Page 114 of The Very Naughty List

Dylan’s name pops up in the comment thread several times, egging people on and planting the seeds that this “debauchery” has been going on ever since I set foot back in town. He even points out innocent moments that I’ve been seen around Chestnut Hill and implying a sexual undertone to everything, even when there wasn’t one there to begin with. He’s trying to trash my reputation, and it’s working.

I flip from one social media feed to another, but it’s been posted on all of them. My phone is getting hot in my hands as it tries to keep up with the deluge of comments and alerts.

Fuck.

Panic rises within me as I start to freak out.

“No, no, no, this can’t be happening.” I grimace and shake my phone like a Magic 8 Ball, as if that could somehow erase all of the posts and comments.

This is bad.Reallybad. This is going to completely tank my family’s reputation. In a small town like this, all it takes is one tarnishing remark to sink someone’s career or their chances of future success. And this isn’t just one remark, it’s hundreds, maybe even thousands.

This was never supposed to get out. This was a secret game that the triplets and I were playing, and it was never supposed to turn into something real that could be paraded around in front of the town as if we’re a circus on display.

And even though my brain has been toying with the idea of not wanting to keep it a secret anymore, it was certainly not supposed to get out like this. Dylan is painting it all as something disgusting and improper. He’s making the guys out to be somesort of predators, and me out to be a slut with an insatiable sex addiction. He’s ruining all of the good things that have been building between us and skewing them into a nightmare.

I should have seen something like this coming. I should have known that my ex is so vindictive that of course he wouldn’t just let it go. Not after that phone call, and not after he got a glimpse of how happy and fulfilled Sebastian, Nick, and Reid have been making me. Dylan wants nothing more than to ruin things for me, and all because I left his cheating ass behind.

His bruised ego is going to be the end of me.

I don’t know what to do. I can’t read anymore. I can’t even look at the messages and missed calls on my phone because I don’t want to see my family’s reaction to all of this.

Pippa might have already known, and maybe my mom had a clue too, but none of them knew that it was likethis.

Fuck, this means that Lucas knows now too.

How in the world am I ever going to face him now that he knows I’ve been having sex with all three of his best friends and lying about it straight to his face? He’ll never talk to me again. He’ll never trust me again.

He’ll probably want to kill Reid, Sebastian, and Nick too.

This is all turning into a terrible mess.

I shove my phone into my pocket and push out the kitchen doors back into the main area of the diner.

Everyone looks up as I enter the room, and my heart stutters in my chest at the sudden feeling of so much attention directed my way.

The post that Dylan made is going viral, and all of my private business is being spread all across town—hell, it’s gone far beyond the town limits by this point. That’s how things work when they go viral, and that means I’ll never be able to outrun this like I tried to outrun Dylan years ago.

I try not to look at anyone as I stride out of the diner and head straight for my car. I just need to get out of here and away from all of these prying eyes for a bit. I need to recover somewhere where I’m not under scrutiny and figure out what the hell I’m going to do about this and how I’m going to face my family.

I race toward my car, fumbling with my keys and dropping them once in the snow piled up at my heels. When I finally manage to get inside my car, I lock my doors and try to take a deep breath to calm myself. My hands are shaking against the steering wheel and it’s cold as fuck in here.

I try to think for a second about where to go.

Part of me wants to drive right back to Dylan’s fancy ass house and lay into him for what he’s done. He’s a coward at heart, and I want to read him the riot act for being such an asshole and demand that he take down the posts.

But then I realize it won’t do any good. The damage has already been done. Even if he takes the stuff down now, it’s already out in the open public space. All that going to his house is likely to do is result in an argument that makes things even worse. If that was even possible.

Maybe I should just drive straight out of town, just like I did the last time. I feel like I just need to get away from everyone and all of the rumors that are going to crush me like a pummeling tsunami. I need time to think and figure out damage control measures before my relationships with everyone that I care about start to fall apart before my very eyes.

If I go see Lorelai in person, then she could help me work through this and stave off the panic attack that is quickly threatening to engulf me.

But I know that I can’t just leave town. Not only because running away won’t fix any of this, but also because the one place that I feel the most like going to right now is home to Sebastian,Reid, and Nick. I feel safe with those guys, and they always seem to have a level head about figuring out what to do, especially Nick.

I start the engine, resolved that going back to their house is the right thing to do. I’m sure they’ve already seen what’s happening. Most of the missed calls and texts are probably from them. They’re probably worried about my reaction and might even be trying to reach me to get me to come straight home so that they can help.

I just need to get back to them and then we can figure all of this out together.

I start to drive, simultaneously trying to wipe my eyes, calm my nerves, and see the road through the falling snow.

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