Free Starbound: A Starstruck Novel by Brenda Hiatt Page B

trembling, then seemed to get a grip on herself. “It’s… She’s… M, she’s got pictures , on her phone, of you and some guy half naked, like you’re right in the middle of…of…” She stared helplessly at me. “How—? Who—?”
    “Yeah, I want to know both of those answers, too.” I kept looking Molly in the eye. “She obviously faked the picture somehow, but who is the guy?”
    “Faked? But… Oh! Of course! ” Her relief was so great, so obvious, that for a second I could almost feel it, like I did Rigel’s emotions. “The picture doesn’t show the guy’s face, or even his hair, so there’s no knowing who it is. But she’s definitely got your face on there!”
    “That obnoxious little—! ” Rigel’s and Sean’s behavior suddenly made sense, though I was furiously insulted either of them could have possibly thought the picture was real.  
    Molly flapped her hands apologetically. “I’m sorry, M. I…I should have known the second I saw it that she’d stuck your face on somebody else—maybe some porn picture she found online, I don’t know. But…it looked so real. Whether she faked it herself or had someone do it for her, they did an awfully good job.”
    I glared in Trina’s direction, where she and a few others were still giggling over her phone. “I’m pretty sure Trina has shown it to Sean and Rigel and they both assumed it’s the other one in that nasty picture with me. She probably even told them that.”
    Molly gasped. “What a—”
    “Exactly. And I’m going to tell her so to her face. Can you find the guys and explain to them what’s really going on? And if you want to tell them they’re both jerks for believing that about me, I’m okay with that, too.”
    She hurried off and I headed toward Trina, determined that this would be the last time she ever messed with me.

C HAPTER 8

    camastall (KAM-uh-stahl): deception; deceit; falsification

    Sean
     
    Instead of trying to eat lunch, which is impossible now anyway, I head to the nearly-deserted gym to shoot some baskets and blow off steam. Of course, I’d rather do it by pummeling Rigel into jelly. I came close just now. I was still reeling from that disgusting picture of M and Rigel on Trina’s phone when I looked up to see M hanging onto his arm, right in front of me…
    It’s been bad enough, the way M’s been acting this past week, all sexy with her tight sweaters and extra wiggle in her walk. Guess now I know why.
    With a groan, I shoot another three-pointer, trying to shove that awful image out of my head, afraid the rage will take over again. Afraid I really will kill Rigel, which would probably put a crimp in our plans to leave tomorrow. I only have till the fifth period bell rings to—
    “There you are!”
    I miss my next shot as I whip my head around to see Molly coming toward me. “Go away.”  
    “Not a chance. You know you’re an idiot, right? And a jerk?” She walks right up to me, where we’ll be out of earshot of the guys horsing around at the other end of the court. She looks pissed but also a little smug.  
    “I mean it, Molly. Leave me alone.”
    “I already told you, no way. I know why you’re upset, Sean, and it means you’re an idiot. I saw the picture, too—and I’ll admit I believed it for a few seconds. It looked pretty real. But come on, Sean! It’s Trina!”
    Hope and relief I’m afraid to feel start to bloom in my chest. “ Looked real? What do you mean?” But even as I ask, it’s obvious. Even a stupid Duchas like Trina probably knows how to doctor a photo.  
    Molly confirms my belated revelation. “She faked it, of course. All she needed was a good picture of M and Photoshop.”
    “And a picture of Stuart. Naked. Don’t forget that.”  
    She shakes her head. “Nope. Wasn’t Rigel. Wasn’t you. She just wanted both of you to think that. Probably some random guy off the internet—though she probably had to hunt to find one that anonymous. Just a naked back, no