Tiffany sat in the back of the library, waiting for Ryan. He was upset with her…again, but at least he was still coming to spend time with her. She was having trouble with her Intro to Psych homework, and considering he had already taken the class, he had offered to help.

However, their study dates rarely went well anymore.

Especially when Cyrus sent her a text.

“Hey,” he said, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. At least he was still sweet.

“Hey!” As if sensing she wasn’t alone, her phone buzzed. Ryan glared at it as he sat across from her today. Not beside her, across from her.

“Is that Cyrus?”

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “I don’t know. Do you see me looking at it?”

He met her gaze evenly. “Well, go on, look at it.”

It was a challenge, one he gave her more often than she liked. Yes, she knew she needed to break up with Cyrus, but it was easier said than done. Finally, she had won, she couldn’t give up now.

“Fine.”

It wasn’t Cyrus. It was Evie.

“Well?”

Tiffany grinned. “It’s just Evie. She’s letting me know that Francis sent out all the pictures.” Ryan was not smiling back at her. “What?”

“Why would you do that? I mean, seriously, haven’t you messed with this girl enough? Don’t you think you should let her be?”

“Seriously? No, the answer to that is no.”

Ryan sighed and slammed his book shut. “You know what, forget this. I’m going.”

“What do you mean. I thought—”

“Tiffany, I’m tired. I’m tired of being your secret second boyfriend. You promised me you would break up with him months ago. You still haven’t. Instead, you keep harping on this girl whose life you’re trying to ruin. It’s cruel, and it’s ugly. I’ll see you later.”

Tiffany watched him leave. A part of her wanted to go after him to reach for her phone and break up with Cyrus right there. Except…she liked Cyrus and how he made her feel. Even though she knew she was second to Luci, she liked him.

Which was just another reason for her to hate Luci.

“What a bummer.” Tiffany jumped, looking at Caroline creeping along the aisle towards her. “You know, when we dated, Ryan seemed more fun.”

Wait, what? “Excuse me?”

Caroline looked at her, really looked at her as if seeing her for the first time.

“Didn’t he tell you? No, of course not. Ryan and I dated last year. I broke up with him. I’m pretty sure he’s been dating you to make me jealous.”

Tiffany slammed her book shut. “You don’t know that.”

Caroline shrugged. “You’re right, I don’t. But it makes you wonder why did he go after a girl who was already taken so damn badly. Ryan is a looker; he could have anyone. Why you?” She flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Just something to think about. Later.”

Caroline left, not bothering to look at her as she pulled out her phone, typing away furiously. Tiffany sat there, notebooks out, and let herself cry a little bit.

Cyrus sat by his pool, smoking a joint. He could hear Matt next door swimming laps. It had been a week since their argument. Cyrus didn’t know how to exist without Matt, without their casual entrances to each other’s houses. Without the firm grip of his friendship. He shouldn’t have said anything. He should have just let it go. But he was so angry. He was angry at Matt for not being honest with him, angry at Luci for not being honest with him.

But, they had had a point. Cyrus didn’t know if he would have believed either of them. Tiffany was so good at making him feel…good. But also not. He remembered how distant she had been at times, not all there. Probably thinking of ways to use him to screw with Luci, he thought. Except isn’t that what he was doing now? Did he even like Tiffany? She had been cute, yeah, but did he even know her? She had played him and was probably still playing him. Worse, he was so angry at Luci that he was okay with it.

Sighing, Cyrus leaned back onto the ground, dipping his legs into the pool and lowering his sunglasses over his face. A moment passed when his phone buzzed. No one other than Tiffany texts him these days.

He looked at the phone but saw a number he didn’t know. And a video. A video of Tiffany and…

“What the fuck.”

He played the videos. The videos of Tiffany at lunch with Ryan, nestled in his arms. Videos of Tiffany kissing him. And then the video of them arguing.

He listened to the last part three times.

“I’m tired of being your secret second boyfriend. You promised me you would break up with him months ago. You still haven’t. Instead, you keep harping on this girl whose life you’re trying to ruin. It’s cruel, and it’s ugly. I’ll see you later.”

He rewound. Tiffany said something about pictures. What had she done?

Luci….Fuck, what had he done?

Jumping up, he ran toward the fence, toward the door that connected their backyards. Matt was already out of the pool, a towel draped over his shoulders. He looked up from his phone when Cyrus came through.

“What happened to Luci? What did she do?”

Matt stared at him briefly, studying him before telling him everything.

Tiffany had just finished wiping away her tears when her phone rang. Her heart lifted when she saw Cyrus’s name.

“Cyrus, hey—”

“You’re such a fuckin cunt.”

The words hit Tiffany square in the chest. “What? Cyrus, I don’t—”

“You’re cheating on me. With Ryan, of all people. Jesus Christ. You know, that’s not even the worst of it. You…god, why? Just why do you hate Luci so much?”

No, she wouldn’t let Luci win. “Look, I don’t know what she told you—”

“Luci hasn’t said shit. Caroline sent me videos, Tiffany. Including your blowout with Ryan. God, fuck you, Tiffany.” He hung up on her. No. She had won, she had won!

Grabbing her stuff, she ran towards her room. How dare Caroline, the nerve of her. What had she ever done to her?

Throwing her door open, her heart nearly broke. Caroline was topless on her bed, straddling none other than Ryan. Ryan, whose pants were undone. Ryan, who was…she wanted to vomit.

“Fuck.”

“Oops.”

Caroline got off Ryan, letting out a small, slightly exaggerated moan. Tiffany slammed the door shut, looking away as they got dressed. As he shoved his cock back into his pants.

“Tiffany—”

“Get out,” she muttered, pulling away from him.

She heard him sigh. “Look, I’m sorry okay. This isn’t—this isn’t how I wanted to end things.”

“Excuse me? You’re breaking up with me?” Tiffany wanted to scream.

“Goodbye, Tiffany. I’ll see you later, Caroline.”

“Later.”

Tiffany stepped far away from the door, closer to the wall, as he walked out, closing the door behind him. Spinning, she faced Caroline, who stood there, leaning against the desk, all smiles.

“Why?” was the only question she could think of asking.

Caroline studied her again as if she was stupid. “Because I listened to you. I know I’ve already said this, but I didn’t really get your whole revenge thing. Whatever, to each their own. But then, my god, I heard you. You hate this girl, and she did nothing to you.” She took a moment, licking her lips, studying Tiffany. “I never told you this, but I have an older sister. She was bullied in school for being pretty, that’s it. She was pretty and smart. That’s all, ya know. She kept to herself, did her work, and tried to be herself.

“But then, people did what you did. There were these kids, stupid kids. I can’t even say, popular cliché kids. They just, for whatever reason, hated my sister. They spread rumors about her. They took pictures of her in the locker room and spread them around the school. It went on like that for the whole year. And it just got to the point where my sister couldn’t take it anymore. The rumors, the lies, the pictures, the bullying.

“My sister slit her wrists. We found her in time. I found her in time. After that, we were sent to private school after school. She’s doing good, thank god. You reminded me of all those shallow kids who bullied my sister.

“I wish I had heard about those fake photos in time, ya know. I wish I had learned more about this girl, Luci. You’re a bully, you’re bullying a girl going through so much, and you know what, fuck that.

“So that’s why I took videos of you and sent them to Cyrus. I let you ruin a girl, and for that, fuck, yeah, I’m just as terrible. But you know what, ruining you kinda makes me feel better. Hence why I lured Ryan here to have sex. Honestly, you coming in was just the icing on the cake. I was hoping he would just break up with you.”

Tiffany stood there, too stunned to speak. No, she was not the bad guy. She wasn’t. She was the victim here.

“Oh, I also told your guidance counselor about those photos. I’m sure your parents can’t wait to find that out.” She gave her a sickly sweet smile and then left the room. Shaking, she slumped against the wall, falling to the ground.

No, she thought, this wasn’t over.

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