The Takedown(91)

The Doc whirled to life. By the nervous way Ailey glanced at Audra, you’d think I was about to, like, delete her movie queues or reading shelves. Maybe while I was at it…

“So, one of the things I learned today was how to search for hidden files. Audra, you already know this, but Ailey, you would be amazed at what Sharma can teach you over a two-hour bus ride. Apparently, there’s this way to scan all Doc files solely based on gig size. Doesn’t matter where you store them; the program simply looks for bulk fileage. So, say your hi-res nude selfies are all in a double-encrypted folder, this special search will bring them to the front of the list. See? Here they are.”

I put the folder on fast slide show and swiveled the Doc around so the girls could both see Ailey’s previously hidden pics zip past on-screen. Since they were originals from Audra’s shoots, the girls’ faces weren’t cropped out yet. In half the photos, while the girls posed ubersexy, they were crossing their eyes or sticking their tongues out or just caught midblink. They were the antithesis of the sexy selfie face. My mouth got all bile-y. I guessed it was the taste of jealousy, because the girls also looked like they were having so much fun.

“Granted, this doesn’t work if what you’re looking for is stored on a separate drive, as I’m sure all your B&P files are, Audra. But how many people back up their data on the home hub like they’re supposed to? Besides, if a gal’s worried about her folks accidentally decoding it—say if her dad’s some big gig over at Eden—she definitely wouldn’t take a ’crypted file off her Doc and stash it on the home hub. And most especially not if it was the first official download of her old best friend—air quotes—‘having sex’ with her teacher.”

Audra’s perfect little heart-shaped lips formed an O. Ailey’s pouty lips formed a flat, angry line. A few more swipes and I’d logged on as a guest to Audra’s wallpaper screen. Behind Ailey, my sex video came to life.

“I told you, I didn’t make the video.”

“Correct. And I only blame myself for not seeing that statement for what it is: suppressed evidence, aka the lie-by-omission technique. Very crafty. So while it’s true that you didn’t make the video, what you omitted is that you did find it on the Faculty Activities board of Park Prep’s website.

“I still don’t know why you were looking at the dead-zone Faculty Activities board—have mucho time to kill, do you?—but you must have been all-caps SHOCKED to see it. You downloaded it pretty quick, huh? Because you knew that as soon as anyone else saw it, Dr. Graff would zap it from existence. Then you created your own account for it and reposted it. First on YurTube, then on the Student Activities board, which you very well know is as much a part of every Parkside Prepper’s five-minute checks as ConnectBook.

“Your G-Calendar says your mom was choreographing the Rockefeller Center Christmas show the day before the video dropped. I’m guessing you were killing time at the Forty-Second Street library, waiting for her to get out, before your annual holiday-windows walk?”

I was getting good at this detective stuff. It was almost as easy as they made it look online.

Ailey gazed out the dining room windows. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Okay. Sure, so I guess it’s a total coincidence that AnyLiesUnmade is an anagram of your name. Kind of clunky, no? Did you come up with that yourself? Or did you use an app? I’m guessing app.”

“Kyle,” Audra said. “Stop.”

“Almost done.” I held a hand out to Audra, warding her off. “I see the proceeds of the video let you buy that car you always wanted—told your parents you were using your savings, right? The rest is probably already stashed away in your money-market account. You know, I never figured you for a stalker, Ailey.”

“What makes you think this is even about you? And who’s been stalking who? You’re the one who wouldn’t stop txting me.”

“I didn’t know it was you. I was trying to get my hater to take down the video.”

“Wait,” Audra snapped. “You were txting AnyLies? Why would you do that?”

“To be honest? I thought it was you, Audy.”

Ailey burst out laughing. Not in a comical way, but like in a she-might-go-for-my-eyes kind of way. Audra stepped back. The outside streetlights cast a sickly pallor on Ailey’s face.

“Of course,” she said. “Of course you’d still never see me. All those txts we sent each other? It was just like old times. Don’t you remember how we stayed up until two a.m. txting? You think Audra would ask you if your friendships were good for you? Don’t you see? I believed you were innocent before any of them. I tried to help you. I dug around online and told you there were other girls. But did you thank me? No, instead you got famous.” She laughed. “You’re indestructible, Kyla Cheng. And that means you’ll probably never get it.”

“Get what, Ailey?”

But she just stared blankly into space. I was at a loss for words. I hadn’t intentionally hurt Ailey all those years ago, but I guess I’d known she had to be hurting. But it wasn’t like I’d been her only friend. She’d had those swim-team girls. And then she’d found Ellie. Was it my responsibility to make sure she made it through high school?

But Ailey was right. She’d believed me when I’d told her it wasn’t me in the video. Instantly. Her AnyLies txts had filled in all the gaps that Audra’s lack of txts had left in my life this past week. In her own weird way, Ailey had stepped up. And if I had done the same all those years back, even a little, we probably wouldn’t be here right now.