𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐍 𝐓𝐎 𝐃𝐈𝐄 ¹- jj maybank

𝟎𝟐𝟎; 𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘺 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨

SEASON 1
EPISODE 4

"Deny, deny, deny."

»»-----　　-----««

          VICTORIA WAS CURLED UP on her couch, half-focused on the movie playing on Netflix. She took a bite of her toast, savoring the warmth of it and letting herself sink into the calm of her day. For a moment, she felt relaxed—until the shrill, unexpected sound of the gate buzzer shattered her peace.

Annoyed, she put down her plate, muttering under her breath as she moved to the security monitor. Her eyes widened, her stomach tightening when she saw Rafe, Kelce, and Topper standing there, staring directly into the camera. She hesitated, her pulse racing, before pressing the button to let them in. She unlocked the front door and leaned against the frame, arms crossed, watching them approach with a sense of dread settling over her.

"Hi there," she greeted, forcing a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Nice seeing you too, huh?" Rafe replied with that unsettling smirk that always made her skin crawl.

Victoria held her ground, her gaze steady, though every instinct screamed for her to be cautious. "How can I help?" she asked, feigning cluelessness. She knew exactly why they were here, but she wanted them to spell it out.

Topper's eyes narrowed, his tone dripping with suspicion. "I think you know."

She raised her eyebrows, crossing her arms tighter across her chest. "Well, I don't think so," she said, matching his defiance with a level gaze.

Topper stepped closer, his presence looming. "Let's get this straight. We know what you and your dirty friend, Pope, did to my boat," he sneered, his voice low and accusatory.

Victoria's stomach clenched, but she kept her face calm, refusing to give them the satisfaction of seeing her panic.

Topper continued, his tone shifting to something almost patronizing. "We're giving you one last chance, Vic. We'll leave you out of it, even though you clearly helped him." He smirked, leaning forward. "I'll keep your name out of the statement to the police. But take this as a warning. We used to be good friends, didn't we? Maybe once you realize how pathetic they are, you'll come back to your senses. You're too smart to be hanging around with worthless pieces of shit."

Victoria swallowed hard, her fingers tightening around her arms, but she forced herself to stay calm. "I'm sorry, Top," she said, her voice measured, "that your boat sunk. Really, I am. But I can assure you, I had nothing to do with it. Neither did Pope."

"God, can you stop acting so fucking dumb!" Rafe's sudden outburst startled her. He shoved Topper aside and moved in closer, his face inches from hers, his anger palpable. His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "We know you were involved. So do you. There's no point dragging this out. But take this as a warning. Tell Pope too, he's not getting away with this."

Rafe held her gaze for a moment longer, the tension thick between them, before signaling to his friends. He turned to leave, and Victoria muttered a quiet, bitter "Bye then," barely able to get the words out as she shut the door.

As soon as it closed, she felt her whole body shudder, and she took a step back, her hand trembling as it covered her mouth. Her mind raced, the gravity of the situation crashing down on her. They know. They fucking know. Panic clawed its way up her throat, and she struggled to breathe as the reality of what had just happened sank in. If her parents found out, she would be dead.

Victoria quickly changed out of her pajamas, throwing on a shirt and jeans before grabbing her keys and racing out to her car. Anxiety clawed at her, making her hands shake as she gripped the steering wheel. Her mind was a whirlwind of worry as she drove, chewing at her cheeks in thought. What were they going to do now? She knew how much Pope needed that scholarship, how important his future was—and the risks he'd taken by helping her were the last thing he needed. Worse, her mother and Eric had made it crystal clear, she shouldn't be around with them.