“You’re the one who posted the pictures of Courtney on her knees with Coach?” Jackson asked in awe.
“I plead the Fifth.”
Bryant slapped me on the back again. “Jenner, man, the football coach was a real sleaze. He was always licking his lips and putting his hands in his pockets whenever the cheerleaders were out there practicing with the team. Halfway through the season our junior year, the school’s social media blew up when some anonymous pictures were posted directly to the school server and its website. Courtney was blowing the coach and two other guys. It was huge news. For about a week, Senator Wilcox’s approval ratings went down.”
LJ laughed at the reminder. “The entire school got investigated. Courtney claimed it was all photoshopped, and most people actually believed her. Because the cops couldn’t conclusively trace the post back to who had put it up, they couldn’t prove that it was or wasn’t. But Coach lost his job, and he was run out of town, along with the other guys. Courtney was made to be the victim of the whole thing, even though she was legally eighteen in our junior year. Her dad’s ratings went back up, and he had no problem winning the primary this time. Fuck, even I thought she was a victim. I threatened to kill Coach when I saw him at school the day after the pictures were posted.”
Jackson stood and started popping his neck. “I can’t believe this was going on and we never knew. We should have fucking known something was wrong. Damn it, she should have come to us and told us about the bullying before it got that bad.”
I grabbed the back of my neck with both hands and squeezed hard. I’d sensed something was off, but I never would have imagined that my little lamb had been put through such hell. How could anyone treat someone so precious like they had treated her? On either side of me, her brothers were nearly bouncing in their seats, wanting to take revenge for their sister, but I wanted to fucking murder every single person who had put her through hell.
“They thought they won,” Jackson seethed as he paced back and forth in front of me. He punched his right fist into his left hand. “Those fucking bastards are done. Every one of them, they will pay for hurting her.”
“If you do anything to get yourselves thrown in jail or ruin your baseball careers, Doe will be even more upset.” Aspen tried to talk him down. “She kept quiet because she loves you three and wanted to ensure your futures were safe. Doing something stupid now will mean her sacrifice was in vain.”
“We won’t.” Jackson stopped suddenly, an evil smile spreading across his face. “Give me the names of everyone in that gym class who was in on the pictures.”
“Jackson, seriously—”
“Baby, don’t worry about it,” he soothed. “No one will even know. Because I have a secret weapon.”
“Mieke,” Bryant and LJ said, that same evil grin transforming their faces as it had their brother’s.
“I don’t know who or what Mieke is,” I told them. “But whatever you three are planning, I want in on.”
“Mieke is the best hacker this side of the globe,” LJ explained. “She can erase your entire digital history in the blink of an eye. She’s a goddamn genius. Her dad is Zander Brockman, and her husband is a cardiologist across town. A few clicks of her mouse and she could destroy the lives of world leaders. I heard Uncle Z telling Dad once that Mieke hacked the Pentagon when she was a kid. Think of all the damage she could do to someone like Courtney.”
22
Doe
Slowly, I opened my eyes. It took me a moment to realize where I was, but it was the nausea that reminded me I was definitely not at home or at Jenner’s. Moaning, I turned my head, looking for someone who could help me ease the tossing of my stomach. I hadn’t been able to eat or drink anything after midnight the night before, so there was nothing in there that could possibly come up, but that didn’t mean anything.
“Welcome back,” a deep voice greeted, and I blinked, focusing on a guy in surgical scrubs. He was wearing a mask, so I had no idea what he looked like, but he was of average height and I saw a wedding band on his left hand. “How is your pain level right now?”
“Nauseous,” I whined.
“Ah, don’t worry. I got you covered, darlin’.”
I closed my eyes and must have drifted back off to sleep, because when I opened my eyes again, I was in a different room. My nausea was still there, but not nearly as bad. The headache was new, as was the pain in my hips. Groaning, I tried to turn over, hoping to find a more comfortable position.
Two different hands stopped me, one soft, the other considerably larger and definitely rougher. “Sweetheart, don’t move too much,” the distinct and very welcome voice of my mother cautioned.
Turning my head, I had to blink a few times before Mom came into focus. “Hi,” I greeted.
“Hey,” she said with a beaming yet slightly trembling smile. “Dr. Contreras said you did beautifully.”
The big man who shifted behind her caught my attention. “Daddy,” I whispered, and he bent over the side of the bed to kiss my forehead.
“Hey, superhero,” he rasped. “How are you feeling?”
“Am not,” I mumbled. “I’m not sure how I feel right now. Tired. Achy. Where are the others? Jenner?”
“Stop worrying about the boy,” Dad grumbled. “They are all still outside. Seemed to be getting along when I checked on them a while ago. Heard all five of them laughing at one point, so they haven’t killed one another. I told Contreras not to bother them when he came out to speak to us earlier. I’ll text them when you’re more yourself.”
As long as they weren’t beating on Jenner, I was okay with them hanging out. He could probably take one of them on at a time, but all three of them at once wouldn’t be possible. My brothers were just as big as he was, and they didn’t play fair—ever.
At least Jenner wouldn’t have to see me all groggy and weak. A nurse came in, and she and Mom helped me to the bathroom. It was hard to walk at first, and it wasn’t without a few tears, which I was glad Jenner didn’t see. I didn’t want him to see my pain, not when Pixie’s was already more than enough for him to have to witness.
Once I was back in bed, I drifted off to sleep for a bit. The door burst open at one point, startling me awake just as Jenner jogged into the room. His face was white, but when he saw me, he stopped and sucked in a deep breath. I’d seen this man run 5K every morning for months—except the past two weeks because he’d stayed in bed with me. There was no way he was out of breath just because he’d run from a different part of the hospital, not even if he’d been on the other side of the property.
But then I saw the fear on his face begin to ease while his eyes caressed me as if he was scared to touch me. Behind him, my brothers and Aspen came in, the four of them just as out of breath as he was.
“I’m sorry.” Panting, Jenner stumbled to the side of my bed and clutched at my hand. “I didn’t realize how much time had passed. I should have paid better attention. Were you scared when you woke up and I wasn’t here? Are you hurting?”