Julia
Zane was devastated. How the hell had this happened? How did Julia have that video? Someone had to have sent it to her, if she’d had it on all along, they never even would have gone to that concert, she would have dumped him long before then. But who could have sent it? Who would have sent it?

He spent the first week desperately trying to get Julia to even speak to him. He called, she blocked his number. He texted, she deleted him from all her contacts and blocked him there as well. Social media? Blocked again. She completely ghosted him. He even tried going to where he knew she would be, but she completely ignored him. Walked right by like he didn’t exist.

He had no chance to explain. He couldn’t beg forgiveness. He had no way to find out how she came to have that video or who had sent it to her? He was dead to her.

Once he knew he had no chance with Julia herself, he tried to find a way around her. Her friends. That was pointless. They wanted less to do with him than she did. They did at least acknowledge him, but only enough to call him every nasty name that a teenage girl can think of to bring down the guy who fucked over their friend. Other than that, they were no help at all.

He was able to find out that yes, someone had sent her a video of him and Bella. And Nikki. And Sara. And Ashley. And, God knows who else. Of course, he had already figured that much out. Unfortunately, none of them could tell him who had sent it.

He had very little information. Just that she had received a video. Apparently from the night of Carly’s birthday. The night he conquered Bella. But who would have sent that to her? And why? He spent the next week trying to figure that part out.

It wouldn’t be Bella, she sure as hell didn’t want that video out in the world. Especially after trying so hard to keep that event from ever happening in the first place.

Nikki? No. What could she possibly have to gain from it? She was in it too. She looked like just as much of a slut as everyone else in the video. Carly? He didn’t think so. After all, the whole thing had been her plan for revenge on Bella, and it had succeeded, spectacularly! He knew for a fact that Carly had been overjoyed with the outcome. Although, sending that video around would definitely sink Bella forever. Especially if she sent it to Bella’s new college coach...

Carly did love chaos. Would she do this just to break up him and Julia though? This was only sent to Julia, as far as he knew. No one else seemed to know anything about it. If it had been sent to Bella’s college, he definitely would have heard fallout from that. No, this definitely seemed aimed at Zane, not Bella.

What about Sara? Sara was all over him the whole night at the concert. Of course, she was also drunk off her ass, and possibly trying some other things as well. He doubted she even remembered the concert, let alone anything that happened there. But if anyone was the prime suspect for trying to break up him and Julia after that night, it would be Sara.

But Sara was leaving for college soon, she didn’t need Zane. Would she do that to him just because Julia kicked her in the head? Did she even have a copy of that video? Who was he kidding, everyone there was recording that night, there must be a hundred different videos to choose from. It could be anyone.

Then another thought struck him. Bella’s going to find out about this. He had sworn to Bella that he would never send the videos he had to anyone. He had even let her delete them from his phone. If, well, when she found out about this ... he had no idea what her reaction would be. He had to tell her about this, in person. He wanted it to come from him so that she didn’t think it was him doing it.

Bella

Zane sat in his car in the football field parking lot, waiting for cheerleader practice to end. He would have gone and waited in the stands, but he didn’t think running into Julia would be a good idea. He wanted to, but he didn’t dare. When the girls finally came walking out, he watched. He didn’t see Julia, but he did finally see Bella, and Nikki, and Alexis, and Natalie, all together. He gave a quick beep. The girls all paused, commented quickly to each other, then strolled over to him.

They gathered in one big group hello at his open window, but it was Bella that he really needed to talk to.

He spoke to her specifically.

“Can we talk for a minute? ... In private?”

The other girls all knew the “arrangement” that Zane had with Bella since “that night.” Whatever he said, she had to do. They didn’t know that he had ended that deal with her, so they naturally all thought he had something naughty in mind.

“Oh no you don’t!” they all started to chime in.

“We have plans, you and your filthy mind will just have to wait!”

“You can’t have her!”

They all started to gather around Bella to keep her away from him.

He rolled his eyes.

“I just need to talk, I swear. We can just sit in the car and you can all stand right here and watch. Five minutes, I swear?” Bella laughed. She knew that any one of them would have jumped in his car with him and driven off if he had asked.

“Okay, five minutes. You all sit on the front of his car so he doesn’t try to drive away and abduct me”

“So what’s up?” Bella asked.

Zane rolled up the windows so their friends wouldn’t hear their conversation. “Well ... I have to tell you something.”

“Okay...”

He hesitated. Bella looked at him cautiously, not knowing what to expect.

“ ... You know those videos that I let you delete from my phone?”

“Yeah...”

Again, she looked at him cautiously, but concerned. This time she thought she did know what he was going to say.

“Well ... you know I let you delete those. I don’t have any other copies anywhere, I swear.”

“What did you do?”

Now she was getting angry. A head of steam was starting to build.

“Well... somebody has a copy.”

“SOMEBODY?”

“I swear I don’t know who it is. But they’re sending copies of it ... I wanted you to hear it from me first, I swear to God it isn’t me.”

Bella sat, staring, her eyes piercing a hole through him as she processed what he was saying.

“Who did they send it to? How do you know?”

“Well, as far as I know, only Julia.”

Bella’s jaw dropped.

“Oh my God! ... That’s why she quit the squad!”

Zane was taken completely off guard.

“What?”

“She quit! Last week. She didn’t come to practice all week, and then on Thursday she came in and told Coach Rivers that she quit. She said she couldn’t stand to even look at any of us anymore and walked out!”

Zane sat there with his mouth open staring back at Bella.

“Do you know who sent it to her?” Bella asked.

“I have no idea. I saw about two seconds of it before she started beating on me and yelling at me to take her home.”

Now Bella was staring back at him.

“Take her home?”

“Yeah, we were ... wait, you’re not mad? I thought you’d be trying to kill me by now?”

Bella dropped her head and looked at the floor.

“Yeah well, I kind of knew about it already.”

“What?”

“Not that someone sent it to Julia. But someone sent it to Coach Rivers!”

“WHAT?”

“I don’t know. Coach called me, Alexis, Natalie, and Carly into her office and said someone had sent her a video ... blah blah blah, and wanted to know all about it. She made us tell her the whole story of the Secret Vote, and you and Carly blackmailing me, and...”

“Wait, your COACH knows? Holy shit. Who sent it to her? And why Alexis and Natalie? And why was Carly even there?”

“She didn’t say who sent it. And Alexis and Natalie because we were at practice, and they’re co-captains and she was all up on us about how we can’t let this shit happen again and no more orgies and no more videos and to keep YOU away from anyone on the squad...”

At that, she started laughing. Zane didn’t think it was all that funny. “Oh my God, I can’t believe your coach saw that. I’m gonna get kicked out of school. I’ll never be able to show my face here again.”

“Oh please, you’re fine. She deleted it and doesn’t want to hear anything about it ever again. But don’t go near her anyway, that might be bad.”

“I thought you’d want to kill me when you found out. I was sure you’d think it was me...”

“No. I never thought it was you. I mean you might send it to your friends, or my friends if you wanted to be mean, but you wouldn’t send it to the coach. That couldn’t do anything but get you in trouble. If I thought it was anyone it would be Carly. Besides, you told me that you wouldn’t.”

“And you believed me?”

Bella shrugged her shoulders and smiled. “Zane, through this whole thing, you were a dick, and an asshole, and a million other things, and you still are, but you’re the only one who never lied to me about any of it.”

Bella got out of the car and left Zane sitting there dumbfounded. The Cheer Coach knew? And had seen the video? Had watched him ... ugh, that put a knot in his stomach. But that also means whoever it was didn’t just send it to Julia. Why the hell would they send it to the Cheer Coach? And who else have they sent it to? And Bella actually trusted him? Because he’d never lied to her? What the hell?

Carly

For a split second, Zane considered asking Coach rivers who had sent her the video. Then he came to his senses. That couldn’t be a good idea. But, Bella had said Carly was in on their little meeting as well, why? Why was Carly even there? Does she know something? Time for them to have a little talk. He pulled out his phone and sent her a text.

Are you around? We need to talk.

He hoped he could find her, and interrogate her. He needed information. It took a while, but eventually, she replied.

At the beach all week, sorry. Talk when I get back.

No. That wasn’t going to cut it. He needed to talk now.

This time Carly replied quickly.

I’m surprised Bella didn’t come after you. I was sure she would think it was you.

Why would she come after me? If she thought anyone did it, she would have thought it was YOU. The whole thing was your idea from the beginning. Oh, Bella and I talked. We’re good.

Wait, what? Bella and I talked? When? How could those two even possibly be “good?” He couldn’t even imagine the “talk” that would make things “good” between Bella and Carly. None of this made sense.

Zane explained what had happened with Julia receiving the video and that she had immediately dumped him, and since quit the cheer squad. Carly seemed genuinely shocked, although, given the circumstances, she understood. What girl would want to stay on the squad after finding out that her new boyfriend had slept with most of her teammates? It was no wonder she wouldn’t talk to him anymore.

Still, the question remained, who sent the damned video? Carly thought that was pretty obvious. Who was all over him at the concert? Who would have been upset after getting kicked in the head? Who would want to break them up?

Sara.

Zane thought about that. He had thought about that a lot. It made sense. But, why would Sara have sent the video to the coach? That part made no sense. Neither of them had an answer for that.

Regardless, it seemed his next stop was obvious.

Sara

Are you around? We need to talk.

Sara replied quickly. I’m just leaving, what’s up?

He pulled into her driveway ten minutes later. Sara was waiting for him in front of the house, he hadn’t even put the car in park before she was at his window.

“What do you need? I have to go pick up my brother.”

“Well then jump in and we’ll go get him, we need to talk.”

Sara ran around the car and got in the other side.

“Where to?” He asked.

“Sports complex,” she said. “Field six.”

And off they went.

“So, what’s the big emergency?” Sara asked, dying to know what he was all fired up about.

Zane hesitated, then just blurted it out.

“Are you the one sending that video around to people?”

Sara was clearly confused.

“What video?”

“Someone is sending people a video from the night of Carly’s party.”

Sara sat for a moment, clearly confused, trying to remember.

“So?”

“Sara, it’s a video of me and Bella, and Nikki, and Carly ... and you...”

He let that sink in for a moment. Suddenly Sara’s eyes grew wide and she sat straight up.

“Wait, you mean...?”

“Yeah, that’s what I mean.”

“Who is it?”

He looked over to see her waiting for his reply.

“I thought it was you,” he said. He didn’t really think it was her.

“Why the hell would I do that?”

“To break up me and Julia.”

“What?”

Now she was truly confused.

They arrived at the sports complex and found her little brother. Nick was an incoming freshman, destined to be one of the school’s up-and-coming lacrosse stars. You could see the family resemblance. Blond hair, blue eyes, athletic build, but at least six inches taller than his “big” sister. He was surprised to see Zane picking him up, but didn’t care as long as they could stop at Starbucks on the way home, as he always did.

Back in the car, Zane explained to Sara how someone had sent the video to Julia and they had broken up because of it, and how she had completely ghosted him since then, so he couldn’t get any more information about it than he already knew.

“So why the hell did you think it was me?” Sara asked.

“Well, it was the day after the concert, and you remember how you were acting at the concert. So, after I pushed you away and Julia kicked you in the head-”

“Is that how you got that big bruise?” Nick piped up from the back seat. “I thought you said someone pushed you and you hit your head?”

“Shut up Nick, this doesn’t concern you,” she shot back at him.

Zane didn’t say anything, he waited for the sibling rivalry to pass.

“Listen,” Sara said. “I don’t care about you and Julia, there’s no way I would send...” She glanced back at her brother again. “Something like that, to her, or anybody else, for any reason.”

Zane did believe her. She was crazy, but she wouldn’t want that floating around either.

Soon they found themselves at Starbucks. Nick needed to order something cold and frothy to cool himself down and replenish his energy, or so he said.

Zane and Sara quietly continued their conversation.

“So, you have no idea who sent it to her?” She asked.

“No, I told you, I thought it was you. All I’ve got is an email address, funbunz69.”

Nick found funbunz69 hilarious. They both glared at him.

“Oh that’s definitely Sara,” he said.

Sara punched him in the arm.

While they were ordering, two very cute young girls got in line behind them. One, a brunette with long hair, dark eyes, and long smooth legs which led up to one sexy ass that her short shorts showed off very nicely. Her friend had long blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and absolutely flawless skin.

In the middle of their conversation, Zane stopped, gave Sara a little nudge, and nodded toward her brother. He was rapt. Staring at the cute blonde.

Zane whispered to Sara. “You know her?”

“Never seen her before.”

“Nick...” Zane said.

Nothing. He was lost in his own little world. Sara kicked him in the ankle.

“Nick!”

He turned. “What?”

Zane nodded toward the girls. “Friends of yours? Wanna introduce us?”

You could see the fear in his eyes.

“NO! ... I mean no, I don’t know them. Leave me alone.”

Zane and Sara exchanged glances, glances which grew quickly into evil little smiles. Oh, this must be explored more.

“Let’s go sit,” Zane said.

The three of them found a table and sat while they waited for their order to be called. Nick’s eyes kept turning back to look at the two girls still at the counter. Zane and Sara continued to talk as they watched little brother drooling over the pretty girls.