Blake waited at school on Monday morning for Becca. He had to talk to her. But it was Becca who found him first. He saw how angry she was and could tell she had received the pictures just like everyone else. God, he hated Francis. He hated Liz, and Evie could see them all cavorting near the school entrance, whispering evil lies about Luci to anyone who would listen.

“Becca—”

“Was this the secret you didn’t want to tell me?”

Blake sighed. “Yeah. You have to know…Becca, I don’t want to be broken up. I really don’t.” He saw her soften. “But, I mean, I remembered how you acted with the whole Jason thing, and I just…I didn’t want you to feel like you had to keep a secret from Liz. I didn’t want to put you in a position you didn’t want to be in. I just…Becca, I just wanted you to trust me.”

Becca stared at him, confused. She didn’t want things to be over, but she didn’t know what to believe. She didn’t even know if she trusted him. The way he was with Silvia, the way he was with her. The way he was looking at her now, so earnest, hoping they could fix whatever was broken with them.

“Blake, I don’t know what to do.”

“Just trust me. That’s it. I wouldn’t hurt you, I promise you. Luci…things just got complicated, and Liz…she’s not a good person, you know this. I know you’re her friend. I’m not asking you to choose. I’m just asking you not to believe those photos. I’m asking you to trust me.”

Luci, that’s right. The photos that had gone around the school of too much skin. Of Francis.

“How can you trust Luci?” she asked simply.

Blake just stared at her, confused. “Why wouldn’t I trust her? She’s a good person, I know the full story—”

“You know her side of the story.”

“Her side matters, Becs. You do realize that, right? Your friend Francis, he’s an asshole. He took advantage of her. He made these fake photos of her, he’s an asshole. And Liz, come on, you know she’s…she’s Liz, let’s just leave it at that.”

Blake never really liked Liz, but considering she was now spreading even more rumors about Luci and was planning on trying to get her to fail French, he hated her. It was one of the things he and Silvia agreed on, their mutual dislike of Elizabeth and who she was.

“Blake—”

“Slut!” Blake and Becca both turned toward the sound. He watched Luci slam her car door shut as if she hadn’t heard anything and walk past Liz, Evie, and their snickering little group, head held high.

“The fuck.” He turned and looked at Becca, who just stood there, briefly meeting Luci’s gaze as she passed them. She turned and stared at Blake, who was looking at her confused.

“What?”

“You’re just going to stand there and do nothing? Liz just humiliated Luci.”

“Luci shouldn’t have done what she did.”

“Seriously? Wow, okay, fuck this. I thought you were better than this shit, but I was wrong. This, right here, this is why I didn’t tell you anything. Because I didn’t trust you. Luci is your friend too, or she was supposed to be. Anyone who knew her, really knew her, would give her a chance to explain herself. I’m going after her. You can follow or not.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “But I guess it’s clear which side you chose. It’s a good thing we broke up. You don’t trust me, and I didn’t trust you. I will not be in another relationship where there is no trust. You either trust me or you don’t. If you trusted me and anyone, you would have stood up for Luci.” He looked past her shoulder and at Liz. “You’re a fucking skank, Liz, no wonder no one wants you!”

Becca flinched at the ferocity behind his words and watched him storm away. Maybe she should listen to him. Maybe she should hear what Luci had to say. But she had stared at those photos, over and over again, looked at them, studied them. She had listened to Liz rage and cry, had listened to Francis apologize, had seen how earnest he had looked. Who was lying?

Who could she trust when all everyone ever did was keep secrets from her?

“What did that asshole want?” asked Liz stepping close to her side.

“Nothing,” she said, “he wanted nothing.”

Becca sat at lunch alone. Liz was grabbing lunch, but Becca had no appetite. All day, she had seen how people whispered as Luci walked down the hall with Blake and Jason protecting her, shoving away the creepers like her bodyguards. The way people called her skank and slut and whore. She wanted to be like Silvia and Olivia, who shouted back at them. Wanted to be so sure of Luci’s innocence.

Why hadn’t she told her the truth? Why hadn’t Luci confided in her like she had in everyone else? It hurt to think her friend didn’t trust her. Blake hadn’t trusted her. Silvia hadn’t trusted her. Why was it so wrong of her to listen to Liz? Why did everyone hate her for that?

But, of course, Liz wasn’t innocent. Becca knew of her plan to hand in the French project and blindside Luci. Luci deserved it, she said, for setting her up with a guy who was still in love with her, for cheating on her, for backstabbing her. Becca knew this was partly Evie’s doing, the way she whispered in her ear and played innocent. Because of how Olivia stayed away from her, Becca knew there was some truth to what Blake said.

“Becca?” Rebecca turned and looked at Luci beside Silvia, Blake, Jason, and Olivia. She felt a twinge of something there. Anger? Resentment? Guilt? She wasn’t sure, but she felt like she was suddenly on the outside, no longer part of the group.

“What?”

“I…please come have lunch with us. With me.” Becca stared at Luci and saw her eyes water behind her oversized cat-eye frames.

“Why didn’t you include me?” was all she said.

“I—Becs, I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? How am I supposed to even believe you or trust you?”

“Rebecca, those pictures are fake. I promise you, please come eat lunch with us, and I’ll tell you everything, I promise.”

“No. You had your chance to be honest. You didn’t trust me. Why should I trust you? All you ever did, all any of you ever did, was keep secrets from me.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry, I just…I was ashamed. He…I said no, the first kiss was a mistake, I promise, but everything after was all him. I promise you, I didn’t do anything else. I said no, I didn’t want him, I told him so. Nothing I said mattered to him. And those pictures, that’s not me—”

“Then who is it, Lucita?” Lucita flinched. Jason pulled her back while Silvia stepped up in front of her protectively. Liz stood with Evie, who was smirking beside her.

“Fuck off, Liz,” said Silvia. She looked over at Rebecca, eyes earnest. “Rebeca, ven con nosotros.” Come with us. Rebecca wanted to. She really did. But no one had answered Liz’s question. Even now, no one was being honest.

“I’m staying here, thank you very much.”

Turning her back to her friends, she sat there, picking at her cuticles, her heart racing. She didn’t see the disappointment on Silvia’s face, on Blake’s. She didn’t see the heartbreak on Luci’s face.

She listened to them all walk away and could feel Blake staring at her, the last to follow the pack of her friends. Former friends. Becca winced at the thought.

“Well, that was certainly awkward,” said Evie, sitting across from her at the table. Rebecca glared at her, at this girl who was as bad as Tiffany. Her blond hair in a tight ponytail she just offered her a smile that hid something ugly insider her. Rebecca just stared at her as Liz sat next to her, chatting about Luci, Jason, and the rest of them. How quickly she had turned on all of them. Rebecca looked at her friend, really looked at her, and wondered if she had ever really known her because she didn’t like this girl she was staring at.

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