UNBREAKABLE

Chapter 15

"WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM?" ART's brows met as he held the remote with one hand while the other massaged his chest.

Avery's action was unexpected. I looked at her and asked, "What happened?"

Her forehead wrinkled. The stare she gave Art turned into a scowl. Then, without a word, she placed her phone in front of my face. Finally, she looked me in the eye and turned to Art.

"What's the meaning of this?" she asked him.

At first, I only saw moving shadows in a dark bar. Then, more shadows danced to the music. Finally, the camera moved and focused on several guys sitting in a booth. Most were loud and drinking. Art stood out because even in the dark, I could recognize him. He was quietly watching the men at the table.

In a snap, the camera turned away. A tall, long-haired woman seductively dancing appeared. The camera followed her as she walked toward Art's table. When she reached the group, she placed her hand on Art's shoulder. Though Art fastly took off her hand, the woman was relentless. She started gyrating as she moved closer to him. Loud whistling and cursing of the men on the table followed.

Art bowed his head and covered his ears. But nothing could stop the woman. Each time Art moved away, she moved closer. She looked like a wild animal after her prey. Though her face was unrecognizable, her mission was clear: to get Art.

The more Art moved away, the faster the woman followed him. The chasing earned louder whistling and yelling from the spectators. The camera paced with the woman's significant strides. When Art hit a wall, the cheering turned the loudest.

Screams of encouragement for the woman filled the bar. Art had nowhere to go. His face whitened. Before he could do or say anything, his seductress had grabbed his collar and pressed her mouth on his. He tried to move his face away, but the woman was brazen. She cupped Art's face with both hands and made him face her. Then, in a flash, she pressed her lips to his.

When Art placed his hands on the woman's shoulders and pushed her away, she faced the camera. The moment she showed her face, my greatest fear came to life. All the while the video was playing, I kept hoping it wasn't happening. But when the scenes unfolded, I started praying it wasn't who I was thinking. But I should have known better.

Facing the camera with a smirk on her face was Paisley. She slowly licked the sides of her mouth and ended the video with a bow as if she had done something worth praising.

I couldn't breathe as rage and helplessness occupied my body. I wanted to shout, curse, and blame someone. But knowing our parents were in the same house, I decided to keep quiet. When I looked at Art, his face paled, watching the same video on Avery's phone.

He looked up and faced me as if he felt I was watching him. As much as I would want my heart to follow my mind, I couldn't. When my tears started to fall, I ran for the bathroom.

I heard Art's voice calling my name. I didn't stop and locked the door as soon as I entered the bathroom.

What am I doing here? Shouldn't I confront him? When was it? Why didn't he tell me?

All questions kept playing on my mind. For sure, Art has an explanation. He didn't consent to Paisley's actions. But why would he come to where he knew she would be? I thought we made a promise to tell each other, even little things.

But my mind kept telling me what I saw on the video was not one of those little things. It was huge! Something I would expect him to tell me since there was an exchange of saliva and gyrating concerned.

My limitless questions stopped when Art started knocking on the door. He called my name numerous times, but I couldn't answer. It felt like the video sucked all my strength, including my voice. So I remained quiet as I slowly sat on the tiled floor.

"Shells..." Art called my name again.

When I didn't respond, he continued talking.

"I know you can hear me. But, before you make your judgment, please hear me out. It was the Freshman Night. I didn't expect her to find me the more do what she did. But I tried my best to avoid her. I immediately left after I pushed her away."

When I heard him sniffle, I felt my heart cringe because I knew he was telling the truth, and the video proved it.

"Why did you hide it from me?" I asked.

"I was planning to tell you, but I couldn't find the timing. I don't want to ruin Thanksgiving. So I thought it's best to tell you when I drive you back to Connecticut. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner."

Art stopped talking. Suddenly the sniffle turned into soft sobs. Then Avery's voice followed. "Look at you, stupid! I told you Pastry's intention was no good. God! Guys are freaking stupid! What are you going to do now, huh? Pray hard that campus Barbie flunks her classes!"

"I don't care about her! I only care about Shells. If I have to change schools, I'd be glad to."

"Wow! What a hero you are!" Avery clapped her hands.

"I'm not joking, Ave! I'll do anything to prove my word."

I immediately unlocked and opened the door. Art was sitting on the floor outside the door while Avery watched him with her hands on her hips.

"You don't need to do that. Instead, we should give each other a break to focus on our studies more."

Avery's face flushed upon hearing my statement. Art stood up quickly and took my hand.

"Shells, please. Let's talk."

***