The Captain's Dirty Little Secret

The office was too quiet.

Roxie sat beside Angela on the small couch near Principal Gonzalez’s desk, one leg stretched slightly because of her ankle while Angela kept both hands locked together in her lap. Mr. and Mrs. Hart sat across from them, close enough that Mrs. Hart could reach over whenever Angela started moving too much.

Karen occupied the chair beside Roxie with sunglasses on indoors, one elbow braced against the armrest and two fingers pressed against her temple like even the fluorescent lights were personally attacking her.

Roxie had already looked at her three times before leaning closer. "You okay?"

"Headache."

Roxie looked at the sunglasses again, then remembered the bottle from last night. "How much did you actually drink?"

Karen slowly turned her face toward her. "Why are you interrogating me?"

"Because you look like death."

Karen groaned and pressed her fingers harder against her temple. "I’m fine. I barely slept last night."

Roxie narrowed her eyes. Karen had definitely gotten drunk. Maybe not falling over drunk because she had been talking normally when her aunt picked her up, but enough that the alcohol could explain the sunglasses and the way she looked ready to murder anyone who spoke above a normal volume.

Then again, none of them had slept much lately, so Karen’s excuse was believable enough that Roxie let it go.

Angela shifted beside her, and Roxie’s attention returned to the reason they were sitting in this office in the first place.

Angela had barely spoken since they arrived. She had dressed properly that morning, but the oversized sweatshirt was back, sleeves pulled over most of her hands while her hair fell loose around her face. Every few minutes she looked toward the door.

Caleb had gone somewhere with his parents and the IT people before they arrived, and nobody had explained much beyond saying they were checking devices.

Angela’s knee started bouncing again until Mrs. Hart rested a hand over it. She stopped for a few seconds, then started again.

Roxie reached over and took her hand. "He’ll come."

Angela nodded, but her fingers tightened around Roxie’s.

Principal Gonzalez sat behind her desk with several folders open in front of her. One of the school IT staff stood near the filing cabinet with a laptop while another had disappeared almost twenty minutes ago.

Roxie hated this kind of waiting. She was much better when there was an actual person in front of her she could scream at.

The door suddenly opened.

Everybody looked up.

Caleb came in first with Bianca stumbling behind him, one wrist caught firmly in his hand while she twisted against his grip. Her face was pale, but even before Caleb released her, Bianca was already looking around the office, taking in who was there, where her phone was and exactly how bad the situation had become.

Caleb looked nothing like the exhausted boy who had slept beside Angela the night before. His eyes were still red, but his jaw was clenched hard enough to show the muscle beneath his cheek, and Bianca’s phone was in his other hand.

"Let go of me!" Bianca snapped.

Caleb released her the second they were fully inside and walked straight to Principal Gonzalez’s desk. He placed the phone down in front of her.

"Check it."

Bianca rubbed her wrist and stared at him. The panic Roxie had seen when she entered disappeared almost immediately beneath outrage.

"Are you seriously allowing this?" Bianca asked Principal Gonzalez. "He grabbed me, took my phone and dragged me here because he decided I’m guilty."

Principal Gonzalez looked from her to Caleb. "Caleb?"

"She said she never touched my phone. She said I’m lying. So check hers."

Bianca gave a disbelieving laugh. "Based on what? Because your phone ended up in my room once? Half the family was going in and out of that place. Bags were everywhere."

Caleb looked at her. "You were deleting something when I took your phone."

"I was deleting private messages because you were trying to go through them."

"Then you have nothing to worry about."

"I have plenty to worry about when apparently everyone here thinks being accused means I lose every right to privacy."

Roxie stared at her.

That was Bianca.

She wasn’t screaming that she didn’t do it anymore. She was twisting everything until Caleb looked like the one who had crossed the line.

Angela’s hand tightened around Roxie’s.

Bianca’s eyes moved toward Angela for only a second before she sighed and looked back at Principal Gonzalez. "I understand she’s upset. I would be too. But being upset doesn’t make Caleb’s theory true."

Oh God.

Roxie almost wanted to vomit.

The bitch was smart.

Even the adults seemed to hesitate because every word sounded reasonable if you ignored the way Bianca looked at Angela after saying it.

Mrs. Hart straightened. "My daughter is more than upset."

"I didn’t mean it that way."

"You know exactly how you meant it," Roxie muttered. "Bianca, this acting isn’t working."

Bianca looked genuinely confused. "Acting? I don’t know anything."

Karen’s hand closed around Roxie’s wrist before she could stand, and Roxie stayed seated even though every part of her wanted to wipe that innocent expression off Bianca’s face.

Bianca turned back toward Principal Gonzalez. "You can check whatever you legally have the right to check. I have nothing to hide. But I want it documented that Caleb took my phone without permission."

Caleb let out a breath through his nose. "Unbelievable."

"What?" Bianca looked at him. "You want me to confess to something I didn’t do just because your girlfriend cried?"

Angela flinched.

Caleb took one step forward. "Leave her out of your mouth."

Bianca lifted her eyebrows. "I’m literally here because of her."

"Caleb," Principal Gonzalez warned.

He stopped, but Roxie could see how much effort it took. His hands curled at his sides while Bianca softened her voice again.

"Caleb, think for a second. You were exhausted. Everyone was dealing with Grandma. Your phone disappeared, then you found it in my room. That’s it. You’re connecting things because you need somebody to blame."

Caleb stared at her.

"And now you’ve dragged me into school and taken my phone because you want this solved for your girlfriend." Bianca shook her head. "I get why you want to help her. I really do. But that doesn’t mean you get to destroy me to make her feel better."

If Roxie hadn’t known Bianca, she might have believed every fucking word.

The door opened before Caleb could answer.

A woman came in wrapped in enough designer labels to make Roxie dizzy. Her cream coat was tight at the waist, huge gold bracelets covered one wrist, diamonds flashed at her ears, and her perfume seemed to fill the room before she even made it fully inside.

Roxie knew immediately she was Bianca’s mother.

The woman looked around once, saw Bianca and marched straight toward her.

The slap came hard enough to turn Bianca’s face.

"Mom!"

"Second time?" Mrs. Reeves shrieked. "Second fucking time you make us come to a school because of your shit? Your father wouldn’t even come! He said he is done cleaning up after you!"

Bianca clutched her cheek. "I didn’t do anything!"

"Then why am I here? Why is everybody calling me? Why are lawyers calling me at eight in the fucking morning?"

"Because Caleb went insane!"

Mrs. Reeves spun toward him so quickly her bracelets clattered together. "And you! What the hell is wrong with you? Dragging your cousin around like some criminal?"

Caleb’s jaw tightened. "She was deleting something from her phone."

"So you grab her?"

"I was trying to stop her from deleting evidence."

Mrs. Reeves pointed directly in his face. "Lower your voice when you speak to me."

Caleb went still.

"Aunt, she had my phone when the picture was taken."

"I heard you!" Mrs. Reeves shouted. "I’m not deaf. You find one stupid phone in a bedroom and suddenly you think you’re the police?"

"That isn’t all."

"Then shut up and let the adults handle it."

Caleb’s face hardened, but he stopped talking.

Mrs. Reeves threw both hands up and looked around the office like she had been dragged into the stupidest situation imaginable. "This is ridiculous. Completely ridiculous. All of this over some picture?"

Angela went rigid beside Roxie.

Mrs. Hart stood immediately. "Some picture?"

Mrs. Reeves looked toward her. "You know what I mean."

"No, I don’t."

"It was a private picture. Fine. Embarrassing. Horrible. Whatever. But now everybody is acting like somebody died."

Mrs. Hart’s face changed.

Mr. Hart stood beside her.

"Our daughter’s intimate photograph was distributed without her consent."

"And why was she taking pictures like that in the first place?"

The room went silent.

Angela’s fingers went cold in Roxie’s hand.

Mrs. Reeves looked directly at her now, and whatever restraint Roxie had expected from an adult disappeared completely.

"You’re young. You know phones get hacked. You know pictures get shared. Why would you send something like that to a boy?"

Angela’s mouth opened, but nothing came out.

Mrs. Hart stepped between them. "You will stop speaking to my daughter like that."

Mrs. Reeves scoffed. "I’m telling the truth."

"No. You’re blaming her."

"I’m saying she should have used some common sense."

Mr. Hart’s voice cut through the room. "Enough."

Mrs. Reeves turned toward him. "Excuse me?"

"You will not come into this room and blame my daughter because somebody violated her privacy."

"She took the picture."

"She trusted someone she loved."

"And look what happened."

Caleb’s head snapped toward his aunt. "Aunt."

Mrs. Reeves pointed at him without even looking. "Stay out of this."

Caleb’s nostrils flared. "She sent it to me."

"Exactly!"

Mrs. Reeves turned fully toward him now.

"You had that picture on your phone. Your phone disappears. Now everybody wants to blame Bianca because apparently neither of you knew better than to keep naked pictures lying around."

Angela looked like she had been slapped too.

Caleb took a breath through his nose.

"Aunt, Angela did nothing wrong."

"Caleb, enough."

"She trusted me."

"And look how well that turned out!"

His jaw clenched.

Mrs. Reeves moved closer and jabbed a finger against his chest. "And don’t stand there getting smart with me because of some girl you’ve been dating for a few months. I am your elder. You speak properly when you speak to me."

Caleb looked down at her finger, then back at her face.

Roxie could see how badly he wanted to answer.

He didn’t.

He stepped back instead.

Mrs. Reeves seemed satisfied and turned toward the Harts again. "And another thing, if Bianca had something to do with this, we will handle Bianca. There was absolutely no reason to drag the Reeves family into some school scandal."

Mrs. Hart stared at her. "Your daughter dragged your family into it."

"You don’t know that!"

"That is why we are here."

"And your daughter is innocent in everything, I suppose?"

Mrs. Hart stepped forward.

Roxie had never seen her look like that.

"Yes."

Mrs. Reeves actually laughed. "Oh, please."

Mrs. Hart’s voice rose for the first time. "My daughter trusted her boyfriend with a private photograph. She did not give anyone permission to steal it. She did not give anyone permission to send it around this school. She did not ask boys to stare at her, girls to whisper about her or strangers to message her. So yes, she is innocent in what happened to her."

Mrs. Reeves rolled her eyes. "Keep telling her that. Maybe next time she sends a naked picture she’ll remember this."

Mr. Hart stepped forward so abruptly Principal Gonzalez moved around her desk.

"You will not speak to my child that way again."

Mrs. Reeves threw her hands up. "Oh, now you’re threatening me?"

"I am telling you to stop."

"I’m saying what nobody else has the guts to say!"

"You’re humiliating a seventeen-year-old girl who has already been humiliated enough."

"And whose fault is that?"

"Whoever stole the picture!"

Mrs. Reeves opened her mouth.

"Enough!" Principal Gonzalez’s voice finally rose above all of them. "This is my office. Angela Hart is the victim in this investigation, and there will be no further discussion blaming her for the unauthorized distribution of her photograph."

Mrs. Reeves scoffed loudly. "Fine. Everybody protect the poor girl."

Angela’s fingers tightened painfully around Roxie’s.

Roxie looked at her.

Angela’s eyes were fixed on the floor.

She looked smaller than she had when they walked in.

Caleb saw it too.

His face changed.

"Aunt."

Mrs. Reeves spun around. "What now?"

"Stop talking about her."

"Caleb."

"I mean it."

"You mean it?"

His voice stayed lower than hers, but the anger in it finally showed. "She has been dealing with this for days. She has barely slept. She has barely eaten. People are calling her names in school, strangers have her picture on their phones, and you walked in here and blamed her for it."

Mrs. Reeves stared at him. "Watch your tone."

Caleb shut his eyes for a second.

When he opened them again, his voice was quieter.

"I’m trying."

His jaw flexed.

Angela reached for his hand.

Caleb took it immediately.

Mrs. Reeves noticed and made a disgusted sound. "Oh, for God’s sake."

Caleb looked at her.

"See? This is exactly what I’m talking about. You’re standing there acting like we attacked your wife. She’s your high school girlfriend."

Angela’s hand loosened.

Caleb tightened his grip before she could pull away.

"Aunt."

"What? It’s true."

Bianca had been quiet through almost all of it.

Roxie noticed that now.

She stood behind her mother with one hand still resting against her cheek, eyes wet, shoulders slightly drawn in. Anyone walking into the room at that exact moment would have thought Bianca was the one being attacked.

Then she spoke softly.

"Mom, stop."

Mrs. Reeves turned toward her. "I’m defending you!"

"I know." Bianca wiped beneath one eye. "But this is making everything worse."

Of course.

Roxie nearly laughed.

Bianca looked toward Principal Gonzalez. "Just check the phone. I don’t care anymore. If that’s what everyone needs to prove I didn’t do anything, then check it."

Caleb stared at her.

Bianca looked at him next. "I just wish you had asked me instead of grabbing me and deciding I was guilty."

Mrs. Reeves spun back toward Caleb. "You hear that? She is cooperating and you dragged her in here like an animal."

Caleb looked exhausted now.

Roxie watched him take a slow breath before stepping closer to Angela instead of answering.

Bianca’s mother started again immediately.

"And I want somebody to tell me exactly what you people are doing with Bianca’s phone. Nobody is going through our private messages, family photos, financial information or anything else. You check what has to do with this stupid picture and that’s it."

Mr. Hart gave a short laugh.

Mrs. Reeves whipped around. "You think something is funny?"

"I think it is interesting that you are suddenly concerned about privacy."

Her face went red. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what I said."

Mrs. Hart put a hand against her husband’s arm before the argument could start again, but Mrs. Reeves was already pointing.

"Don’t get smart with me. Your family is the one creating all this drama."

Mrs. Hart stared at her. "Our daughter’s naked photograph is circulating around school."

"And your daughter took it!"

Mrs. Hart stepped forward again. "Say that one more time."

Angela looked up.

Roxie did too.

Mrs. Hart’s voice had gone frighteningly quiet.

Mrs. Reeves opened her mouth, but Principal Gonzalez cut across her.

"That is enough, Mrs. Reeves."

For once, Mrs. Reeves actually stopped.

The office door opened.

One of the IT staff returned carrying a laptop.

Every conversation died immediately.

Principal Gonzalez turned toward him. "Did you find something?"

The man nodded and placed the laptop on her desk.

Bianca’s fingers moved around her wrist once. Then she folded both hands against her stomach and settled her expression again.

Roxie saw it.

Karen did too because she suddenly sat straighter despite the sunglasses and headache.

Mrs. Reeves marched toward the desk first. "Well? What did you find?"

The IT staff looked at Principal Gonzalez. "We recovered the transfer history from Caleb’s device. The image was copied during the period he reported his phone missing."

Caleb’s fingers tightened around Angela’s.

Bianca stayed quiet.

Mrs. Reeves threw up one hand. "That still doesn’t prove Bianca did anything."

"By itself, no."

Principal Gonzalez leaned toward the laptop. "You found something else?"

"Yes."

Bianca looked at the screen.

Her face stayed controlled.

Roxie saw her swallow.

The IT staff continued. "We identified the device that received the transferred image."

Nobody spoke.

Mrs. Reeves snapped, "Then say whose it was."