Kill Switch (Devil's Night 3)

“Go!” he ordered. “Go to bed, and stay out of this.”

I hung my head, and I couldn’t stop crying even if I tried. “I didn’t know it was him.”

“Who did you think it was?” Ari charged. “You were warned they liked to play pranks! They get off on it! Like a regular guy would actually date you? That’s what you thought?” And then she mumbled, “Fucking stupid.”

Stop. Please stop.

I thought…

I thought it was real. I thought he…

The feel of him on top of me in the shower crawled over my skin, and I covered my face with my hands.

I loved him.

This morning I loved him, and tonight I hoped he suffered unimaginably.

“That is enough, Ari,” my mother gritted out. “Go to your room now!”

After a moment, I heard her footsteps head down the hall, and I wondered what Damon was doing right now. Was he sitting in a cell? Or in a room being questioned with the rest of his buddies who also got nicked for other uploads.

But then it occurred to me. None of them would’ve purposely done this to themselves. This was bad for Damon, too.

He didn’t upload the video himself. Why did he take it at all? I told him to take a picture.

But no, he wanted to brag to his buddies.

I tried to find comfort in knowing he might not have intended for the whole world to see it, but it was short-lived. He stole from me.

“You’re not to leave this house,” my father instructed. “You don’t use the phone. You don’t answer the door.”

“Yes, she knows,” my mother told him. “Leave us alone.”

I heard my father sigh, and then he said, “I need to go talk to Doug Coulson. I’ll be back late.”

He left and slammed my bedroom door, making me jump. He hadn’t asked if I was okay. Not once today. He hadn’t hugged me or…or acted, at all, like none of this was my fault. He was treating me like I was partially responsible.

Ari was having sex. They knew it. And long before she was sixteen, too.

But I’d been willing with someone in that video, and it didn’t matter with who. My father thought anyone who wanted me was obviously victimizing me.

And look at that. He was right.

I was the idiot for not knowing better. For thinking a “regular” guy wanted me.

I felt the bed sink as my mother sat down. “Did he hurt you?”

Every muscle on my face trembled. How do you mean? Bruises? Is that what counts?

“Yes, I know he lied.” She touched my face, trying to comfort me. “But did he force himself on you? We need to know every detail, Winter. The court will need to know.”

I sucked in a breath. Court. God, this town would massacre me.

“He lied,” I said. “He made me think I was with someone else.”

“Who?” Mom asked. “Who did you think he was?”

I opened my mouth to try to explain, but it wouldn’t make sense. I’m not even sure it did to me anymore.