Six Little Secrets(16)

‘Would you take the picture?’ Cece asked. She and Jackie weren’t exactly friends, but Cece usually tried to stay on the safe side of the cheerleader. Cece saw what happened when people went against Jackie.

Keeping her reputation squeaky clean was somewhat of an obsession for Cece. So there was no way this person, whoever he was, could know anything except for what she put out there. Her parents barely knew her. Not that they ever made an effort. They gave Hannah their full attention. She was on track to medical school to become a doctor like their parents, while Cece was more interested in fashion. A poor choice in career, according to her parents. She’d only had to mention it once before they berated her.

‘There’s no stability,’ Dad had said so many times before.

‘You need a backup,’ Mom always said.

A backup for her passion? No way. She was going to pursue this career whether they liked it or not. Though she would prefer it if they agreed with her. She hated the fact that they looked down their noses at an artistic career. Though neither of them had a creative bone in their body, so they wouldn’t understand.

Their constant need for her to live up to Hannah’s Golden Child persona drove Cece to do the things she did. They didn’t support her. So she found a way to support herself.

And now someone was going to expose that.

Or was this person bluffing?

Could she take the risk?

Her heart roared in her ears, bringing her attention to the truth.

No, she couldn’t.

Jackie was right. Cece could put up the picture to satisfy the person who was playing jokes on them and then take it down. Teens had their nude photos passed around all the time. She’d rather that be the topic of conversation than her secret. Her parents would never trust her again if they found out. And she’d get a worse punishment than detention.

‘Can you cover for me?’ Cece asked the group. Whether or not they liked each other, they were in this together. All of them were targets and would have their challenge.

Holly scooted into Cece’s seat since she was the closest to the office.

Cece ducked and crept behind Q and Teddy’s chairs.

‘Are you sure I can’t watch?’ Q asked.

Cece pinched him, squeezing the roll of skin that folded over the waist of his pants.

‘Ow!’ Q said.

The others shushed him.

‘I’ll see the picture soon enough,’ Q warned.

Not if she had anything to do with it. Once she posted the photo, she was going to delete it the moment her turn was over. No one in this room would ever see it. Besides, they weren’t getting their phones back until the end of detention.

Glancing at the clock, she didn’t have much time left, so she hustled over to the biography section, identified by a placard on the end cap.

It was far enough away from the others to keep her hidden, but close enough to be able to see the tops of their heads over the books to make sure they stayed put. Especially Q.

The laptop was set up on one of the shelves.

The screen had a note stuck to it with a pink Post-it, which read, ‘You contact anyone, and the game is over for all of you.’

Cece nodded as if someone was speaking to her. She couldn’t care less about the others’ secrets. She’d do anything to keep hers.

She moved her finger over the touchpad, and the screen came to life. A photo app was already up and running. Cece’s body filled the space. She ran her finger down to the bottom of the display and nothing came up. No taskbar. Nothing.

She thought about trying harder to contact the outside world, but she had to think of one thing at a time. And keeping her parents out of the loop was her number one priority.

She glanced over the books at the others.

Not wanting to push her luck, she moved away from the computer and lifted her sweater over her head. She folded it neatly and placed it on the ground. She did the same with her pants. All there was left was her underwear and bra.

They were all working on the chain. The sound of the staplers made sure to cover any sound she might make.

Over their heads, Mr. Curtis was still oblivious to anything going on. She supposed it was better having a teacher who was more relaxed than some who were like hawks. If she could be grateful for anything, it would be that.

She took a breath and moved in front of the camera, while simultaneously removing her bra. She shoved down her underwear and stood up.

She felt a little like she did in the dressing room at her favorite clothing shops, uncomfortable that someone might catch her. She shook away the thought, imagining she was in her bedroom privately changing. It was all she could do or else she might not have had the nerve.

Seeing herself on the computer screen made goosebumps ripple across her skin. A cold chill moved down her spine, and it took all of her strength to hold back the shivers that threatened to force her to crumple to the floor.

Tears pricked at her eyes as she reached forward and pressed the RECORD button. A countdown starting at ten blinked at the top of the screen.

Once the computer snapped the photo, she dropped to the ground and threw on her clothes, quicker than she’d ever done before.

Her body violently shook as she covered up. Her vision blurred and she sniffed, trying to hold back her tears.

When she stood up to see the photo, it was gone, and the app was gone, revealing only the desktop. The background was some cartoon creature that resembled a giant wolf. The skin above his nose was wrinkled as his lips turned up into a snarl, revealing sharp white teeth with saliva dripping down its mouth.