CHAPTER 69
528 Words
"She's got dirt," Calla explained quickly, typing in the passcode—
how the hell did she know the passcode?—and scrolling through
Stephanie's camera roll. "I'm not sure what of , but...it's worth a
quick peek."
"Uh...why?" Vincent asked again, lost. He glanced at Cooper
helplessly, but Cooper just shrugged, shaking his head.
Why do girls do anything?
"A hunch," Calla breathed, her eyes narrowing. "Here's something
juicy. I think I know why Jess and Mike broke up."
She angled the phone and they both leaned in, looking at the
picture she'd pulled up on the other girl's phone. The boys stared
and, in unison, said: "Damn."
The photo had been taken with flash, illuminating the otherwise
dark scene. In it, Jess—dressed in a flashy green gown, her long
blonde hair impeccably curled—was wrapped up in an enthusiastic
kiss with Mike Richardson. Based on what they were wearing, this
had been taken the night of the gala, the two having retreated
under the bleachers to steal a kiss.
Romantic. Except for one little detail.
"That's...totally not Mike," Vincent elaborated, tapping the picture to
zoom in. "Mike wore khaki pants that night, not navy. That's...that's
Blake. "
Cooper might never have noticed such a minute detail. But the
slew of pictures from that night—they quickly scrolled through
several group shots, just to be sure—confirmed Vincent's
observation. The twins often dressed alike; it amused them to no
end to watch the populace struggle to identify one over the other.
But on this night, they'd diverted from their usual antics, instead
opting for something a little more individualistic.
It made it easy to identify the scandal.
"Jess cheated on Mike with his twin ?" Cooper paused. He didn't
want to say it, but someone had to. "That seems kind
of...redundant?"
Calla threw him an exasperated look.
"Am I wrong?" he asked, raising his hands.
Vincent fought back a smile.
"Damn," Calla muttered, ignoring them both. She sounded almost
excited. "Steph's been putting in work. She's pillaging your pics,
Coop."
"What?" He leaned forward, affronted.
Calla tilted the phone so that he could better see the screen. She'd
exited out of Stephanie's camera roll and instead ventured into her
albums. Cooper swore when he realized what, exactly, Calla had
found.
"She's...she's downloading our pictures?" He phrased it like a
question, but he already knew the answer. Each album had a
different name.
Cooper Daniels. Elijah Johnson. Lindsey Langston. Oliver Lee
Peppers.
"T.S. Tom Sahein." Calla clicked the album. "She downloaded
Sahein's greatest hits. I bet that would piss him off, if he knew."
Cooper read between the lines when their eyes met.
He found out, he realized. And he confronted her at Jess's party. I'd
bet my life on it.
Cooper glanced over his shoulder. Stephanie nodded at something
Detective Michaels asked. He ran a hand along his face, weary.
"I'll keep a lookout," Vincent offered when Cooper turned back
around.
"That picture of Blake and Jess is in Sahein's album," Calla
confirmed, still speaking in hushed tones. "Of course it is. Little
creep." She swiped out of the album. "The question is..."
- Writer
