Page 33 of Pucked On Camera

"I don’t know," I state matter of fact. I glance at my brother on my phone, and he raises an eyebrow at Zach's presence.

"Please," Zach says, and there's something in the way he holds himself, a kind of earnestness that makes me nod despite myself.

"Fine," I relent, stepping aside to let him in and then closing the door behind him. "But this better be good."

Zach nods, swallowing hard, and I prepare myself for whatever is about to spill from his lips.

I eye my brother, catching the wariness in his gaze as he sizes up Zach as much as he can through the phone.

"Are you sure about this?" Leland’s rumbles into the small space of my living room.

"Yeah," I say, though it's not without a nervousness settling in my stomach. "I need to hear him out."

He nods, lips pressed in a thin line, and disconnects our video chat.

"Amelia, look," Zach starts, and I can practically hear the gears turning, trying to find the right way to drop a bomb. "I did something stupid."

"Define stupid." I cross my arms, my spine straight.

His eyes flicker away before locking back on mine. "I... I released the photos and your OnlyFans account." It comes out in a rush.

The air sucks out of the room. My pulse thunders in my ears.

"Excuse me?" The words are sharp, each one laced with anger and hurt. "You didwhat?"

He scratches the back of his neck, looking anywhere but at me. "I was the one who put them out there, on social media. I didn't think—"

"Clearly," I interrupt. "Did you have any idea what kind of mess you'd cause? What you'd do to me?"

Zach exhales, his jaw clenching. "I know, I messed up. Big time. I wish I could take it back."

"Sorry doesn't fix this." My voice trembles.

My mind races, flashes of the fallout from his actions playing on a loop. The two questions still remain.

"Why? How?" I finally whisper, the fight draining out of me as quickly as it flared.

He looks at me then, really looks at me, and I see the remorse etched into every line of his face. "I don't know, Amelia. I truly don't."

I rake my fingers through my hair, the strands catching on the edges of my nails. "You don't know? How can you not know?" There's an ache in my chest.

Zach shuffles his feet, the scuff of his shoes against the hardwood floor the only sound in the heavy silence. He stuffs his hands into the pockets of his jeans, shoulders hunched as if he's bracing against a storm.

"It was like... I dunno, a moment of insanity or something," he starts.

A laugh, bitter and short, escapes me. "Insanity? That's what we're calling it now?" I cross my arms over my chest, trying to steady the tremor in my limbs.

"Look, I saw Riley’s phone and…" Zach blurts out, finally meeting my gaze.

"Wait, what?" My arms drop to my sides. "And what?"

"I saw your name flash up on it while he was in the shower. So, I clicked on it, and a few texts back were your pictures anda screenshot of your OnlyFans account. You know, I thought it would be funny," he mutters, dragging a hand down his face. It's almost comical, how lost he looks, like a kid who's just broken a window and is scrambling to explain himself before the adults come running.

"Riley and I..." I trail off, the words sticking in my throat. We were serious, at least to me. But now, with this mess splattered across every social media feed, it feels more like a joke—a really bad one.

"Amelia, I'm sorry," Zach says again, stepping closer. "I never meant to hurt anyone."

"Sorry doesn't quite cover it," I reply, but the heat in my voice has fizzled out, replaced by exhaustion. What am I supposed to do with this? With him standing there looking like a kicked puppy, and me, with my life turned inside out?

---