JOANNA

Once I was done managing the manuscripts I'm editing, I took a quick break to get something to eat before I returned to writing my new book. Maria stayed holed up in her room for the entire day, and I was thankful for the space she gave me.

At four o'clock, she knocked on my door, informing me that she would cook us some dinner. She said she had already texted Gabe to tell him to get home earlier and that she could use my help in the kitchen.

Neither of us really cooks, so I took it as her way to make things less awkward between all of us.

The fridge was basically empty when we ventured into the kitchen, so now we're driving to the store to get a few things.

As we pull over, she grabs my hand. "Are we good?"

"Of course." I pull her into a hug.

She leans back and looks at me, her eyes shining with emotion. "I can't have you pull away from me if things go south with my brother."

"You're my best friend, girl." I grasp her hands, feeling how cold and sweaty her skin is. "There's no way I'm allowing a man to come between us."

A grin spread across her face as she opens the car. "You better."

As soon as we walk into the store, Maria immediately makes a beeline for the wine section. Amusedly, I push my shopping cart through the market, trying to come up with a meal recipe that could be simple and fast to prepare.

After a while, Maria comes in my direction, carrying four bottles of wine and a carton of ice cream. I roll my eyes playfully. "Are you looking forward to getting drunk?"

"Maybe." She sighs. "My boss has been a pain in my ass lately."

"Come on," I say, pushing the cart toward the checkout line. "I got the things for spaghetti and meatballs."

"Good choice." She follows me. "We can't screw up spaghetti and meatballs, right?"

Chuckling, I bump my shoulders to hers. "We are good at many things, girl. Cooking is not one of them."

"Oh, shit!" Maria comes to a sudden stop, startling me.

"Whoa," I pause, looking around.

With a gasp of surprise, she plucks a magazine from the rack by our side. "I can't believe this. Look!" She thrusts the magazine in my face, and my eyes widen when I read the headline.

"The Machine's members accused of having sex with minors during their UK tour," I softly whisper under my breath, my eyes locked on the image of Josh embracing a woman whose face is blurred. His photo is the focal point of the page, with Gabe, Dave, and Aaron's photos scattered below it. What the hell?

Maria and I both inhale sharply as she quickly flips the page of the magazine and we start reading the full article.

Allegations have arisen that Josh Reed, the lead singer of the popular rock band The Machine, supposedly took part in sexual activities with a minor at a private party during their UK tour. A reliable source has been able to verify that all of The Machine's members attended the event. The parents of the minor plan to take legal action...

"Holy shit."

Maria quickly shuts the magazine, clutching it to her chest. "That explains why they got their team here."

My heart races as our eyes meet. "Do you think that is true?"

"There was definitely an orgy going on at some point." She shakes her head. "But I don't want to believe they'd be capable of something so disgusting."

"Let's go back." I nod. "You said Gabe would be home soon. He'll need to tell us what the hell is going on."

*****

As we move closer to our home, I can feel my stomach tightening and my heart thumping hard in my chest. I watch as Maria scrunches her eyebrows, the legal wheels in her mind spinning as she tries to come up with a way to help the band. Her eyes, however, give away a slight feeling of disappointment. She has often made jokes about this party in the past. An orgy, she had called it. She could never have foreseen that people would be speculating about the involvement of minors in this situation, though.

A wave of anxiety washes over me, my heart beating an erratic rhythm in my chest, knowing we need to find Gabe and Josh. We need them to explain that this was all a misunderstanding. The tabloids are using their influence to spread fake news in order to make money. Because if any of this is true...

God, it can't be true.

When we pull off to the side of the road, we notice that Gabe's car is parked in front of the house. It takes Maria and me a few moments to build up the courage to confront them.

Taking a moment to steel herself, she inhales deeply and then opens the car door. "Let's get this over with," she mumbles, clutching the pile of magazines to her chest.

When we step inside, their low-chatter voices waft from the kitchen. Josh and Gabe are perched on stools at the kitchen island, enjoying a beer. They are so engrossed in their conversation that they take a few moments to notice us hovering nearby.

"There you are. I'm starving." Josh grins. "And I was promised some homemade dinner."

Maria strides over to him, the magazines rustling in her hands as she throws them on the counter. "Care to explain?"

Josh stills, his face draining of color as he meets her gaze. It looks like they are having a conversation without uttering a single word. I thought she would immediately confront Gabe, so I'm surprised when I see the amount of disappointment in her eyes directed toward Josh.

My gaze shifts to Gabe, and my heart sinks as I feel the unspoken desperation radiating from his eyes. "Jo..." he whispers.

"What's going on?" I gulp, desperate for them to start talking. Josh has a challenging expression on his face as he stares at Maria, silence hanging in the air.

She slams her fists against the counter, the loud thud echoing in the room. "Is it true?" she asks, her voice shaking.

Josh just looks at her quietly, and the air between them thickens with tension.

"We can explain." Gabe's words bring my attention back to him, and I feel the warmth of his gaze.

She redirects her gaze towards him, her mouth forming into a tight line. "It's a yes or no question, brother."

"Sit down, Maria."Gabe rises to his feet while carefully putting the magazines aside. My eyes widen with expectation as he walks to me, latching on to my hand and ushering me into the kitchen. I haven't realized I was stuck in the doorway.

As I sit down, I realize Maria and Josh are still having a staring contest. "Maria," I say, my voice soft and inviting as I motion for her to take a seat.

"There." She sits by Josh's side.

Gabe's warm presence envelopes me as he pushes his stool to sit right next to me."You girls already know about the party," Gabe says, lacing his fingers with mine. "We had a few too many, and things got a bit out of hand. We didn't check IDs or anything..." He inhales sharply, a blush spreading over his face. Someone gained entrance for the girls, but we did not engage in any kind of sexual activity with them."

I close my eyes, taking a deep breath, but the feeling of my worries lingers, weighing in the pit of my stomach. "For years," I say, my eyes on Gabe. "For years, women have been subjected to mistreatment and abuse from men while society has failed to pay attention to their cries for help and justice. You all were intoxicated, so how-"

"Not to the point of not knowing who we slept with." His eyes plea as he swallows.

"God, this is too much." Maria finds Gabe's gaze, her chin trembling. "Do you guys understand how fucked up this is? You should have known better than to put yourselves in this predicament."

"You're right," Gabe holds her stare, his hand squeezing mine. "But none of us had sex with those girls."

"What does Tom have to say about all that?" she asks.

"He and his team are already taking care of it." Gabe brings his eyes to me briefly before turning to her. "He has arranged for us to take specialized physiological and lie detector tests. In addition, we'll work on an outline of the events that took place that day and create a timeline for the entire tour. He had already compiled a witness list yesterday at an impressive rate, therefore-"

Maria shakes her head. "They'll pull a character reference check, a previous sexual history, police reports..."

"I'm innocent," Josh says, and Maria's face contorts in pain as she shuts her eyes tightly. "We all are," he continues.

Her shoulders slump, and her gaze meets his as she sighs. "Sometimes that's not enough."

Gabe goes still by my side and Josh nods, his throat working on a hard swallow.

"I need to know that you two believe we're telling the truth," Gabe looks at me, and I can feel the warmth radiating from his gaze, reassuring me he's being honest.

I give a slight nod, holding his gaze. "I do. That doesn't mean this isn't fucked up."

"I know." He breathes, his voice trembling, as he looks into my eyes. "Thank you."

"Maria?" Josh slowly brushes his hands against her arms, causing her to turn her head away.

"I'm going to call Tom." She stands up abruptly. "See where things stand exactly."

_____

A/N: Whoah! How are you guys hanging in there?

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XOXO

Celeste