a text to my very-straight-and-not-remotely-obsessed-with-sucking-my-dick friend to tell him we’ll reschedule.”

He ends the call, and I walk through the hallway to the stairwell at the end. There are a couple of seniors standing near the door, and their conversation stops as I pass them. I don’t acknowledge their presence, but there’s an itch between my shoulders and the hair on the back of my neck rises, and I’m sure they’re staring at me as I head upstairs.

Has the entire school seen the photograph? Is it on the school’s social media app?

It’s the first thing I check the second I step inside my room, and there it is. Front and center on the main feed is a photograph of us with Arabella tagged in it. The caption has me clenching my jaw.

Arabella Gray—Not only a monster-fucker, but a brother-fucker too.

I tap on the account, but it’s brand new and simply called CBA’s Finest Hour.

Fuck.

I tap on the post notifications and set it to follow. A stupid idea because by the time Kellan arrives, my cell is blowing up with comments and reactions to the post. My friend takes one look at my face and snatches my phone away. He taps away, frowning, and then looks up at me.

“How can they tell it’s you?”

“What?”

“The angle of the photograph. Arabella’s face is clear, but yours isn’t.” He points at our faces on the screen. “Look at the way her arm is looped around your neck. The shadow from it covers half your face. It could be anyone. Nothing about it makes it clear it’s you.”

“Aside from the Nine Inch Nails hoodie I’m wearing, you mean?”

“You can’t be the only person in the school with that hoodie.”

I stare at him.

“Okay, fine. But still, whoever took the photograph knew it was you before the face sucking started.”

I rub a hand over my face. “So, you think she set it up?”

“No. Fuck’s sake, Eli. You’re not fucking stupid.” He jabs the side of my head with one stiffened finger. “Use your brain.”

When I say nothing, he groans and rolls his eyes. “Did all the pussy eating you’ve been doing rot your brain? You said someone chased her to the cemetery that night, so someone knew she was there. I bet they hung around, saw you guys, and took the opportunity presented.”

I pace the room, thinking. “Miles. If he’s hooking up with you, he’s going to want eyes to be elsewhere.”

---