Brody's notification remains unopened and unread on my phone. It waits for me like a ticking time bomb. Or Pandora's Box. I already sense it's going to unleash a bunch of drama. I don't want to deal with it right now, but I can't delay any longer. 

Cruz is standing right in front of me, waiting, ready to talk.

I bite the bullet and open the message. I can feel the weight of Cruz's stare on me as I scan Brody's DM. My pulse thuds with apprehension.

Brody C: dont say shit about us unless u want the whole school to see what a slut u r

His threat is vague, but I'm pretty sure I know what he's referring to. Even after my roofie-induced haze, I still remember what I saw in the upstairs study at Sam's house. Clearly, Brody and Chrissa are expecting me to keep my mouth shut about their hot and heavy make-out sesh.

They have a lot to lose, I suppose.

Chrissa's boyfriend, Luke Austin, comes from a rich-ass family. The Austin's are dripping in old money. Bitch definitely wouldn't want me to expose her cheating ass and ruin everything with her golden boy, Luke, and Brody hangs out with Luke and Chrissa's crowd all the time, so he's probably afraid of getting canceled by all his friends for breaking bro code.

I'm confused, though. Cruz said there were photos and videos. Yet, Brody didn't mention anything about photos and videos, at least, not in his message to me.

Frowning, I turn to Cruz and show him the DM on my phone. I let him read it while saying, "I don't see anything about photos and videos here. What did Brody say to you?"

In response, Cruz tilts his screen towards me so we can compare notes. I quickly read over Brody's text on his phone.

Brody C: dont say shit unless u want the whole school to know what u did to athena. we have the pics and vids to prove it.

It's worded very similarly to mine. But, troubling enough, the word "to" sticks out to me. I can see Brody is purposely twisting the truth here.

Is Brody planning to pin what he did to me... on Cruz?

Admittedly, I don't think Brody is smart enough to come up with this shit. This whole scheme reeks of Chrissa's evil-doing. I try not to freak out, but it's too late. I feel terrible for involving Cruz in this shitshow. It seems Brody may have some photos and videos, after all.

Of who?

Alarm shoots through me as my mind veers towards a terrifying possibility.

Of me?

Did Brody and Chrissa take photos and videos of me while I was passed out on the bed?

I want to remember what they did to me so badly, but I can't recall anything, my memory remains useless, and I hate it so much. I feel like an idiot.

With wide, panicked eyes, I glance over to Cruz. I wail softly, "Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck... I bet you anything that they took photos and videos of me when I was blacked out! Now, they're gonna use them against us! This is bad! This is really, really bad!"

He sits down on my bed with a sigh. I feel the mattress dip beneath his weight.

Cruz mutters, "Yeah, I think you might be right. If there are photos and videos, then Chrissa and Brody probably took them while you guys were locked up in that room. They're putting us in a really fucked up position."

Beside him, I curl up my legs against my chest and hug my knees for comfort. I feel so lost. I wish I knew how to handle this looming disaster, but it feels too overwhelming to resolve. I feel awful for Cruz, too. I can't apologize enough for what's happening right now.

I mumble, "I feel like shit for dragging you into my mess. I'm so sorry, Cruz."

"Don't be," he counters in low, gruff tones, "I'm glad I found you when I did, and I'd do it again if needed."

I glance at him. "Real talk? I'm so fucking glad you were the one who found me. I owe you big time."

"You owe me nothing." He shudders noticeably. "I don't even want to think about what they might've done to you if Alison and I never showed up."

My heart melts at his words.

Other than Mom and Persie, never has anyone been so willing to stand up for me. In this moment, I want to hug Cruz for being such a fucking king, but I don't touch him at all, I hold back, because we're alone in my room, it's really late at night, and...

He's shirtless.

I try not to think about his bare chest. His muscled shoulders. His strong arms. My skin grows warm everywhere. I'm glad it's too dark for him to see me. I try to ignore my hormones and refocus on the problem at hand.

In mumbly tones, I ask, "What should we do about Chrissa and Brody?"

He shrugs. "It's up to you. I'll follow your lead."

"What do you mean?"

Cruz gives a pause. "I don't mean to pressure you, but..."

"What?"

He clears his throat uncomfortably and asks, "Have you decided if you wanna press charges?"