Page 66 of Brutal Little Secrets

But I never really thought through what it would be like when it came out. Maybe Damon would throw it in Chase’s face, and then Chase would go away. But that’s not realistic. Damon wants to destroy Chase and just me being with them wouldn’t be enough. Chase’s pride would be bruised, but he could just let me go quietly. Start fucking around again.

But if Chase doesn’t want me to break up with him, then what would he do if someone took me from him? Especially if it’s Damon doing the taking.

Everyone is bound to find out what I’ve done. It’s just a matter of time. My chest tightens.

“Are you okay?” Mia’s words echo Damon’s and I almost laugh again.

“I don’t know,” I admit. And then there’s Mia. Would she be hurt by me dating Damon? She can’t seriously just carte blanche claim all the guys in school and leave me with the only asshole. She did tell me I should suck his cock.

“If you need to talk it through, I’m here for you.” She touches my arm and I look into her blue eyes.

“Thanks, Mia. I’m good. Honest.” I give her the smile I use during auditions.

She takes it. “Okay, I’m going to go get fucked in the closet. Liam wants to prove that he’s enough for me. I’ve decided to let him try.”

I shake my head and gather my things before heading for the black box.

“Hey, boss.” Keira catches up to me in the hallway. She frowns. “What’s eating you?”

I stop and take a deep breath. “Nothing.”

Keira looks up and down the hallway. “Yeah, you’re not in the right headspace.” She grabs my arm and pulls me into an empty classroom. When she shuts the door, she cocks her head and narrows her eyes. “Okay, pretend I’m the best friend you’ve never had and spill.”

I smile and shake my head. “I’ll figure it out.”

“Not while we’re orchestrating the finest performance of Shakespeare this school has ever seen.” Keira crosses her arms. “Now out with it. I’ll go first. There’s this guy I’ve been seeing outside of school and he’s being really pushy for sex. I keep telling him no, but then he kisses me and ugh. That boy can kiss. But it’s a relationship that’s going nowhere, so I should just tell him to fuck off.”

She inhales and smiles, shaking her hands. “That feels good. Your turn.”

My mouth opens and closes.

“Come on, Evan. I know something is going on with Chase and Hawk and Damon. It’s not like I’m the person anyone comes to to hear the latest hot gossip. Your secret is safe with me.”

When I open my mouth next, I can’t stop myself. It all spills out. I tell her about my mom and Adam Storm. Finding out Chase was cheating on me. Damon blackmailing me. The nights in his bed. The revenge against Chase (though I leave out that he hit Damon over the summer). Olivia and the bathroom with Damon. Him saying I’m his girlfriend, but that might mean that Hawk and Cam are my boyfriends too.

My hands are on my stomach as it all pours out. While I pace, Keira stands against the wall watching me.

“I don’t know what to do.” It’s the truth. I don’t.

“Okay, that’s a lot to take in.” Keira smiles. “Damn, girl. I thought maybe Hawk. And that time with the salad, I was curious about Damon. But Cam too? I’m fucking impressed.”

My laugh sounds tortured. “I feel like I’m going to vomit.”

“Yeah. So here’s what we’re going to do. You’re going to take some deep cleansing breaths. You said no one but Damon and Olivia know so far, right?”

“And you,” I whisper.

“Steel vault, boss.” She smiles before getting serious again. “We tuck this away for rehearsal. You have the whole cast waiting for you.”

“Waiting for us,” I point out.

“Yup. But we need to focus on one thing at a time. If this really does come out, we’ll do what we can to mitigate the damage. Chase isn’t going to give up his dream role to fuck you over. No matter how vindictive an asshole he is. It sounds like Damon is offering you his protection. It takes away Olivia’s power, but she’s going to try to come back around.”

“How do you know?”

“A girl in Deimos last year tried to get with Damon, and she was actually on his radar.” Keira winces. “Olivia slandered her until the girl crawled away with her tail tucked between her legs.”

“How’s that helpful?”