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Chapter 12
Hayley’s POV
I awoke with a ragged gasp, my heart jackhammering in my chest.
My surroundings slowly materialized – the familiar setting of my bedroom, no sign of the horrific monster that had…
A dream. It had all just been an intensely vivid, terrifying nightmare brought on by my injuries.
Relief washed over me, quickly followed by confusion. How did I get home? Where was Aiden?This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.
The bedroom door burst open, and my mom rushed in, her face pale and drawn with worry.
“Hayley! Oh thank god, you’re awake!” She flung herself at me, pulling me into a tight hug that made me wince. “We were so worried after the attack!”
“Attack?” I echoed groggily. “What attack? And where’s Aiden?”
My mom’s expression crumpled, and she averted her eyes guiltily. Alarm bells went off in my head.
“Mom? What happened to Aiden?” I demanded, a kernel of dread taking root.
“He’s…” She swallowed hard. “He’s been arrested, sweetie. By the police.”
“Arrested?” I shook my head in disbelief. “Why? That doesn’t make any sense!”
“Because of your… relationship,” she forced out, wringing her hands. “After what happened at the restaurant–”
“Wait, the restaurant?” The fragmented memories came rushing back in a confusing tumble – the surprise appearance of celebrities, the massive brawl that broke out, Jada’s monstrous transformation…
I gasped sharply. No, please let that part just be some twisted nightmare brought on by my head injury!
My mom reached out and squeezed my hand tightly. “It’s okay, honey. The doctors said your concussion could trigger some disturbing dreams and hallucinations. Just try to stay calm, alright?”
“Calm?” I exploded, wincing at the spike of pain in my skull. “How the hell am I supposed to stay calm, Mom? What really happened at the restaurant? And why the hell did they arrest Aiden? Where is he?”
She flinched at my outburst but took a deep, steadying breath.
“After that awful scene at the restaurant, an anonymous tip must have been called into the police about… about you two. And they arrested Aiden under suspicion of… of inappropriate sexual relations with a minor.”
A ringing silence fell in the wake of her words. I could only gape at her in stunned horror as their full implication sank in.
“No… no, that’s impossible!” I exploded, incensed. “We’re not even blood related, he’s my stepbrother! It’s not illegal!”
My mother’s expression twisted into one of disgust and shame.
“Maybe not technically illegal, but still morally reprehensible and deviant behavior, Hayley! I never thought my own daughter would do something so… so unnatural!”
The venom and judgment in her tone felt like a physical slap to my face. Tears of humiliation and pain burned in my eyes.
“So it was you,” I whispered brokenly. “You turned us in, didn’t you?”
She at least had the grace to look stricken before rallying defensively. “Of course I did! You’re both deluded if you think I would stand by and let you and Aiden defile our family like that! It’s a disgusting, abhorrent taboo that never should have happened!”
Rage overtook me, making me tremble. “Get out.”
“Hayley…”
“Get out!” I screamed, my voice cracking. “Get the hell out of my room, you judgmental, hypocritical bitch!”
She shrank back as though I’d struck her before scrambling to her feet and bolting, leaving me alone to seethe in my turbulent emotions.
How could she do this to us?
Turn us over to the authorities, have the love of my life arrested, after claiming to understand and respect Aiden and I figuring things out together? I’d never felt so bitterly betrayed in my life.
A chime from my phone made me start.
Probably just a stupid notification but something to try and distract myself with.
I grabbed it from the nightstand and felt the blood drain from my face.
[screenshot of students whispering and staring at Hayley in the hallway from school security cameras, overlaid with the words: “Rumor has it Haley Gavin has been porking her own stepbrother like some kind of Alabama swamp trash! What a depraved skank-slut!”]
The vile comments kept coming in a torrent as more and more people in our school shared it around.
[closeup of Haley crying in a classroom toilet stall, captioned: “Aw, look at the wittle freak crying! Maybe if you weren’t out there dropping trou for family you wouldn’t be such a pathetic basket case!”]
It went on and on, an avalanche of vicious memes, videos, and messages, all weaponizing my intimate relationship with Aiden to degrade and humiliate me.
Hot tears spilled down my cheeks as the bullying sent stabs of shame and mortification through me. How could people be so cruel about something they didn’t understand?
A new notification popped up – a video call from Mona and Mina, my two closest friends.
I almost declined, not wanting them to see me in such a state. But I desperately needed any shred of comfort or support right now.
I accepted and their worried faces filled the screen. “Oh my god, Hayley!” Mona gasped. “We just heard about the arrest and those disgusting posts going around about you! Are you alright?”
“You know we’ve always had your back, no matter what,” Holland chimed in loyalty. “Whoever is behind those videos is a real piece of shit!”
Another wave of tears spilled over at their steadfast kindness and I crumbled a little more inside. How was I ever going to get through this?
“I-I can’t do this, you guys,” I sobbed brokenly. “Everything is just so messed up. They took Aiden, my mom turned on us, the whole school hates me now-”
“Hey, none of that!” Mona cut me off fiercely. “Don’t you dare start believing those bullying jerks for a second! Your feelings for Aiden may be unconventional, but they’re real. No one has the right to judge or persecute you for who you love.”
Mina nodded firmly in agreement. “We’re here for you, Hales. No matter how bad the haters try to drag you down. We’ve got your back against anyone who tries to mess with you, okay?”
“Even… even Aiden’s dad?” I whispered tremulously. How could I ask my friends to face off against my own stepfather?
But their expressions only hardened.
“Especially that dickhead jock,” Mina growled, shocking me a little. “If he tries to come for you over this, he’ll have to go through us first!”
I couldn’t help but smile weakly through my tears at their fierce protectiveness and solidarity.
At that moment, I felt a bit of the weight on my shoulders lift, the tiniest ember of hope flickered back to life. If I had Mona, Mina and Aiden in my corner, maybe I could find the strength to stand up against this looming persecution headed my way.
Clutching the phone tight, I set my jaw and gave the barest of nods. It was time for me to stop wallowing and fight back with all I had against those trying to tear Aiden and me apart.
“Alright guys,” I said, my voice steadying with my renewed resolve. “Let’s regroup and figure out a plan. Because I’m not going down without swinging harder than these bullies can even imagine…”