Page 126 of Let's Get Textual

“You hit me!”

My hand shakes as I grab the doorknob. “And I’m about to again if you don’t get out of this building…now!”

He glares at me before attempting to tuck tail and run.

Caleb grabs him before he can get far. “Not so fast. I’m not done with you.”

The two have a short-lived staring contest—with Shep giving up first—before Caleb turns my way.

“I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Caleb.”

He practically drags Shep down the hall by his collar, shaking him a few times.

I can only imagine what he’ll do to him, and the thought brings a smile to my face.

Closing the door, I turn back to the couch. Zoe’s still passed out. Should I wake her and let her know what happened or wait until morning? I glance at the clock: it’s already midnight. If I wake her up now, we’ll be up for hours gabbing, and she doesn’t need that.

That said, I’m wide awake right now. Not even the couch appears inviting.

Ambling my way down the hall, I close myself into my bedroom and click on my Bluetooth speaker. I pull out my phone as I plop down onto my bed and put on something soothing.

I toss my phone aside and close my eyes, leaning against my headboard, trying to calm myself.

I’m still shaky from the slap.

What Shep did was childish. Is he really that hard up for attention that he believed sending someone’s private photo out to strangers would be a smart idea? Or is he just an ass?

I don’t understand how any of this made sense in his mind. That’s not an eye for an eye—that’s a severed head for an eye.

He was out for blood, and he’d found what he was looking for.

Only now he’s been caught, and Iwillbe making him face consequences…after Caleb’s done with him, of course.

Now I have to decide what I’m going to do about Zach. How can I even begin to decide how to approach all of this? How do I tell him it was hisbrotherwho betrayed us both?

How do I tell him I’m sorry?

I pick up my phone and pull up our texts, scrolling through them like I have for the past several days now. At this point, I might even be able to recite them word for word; that’s how pathetic I am.

My fingers hover over the keyboard. I don’t know what to say.

I screwed up?

I’m the worst?

I should have trusted you?

I type and retype several different messages. None of them are enough.

Finally, I send the only thing I know Ihaveto say.

Me: I’m sorry.

Those three dots pop up and then disappear, only to come back seconds later.

After several minutes of the same routine, they stop reappearing.

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