Page 10 of Tainted Rose

We keep looking through the yearbooks but don’t find anything further. After a while, Daphne goes to use the bathroom, and Max and I pull out our phones. I don’t know why I feel the need, but I open Instagram—and immediately regret it. In my notifications, I see I’ve been tagged in a post by none other than Aria. “Shit.”

“What’s wrong, Cupcake?”

“What the fuck is her problem?” I grumble. “Can’t she leave me the hell alone?” My stomach rolls over as I squint at the tiny little thumbnail image on the Activity screen. I can’t tell who is in the photo, but I’m nervous as hell to find out. “You look. I can’t do it.”

Max reaches over and takes the phone out of my hands. He taps on the notification, opening the post. He looks at it for a few seconds, swipes to a second photo in the post and his jaw twitches. I reach to take it back but he leans away from me, holding up a finger. “Give me a sec, I’m looking through Aria’s profile.” His jaw almost hits the table. “The fuck …?” he huffs, his gaze flicking over to me. “I really don’t think you should look at this.”

I fix him with a stony stare and murmur, “I don’t want to know, but I need to.”

Max presses his lips together. “I took it back to the post she tagged you in. Swipe if you want to see the second photo.” He grimaces as he hands the phone back to me.

The photos are similar—two selfies. In the first, Aria smiles cheekily at the camera and Xander seems like he’s looking off into space. In the second photo, she has her lips pressed to his neck. He looks totally out of it. Drunk. “Good for him. Looks like he’s doing totally fine. Having a great time.”

“Actually, he looks pretty fucked up. But that’s just my opinion.”

Daphne comes back into the room, sliding onto a chair. “What are we looking at now?”

“Instagram.”

“Oh no. Bad idea. Social media is the devil. No good can come of it.”

Max snorts. “Yeah … tell us about it.”

I show her my phone, and she groans. “Really? What the hell is he thinking?”

Max shakes his head. “He’s obviously not thinking at all. He’s out of his mind. Look at his eyes.”

It’s true. The dark, deep, gorgeous eyes I had come to love are unfocused and tired, half hooded by drooping eyelids. Definitely wasted. I tuck my lip between my teeth, still trying to hold on to hope. “Are we sure they’re not old pics from last year like she was posting before?”

“Nope. That looks like last night’s party.” Max grits his teeth. “Sorry to be the bearer of shitty news.”

“How can you tell?”

He sighs. “That guy off to the side? That’s Callum. He transferred in this year—a junior on the football team. Probably hanging out with Beau’s brother Griffin.”

I frown. “What was the other photo you were looking at?” I tap the back arrow to look at what else is on her account.

Max jerks out of his seat and lunges at my phone, his face a grim mask. “Don’t!”

I shift away just in time, looking down to see what he’s so worked up over. My lips part as I look at the other photo Aria posted last night. I wasn’t tagged in this one, but it was clearly meant for me. My lips part and I break out in a full-on sweat, unable to mentally grasp what I’m seeing.

“Scarlett …” Max whispers softly.

My eyes flick up to find both Daphne and Max staring at me like I’m going to fall apart. I might. But I’ve always been fragile like a bomb rather than a flower. “I don’t even know what to say.” My gaze sweeps back down to the phone where the photo of Xander and Aria in bed together taunts me.

“Maybe it’s not what we think it is.”

I shoot out of my chair at Daphne’s words, tossing my phone haphazardly onto the table. “They’re naked in a bed together. What am I supposed to think?”

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