Six Little Secrets

by Katlyn Duncan

  ‘We have some classes together,’ Zoe offered.

  ‘But not all,’ Teddy said.

  ‘I’d never be caught dead hanging out with any of you,’ Q said with a stupid grin on his face.

  ‘Likewise,’ Jackie said.

  ‘Then let’s look outside of school,’ Holly said.

  ‘I think school is all we do have in common,’ Jackie said. ‘Sorry, but we don’t move in the same circles.’

  ‘What if it’s a bunch of people who ganged up together to make us do embarrassing things?’ Cece suggested.

  ‘For what reason, though?’ Teddy asked.

  ‘Why is any of this happening?’ Cece asked.

  Zoe tried to connect the dots, but nothing came to mind. Someone knew they were all going to be in detention that week. If she opened that discussion then they would want to know why she was there. That was something she’d never tell. Apparently, they all had secrets, just like that strange voice said. But this person included her in the ‘six’—how did he know that Zoe would be there? She wasn’t in trouble. Maybe someone else was meant to be there too? She had most likely been roped into the situation by accident.

  Or did he know her secret?

  She circled back around to the question. Why them? Why these particular people?

  If there was a common thread, she wasn’t able to connect more than two of them at a time. She knew Teddy from her past, but now they shared only one class together. She and Holly shared theater and English class, while the rest of the kids were in a smattering of other classes. Zoe didn’t do any after-school activities, so she wasn’t sure if the others had any in common?

  A light flickered in the corner of Zoe’s vision. Next to the main circulation desk was a television mounted on a big cart. Not all of the classrooms had televisions, so this one moved around from classroom to classroom on days that the teachers showed movies. Mostly the non-honors classes were offered the movies in standard definition while the honors kids—and several of their parents with deep pockets—had access to better audiovisual equipment.

  The screen came up with static filling the space. The sound was off, so there was nothing to alert Mr. Curtis that the television turned on.

  ‘Who did that?’ Jackie asked.

  ‘Who do you think?’ Teddy asked, sitting up straighter.

  ‘This is getting interesting,’ Q said.

  ‘Or terrifying,’ Cece said.

  They stared at the screen, waiting for something to happen.

  Then the static stopped, the screen went blank into black nothingness.

  Zoe preferred the static. If someone had turned the television on as a joke, that was okay with her. But deep down she knew what was coming next.

  White lettering scrolled across the screen like a tickertape, each letter slowly revealing itself from right to left.

  TICK TOCK, CECE. TEN MINUTES.

  The words went through that cycle twice, as if they needed to reread them, and then the screen turned off.

  Zoe tore her eyes away from the television and landed on Cece.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CECE

  Two Days Earlier

  Cece checked Davina Winter’s photo one more time before taking a final look in the mirror. She couldn’t believe her luck when she’d snagged the flowy, gray blouse from Saks yesterday. It was the perfect match to the supermodel’s red-carpet ensemble. The girls were going to be so jealous.

  The warning bell rang for first period, and Cece attempted to swallow the thickness in her throat. It was the same feeling every time she wore a piece from one of her shopping trips. That feeling almost outweighed the excitement that bubbled inside of her. But not quite. She quickly surrendered to that feeling, placing the carefully constructed smile on her face. She adjusted the collar of the shirt, the silky fabric slipping through her fingers and took one final look before leaving the girls’ room.

  Liza and Keelan were outside, waiting for Cece’s debut. She’d texted them all last night after finding the shirt.

  ‘Oh my god!’ Liza said when Cece stepped out of the bathroom.

  She beamed broadly. ‘I told you it was perfect.’

  Keelan’s mouth opened wide. ‘Is it as soft as it looks? I really want to touch it. Can I touch it?’

  Cece giggled. ‘It’s not like Davina wore this exact shirt. But sure, go ahead.’

  Keelan touched the fabric gently as if she were handling a breakable heirloom. ‘You’re so lucky. You always find the best pieces.’

  ‘It’s an art,’ Cece said, already feeling the soreness in her cheeks. She held onto the smile harder, determined to keep it in place. She couldn’t give away anything, ever. If she did, she feared her shameful secret would come out.

  ‘Did your parents ask how much it was?’ Keelan asked. ‘How much was it?’

  Cece had had a credit card since she was ten. Her parents had no issue with her purchasing whatever she wanted, but even unlimited funds weren’t essential when it came to getting what she wanted in her own way.

  ‘I don’t buy and tell,’ Cece said.

  ‘You’re so bad!’ Liza said, laughing.

  ‘I know,’ Cece said. She wanted to get to class. She found it exhausting to talk about her new outfits for more than a few minutes. That creepy, twisting feeling in her gut always returned, and she wanted to sit down and regroup before she saw them again.

  ‘What did I miss yesterday?’ Cece asked Liza, knowing her friend would fill the rest of the time until they arrived at class.

  Cece didn’t miss much. Though she did worry about her shift at the Student Council drunk-driving event table. Liza had covered for her.

  ‘It was worth it to look that good!’ Liza said to Cece.

  ‘I promise I’ll take your shift today at lunch,’ Cece said.

  ‘Good,’ Liza said. ‘I’m totally not ready for Mr. Curtis’ test today. I need to review my notes during lunch.

  ‘If you need help,’ Keelan said, ‘I made flashcards.’

  ‘Oh my god!’ Liza said. ‘That would be great.’

  They arrived outside Mrs. Hathaway’s classroom and lingered in the hallway with their other classmates. It was an advanced placement class, but no one wanted to go in until the last possible second.

  Cece glanced in the room. She wanted to go to her seat as the sick feeling in her stomach still hadn’t subsided.

  Teddy James was the only one in the classroom other than Mrs. Hathaway. His head was buried in a book, as usual. He was already reading the next novel for class. What a show-off.

  Keelan handed over the flashcards to Liza. ‘You’re a lifesaver.’

  ‘Come on in,’ Mrs. Hathaway said as the final bell rang. She came over to the doorway to stand as a sentry outside the classroom, just as the rest of the teachers did.

  Cece saw her chance and took it. She zoomed into the room.

  ‘Ms. Cho,’ Mrs. Hathaway said from behind her.

  Cece slowly turned around, placing the smile back on her face.

  ‘I need to speak with you in the hallway,’ Mrs. Hathaway said.

  Liza and Keelan gave Cece a look.

  Cece shrugged and walked out of the room.

  ‘Are you feeling better?’ Mrs. Hathaway asked, her eyes burned into Cece’s.

  Cece lifted her chin and nodded. ‘Yes, thank you.’

  ‘Good,’ Mrs. Hathaway said. She scanned the hallway and then looked back at Cece. ‘I received a phone call from Principal Killian this morning.’

  ‘Oh?’ Cece muttered.

  ‘He wants to see you in his office immediately,’ she said.

  Her expression gave away nothing, but Cece had a clear idea what the principal wanted to talk about. Or did she?

  ‘Do you know why?’ Cece asked, saying each word slowly so her teacher wouldn’t hear the tremble in her voice.

  ‘I don’t,’ Mrs. Hathaway said. ‘But you’re a good student. I’m sure it’s nothing serious. Come straight back to class when you’re
finished.’

  For once, Cece wanted to stay in class for another boring lecture rather than face the principal. Not once in her life had she entered that man’s office. And now she was asked to go there the day after she’d skipped school?

  She didn’t have to be Teddy James to put two and two together.

  Heat moved behind her eyes as she walked down the empty hallway. What was Principal Killian going to do? Tell her parents? She thought she’d covered her tracks with a fake note from her mom.

  With her parents constantly up her sister’s butt all the time, why would they notice their youngest daughter skipping school once?

  What if he also knew about what she’d done while skipping class? She thought that was a stretch, but her mind was on overload, filling with questions and scenarios.

  Tears slipped down her cheeks. She hated that she cried so easily. It always gave away her guilt. She wiped at her damp cheeks and took a deep breath.

  Last time was the last time. But when she saw that the shirt had arrived at the store during her nightly fashion hunt, she couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

  Now she was going to pay for it.

  Her parents were going to be so pissed.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CECE

  Saturday

  Cece’s eyes were glued to the television screen as her shoulders slowly crept up to her ears. Her carefully rehearsed façade started to crack.

  ‘What are you going to do?’ Holly asked.

  Cece whipped her head around. ‘What do you think I’m going to do? I’m going to sit here and finish this stupid chain.’

  ‘You saw what happened to Teddy when he did that,’ Jackie said.

  Cece cut a look her way. ‘Nothing happened to Teddy. Some stupid ping went off on his phone. That proves nothing.’

  ‘Do you want to test that theory?’ Q asked.

  Cece swallowed the truck-sized lump in her throat. She tried to sound cool about the entire situation, but the way that Teddy’s face paled she knew something had happened to his money. She didn’t want to test it, but she also didn’t want to post naked pictures of herself online. She had thousands of followers, a lot of them carefully curated fashion gurus who if they saw she was just some dumb high school student posting nudes would unfollow her instantly. Or would they share the photo, thinking she was making some fashion statement? Either way, it wouldn’t work in her favor.

  What was the alternative? What did this person have on her? Her reputation was paramount—what had she done in public to allow someone to see her in any other state than perfect?

  ‘If you post the picture, you can always take it down right after,’ Jackie said.

  ‘Would you take the picture?’ Cece asked. She and Jackie weren’t exactly friends, but Cece usually tried to stay on the safe side of the cheerleader. Cece saw what happened when people went against Jackie.

  Keeping her reputation squeaky clean was somewhat of an obsession for Cece. So there was no way this person, whoever he was, could know anything except for what she put out there. Her parents barely knew her. Not that they ever made an effort. They gave Hannah their full attention. She was on track to medical school to become a doctor like their parents, while Cece was more interested in fashion. A poor choice in career, according to her parents. She’d only had to mention it once before they berated her.

  ‘There’s no stability,’ Dad had said so many times before.

  ‘You need a backup,’ Mom always said.

  A backup for her passion? No way. She was going to pursue this career whether they liked it or not. Though she would prefer it if they agreed with her. She hated the fact that they looked down their noses at an artistic career. Though neither of them had a creative bone in their body, so they wouldn’t understand.

  Their constant need for her to live up to Hannah’s Golden Child persona drove Cece to do the things she did. They didn’t support her. So she found a way to support herself.

  And now someone was going to expose that.

  Or was this person bluffing?

  Could she take the risk?

  Her heart roared in her ears, bringing her attention to the truth.

  No, she couldn’t.

  Jackie was right. Cece could put up the picture to satisfy the person who was playing jokes on them and then take it down. Teens had their nude photos passed around all the time. She’d rather that be the topic of conversation than her secret. Her parents would never trust her again if they found out. And she’d get a worse punishment than detention.

  ‘Can you cover for me?’ Cece asked the group. Whether or not they liked each other, they were in this together. All of them were targets and would have their challenge.

  Holly scooted into Cece’s seat since she was the closest to the office.

  Cece ducked and crept behind Q and Teddy’s chairs.

  ‘Are you sure I can’t watch?’ Q asked.

  Cece pinched him, squeezing the roll of skin that folded over the waist of his pants.

  ‘Ow!’ Q said.

  The others shushed him.

  ‘I’ll see the picture soon enough,’ Q warned.

  Not if she had anything to do with it. Once she posted the photo, she was going to delete it the moment her turn was over. No one in this room would ever see it. Besides, they weren’t getting their phones back until the end of detention.

  Glancing at the clock, she didn’t have much time left, so she hustled over to the biography section, identified by a placard on the end cap.

  It was far enough away from the others to keep her hidden, but close enough to be able to see the tops of their heads over the books to make sure they stayed put. Especially Q.

  The laptop was set up on one of the shelves.

  The screen had a note stuck to it with a pink Post-it, which read, ‘You contact anyone, and the game is over for all of you.’

  Cece nodded as if someone was speaking to her. She couldn’t care less about the others’ secrets. She’d do anything to keep hers.

  She moved her finger over the touchpad, and the screen came to life. A photo app was already up and running. Cece’s body filled the space. She ran her finger down to the bottom of the display and nothing came up. No taskbar. Nothing.

  She thought about trying harder to contact the outside world, but she had to think of one thing at a time. And keeping her parents out of the loop was her number one priority.

  She glanced over the books at the others.

  Not wanting to push her luck, she moved away from the computer and lifted her sweater over her head. She folded it neatly and placed it on the ground. She did the same with her pants. All there was left was her underwear and bra.

  They were all working on the chain. The sound of the staplers made sure to cover any sound she might make.

  Over their heads, Mr. Curtis was still oblivious to anything going on. She supposed it was better having a teacher who was more relaxed than some who were like hawks. If she could be grateful for anything, it would be that.

  She took a breath and moved in front of the camera, while simultaneously removing her bra. She shoved down her underwear and stood up.

  She felt a little like she did in the dressing room at her favorite clothing shops, uncomfortable that someone might catch her. She shook away the thought, imagining she was in her bedroom privately changing. It was all she could do or else she might not have had the nerve.

  Seeing herself on the computer screen made goosebumps ripple across her skin. A cold chill moved down her spine, and it took all of her strength to hold back the shivers that threatened to force her to crumple to the floor.

  Tears pricked at her eyes as she reached forward and pressed the RECORD button. A countdown starting at ten blinked at the top of the screen.

  Once the computer snapped the photo, she dropped to the ground and threw on her clothes, quicker than she’d ever done before.

  Her body violently shook as she covered up. Her vision blurred and she sniffed, tr
ying to hold back her tears.

  When she stood up to see the photo, it was gone, and the app was gone, revealing only the desktop. The background was some cartoon creature that resembled a giant wolf. The skin above his nose was wrinkled as his lips turned up into a snarl, revealing sharp white teeth with saliva dripping down its mouth.

  Her stomach turned at the image, or maybe it had been what she’d just done.

  Her photo was a small icon in the otherwise empty screen. She found the Internet browser and logged into her account. She didn’t know how much time she had left, but it wasn’t much. She’d hesitated too long before, and now she cut it way too close for any mistakes. She uploaded the photo. There hadn’t been any instructions on what she was supposed to write in the post, and she thought of nothing.

  What could she say? It was obvious she’d taken the photo. She stared at her face, trying to keep her attention off the fact that she was naked.

  ‘Cece,’ someone said.

  Cece jumped back and slammed the laptop closed.

  Teddy’s eyes and forehead appeared on the other side of the shelf. ‘I didn’t mean to scare you.’

  ‘What are you doing?’ Cece hissed.

  ‘You don’t have that much more time,’ Teddy whispered.

  Cece placed her hands on the laptop for a moment before lifting the top.

  The browser was still open, and all she had to do was post it.

  She moved her finger over the trackpad and hovered the cursor over the POST button. But she couldn’t force her finger to press down on the pad to send the photo. Her stomach rolled.

  Again, she couldn’t help but think that this person didn’t have any evidence of what she’d done. Maybe the naked photo was her punishment, and the evidence was a bluff.

  She choked on a sob and counted to twenty.

  The screen on the laptop flashed then went dark. Her time was up. She gripped the edge of the laptop in her hands. ‘What? Wait!’

  Something moved in her peripheral vision—it was the television again. It came alive, proving that this whole thing wasn’t a joke at all.