My hair was fine. There wasn’t anything on my face. I turned and checked to make sure I hadn’t sat in anything—but my jeans were fine, too. Everything was as it should be, there wasn’t anything to point and laugh about. Why the hell were people staring at me like I was an animal at the zoo?
The warning bell for my last class rang and I seriously considered skipping and waiting out the rest of the day in a bathroom stall. The thought of leaving the safety of the small room made me begin to sweat.
Just as I started shuffling toward the door, it flew open and Charlie stood there like an avenging angel.
“We’ve been looking for you everywhere,” she said, glancing behind her to nod at someone.
She stepped inside the room and I jolted in surprise as Curtis and Draco followed her inside. The latter shut the door behind him and leaned against it.
“What’s going on?” I asked, looking at each of their faces.
Charlie’s nose was flaring in a familiar way, her anger palpable as she paced, Draco’s expression was completely devoid of any emotion, and Curtis was grim, the veins in his neck bulging as he stared at the floor.
“What?” I asked again, worry making my voice sharper than I’d intended.
“Travis Sholes,” Charlie hissed. “The motherfucker. I know it was him.”
“What?” I asked, looking at the boys. “What did he do?”
I barely knew Travis. I honestly couldn’t think of a single way anything he did would affect me, but this little group huddle had to be about the way people were staring at me.
“He took photos,” Draco said, his voice flat. “Few seconds of video.”
“Of what?” I replied, still not understanding what the hell was going on.
“Prom,” Charlie said, her shoulders drooping as she came to a stop. “When you got sick.”
“Ew,” I said instantly. “Why would someone do that? What a rubbernecker.”
“It’s worse than that,” Charlie said softly.
“How can it be worse?” I asked, glancing at Curtis. His eyes were on me, but he still hadn’t said a word.
“Kara,” Charlie said softly. “Fuck, I’m so sorry.”
“For what?” I asked, starting to panic. “What? Someone tell me what the fuck is going on.”
“When—” Charlie paused, her voice wobbly. The sound scared me more than anything, because Charlie wasn’t a crier. When she was scared, it came out as anger. When she was sad, it came out snarky. When she was mad, it was like an atomic bomb.
She cleared her throat. “When you were choking, I helped you unbutton the top of your dress. Do you remember that?”
“Barely,” I replied, frozen in place.
“Right, um, right after that, you went down. Like, you fell straight down and I caught you so you didn’t just drop, but we both kind of tumbled into the wall and then the floor.”
I stood silently, waiting for her to get to the point, but I was beginning to imagine exactly what she was going to say.
“Your dress fell to your waist,” she said painfully. “And once we were down, I made sure you were covered up. Of course I fucking did. But, Travis, he must have been taking pictures the whole time.”
Charlie’s hands went to her hair and she pulled at it. “Fuck,” she yelled.
“I was dying,” I said in disbelief. “I literally would have died if they hadn’t gotten to me in time.”
“Looks like you were drunk,” Draco said, his voice barely audible. “And hooking up with Charlie in the hallway.”
“Oh, my God,” I whispered, looking back at Charlie.
“I’m so sorry,” Charlie whispered. “I’m so sorry, Kara.”
“Fuck that,” I snapped, making her jerk like I’d slapped her. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”
“I didn’t realize he was taking pictures,” she ground out. “I thought he was calling 911.”
“You were trying to take care of me,” I replied in disgust. “You didn’t do anything wrong. What an absolute asshole.”
The room went silent as I tried to wrap my head around the fact that he’d been taking photos while I was suffocating.
“Have you guys seen the photos?” I asked quietly.
“You don’t wanna see them,” Draco replied instantly.
“You have them?” I asked, taking a step forward. “Show me.”
“Not a good idea,” he argued.
“Show me,” I repeated.
The late bell for our last class rang, but I didn’t move. I held out my hand waiting for Draco to give me his phone.
With a sigh, he reached into his pocket and pulled it out. After a few seconds, he handed it to me.
Every cell in my body froze in place as I took in the first photo. Standing with my back to the camera, I look like I’m trying to help Charlie undress me. My hands are at the neck of my dress and hers are unbuttoning the back. Swallowing hard, I scrolled through the photos.
The neck of my dress has fallen to my collarbone, and I’m reaching for my best friend.