Chapter 81

***Dayle***

*Reflect*

~
“I don't know how many fucking times I have to make this straight Egan, I'm not your contender! Whatsoever problem you got should fucking hang on the fucking ceiling. Alright?”
I warn Egan but he smiles nonchalantly.
“Why? Dayle you fucked me up to the latter, you know exactly what this was about,”
“Even if I knew, I’d never betray you with your tape. I won't.” I defiantly tell him. It's not my intention to meet with him but for the sake of what we represent, him and I have got to work together to stop Steve from leaking our list. It fucking matters to me.
“I know.” he calmly says. “ I know that you wouldn't do it and that was why I had to do it, I had to prove to you that I could hurt you too!”
“Egan, what do you mean?” my brows furrow
“I was jealous, okay? I was angry about everything. Suddenly, Chrissy chose you over me, Steve hung out with you and not me, Hemsville sided with you and not me—I was alone. All alone. The people I loved left me, they fucking left,” he yells at me. “What did you think that I'd do, just sit back and relax? Just as you don't sit back, I don't as well.” he ruffles his hair and turns to me again. “The other say at the restaurant where we met, I sighted the video he was showing you. I was there the whole time. I just needed to do something and so I... I borrowed Steve’s phone. I shared the video to another cellphone so that he would not trace or recall how he had shared it to someone. I wanted to hurt you very badly and so I hired Leon to do it. It came to me as a shock when you apologized about everything!” he breathes in and out. “I felt ashamed. I told Leon that I didn't want the video posted up anymore—i basically paid his hungry ass $3,000 to ignore the video but I guess that luck wasn't on my side! He did it regardless—”
“Do you know that you are the bigger dickhead now? Do you know the shit you put me through?” I question hom
“I know and I'm sorry, Dayle! Anger got the best of me—”
“You constantly called me a traitor! You just did what no one has ever done to me, you—”
I can't further with my words. It's hurting to always remember that Egan wished something as terrible as this on me. I would never do this to him.
“Dayle, I'm sorry! Forgive me! I deserve whatever you wanna do to me, I deserve it!” he adds.
“That's not enough. It ain't enough. Sorry is not fucking enough! I mean look at us, we don't even know what might happen tomorrow—Steve is set to ruin us. If only you had confessed earlier, we would have settled things privately. We don't fucking know what awaits us by morning, we are just here. Fucking hopeless. We are nothing different from Leon, we are a bunch of hungry asses! What the actual fuck? How did we get here?” I yell at him but he doesn't love a skin. I didn't know that all of these things would huet really bad, the repercussions are not bearable. Not one bit. What are we going to say to everyone? How do we explain to everyone that we are just a bunch of nuisance who enjoy breaking hearts and ruining images? How fun is that?
Egan walks towards the flowing water. He sits on the stack of pebbles while I lean on my car. I don't have even have the strength to yell at him anymore. Of what use will it be? Yes, he's been caught and Steve knows and so what's going to happen next? What is our fate in Hemsville? What if Molly leaks her own video, how do I defend myself? What do I say? Will I ever graduate without a bad record? How do I acquire Harvard?
That's questions parade my head with no answer. I stroll over to where Egan is seated, he's smoking Marlboro cigarettes.

I sit next to him, he hands me the entire park to pick one from it. I do just that, he lights the cigar butt on my behalf as we continue to smoke. We spend roughly three minutes in that position until he starts speaking.
“I didn't realize that I had been immature until the day the video got leaked...” Calmly, he says. “I began to wonder how I perceived such an idea? You've been a brother to me despite our differences—you’ve never stopped being a brother! I can't face you or Steve, not even Chriss!” he pauses. “Will you ever forgive me?”
“I'm angry. I'm fucking angry, I can't lie but I can't throw fifteen years of our friendships over a video—I’m a dickhead I know but I'm not snitch.” I tell him. “I got you!”
He turns to me and smiles, sadly. “And Steve, what are we going to do?” he asks
I take a long drag from the cigarette and puff out. “Steve is a charged up muffin, he acts before thinking! Electrified mischief!” I add and Egan smiles nudging my arm.
“That's too harsh to describe a friend!”
“I have no other means of describing him.” I say to him. “I got to meet with Cisco after school—i pleaded with him to at least take off the tape,”
“He said no, right?”
“Yeah!” I snap. “I know that he'll do something. For him to have agreed to meet up with me can't be for nothing! I'm hoping that he’ll take it off.”
“I hope! Fuck!”
“I really don't care how much he's going charge for that shit asdar as we have nothing on us. At least!” I add. Maybe I sound selfish but that is my reality.
“We'll split the price, man, I should pay for it entirely—”
“I'm not doing it for you, I'm doing it for me—and us!”
We shake arm in arm, I tell him that we can definitely solve these problems. “We’ce always done, we can always do it!”

*
08:15 pm,
At the time I get home, a text from Cisco. I instantly halt to read it.
*You owe me 7000 grands!*
Fuck. That's a lot of money to begin with.
*Done!*
I text back and he texts a smiley emoji. I forward the text to Egan. It doesn't take a while, he replies back.
*3,500 grands will be sent to you tonight!*
*Thanks bro! You saved my fucking ass!*
I beam at his text, I'll make the transfers to Cisco once I'm done with bathing. I smell like cigarettes.
*See you by morning!*
I text him back. I walk past the entrance and I see Dad siting on the sofa, with his laptop next to him, he's speaking with Dom. He tells Dom to excuse us.
“Come over!”
“I was with Egan the whole time!” I tell him before he starts to bluster. I have no energy to rebel.
“I know and that's why I didn't ask or send someone to get you!” he adds coldly.
“Fuck, Dad, are you monitoring be all the time?” I ask walking over to him.
“Language, boy!” he warns. “I'm looking out for you—for once, don't ask questions. I would never hurt you, would I?” he asks and I shut my mouth. He got me on that. I sit back to him.
“Are you even okay? Why are you here?”
“Got a lot to handle. That's why!”
“Okay!” I snap. “How is she? Ms. Lena?”
“She is asleep. Sound. It feels good to know that you care, that's beyond a baby step. Thanks, son!” he adds and I nod lightly.
“Okay! I've got to shower now—”
“Yes, you smell like booze and cigars! Dayle?”
“Dad, I did it elsewhere and not in the house especially now that your bride is pregnant—i don't wanna irritate her. It's unhealthy!” I explain, it wasn't my reason but now it is. He gives me a proud grin.
“I owe you an Audmars Pigout (AP) wrist watch,” he says
“How about $10,000 instead? Prom is near!” I tease and he only laughs it off. “Uhm, Dad? Who's Freya?” I ask, he freezesgor some seconds. “Okay. I shouldn't have asked bit I thought that I should. She seems like a pain around you, who's she?” I ask
“Go to bed, we'll discuss it by morning!” how tone changes into angry one.
“Okay!”
I storm off respectfully. I can't press on the issues while I'm exhausted. I have no energy for that. whoever Freya is, I'll find out. .

*
I text Chrissy to meet me on the porch of my bedroom. We didn't reply but I'm hoping that she would come around regardless. I have to tell her Molly before things get out of hand.
She enters the room like she's about to run over a mouse, she looks angry. She slams the door behind her. She slowly walks over to me. Even if she's very desirable in the satin night wear, I still have to keep composure.
“Why do you want to see me, Dayle?”
“Molly and I aren't a real couple. It's make believe.” I start. Her gaze turns cold. “I'm dating her because she threatened me. If I don’t do as she says she'd post up the video of me—admitting to have leaked our sex tape.”
“I don't understand,”
“The school knows nothing about It and so if I don't do as she tells me she'd show it to Principal Morgan. That will be the end of me. I’m gonna get expelled.” I pause. It took me nearly three weeks to tell her these things and now it feels like I've worsened the situation. Fuck.
“Why are you doing this to me?” get eyes starts blinking nonstop. “It was Egan and now you are not even spared? What's the difference between you two when you both are assholes? Why are you just telling me, is it to make up for your proposal or numeroislies or fucking what?” she raises her voice.
“Chriss?”
“I don't know what to think of you! Should I feel great or sad or what?”
“I wanted to be honest with you, I just didn't was t to lie to you anymore—”
She throws slaps on both cheeks. “What else am I yet to know that I haven't? This is outrageous!”
She covers her mouth rubbing out of my room, was I right or wrong to have told the truth? What if she finds out about the list? I'm as good as dead!
I fling the stool at the wall ferociously rubbing my head.