"Lunch with Bailey? Well, this is happening fast," Mallory beams at my locker.

"It's been a week and we both know he didn't really like her. Isn't this what you wanted?"

"I have to say I'm surprised it's playing out so smoothly. I honestly thought you would have flaked on me before anything happened with Bailey," Mallory shrugs casually, "you're not going to flake out on me, now, are you? Are you buying into this whole thing?"

"What whole thing?" I let Mallory steer me toward the lunch room.

"That being cool is better than being an outcast. That Bailey likes you enough to stop being cruel even if it makes him uncool."

"Aren't you the one trying to convince me that's exactly what he's doing?" I quirk an eyebrow.

My chest aches with the amount of energy it takes to pretend I am just fine around Mallory. It's not her fault she is naturally bubbly and has a plan to get her through the rest of high school. I'm sure it gives her security and is a comfort that keeps her mind busy. Or it's all a game and she knows which side she plays for.

"Mallory," Bailey slides in front of us as we enter the echoing cafeteria, "I'm going to steal Max from you today."

Mallory smiles, "she's all yours."

Bailey hooks his arm around my waist and swivels me back out into the hallway, "we are not eating in there."

"I am hungry."

No, I'm not.

"I packed a lunch and left it in my Chevy. I don't want to be around everyone."

"You mean you don't want them to see us together."

"Max, no," he jerks me to a stop, "I'll take you back in there and kiss the fuck out of you just to prove you wrong."

"You wouldn't have to kiss me to prove anything..."

Why am I shaking?

"I wouldn't kiss you for them," Bailey smirks, squeezing my bicep.

"You do know everyone hates me and still calls me Maxi Pad even if some of the guys have noticed me because of the short skirts."

"Do they still notice you?" He glances at my ridiculous hairdo.

"Rude."

He groans, "that did not come out right."

"I don't really want all the guys noticing me."

"As long as you're comfortable, I like whatever you wear," Bailey unlocks his Cheyenne and scoops me into the seat, letting his warm hands linger on me.

I should be nervous that he is touching me, but his hands aren't wandering anywhere they shouldn't. He wants to touch me, so he does. I like the heat of his body and the way he smells. I'm supposed to be getting close to him as part of the plan, but I am also considering giving him one last chance.

You're going to get you heart crushed. Again.

"Where is this lunch you packed?"

Bailey digs around behind the seats and pulls out a large lunch tote. He hands me a sandwich and takes one for himself. It's turkey, Swiss cheese, and miracle whip. I'm impressed he knows what lunch meat and cheese I like, or he got lucky. I can't help but notice his sandwich is made of roast beef and cheddar.

"How was last week?" Bailey presses.

I shrug, chewing a large bite of the sandwich. It tastes really good and awakens some of my appetite. I barely take a few bites and have to stop. I get caught up thinking about things I don't want to remember.

"Get off me..." I mumble as my stomach churns with hot acid, "I don't want you on me!"

"Where is your friend?" The guy cackles, jamming three of his fingers into my desert dry slit.

I cry out and he smothers my mouth with his, drowning me in some nasty flavor of whiskey and sticky saliva.

"Max? Are you even paying attention?" Bailey's deep timbre draws me back to the present.

"S-sorry?"

"You dropped the sandwich," he nods toward the sandwich on the floor of the cab, "did you see something?" He jerks around, skimming the vacant parking lot aside from the other cars, "what's gotten into you?"

"N-nothing," I pick it up and shove it into the Ziploc bag, "sorry... Not really hungry, I guess."

Bailey doesn't buy it for a second, nor does he push. He finishes off his sandwich before digging out two Fuji apples. He offers one to me, but I shake my head. He drops it back in the tote and bites into his. His jaw feathers and clenches with every bite and chew, making it hard for me to remember why I was even distracted by bad memories in the first place.

The guy's fingers are rough and relentless inside, setting me on fire. It's like a bladder infection has taken hold, but all the pressure is too much. I can't relieve my bladder or it will feel like I am pissing razor blades. I whimper, jamming my palms into his chest to no avail.

"What do you think, Max?"

"Jesus..." My mind suddenly registers Bailey talking, "w-what?"

Bailey drops the half-eaten apple into the tote and zips it up. He tosses it into the back, reaching across the bench seat and carefully hauls me across to him. He swivels me until my back presses into his chest and holds me from behind.

"Something is wrong. I can tell," he strokes my arm, strong and secure. He presses his cheek into the top of my head, "You keep disappearing, Max."

"I'm right here," I croak.

"Not really," one arm wraps around my shoulders loosely and the other continues trailing up and down my left arm, "something is definitely wrong, Max."

"Get off me," I brush him off and sit up.

"I'm sorry," he mutters, gritting his teeth.

I wipe away the few tears that sneak down my face, "y-you didn't... I've got..." I stare out the passenger window until the tears stop and take a deep breath, "I'm still dealing with things..."

"What things?" His apple breath fans around the back of my neck.

"The party..." I confess, letting my head hang.

"Oh..." His voice is tense.

He can't really know what happened at the party. From what he said that morning, Mallory didn't give him much information. I don't know if she left him in the dark to respect my privacy or if she is just as afraid as me to talk about it.

"No one is going to get a chance to hurt you when you're with me," Bailey promises.

"Except you."

"No... That's over. I told you." He is frustrated and slams his palm into the steering wheel, "Christ, Max... No. Cassie was holding shit over my head and made me... I don't give a shit what she thinks and I hate how she treats you."

"What did she have over you?"

Bailey shakes his head sighing, "I can show you after school. It's on a USB card. You can look at it on a computer. I'm not good with technology, though, so we'll go over to Zane's. Once you see it, he's going to erase everything."

"Just tell me. You don't have to show me."

"I want you to trust me," Bailey reaches for me and then changes his mind.

"Why do you care what I think of you?"

"Have I not made it obvious?"

"I-I... Maybe, but I'm not exactly good at reading things right."

"I hurt you because I got close to you and she used that against both of us, Max. It's my fault that I had to do anything mean to you. I should have stayed away from you." Bailey won't look at me now, "She just wanted my popularity like it will give her more power or something."

"Her power struggle is a whole other thing," I grimace.

"She has issues, Max," he turns to look me in the eye now.

💀

Mallory cusses out Cassie until she's fleeing the locker room. My new friend laughs obnoxiously. She is proud of herself for putting Cassie in her place for just a moment, but that only means she'll pay for it later. Or I will. Cassie likes to attack the weak.

"What are your plans?" Mallory waits for me to cinch the brace.

"Bailey wants me to come over..." I almost divulge why, but instead say, "to work on our essay."

"Anything going on yet?" She waggles her eyebrows at me.

I scoff like that's absurd and she rolls her eyes. She's gone before I can secure my locker.

I make it out to my car before my phone buzzes in my pocket.

I glance up and see him waiting in his Cheyenne near my car. I send back a thumbs up and get into my car as quickly as possible. The drive to Zane's house feels like the longest drive of my life. Bailey isn't even taking his time and practically runs stop signs. I giggle as we both pull into the driveway and he's out of his pickup before I can put my car in park.

"Are you ready?" He opens the door for me as soon as I switch off the engine.

"You aren't even nervous?" I question, cocking an eyebrow.

"It's no one's business, but I should show you," Bailey threads his fingers with mine like it's normal or something.

We settle on the couch, arms brushing and Zane comes trotting down the stairs with damp chestnut hair and nothing on but jersey shorts. He isn't even wearing a shirt.

The guy is fit as fuck, but I've also seen Bailey shirtless, and I appreciate his V line and sculpted planes a little more. Maybe it's because I've harbored a small crush on him since junior year. He is a beautiful man and I stared at him all summer with Taryn.

"Where's the USB?" Zane holds out his hand to Bailey.

Bailey fishes it out of his pocket and passes it over. He wipes his hands on his jeans like they're sweating and is nervous. He clears his throat and that confirms it for me. He fidgets as Zane loads the USB onto the computer and opens the file. Zane glances at me for a beat and then spins the computer around, so I can see the screen.

"Shit!" Bailey slams the screen shut, "just one second..."

Zane cackles and walks out of the living room. In the kitchen, he cracks open a soda or beer. Bailey shifts to the edge of the couch, running hands through his hair and cracking knuckles.

"Jesus... You're freaking out," I smirk, "you are nervous as shit."

"Just... Just... This is very personal, and I am sorry... I don't know how Cassie got ahold of this, Max. I w-wanted to protect... Well, you'll understand when you see it... But you should know that... Zane only saw this because I suck with technology."

"Just show me," I take his hand and thread our fingers, burning inside that I get to touch him.

Bailey swallows hard and opens the top. The screen remains black and he frowns. He tries to turn it on, but grumbles. I laugh at him and alert the mouse pad, lighting up the screen.

I gasp and my jaw drops open. My fingers immediately slacken in Bailey's grip... Tears spring to my eyes. I didn't know anyone saw this. It's fucking humiliating. This time I slam the laptop shut.

How?

"I'm sorry, Max..."

"How...? How?" I rasp.

"I don't know how she has that shit," Bailey curls an arm around my shaking shoulders, "I'm so sorry, Max. That's how she got me to be her boyfriend early junior year. I... I didn't think you would want anyone seeing this and I wanted to protect you."

"Everything... You did was... Because you were hiding this for me?" My voice wavers as I swipe at the tears.

Bailey clears his throat, "it's no one's fucking business..."

I cover my face with my hands, "it's from freshman year when I loved to party and I... Got around."

"I know when it's from. I remember... That party," Bailey reveals, "A few people walked by and saw you and Asher going at it behind the house."

"Shit..." My throat aches with the emotion and mortification.

"Someone must have videoed it, most likely Cassie or Delia or maybe even Mallory... She used it when she saw how it would serve her best."

Bailey pretended to be her boyfriend and be this person to shield me from the rumors. Everyone already knew the person I was back then, but after all this time I thought it was more a hazy memory.

This video and those pictures paint a very clear reminder. He didn't want it to get out and embarrass me. I can actually trust he means it when he says he wants to be my friend. He risked ever getting a chance to be my friend by being cruel, so he could keep Cassie from exposing this shit.

Zane peeks out, walks over to the closed laptop, chuckling, "He's pure shit with technology. I will run my shit on this, Bay, to make sure she doesn't have any other copies." He heads for the stairs. "I went through her phone and wiped it out, so it's for sure. If this is the last of it, I'm about to make it like it never existed."

Once Zane is gone, I lean into Bailey's chest and let him embrace me. A cleansing sigh leaks from him and he holds me as hard as he dares. He's definitely earned my trust and this time I know that everything before wasn't his fault.

💀

Sometime later, Zane returns, watching us briefly and disappears into the kitchen. I thought he was just the rich boy that gets whatever he wants, but he actually gives a shit. He's loyal to the boys, and really does care about Bailey. He wanted to get Bailey out from underneath Cassie and he's the one making sure it stays that way.

"For the sake of being honest... I should tell you..." I mutter nervously.

"What?" Bailey strokes my face.

I clear my throat, "Mallory and I weren't just planning to take Cassie down. There's a reason she was making me dress in skirts and that stupid dress."

"Let me guess, she was using you to get to me... She knows what Cassie had over me."

"What?" I sit up, glaring at him.

"I don't know what she wants from you, Max, but she'll do whatever she has to get back at Cassie."

I'm not sure if I believe Mallory was only in this for her, "She wanted me to... Break your heart."

"What?" He pushes us both upright, "what does that mean?"

"I was supposed to get close to you and earn your trust..." I duck my head embarrassed, "she said you have a crush on me, but I didn't believe her. She wanted me to make you fall in love and then break your heart."

Bailey rolls his eyes, "fucking clueless... You can get away with murder and I won't give a shit, Max."

"Thing is... I wanted to do it," I clear my throat again, "I mean before... Before I knew what all this was about," I gesture around us like Zane's house is everything, "I mean the reason you were spending time with me and why Cassie is after me."

Bailey narrows his eyes, "is that what you want now? You're just here to get back at me? I mean, I can let you use me if that's all you want, but you aren't getting rid of me that easily, Max."

"I was so determined to take Cassie down and I was certain you were the key." I flush with humiliation, "but I trust that you were trying to help me out. I do trust you, Bailey."

Bailey's eyes flicker, "you do?"

I nod, glancing at the coffee table, "clearly everything you've done... Is because she had shit over you. And it was all to protect my reputation. You didn't have to do that, but you did."

Bailey grazes my face with the back of his fingers, "no one can fuck with you, Max. The boys will protect you, too."

I smirk haughtily, "please tell me it's all fucking over."

Bailey frowns, "I doubt Cassie will end this whole feud with you, but we'll make sure she can't hurt you anymore."

Zane clears his throat and I jerk to face him. He has an arrogant grin on his face. Bailey chuckles like they are sharing the same thought and I just want in on it.

"What?" I giggle nervously.

"You two could date, you know?" Zane suggests, leaning into the wall, "piss off Cassie. She wouldn't dare go after the girl on Bailey's arm and it would be fun to watch her squirm."

"Like fake date?" I cock an eyebrow at him.

Zane's face goes blank and he blinks rapidly at me. I'm missing some piece of this new game he's thinking up, but I'm reeling from everything I've already learned. I went from wanting to take Bailey down and break his heart to him being the only real person I can trust. I'm still trying to adjust to that.

Bailey nudges my face back to him, "we could do that. It would protect you from her and be fucking fun to throw it in her face."

Stunned. I just stare at him and my jaw falls open.