Page 21 of Catch My Fall (Catch)

I held my head high and whispered to Macy that she needed to do the same, but I could see that the whispers were putting her on edge. When we got to our locker, I wanted to scream. Someone had taken the time to tapeup a piece of paper that read: DYKE WHORES. Ripping it down, I smashed it into a ball and threw it over my shoulder before lifting my shaking hand and rolling out the combination. I popped the lock before swinging the door open.

Later I would wonder if it really happened the way I remembered. Had there really been an awkward silence? Had I really felt my heart constricting painfully as I realized that something horrible was about to happen? Certainly that’s how I remember it.

When I opened the locker, a least a dozen photos fluttered out to my feet. While some were face down, enough were facing up that I knew exactly what they were. Someone had used the slots on our locker as a mailbox and had filled it with photos of Macy and me with Brady and Chad.

I heard Macy whimpering as I dropped to the floor and frantically gathered the photos to me. When I was certain that I had every one, I grabbed Macy and pulled her into the girls’ bathroom where I proceeded to tear them into tiny, tiny little pieces before I flushed them down the toilet. I flushed and flushed and flushed that toilet, over and over again like a girl possessed. There was nothing in the toilet except water, but still I kept going, needing those pictures to be gone.

I stopped only when Macy grabbed my shoulders and shook me out of my fugue-like flushing state. The two of us sat side by side up against the bathroom stall wall, trying to decide what to do. As wesat there both of our phones went off, and we each checked our messages. I was relieved to see that mine was a Facebook notification as opposed to being a text message from Brady, but my relief quickly turned to horror when I saw what the notification was for.

Facebook Group Invite:

Mia and Macy’s Pornographic Debut!

The picture at the top of the page was the one that Brady had sent where the two of us looked like we were making out. Underneath it was a post that had a photo album of about twenty pictures from that night, each one worse than the other. The group already had more than three hundred members, which meant that everyone had seen this.

There were dozens and dozens of comments already, some of them from people that I had considered friends. Each comment was worse than the last, many of them saying that they’d ‘pay our rate’ to fuck on film.

Macy’s breathcame faster and faster as she read the comments, and then she completely lost it. One minute she was upset, the next she was screaming and ripping out hunks of her hair as her legs and arms flailed. I struggled to get her under control but it wasn’t working and her screams only got louder. Within minutes, school security, our principal and several counselors were in the bathroom with us, but no one could calm her down. Her fingers were covered in blood from her ripping at her face and hair, and all of us were on top of her trying to hold her hands to keep her from doing more damage. Someone called 911 and I watched in horror as they tranquilized her before strapping her to the board for transport.

I felt myself getting woozy but I couldn’t do anything but stare at her as they rolled the gurney out of the bathroom. We’d been assaulted, violated, photographed and were now being tortured. My best friend just had a nervous breakdown right in front of my eyes and therewould be questions…so many questions. Everyone would know about this now because there was no way I could keep it a secret from our parents. That it had come to this was all my fault—I should never, ever have shoved Brady. What had I done?

Thinking of my mother seeing those photos turned me to stone and I welcomed the blackness as it rushed up to meet me.

Chapter Twelve

Darby is avoiding Trace like the plague, which means that we haven’t gone back over to the guys’ house together in the last two weeks. Tristan and I talk and text every day and I’ve gone to his house by myself five more times, either to watch movies with him or hang out at the little parties that he and Trace have. Spending so much time with him is only upping the ante and I really, really like him. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I like him as a lot more than a friend, too. He’s funny, he’s sweet, he’s considerate and on top of everything else, he’s hot. Tristan Chamberlain is the full package.

Tonight Darby is going out on her firstactual date with Brandon and I’m going back to Tristan’s to hang out again. I know it’s probably wishful thinking but I feel like there’s something so much more between us than just friendship. The way he calls and texts and asks to spend time with me…it feels like more.

Standing in front of my closet, I struggled to make a decision. I’ve got some dresses and skirts with me that I brought just in case I ever felt like dressing pretty again, but mostly I’ve been dressing really casual and for comfort. I haven’t gotten dressed up at all since I’ve been here, but every day I feel a bit stronger.

Now, for the first time in forever, I found myself wanting to wear something girly. I moved hanger after hanger until I found what I was looking for, a pretty little floral dress that had spaghetti straps and a flouncy skirt. After slipping into it I surveyed myself in the mirror. I felt…pretty. I haven’t felt that way in so long that it was almost an entirely alien experience, but I felt ready to let myself go a little. I added a sleeveless jean jacket and my favorite pair of cowboy boots to the ensemble. I styled my hair down with a slight wave and created small braids on either side of my head that were pulled back and held together with a beautiful butterfly hair clip. After spraying myself with Poppy, I left the dorm to head to Tristan’s.

My steps came to a halt right outside my door when I literally almost plowed into Tiffany. Shewore a halter dress with a plunging neckline and the tightest skirt I’d ever seen. Paired with her three-inch heels, she looked like a model for a sexy dating service. Giving me a look of pure disdain she said, “Aw, how cute. Country-bumpkin chic. Or is it geek? Either way nice try, Little House on the Prairie. Next time, why don’t you try to buy something that isn’t straight out of the sixteen hundreds.”

It doesn’t take much for confidence to take a hike, and now I felt stupid for even trying to dress up. If it weren’t for the fact that Tiffany was glaring at me, I would have turned right around and changed. But, since she wasn’t going to move, I stepped around her and hustled to get outside to my car. If I looked stupid, oh well. Tristan probably wouldn’t really notice what I looked like anyway, and now I just felt like a fool for dressing to impress him at all.

When I got to his house I wiped my sweaty palms against my skirt before knockingon the door. My heartbeat settled into a more normal range when Trace was the one to answer the door.

“Hey Mia!”

I smiled and said hello, and I saw that he looked over my shoulder as if he were looking for something just before his shoulders fell dejectedly.

“It’s been two weeks and she won’t return my calls and she’s never with you. How come Darby doesn’t come over anymore?”

Oh wow… I had this all wrong. He likes Darby. Like really likes her. Why is he slumming with tramps like Tiffany if he has feelings for Darby?

I sputtered helplessly and tried to think of something to say, but all that came to mind was the truth and I started to babble like an idiot. “She’s been hanging out with one of the guys from Gamma so we’ve spent a lot of time lately at their frathouse. Tonight she and Brandon went out on their first official date.”

Whatever color Trace had when I started talkingdisappeared. He looked as if he had just swallowed a fistful of razorblades.

Almost against my will I stepped forward and set my hand on his shoulder. “If it bothers you so much, why did you push her away?”

I dropped my hand as his head reared back and his eyes went wide. “She… shetoldyou? About us?”

I stared at him without saying a word because the answer was obvious. Taking another step back from me, he shook his head. “She’s never told anyone before, not ever. I don’t like what’s going on between us right now… but I’m very happy that Darby finally has a friend to confide in. Take care of her.”

Before I could formulate a response, he turned and walked away. As heleft the room Tristan walked in from outside and my heart skipped a half dozen beats just from being in the same room with him. Today he was dressed in khakis, a pale blue polo shirt and a pair of Ralph Lauren sneakers. He’s got a great sense of style and while on a lot of guys it would seem pretentious, on Tristan it looks just right.

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