Chapter 59 The blackmail
Chapter 59: The Breaking Point (Elena’s POV)
The laundry room door slammed shut behind me, but the sound of Chloe’s laughter seemed to follow me down the hall. My hand was still burning where Liam had gripped my arm. I leaned against the cold stone wall of the corridor, trying to catch my breath.
"Elena? Is that you?"
It was my mother. She was standing at the end of the hallway with a basket of linens. She looked at my face and immediately dropped the basket.
"What happened? Why are you crying?"
"I’m not crying, Mom," I said, wiping my eyes so fast it hurt. "I’m just tired. Liam is back from the game. He’s in a bad mood."
"He’s always in a bad mood lately," she sighed, walking over to me. "But Elena, your arm... it’s red. Did he do that?"
"It was an accident," I lied. "He was just frustrated. He walked off the ice mid-game."
"He’s going to get us fired," she whispered, her voice trembling. "If he keeps acting out and his father thinks it’s because of us, we are going to be on the street, Elena. Please, just stay away from him tonight."
"I’m trying, Mom. I’m really trying."
I pulled away from her and headed for our small room in the basement. I just wanted to lock the door and sleep until this nightmare was over. But as soon as I sat on my bed, my phone buzzed.
It was a text from Maya: Julian just dropped me off. He said Liam looked like he wanted to murder him. Are you okay? Did he say anything when he got home?
I started typing: He’s losing it, Maya. He followed me into the laundry room. He’s being a monster.
Before I could hit send, there was a heavy knock on my door. It wasn't the soft tap my mother gave. It was loud and impatient.
I opened it, and my heart sank. It was Jax. He was still wearing his Northview varsity jacket, and he looked like he was looking for a fight.
"Where is it?" Jax asked, pushing his way into my room without waiting for an invite.
"Where is what? Get out of my room, Jax!"
"The flash drive," he said, turning over my notebooks and knocking my pens off the desk. "I know you have it. Chloe said you were recording our conversations in the locker room last week."
"What? I’ve never even been in the locker room!" I shouted, trying to grab his arm to stop him from tossing my things. "You’re making things up now just to get me in trouble!"
"Chloe doesn't lie," Jax snapped, shoving me back. "She saw you near the equipment door. You’re trying to blackmail Liam, aren't you? You realized the 'love' angle didn't work, so now you’re going for a payout."
"You’re insane," I said, my voice rising. "I don't have a drive. I don't have a recording. The only recording in this school is the fake one you and Chloe made of me!"
Jax stopped and looked at me, his eyes cold and dark. "I didn't make anything. I just listened to the truth. And the truth is, you're a parasite. You're sucking the life out of my best friend. He walked off the ice tonight because of you. Do you know what that does to his career? To his scouts?"
"He walked off because he’s a bully who can’t handle seeing me with someone else!"
"Someone else?" Jax laughed. "That South-High loser? Please. He was a prop. We all saw it. But it worked. Liam is a mess, and that’s exactly what you wanted, isn't it? To distract him so he fails, so you can keep your tutoring job for another year?"
"Get out," I whispered, pointing to the door. "Get out before I scream and wake up the whole house."
"Scream all you want," Jax sneered. "In this house, nobody listens to the basement. I’m telling you now, Elena—if I find out you’re recording us, I won’t wait for Marcus to fire you. I’ll handle it myself."
He slammed the door so hard a picture frame fell off my wall. I sat on the floor and started picking up the pieces of glass. My hands were shaking so hard I cut my finger, but I didn't even feel it.
The next morning at school was worse. I walked into the cafeteria, and the silence followed me like a cloud. I found Maya at our usual table, but she looked pale.
"Don't look at the screen," Maya said, trying to block my view with her backpack.
"What is it now?" I asked, pulling my phone out.
It was a video. Not a voice recording this time—a video. It was from the party. It showed me on my knees, wiping the floor while Liam stood over me. But the audio had been changed. In the video, I sounded like I was begging.
"Please, Liam, don't leave me. I'll do anything. I'll even clean the floors. Just don't stop the payments."
"I didn't say that," I whispered, the tears finally starting to fall. "I was telling Chloe to move her foot. I wasn't begging for money!"
"Everyone believes it, Elena," Maya said, her voice full of pity. "Look at the comments."
I scrolled down.
She’s literally a maid.
Gross. How much is he paying her to be his dog?
And she was with that South-High guy last night? She’s a total pro.
"I can't stay here," I said, standing up. "I'm going to the library. I have to study."
"I'll come with you," Maya said.
"No. I need to be alone."
I limped toward the library, my cane clicking loudly on the tile. I felt like everyone was watching me, waiting for me to trip or start begging again. I pushed open the library doors and went to the very back, hiding behind the tall history shelves.
I sat on the floor and put my head in my hands.
"Crying again?"
I jumped. Liam was standing at the end of the aisle. He wasn't in his hockey gear today. He was wearing a plain gray hoodie, and he looked like he hadn't slept in a week.
"Go away, Liam," I said, wiping my face. "Haven't you done enough? Jax was in my room last night. He almost broke my desk looking for a recording I don't even have."
Liam frowned, stepping closer. "Jax went to your room? I didn't tell him to do that."
"Oh, so you only tell him to bully me at school? You save the home visits for special occasions?" I stood up, using the shelf for support. "What do you want? Do you have another puddle for me to clean?"
"I saw the video," Liam said. He sounded tired. "The one on the blog."
"And? I bet you loved it. It makes you look like the big, powerful King of Northview, doesn't it?"
"It’s fake, Elena," Liam said quietly.
I froze. I looked at him, my heart skipping a beat. "What did you say?"
"The audio. It’s fake," he repeated. "I was there. I know what you said. You didn't beg for money. You were telling Chloe to move."
"Then why didn't you say anything?" I shouted, my voice echoing through the library. "Why didn't you post a comment? Why didn't you tell Jax to stop? You let everyone think I’m a beggar!"
"Because I'm angry!" Liam shouted back, his face turning red. "I'm still angry about the first recording! I’m angry that I can’t stop thinking about you! I’m angry that you brought that guy to my game just to spit in my face!"
"He was a friend! He was the only person who treated me like a human being all week!"
"He was touching you!" Liam stepped into my space, his breath hot on my face. "I wanted to break his hand, Elena. I wanted to drag you off those bleachers and remind you that you’re mine."
"I am not yours!" I pushed him, my hands hitting his chest. "I am a girl who tutors you. I am the help. That’s what you wanted, right? Well, you got it. Now leave me alone!"
Liam didn't move. He grabbed my wrists and held them against his chest. "You think I want this? You think I enjoy being this person? Every time I look at you, I feel like I'm drowning."
"Then let go," I whispered.
"I can't," he said, his voice breaking. "But I can't trust you either. Chloe has more, Elena. She has photos of you meeting with someone from the rival school’s board. She says you’re selling my dad’s merger secrets."
"I don't even know what a merger secret is!" I cried. "Liam, she's lying! Can't you see she's trying to destroy me?"
"She has proof," he said, but his grip on my wrists loosened. "But then I see you... and I remember that night on the bridge... and I don't know what's real anymore."
The library doors swung open. We both jumped apart as Chloe walked in, her phone in her hand and a sharp smile on her face. "There you are, Liam. Your father is on the phone. He just got an anonymous email with Elena’s bank statement. It seems she just received a very large deposit from a 'mystery' source. Care to explain that, Elena?"