70 | Pics Or It Didn't Happen

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Monday meant no practice, but Georgina didn't need to know that, at least not initially. Rosalie had to make time for Joanna to escape the parking lot—she felt obligated to, and if she didn't, she was certain the guilt would eat her alive if Georgina got to Joanna.

Rosalie and Georgina spent the last period in the library, away from her friends in the cafeteria. It made sense to keep Georgina away from them, and since Georgina wasn't exactly here to have a legitimate tour of the school, Rosalie figured this free period was a chance for Georgina to... chat.

However, as the hour ticked on, Georgina stuck to the bookshelves in the back of the library. Rosalie watched her, fists clenched over the glossy pages of her textbook. Georgina acted as though nothing was amiss as she picked out a book from the shelf and flicked open the cover to read the description. Dissatisfied, she put it away and sighed.

She returned to the table with yet another discontented sigh, dropping her chin onto her hand. She took to staring at Rosalie, who raised an eyebrow at her.

"So dull," Georgina sighed. She flicked her braid back over her shoulder and likewise, the back of her chair.

Rosalie decided to humor her. "What is?"

"They're all hetero. It's a shame," she said.

Rosalie could have laughed if Georgina wasn't acting so absurd.

"I can't decide what side you bat for, Mason. You have a very ambiguous vibe."

Since accepting her status as a resident bisexual, Rosalie felt obligated to bat for both sides. She couldn't pick one over the other, especially these days—especially with Joanna around. It felt wrong to deceive Georgina and say she was into guys and forego mentioning how she liked women just as much. But, saying so would protect her from Georgina's wrath.

And probably make her less interested in me entirely, judging off of how she reacted to Bradshaw's all-hetero fiction collection.

"Ambiguous defines it," she said.

"Your appeal has increased tenfold, Mason."

"Does that mean I'm on your nice list again?" she asked.

Georgina's eyes steadied on her, a slow smile spreading across her lips. A shiver rolled up Rosalie's spine. "You never really were," she said. "Only Sisters are on my nice list, and I only have room for one more spot."

Joanna, Rosalie thought.

"I'll believe it when I see it," Rosalie said with a tight sneer. It was all she could do to keep the venom out of her shaky voice.

"So you think you can keep her? You and your straight entourage?"

"I can and I will."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Georgina said, her grin morphing into a full-fledged psychotic smile that showed all her teeth.

Rosalie grinned, mostly out of fear. It felt a lot like smiling when crying, though.

When the bell rang, their wasted time in the library allowed enough time for Joanna's vespa to disappear from the parking lot before Rosalie escorted Georgina to the Bradshaw foyer. There, however, they encountered Dylan, Lennie, and Jamie-Lee.

The moment Rosalie came into view, Jamie-Lee jolted forward, a second away from shouting her name, only to stop at the sight of Georgina behind her. His expression immediately flattened into a look of contempt she never thought possible on Jamie's sweet, boyish face.

Georgina slowed a few paces before they could reach the group. Rosalie turned to look back at her, knowing that Georgina would recognize Dylan and Lennie at the very least. Georgina scanned over the lot of them before pocketing her hands and saying,

"Seems I'm not welcome here. It'd be a hassle to deal with you idiots all semester." She sighed and shrugged. "Ah, well, my terms still stand."

"What terms," Jamie-Lee hissed, fists clenching at his sides. Lennie put his hand on his friend's shoulder to hold him back.

"Mason knows 'em. Pass it on to Joanna."

"What makes you so certain you can trust me with her?" Rosalie asked.

Georgina scoffed and said through a smirk, "Please, Mason, you can't turn every straight girl. Later."

Georgina pushed through the front doors of Bradshaw and descended the steps with Rosalie and the others staring after her. Rosalie said nothing until Georgina was past the statue, at which point she put a finger to her chest and said, "She thinks I'm straight?"

"You definitely pass for it, I'll give you that much," Dylan said, scratching the back of his head with an innocent shrug. "Never would have guessed bi if Joanna didn't hit you upside the head with it."

"That's disappointing," Jamie said with a tsk. "Maybe your bi-dar just needs a little honing."

"Considering I'm 0 for 2 in that department, maybe you're right," he said, hands raised in surrender. He smiled weakly at Jamie-Lee, who muttered under his breath about how impossible guys were. "No, I take that back. 0 for 3, because Griffin threw me for a loop."

"Come on, that was obvious," Lennie said, which caused all three of them to turn in alarm to where Lennie tensed, realizing that it wasn't at all obvious. Of course, there was some wiggle room there considering the state of the betting pool for Griffin x Mason, so Rosalie had to assume that Lennie's part in the bet was out of spite.

As Jamie cried, "You coulda told me! I coulda snatched Sami before Isaiah!" Dylan's attention went back to the parking lot where he and Rosalie watched a black car pull up on the curb beside Georgina.

Lennie snarked back, "Yeah right. We had this discussion ages ago when we placed our bets—" and as they bickered, Rosalie wondered who was driving Georgina away. They were too far away to see through the windshield.

"We should go after her—what if she goes to Joanna's place?" Dylan commented.

"It doesn't matter," Rosalie reassured him as she straightened her posture. "Joanna isn't staying there right now. She figured if Georgina has her number, she's able to find her address, too."

"If she needs a place to stay, tell her my family's got a guest house she could use," Dylan said, and Rosalie was momentarily struck by the offer. Sure, Joanna and Dylan were close, but Rosalie never stopped to think about whether or not Joanna ever went to his house.

Rosalie nodded wordlessly. Dylan saluted them before heading off to meet with his teammates in the cafeteria.

She turned to Lennie. "Are we waiting on Ray?"

He nodded. Jamie turned to Lennie then, eyes bright with hope, hands clasped in front of him. Lennie sighed. "Fine, I'll give you a ride."

Jamie thrust his fists in the air with a triumphant, "Yes!"

"Did you ever actually have a crush on Sami?" Rosalie asked, though she knew the default answer. Hearing Jamie-Lee say it would weird her out immensely, but it was too late to take the question back.

Jamie put his hands on his hips and said, "Yeah, obvious."

"Weird," Rosalie muttered, nose wrinkled up.

"If you tell him, I wanna know what his reaction is," he said, and beside him, Lennie was shaking his head in a silent plea not to mention a single word to Sami about this exchange.

Rosalie agreed, though inside, her position as Sami's basically-cousin made her want to gag. It wasn't so weird with Ray and Juliana since they had their stances affirmed from the start, but Jamie-Lee?

Weird, she thought again, as if the first time wasn't enough.


***


Ray slumped over to her locker with the groan of a defeated high schooler in a post-exam rut. Through a rough experiment, it seemed Lennie's academic excellence would not rub off on her. On top of that, he was shit at explaining things—actual chemistry things. She figured that much just given his teasingly condescending nature with Jamie-Lee. It seemed not even Jamie bothered to ask Lennie for help all these years, and now she knew why.

He's also pretty distracting, I'll give Jamie that much, she thought as she spun the lock and opened it. She hesitated at the open door and thought to herself, Maybe that's why I probably failed?

She packed up her backpack and slung the straps over her shoulders. After sweeping a scarf around her neck, she slammed the locker shut and leapt with a curse at the sight of someone waiting for her behind the locker door.

"Jesus Christ on a ten speed bike," Ray gasped, a hand over her heart. She laughed a little, now out of fear as she met eyes with—

Harper Winters.

Harper smiled at her, her shoulder pushed against the locker beside Ray's. If Ray didn't know Harper was a bitch, she would have been flattered by the visit. Instead, nausea settled in.

"What do you want," she said, eyes narrowing.

Harper shrugged as she pulled out her phone and said, "Nothing, I just wanted to show you something."

Ray took a wary step back. She stayed in range out of curiosity, but as Harper flicked through her phone, she glanced around at the thinning hallway. Students weren't acknowledging them, and Ray couldn't see any other cheerleaders around.

The light from Harper's phone drew Ray's attention back. One glimpse had Ray doing a double-take.

She lurched forward, hands reaching to grab the phone. Harper pulled it back, tipping it against the dimple on her cheek. The photo was on display for Ray to stare at and process, though, enough for her to want it hidden and out of sight from the half-empty hallway.

"Put it down," Ray hissed, gesturing frantically for Harper to lower it.

Thankfully, the girl did. Harper pushed off of the locker and pocketed her phone. "Seems you didn't know, then," she said.

Heat flooded to Ray's cheeks. Her chest hurt from how hard her heart was pounding against her ribcage. As she raced back over her memory, trying to recalculate every exchange, she managed to recover a semblance of dignity to say, "So what?"

"So what?" Harper laughed. She let out a wistful sigh, her bouncy curls swaying as she tipped her head to the side and said, "You don't care what happens to the photo?"

"I don't—"

"But your friend might. What's her name?"

Ray's heart vaulted into her throat. "What do you want, Harper," she bit out through clenched teeth.

Harper stepped up to her, pinning her on the collarbone with a perfectly manicured nail. Ray stood her ground, though the sensation felt a lot like Harper speared her heart with her claws. "You know exactly what I want," she said, her sweet voice hushed to a whisper. "You—to back off."

"He broke up with you—"

"I broke up with—" she started, voice breaking. The strain in her voice was closer to rage than grief, so Ray couldn't feel too sorry about it. Especially not after having that picture shoved in her face out in the open. Harper pulled her hand back from just below Ray's throat, plastering on another smile. "It doesn't matter. Just figured I'd let you know that I... know. And that's all there is to it."

"Yeah right, bitch," Ray said, shaking her head. "Delete it."

"For you or for her? I'm thinking neither, unless you two really are dykes—"

"I'm not negotiating with you—"

"I don't want to argue!" Harper hissed, soto voce, sounding a lot like some middle-aged suburban mom trying not to cause a scene at the neighborhood barbecue. Harper flicked her hair back and half-turned away from Ray. "I'll see you around, Ray."

Ray stared after her, flabbergasted, before putting a hand to her forehead and thinking, That was such a weird threat. Is that how people usually threaten each other?

The thought was instantly accompanied by the realization that it had been a threat. The contents of the photo were enough to leave her speechless for another minute. Lennie and Rosalie were probably waiting for her.

Ray clenched her fists at her sides, jaw aching from how tightly her teeth ground together.

Those idiots knew, she seethed internally. The fact that she knew Juliana so well reassured her that her best friend never would have done that on her own accord. She didn't want to think about the consequences of that photo going viral, not necessarily for her, but for Juliana.

Why would Rosalie let Julie do that? Ray thought, horrified. She put a hand to her mouth, as if she could still feel it. And here she thought it had been Joanna, but perhaps that was just stupid hope. Joanna had a lip piercing—that was hard to ignore when making out with someone.

Ray put her back to the locker and let out a calming breath. She dropped her hands to her knees and considered the angle of the photograph, and the scene she saw after taking the blindfold off. There was one sore spot she couldn't miss and had thought bizarre the instant she noticed it—

Whitney Vasquez sitting on the window sill.

The same vantage point of the photo.

"I'm gonna gut that bitch," Ray hissed under her breath. She shoved away from the locker and stormed down the hall, making a beeline for the foyer.

If she was going to ruin Whitney, she'd have to take down Harper with her. She couldn't do that with the photo on the line, though. Not on her watch. Which meant she had to heed the threat starting now.

So when Ray made it to the foyer, she bypassed Lennie, Jamie, and Rosalie fast enough to evade their watch until Jamie erupted with a frantic, "Hey, Ray! Where're you going?"

Ray hurried down the steps, scanning the parking lot for witnesses. She had a rough idea of what Harper's car looked like, but she'd been to more parties with Jace Clemons, and that rat bastard's truck was there and occupied. Bingo, she thought, leaping from the sidewalk with her friends scrambling down the steps after her.

Ray had no reason to look back initially—they were too far behind—but Rosalie caught up eventually. After drilling her paranoia into Lennie already, he knew better than to make a fuss in the middle of Bradshaw's parking lot.

Rosalie caught her by the arm and turned her around. "What're you doing? Lennie's car is that way—"

"Harper's watching," Ray said, keeping her eyes away from both Lennie's car and Jace's truck.

Rosalie's eyes widened and she dropped her hand. "Oh—Okay, what do we do? Pick you up someplace else?"

"She talked to me," Ray said, and at this, Rosalie tensed, readying for the worst. Ray almost snickered. She doesn't even know why even had the guts to do it in the first place, she thought. If it weren't for Whitney, and if it weren't for Rosalie letting Juliana participate, chances were Harper never would have found out—and if she did? Ray didn't have dirt.

Now she did.

"What did she say?" Rosalie asked, quietly.

"She showed me a picture," Ray said, folding her arms. She met Rosalie's calm brown eyes, intent on judging her friend's level of guilt in the situation. "Of Juliana and I kissing."

Almost as fast as Rosalie's eyes widened, her hands flew over her mouth. Before she could say anything, Ray waved her hand and took a step back. "Pick me up two blocks south down the boulevard. I'll flay you all alive then," she said, and with that, she left Rosalie to stare after her.

Once Ray was on the boulevard sidewalk, she started jogging. It wouldn't take long for them to make it two blocks, and she was determined to be the first there. It gave her a moment to process the events, Harper's threat, Rosalie's reaction.

Juliana was as much of a friend to Rosalie as she was to Ray, that much was certain. Ray wasn't callous enough to assume they wanted this to happen, but it certainly wasn't okay for them to risk it, to risk Juliana. As much as she wanted to know Juliana's opinion, Ray couldn't fathom how she would even bring it up. If Juliana hadn't mentioned it, it was clear she didn't want to talk about it.

What if she is gay, though? Shouldn't we talk about it? Ray wondered, slowing as she turned the corner off of the boulevard. She put her hands to her hair, panting, shoulders aching from the weight of her backpack straps. She bent over her knees and groaned. She wanted to fall on her side and call it a day.

The blue Maserati came, quite literally, screeching around the corner. Ray straightened up, breath recovered, and resolve made. When Lennie parked the car against the curb, Ray opened the door, leant in, and said, "You're all fucking idiots. How could you let Juliana in on that?"

"I suggested it, but we didn't pressure her to do it, I promise," Rosalie defended instantly, leaning over the center console to do so.

Ray scowled at her. "What the hell was Whitney doing there anyway? You know she sent the pictures to Harper. What if someone else took a picture?"

"We told the participants not to take pictures, and the rest of us were just friends. Why would we take pictures?" Rosalie said.

"Oh, I don't know, why didn't you think to fucking tell Whitney that?" Ray hissed.

Rosalie leant back in her seat, her expression already pained from the guilt, and then now from being yelled at. Ray was too furious to care as she cursed again and said, "I'm walking home. This is ridiculous."

She slammed the passenger door and stepped back onto the curb. As she turned to go, the driver's side opened and Lennie stepped out. Ray marched away, shaking her head as she started back for the boulevard. She made it several paces before Lennie said anything.

"I put her name on the list," he said.

Ray hesitated. That response didn't fall in anyone's line of logic, especially Lennie's, so she turned for an explanation. He was staring at her with this pathetic, kicked-puppy face that made her want to punch him. Was that what he looked like when he broke up with Harper? If so, she could see why Harper was trying to get him back—however fruitlessly.

Maybe she wasn't even trying to get him back.

Ray blinked dumbly. "What."

Lennie took a deep breath before saying, "Rosalie suggested it, and they both seemed really intent on having you... figure out if you even—you know."

"Your point," she hissed.

"It seemed like Juliana was on board, and she was really into the whole event. So when they offered to put my name on the list, I just put both mine and hers down. She didn't take her name off and we didn't pressure her."

"But you... put her name on the list."

"Yes, but—"

Ray stepped towards him and smacked him on the arm. "You dumbass! You didn't even want them to put on that event. Why would you put her name on there!"

Lennie threw his hands out and said in that infuriatingly rational voice, "She's your friend and she was really excited, and I took it as her wanting someone to give her an extra reason. Would you have preferred her pestering Joanna to do it instead? Or some other girl?"

Ray threw her fists down and groaned. "Shut up! You're so impossible when you're right! It doesn't change the fact that Whitney took pictures, okay? Just let me be mad for a hot second!"

"Fine, be mad, and you can blame me for putting her name on the list," he said. He nodded back to the car, shoulders slumping. "Just—let me drive you home, alright? I'm not gonna let you walk seven miles."

"What, like I can't do it?"

"I'm not saying you can't, but Coach Maguire would tear me apart for letting you."

Ray scowled at

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