I can’t answer. I try, opening my mouth, but no words come out.
“She…” Dexter looks at me for permission, but I can’t even stand to look at him. “She did.”
“Fuck!” Father slams his fist on the desk, making me tremble in my seat. “You’re such a goddamn slut, Pandora. Two boys since you’ve been back and it hasn’t even been three months. Fucking unbelievable!”
“I don’t think it was entirely her fault,” Dex speaks up, and I shoot him a pissed-off look. “They…”
“They?” Father’s bubbling with rage. “Who are they?”
“The… guys,” Dex manages to get out. “They were all there.”
“Your friends?”
“My-I guess we aren’t exactly friends now,” Dexter grimaces. “Lai. Julian. Caspian.”
“Now just tell me they all slept with her,” my father laughs bitterly, but the moment he looks at Dexter and my guilty faces, he knows that’s exactly what happened. “How is that fucking possible? What excuse could you possibly have for this, daughter?”
“It wasn’t consensual,” I spit out. “They fucking hurt me.”
“All of them?” Father demands.
“I…” I struggle to find the words. “Just those three… Easton… I wanted him to do it.”
“You’re done,” Father speaks up, and the calmness in his voice makes me very afraid. “You’re fucking done in Eden Falls. I’m sending you back to St. Cecile.”
“Don’t,” I beg, rushing forward to his desk and making him recoil. “Please, I don’t want to go back there. Send me back to Wildwood, just send me back home.”
“Oh, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Father snarls. “You’d just love to go back there. Well, it’s not fucking happening. You’re my blood – unfortunately – and you’re staying in Eden Falls.”
Dexter and I wait for him to go on, but he merely rubs his eyes, sighing.
"Can I go to my room?" My voice is barely above a whisper and I'm shivering. "I just need to get some rest, please."
"Go," Father waves his hand dismissively. "I don't want to look at you. But we're going to talk about your Firstborn privileges soon, Pandora. I'm not inclined to let you keep them, especially since you've fucked them away what, five times now. Such a fucking slut. I can't believe you're my daughter. You're the black sheep of this fucking family."
I swallow back my reply, my eyes lingering on Dexter's before I turn around and leave them standing there in their silent face off. I'm not going to deal with them anymore. I need to get some rest before I collapse.
I go up to my room, softly closing the door behind me and crawling into bed. I feel dirty, but I'm so bone tired I can't even entertain the thought of a shower. First, I need to sleep.
I burrow under the duvet, closing my eyes firmly, but the demons that haunt me refuse to go away. I can't seem to get rid of the haunting sound of Easton's voice, of all the other guys as they fucked me. I'll never forgive them for what they did to me. They made me come when they were fucking me. They made my body think I was enjoying their cruel assault, and I'll never forgive them for it.
Knowing I need to plan out my revenge, I open my eyes again and stare up at the ceiling. I can't let them get away with this. They deserve to pay for what they've done, and I'm the only one who can make them pay for it. I need to make a plan. I need to figure out how to get back at them. I'm done letting them toy with me.
Now, it's time for them to fucking pay.
Sleep evades me even though I'm exhausted. The same images and sounds keep playing on and on in my mind, distracting me from getting some rest. Then, what must be hours after my conversation with my father, I hear the faint ringtone of my phone. I fish it out from under my pillow and frown when I see Dexter's name flashing across the screen. I bite my bottom lip, then answer the call.
"What the fuck do you want?"
There's a small pause. I listen to Dexter's deep, heavy breathing, which is oddly calming. Then, he finally speaks up. "I want to help you."
"Well, you've done a shit job of it so far." I'm pissed off and I don't care if he knows it. It's high time he started groveling. "I thought you were going to protect me, Dexter. You've done the exact fucking opposite of that."
"I'm sorry." I'm shocked those little words are actually part of his vocabulary, but I don't give him the satisfaction of an answer, instead waiting stubbornly for him to go on. And finally, he does. "I'm going to make sure they pay for what they did to you."
"No need," I hiss. "I can take care of myself. You're pretty useless at it, anyway, as you've proved time and time again."
"Pandora, you need to let me help you."
"No, I don't need to do anything." I want to scratch his face. Unfortunately he's not in the same room. "You realize what it means if Father takes away my Firstborn privileges, don't you, Dexter? I'm as good as done in this town. I won't have any authority. Everyone's been picking on me already. What's going to happen if I'm no longer a Firstborn? I'll be a nobody. Vulnerable. Can't you understand that?"
"I can." His voice is gravely serious. "That's why you need to let me help you, Pandora. I'm here for you. I'm going to make it all better, I promise."
"How?" My voice is trembling, breaking. Despite wanting to be confident, I need some guidance. I have no idea how I'm going to survive in Eden Falls without someone helping me.
"Just trust me," he goes on. "Let me take care of you."
"I can take care of myself," I manage weakly.
"I know you can." Dexter's voice is shockingly sweet. It actually sounds like he wants to help me. "But sometimes you need to let people in so they can make things a little easier for you, okay? I just want to help."
"You'll forgive me if I'm cautious," I spit out. "I don't think I should trust you. All you've done since I've been here is try and make me miserable."
He's silent on the other end again, then finally, he speaks up again. "I promise I'll make things right, Pandora."
"You better."
"How can I help you now?" To see Dexter fucking Booth this eager to help me is a win in itself, but do I really want his help? It's something I have yet to decide on.
"I just want to rest," I whisper. "I'm tired as fuck. And I can't fall asleep."
"Why?"
"What do you think?" I cry out. "Because of what they did to me, Dexter... Because of what your fucking friends made me go through!" I feel the traitorous burn of tears in my eyes, and now I'm grateful Dexter isn't in the same room so he can't witness my breakdown. I hate people seeing me get weak. I want to be strong. Always.
"Let me help you sleep," Dexter speaks up. "Just listen to me and lie down, get comfortable."
"Your voice isn't that calming," I groan, but still, I get comfortable in my bed surrounded by fluffy pillows. I don't tell Dexter the reason his voice isn't calming is because it still makes my heart race and my pussy ache, despite everything that's happened. I don't want him to know that. He'd be too fucking proud of himself, and I don't want to feed his damn ego. "But fine, let's try it. Work your magic."