Page 12 of Only ever you-Ana & Byron (Blindsided #2)

I t didn't take much to lure Cathy to the toilet no one used anymore. The grimy one tucked behind the sports shed, where the taps dripped rust and even the spiders looked fed-up. The floor was littered with used condoms and syringes.

Have something to show you. Urgent. Toilet behind the shed. Don't tell anyone. Bring your phone–B.

Cathy, predictably smug, sauntered over fifteen minutes later, swinging her hips like someone was watching.

No one was. Cadi stood just inside the cracked doorway, arms folded, lips pressed together in a line of barely-contained fury.

She had most of the story and she was a willing recruit.

She made sure to shut the door with a snap and put her back to it as soon as the unsuspecting Cathy walked in .

Ana waited further in, under the flickering fluorescent tube, leaning against the sink like she owned the place.

Cathy wrinkled her nose. "Ugh, smells like piss in here. What the hell is this?"

"Probably the stench of the last time you fucked someone in here. It suits your vibe," Ana said coolly.

"Where is Byron? I wondered why he would ask to meet me in a public toilet like he's some desperate freak. The last time he took me to the Hilton. "

Ana didn't rise to the bait. "Alrighty then, little pussy cat. Let’s see what you have in those pockets."

Cathy's brows lifted. "Excuse me?"

"No, I don't think I will since you were the cheap slut holding a pile of blackmail material like you're auditioning for Gossip Girl: Skank Edition."

That made Cathy flinch and her eyes widen a little before narrowing into slits.

Cadi shifted, arms crossed. "Also," she added, voice cold, "I don't think Gray appreciated you trying to sexually assault him last week. Jay-sus, how desperate can you get?"

Cathy scoffed. "I can’t help it if the guys think I am attractive, Cadi."

"Yeah, about as attractive as getting HIV. Figures that you were sleeping through the important bits in PSHE."

"Well, he didn't seem to mind," Cathy smirked. "Maybe he likes girls who are not as flat as a board."

"Maybe he likes girls who aren't walking biohazards," Ana muttered.

"Oh, shut up, four-eyes," Cathy snapped, turning back to Ana.

Cadi straightened. "I think we are wasting time here, Ana. Let’s get on with it... "

Ana stepped between them smoothly. "This isn't a girl fight, Cathy. This is a warning. Hand it over."

Cathy rolled her eyes. "What?"

They were on her before she knew it. There was a short scuffle, a threat to toss her in the dirty closet head first and some minor hair pulling .

"Cadi, sit on her for a bit. The floor is eeeww.

.. Let me have a loooook..." said Ana, Cathy’s phone in hand, her thumbs moving at the speed of light.

"Wow, this is a new low even for you, Miss Pussy.

I didn't even think you could take photos of your arsehole from that angle. I think I need a copy of that."

She kept looking until she came upon a grainy image of Byron in his underwear. There were lines of coke on the table next to him. It took her a moment to get herself under control before she started deleting.

"There you go Cathy, all done. There was so much loot in here on you, it was such a shame to delete it, you little cunt."

Ana smiled her Cheshire cat smile as she walked into one of the booths with the stall door hanging off the hinge.

"Oops," she said as the phone did a dive into a toilet which hadn't seen any flush action in years. There was a wet plunk before it sank like the Titanic.

Cathy looked up from where Cadi sat on her like she was at a tea party. Cadi could be unusually stubborn when she wanted to be. There were streaks of mascara on Cathy's face, her lipstick was smudged, and her hair resembled a bird's nest.

Ana squatted down on her haunches, careful not to touch the dirty floor.

Her voice took on a dead quality that Cathy had never heard before.

"Byron is not your blackmail puppet either."

Cathy tilted her head. "I am going to report this. "

Ana smiled, slow and terrifying. "No, you are not, pet. One whisper of what happened today and I'm going to make sure when your reputation burns, it's with kerosene and style. You won't know what hit you! "

That's when Cathy noticed Ana was holding something behind her back.

Cathy gasped. "You bitch!"

"You watch too much teenage drama. Such language," Ana said lightly. "You'd fit right in with the Plastics."

Then, fake thoughtfully, "You should really include your talents on your UCAS personal statement-'Can shag two boys at once', 'Fastest coke sniffer this side of Manchester'..."

Cathy looked ready to kill.

Ana raised an eyebrow, then added, "And oh-that view of your butthole? Some things I can never unsee in this lifetime. Honestly, I need bleach for my corneas."

"You won't get away with this," Cathy hissed. "I'll report you both. You'll regret this. My mum..."

Ana's smile became wider. "You really think your mum will side with you when she hears what her little princess has been up to?

Or maybe she might be interested in what your dad has been up to.

.. especially when she finds out about the side piece he's been visiting at that hotel.

One of your mates, isn't it? Barely legal.

Slept with him for coke and a new phone? "

Cathy's face crumpled. It was clear from her face that she hadn't known about her dad.

"You are lying."

Ana's voice went quiet and deadly. "Word gets around, Cathy. One of my cousins works in the reception. So… Have you shown those pictures of Byron to anyone else? Do you have any copies of th is? "

A shaky head shake. "N-no."

"Good." Ana leaned in. "Don't even think of trying this shit again. Have you ever heard of the Italian mafia?"

Cathy blinked.

"You know where my dad's from, right?"

Cadi coughed to cover a laugh.

Ana kept her tone flat. "Last words, Cathy. Leave. Byron. Alone."

"You're just jealous," Cathy hissed. "Byron's with me."

Ana tilted her head, like she was studying a bug under a microscope. "Keep your paws off him, you little bitch. Or I'll have a chat with your mom. Maybe your nan too. Your dad is the counsellor, right? Let’s see how long that lasts."

Cathy made a strangled sound as she pushed Cadi off and stormed out, door slamming behind her.

Cadi snorted, then burst into giggles. "Italian mafia, Ana? Really?"

"I panicked," Ana said, still serious.

"You've read too many books. How did you know about her dad?"

"Because I read books, Cadi. And I know things."

"You could've said she'd be swimming with the fishes."

"She wouldn't get that. Thick skull."

Cadi wiped a tear from her cheek. "That was art."

Ana finally cracked a grin. "Yeah. Felt good."