Play the Game Boy (BWWM)

chapter 14

Faith

Activities on the gossip site had ceased for a few weeks, and the rumour mill had gotten so quiet that I thought this whole thing might have blown over completely.

But it hadn't.

I was at work when Meghan texted me about the new update. It hadn't followed the list I had been given this time. It had skipped Antoine McMirtle and Chad Evans and had gone straight to the city's blond devil. Brendan Wenthward.

His entry was short, a couple lines at most, where he admitted to being the owner of the website. And this whole thing would've seemed far-fetched to me if the police hadn't managed to trace back Brendan's IP address to the website supposedly a couple hours before his blogpost was put online.

It didn't make sense to me.

Although Brendan had a motive —he disliked most of the popular people that hung around him because of his status— he wouldn't go as far as becoming a real-life Gossip Girl for a summer, ruining his father's credibility in the meanwhile. It just didn't add up.

Faith, if we don't find who's behind the website in time and we all end up getting exposed, promise me nothing will change between us.

And so I decided I'd trust him, no matter what the evidence, that could've well enough been tampered with, said. I trusted Brendan and I knew he wasn't behind any of this.

What I needed to do now, was find out who was the mastermind behind his false incrimination. And so I got to work, at work.

I tried calling Brendan's phone, but he didn't pick up, as expected. I sighed out, looking at the blog post again. I just couldn't believe somebody would do something like this, and then try to pin it on Brendan. That was just messed up, evil.

I was staring blankly at my phone when Sebastian's voice snatched me from my pulsing thoughts. I dropped my phone before looking up at the other intern. He was holding a bouquet of red roses, looking slightly amused by my reaction.

He looked down at my phone, noticing the website page.

"Pretty messed up what he did, right?" Sebastian said, as if I had asked for his two cents. He handed me the flowers. "I'm guessing these are from him although I wonder how he managed to ship them out from his interrogation room."

I rolled my eyes, snatching the flowers from him.

"Brendan didn't do anything," I hissed.

"Sure Mrs Wenthward," Sebastian let out jokingly. "Look, everybody in this office can tell you two are getting it on and that's how you got your position, so good luck explaining to Papa Wenthward you weren't an accomplice and had no idea what his son was up to."

My cheeks heated up from what Sebastian had just implied and I furrowed my brows.

"Brendan and I, we're not getting it on. At all. We, like, hate each other, and it wasn't him who did this, I know that, and his father does too," I managed to stutter out before Sebastian, who looked extremely incredulous, marched away from my desk.

I sighed before holding up the flowers, knowing they were from the cyberbully.

I picked up the small card that was nestled in between the blood petals and opened it. The message was short, but told a whole lot.

Payback's a bitch.
Thank me later.

In fact, it wasn't the message that told a lot, it was the scribbled signature at the bottom of the card that did. My eyes widened as I automatically recognized it.

No way.

I felt like fainting, here, on my desk, but I couldn't, I needed to verify that this was really the truth. I stuffed the card inside the pocket of my skirt before subtly heading towards the escalators down to get to the first floor. I got up to the blonde receptionist, looking as laidback as I possibly could, trying to conceal the tremble in my voice as I spoke :

"Hello, could I get a copy of all previous interns the firm has employed?"

The middle-aged receptionist whose small plaque read the name Suzy pursed thin lips that were messily coated with coral lipstick.

"On what grounds?" she asked sternly. Wow, I really didn't think this through.

Sebastian's taunts from earlier repeated in my mind, Look, everybody in this office can tell you two are getting it on and that's how you got your position. I decided to use the rumours to my advantage.

"It's about what happened with Brendan, Mr Wenthward's son. You see, Mr Wenthward himself asked me to retrieve this information to help with the investigation because he trusts that I can get it quickly. But if you think you can't help me I'll just tell our boss that the files were sealed or something," I said before feigning to turn around and leave.

As expected, Suzy let out a stubborn :

"Wait!"

I quickly suppressed the smile that had found its way on my lips before spinning back around to face the receptionist.

"Yes?" I said, looking unbothered.

"Let me see what I can do," Suzy replied, this time with a helpful smile. When she began typing and focused back on her screen, I allowed myself to breathe out. Coercion wasn't too hard after all, Brendan would be proud.

Suzy printed out the document promptly and handed it to me, looking much more compliant. I refrained myself from rolling my eyes before thanking her for her cooperation.

I took the sheet and was about to leave until she stopped me again.

"The kid, Brendan, did he really do it?" she asked me, visibly concerned.

Did no one seriously have any faith in him? Did everybody really believe he was capable of such online tormenting? I never considered myself Brendan Wenthward's biggest fan, but by the looks of it, I might as well be crowned with the title since I seemed like the only person in the world who thought he was innocent.

"What do you think?" I simply snapped before spinning on my heels and heading back up the escalators to get to my small cubicle.

Only when I was sure that nobody was nearby to snoop on me did I open the document Suzy had given me. I scanned it impatiently before stumbling upon the name I had suspected would be there. I highlighted it in yellow aggressively, my heart pounding like crazy.

He worked there, prior to my employment, which would explain how he'd have access to the files. It had to be him.

I didn't know how to feel about that discovery —I felt betrayed by him, but knowing that Brendan wasn't guilty still comforted me ever so slightly. I sighed out, conflicted on how to cope with the news.

I wasn't thinking straight, and without Brendan here to be the irrational one out of our duo, I felt complied to fill in his role. I got up, stuffed the list in my purse, grabbed it, and left the office without looking back.

I had a visit to pay to the website's veritable owner.

As I got in the parking lot, I pulled out the card that had been attached to the flowers and observed the signature one last time. There it was, distinctly his, aggressive and mysterious, but highly revealing.

~ X