Rowdy Boy

“Wait,” Mom says as I try to walk back. “What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I can help keep him here.” Tears well up in my eyes. “I don’t want to lose this one good thing in my life, Mom.”

She grabs my face and caresses me gently, wiping away the tear. “If you’re sure about this boy … a thousand percent sure.” She leans in and places her forehead against mine. “Then go get him.”

A beaming smile forms on my face. “Thanks, Mom.”

I turn and walk back, but she waits there in front of her car, watching my every step. She doesn’t have to be worried about me. Not anymore.

With my head held high, I march back into that same school that I thought would be my downfall, filled with all those students who will inevitably notice my involvement with Cole, the rumors, the picture. And it will all have been for nothing if I can’t stay …

If I can’t be with the only boy who has managed to both destroy and mend my heart.

There has to be a way.

What if I can find out who sent that picture? Cole fought too hard, and he swore it wasn’t him. But then who?

I grab my phone and find the anonymous message that was sent to me. The link leads to a folder on a website that has an account name attached … AR.

AR … who the hell is AR?

I walk inside the school without looking where I’m going as I’m too busy in my head trying to decipher who sent this to me. It has to be someone with access to Cole’s phone. Did it happen at the party? It’s too much of a coincidence that this happened just a day after. But who would do that? It could’ve been anyone.

Except if it were just anyone, I’d assume they’d send this picture around to anyone they could to make fun of me and have a laugh. But I don’t think that happened because no one in this school even glanced at me when I walked in. No one seems to have noticed this picture going live.

So that begs the question … did they only send it to me?

As a threat?

Suddenly, I bump into someone. “Oops, sorry,” I mutter.

“Monica?”

I look up into Ariane’s eyes.

“I didn’t think you’d come to school today,” she says, frowning. “I mean, after what happened at the party…”

My lips part as I’m struggling to find the words. My brain is trying to mesh things together into a cohesive story while also trying to react to what she’s saying. I should go to the principal’s office and find Cole.

“Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Ariane asks.

“I …” I’m still dumbfounded, staring at my phone.

Ariane follows my gaze down.

I stare at the symbols again. AR.

Ariane. Romero.

Chapter 34

Monica

My eyes rise to meet hers, and in a split second, it all comes flooding in.

Ariane hated Cole. Hated him because she always told everyone he cheated on her. But Cole said she was the cheater, and she tried to blame it all on him to save her reputation.

And now she’s trying to sabotage my relationship with him too.

“It was you …” I mutter, lowering my phone.

Our eyes connect, fury spilling from us both.

One second passes before she grabs my arm, whisks me into a bathroom, and shuts the door.

My heart beats in my throat as I press a few buttons on my phone, trying to find what I’m looking for.

“Look, I don’t know what you got into your head, but this isn’t happening,” she says.

I struggle to keep my anger contained. “AR. That’s you, isn’t it?”

She doesn’t reply. She stares at me with her brows raised. “Monica … really?”

“You sent this,” I growl. “Admit it.”

For a moment, there’s only silence. Then a devious smile forms on her face.

“You shouldn’t have gotten close to him,” she says.

My nostrils flare. “So it was you. You tried to make me think he did this. You wanted me to hate him and blame him!”

“Oh, please.” She folds her arms and takes a provocative stance. “I didn’t take that damn picture of you.”

“No, but you were the one who sent it around.”

“How?” She scoffs. “How would I have done that, hmm?”

“You were at that party. You could’ve opened his phone.”

“And why would I do that?” she asks. “Why the hell would I need a picture of you?”

“Because you wanted to threaten me so I would stay away from him.”

She rolls her eyes and sighs. “Oh, Monica.” She turns to the mirror and starts redoing her lipstick. “You really are naïve. And here, I thought you’d finally learned your lesson.”

“Shut up,” I retort.

She’s a goddamn snake.

“No,” she says, throwing me a look. “I don’t think I will. You see, you did something that no girl should ever do.” She walks toward me and points at me. “I told you to stay away from him, and what did you do?”