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Cassie had always felt like Tuesdays were the worst day of the week. There wasn’t a specific reason she could pinpoint as to why she hated Tuesdays. Except, the pattern of bad things happening in her life ended up on a Tuesday.
She broke her arm in a stunt gone wrong at cheerleading on a Tuesday. Her parents announced their divorce on a Tuesday. The last time she had ever spoken to her dad was on a Tuesday.
Maybe it was superstition or maybe it was trauma; all Cassie knew was that Tuesdays had never brought her any good.
She would take reliving all of the previous Tuesdays if she could go back in time and protect her sister from Nate fucking Jacobs.
The day had started as any Tuesday would normally start. Both sisters fighting for bathroom space - Cassie loved her morning routine and Lexi normally relented unless she planned on seeing her boyfriend after school. Cassie hadn’t pushed her sister on the name of her boyfriend yet. All she knew was that Rue was aware of who it was and had vouched they were a good guy. That was all that mattered to Cassie. Plus, it would have been hypercritical given that she had hidden the disaster of a relationship with Nate from her sister.
Nate had come over that weekend and broken up with Cassie while she had locked herself in the bathroom. He had been livid asking about some disc while she sobbed uncontrollably. He had gotten unreasonably angry when she didn’t respond to his threat of ruining her life.
She had assumed his silence meant he was mulling over what his next threat would be to her. She had never imagined he looked over at her sister’s phone which she had left in her rush to see her boyfriend. A phone that conveniently had a passcode that mirrored her own, a passcode that Nate had access to and was aware of.
If she could turn back time she would have stood her ground in front of Nate. She would have used those years of self defense classes their uncle had insisted on paying for both Lexi and her. She would have fucked Nate Jacobs up in the way he was always harming anyone in his path.
She would have done anything to protect her sister from walking into East Highland High School to the buzz that nude pictures of her had been leaked to the slut pages.
At first she had assumed the rumor mill had fabricated the story to drum up a buzz because nothing major happened over the weekend at any of the parties. It wasn’t until Jules texted her to come to the bathroom immediately.
That had been out of the ordinary for Jules. When Cassie reached the bathroom she could hear the sobs coming from her sister. She could tell Jules was doing her best to comfort Lexi, but her words were falling on deaf ears.
It had knocked the wind out of Cassie’s chest to see the anguish on her sister's face. The last time she could recall this reaction was when the police had come to their home to offer their condolences and inform them that their father had been found dead at the local motel.
Cassie dropped to the ground next to her sister and hugged as tightly as possible.
“What happened Lex?” Cassie tried to make her tone as gentle as possible.
“Some.. Someone leaked my nudes and they were uploaded to that site the boys use to share the pictures and videos” Lexi’s voice trembled throughout her explanation.
Cassie and Jules shared a look of mutual heartbreak for her. Both had been subjected to the slut pages, but both had taken the hits and decided that highschool boys wouldn’t decide their value based on what was shared on that site . Lexi would never be like that. She would be the type to take any kind of criticism warranted or not and internalize it.
It was one of her most endearing qualities and one of her most concerning. She would take the criticism to heart. It had taken her a long time to break out of the shell of being the younger and prudish Howard sister. The leaks were going to be a major setback for Lexi’s confidence.
“It’s going to be okay, Lex. I’m here and you’re gonna be fine I promise” Cassie clutched her sister closer to her. Her crying seemed to be getting worse. It really wore on Cassie’s heart.
“How am I going to explain to my boyfriend that the school has seen these photos when I didn’t even send them to him?” Lexi seemed to be working herself into a worse state. She seemed to be teetering on the edge of a full blown panic attack.
“If he’s anything like Rue says he is, then he isn’t going to be mad at you. And if he is then he was never worth your time” Jules confident tone seemed to break through Lexi’s panic. The heartbreak was still clear, but Lexi was no longer panting like she wasn’t getting enough air in her lungs.
“Let’s get cut for the rest of the day and get you home” Cassie knew staying at the school was no longer an option. It was only the second period and the rumor mill was only going to get worse as the day dragged on. Lexi didn’t need to be subjected to anymore comments from classmates. Cassie would need to figure out a way that Lexi never reads any of the comments on the posts either. She had made that mistake once when her first set had been leaked. She wouldn’t let her sister suffer through that.
Nate:
heard your sister was having a rough morning… it’s a shame she never learned the lesson from you on not taking nudes if she didn’t want them shared with the school.
Cassie: fuck you. I don’t think you understand the problems you have just caused for yourself
Nate: how am I responsible for the fact your sister is finally showing that she’s a Howard? Maybe in the future she should keep her phone with her at all times or not take photos she doesn’t want shared. Can’t help that you both make bad decisions. It must be a Howard trait.
Cassie: you’re going to fucking regret this. I am going to ruin you in the way you think you ruined my sister. I’m not Maddy. I won’t go out of my way to protect you when you clearly fucked up.
The car ride home had been tense. Especially after her text message confrontation with Nate all but confirming he was the one that put her baby sister in the line of fire. Cassie would have taken Nate choking her out the way he had done to Maddy over this. Lexi didn’t need to suffer for some sick game Nate wanted to play with her.
Cassie watched as Jules helped get Lexi settled on their couch before heading into the kitchen area of the house. Lexi had stopped sobbing in the car ride home, but it was like a fugue state had taken over her body.
She followed Jules. She needed to do something. She needed to fix this for her baby sister.
“Do you know where Rue is right now?” she didn’t mean to sound like she was interrogating Jules. She could tell by the shake in her hands as she was looking for Lexi’s preferred tea bags that this was affecting her as well.
“Her location hasn’t changed in the last hour or so and it shows East Highland Certified Dairy” Jules answer was comforting to Cassie. It was unlikely that Rue would leave in the ten minutes it would take to get to the store.
“Listen, can you stay with Lex for a little bit? I need to find out who Lex’s boyfriend is” Cassie paused the weight of the situation crashing onto her, “I need to explain to him that Lexi didn’t do anything wrong. That Nate Jacobs caught her up in bullshit because of me.”
“I get that. I’ll stay here and take care of her. And Cas, I’m here to help when you are ready to fuck up Nate.” Jules reached out and squeezed her hand tightly.
Fezco took another drag of his black and mild. He tried to focus on whatever conversation Rue and Ash were having, but his eyes kept falling back to his phone.
It had been a little odd that he hadn’t gotten another text from Lexi after she arrived at school, but not really anything to worry about. He knew she preferred to only text him when class was going over material she already knew. Plus, it was still early in the day.
The sound of a car door slamming had Fezco alert. He felt confusion and worry when he realized it was Cassie barrelling into their store.
“Rue, are you in here? I need to fucking talk to you right now.” Cassie yelled.
Fezco shared a look with Rue. Neither of them liked the frantic edge of her tone. Fezco had spent his entire life honing in on people’s body language. Being able to perceive how they felt helped prepare for how they may act and right now Cassie’s tone and posture had alarm bells ringing in his head.
“I’m here, I’m here. What’s the fire about Cas?” Rue seemed genuinely confused by everything happening.
“Have you checked your goddamn phone at all today?” Cassie’s intensity was putting Fezco on edge even more.
“Nah, it’s been in the back charging. But like wanna explain to me what has you actin’ like this?” Rue seemed to be getting more nervous by Cassie’s energy too. Which was not a good sign to Fezco at all.
Cassie broke out crying at Rue’s question. “Fuck, Rue I need you to give me Lexi’s boyfriend’s name. Like right now.”
Rue glanced over at Fezco and then responded, “Look, I promised Lexi that I wouldn’t say nothin’ until she was comfortable sharing.”
“Fuck Rue, I need to know. You don’t understand Nate put her in a shitty fucking position and I need to explain to her boyfriend that it’s my fault and not Lexi’s.” Cassie took a deep breathe, “My little sister is currently at home falling apart and I can’t change what he did to her, but I can at least take responsibility to her fucking boyfriend.”
Fezco had a million thoughts running through his head. He still had the memory of Nate’s bones crunching under his fists on New Year's Eve. If Nate had put a single fucking hand on Lexi, well New Year’s Eve would be a mercy compared to what he would do to him now.
“Is Lexi alright? Like, fuck , what exactly did Nate do?” Rue’s voice cut Fezco’s thoughts off. He desperately wanted and needed to know what the fuck they were dealing with, but also wanted to delay any kind of news about the harm that’s come to Lexi.
“Look, I broke things off with Nate. He was being insane about some fucking tape – I don’t know he like took picutres off of Lex’s phone and leaked it to that website he runs.” Cassie was pointedly looking away from everyone.
Fezco was confused by what the fuck Cassie could mean.
“Shit, this is really bad. Like really fucking bad.” Rue’s wide eyed reaction wasn’t helping Fezco’s anxiety.
“What kind of fuckin’ site does that little bitch run?” Fezco couldn’t help but ask. Sharing some embarrassing photos couldn’t be that bad, right? He could comfort Lex if that was the case.
“Nate, runs a site where boys in the school share girls nudes and sex tapes.” Rue told him quietly.
It felt like time began to standstill for Fezco. He couldn’t imagine how Lexi was feeling, but he needed to see her. Needed to make sure she was okay. Make sure she understood that nothing could fucking make him look at her differently.
He had spent so much time drilling into Lexi that she was beautiful, smart, and too good to be doubting herself. He worried how bad this would set her back. He needed to make sure she was alright in the same way she nursed over his bruised and bloody knuckles. In the same way she would make Ash’s favorite soup when the temperatures dipped. He wanted to be the person that told her she was still all the good things that he described. That Nate Jacobs couldn’t erase any of that.
He could vaguely hear Cassie begging Rue for his name. Explaining over and over again it was her fault. Taking responsibility for something that wasn’t her burden to bear. The only person responsible was Nate.
“Chill, I’m Lex’s boyfriend or whatever. Do you know where the fuck she is?” Fezco needed to see her now.
“You have to promise me, promise me that you won’t be upset with her.” Cassie pleaded.
“Fuck, I ain’t mad at Lex. She’s my girl. I’m fuckin’ pissed at Nate, but I wouldn’t be fuckin’ be mad her. Not for this shit.” Fezco would promise anything at this point if Cassie would just fucking tell him where her sister was.
Lexi was grateful for Jules' calming presence. The cup of tea she had made for her had helped anchor her to the present.
Jules had shared her own story about Nate catfishing her to obtain her nudes. Not to outshadow what Lexi was going through, but to offer a camaraderie in the trauma Nate seemed to inflict on various women.
Lex let Jules lead her to her bathroom and let her draw a bubble bath. In this moment she could understand what Rue saw in Jules. She could understand why Rue would fight to stay sober to keep Jules in her life.
Lexi undressed and felt herself sink beneath the bubbles. She didn’t know why and she couldn’t explain it, but in this moment the bathroom felt like a confessional. Jules murmured to her that she had been so brave today. That she admired how Lexi had let herself feel the grief of her violation.
“I’m not brave. I’m not even confident or beautiful in the way that you guys are” Lexi drew her knees to her chest and watched at the bubbles spilled over onto the tile, “but when I’m with Fezco he makes me feel like I’m someone worth staying for.”
“Oh, honey you are someone worth staying for. I’m sure if Fezco was here right now he would be telling you the same thing.” Jules reached out to tuck a strand of Lexi’s wet hair behind her ear. No reaction to the revelation that Fezco was Lexi’s significant other.
“He’s given me so many of his firsts, but there isn’t a lot of firsts I can give him. Rue had been my first kiss and Tucker Blake had taken my virginity” Lexi could feel a new wave of tears streaming down her face, “but this could have been a first to share with him and I couldn’t even fucking do that right.”
“He’s not going to be mad at you for other people seeing your nudes. I promise you.” Jules was insistent. Her confidence was endearing, but Lexi knew better.
“You don’t understand. I never sent him the photos. I took forever to get the perfect photos and then I wanted to wait for the perfect time to send them, but the thing is there is no perfect time and I just kept chickening out” Lexi whispered. The situation was overwhelming her.
She could remember the comments under the photos. The various reactions of comparing her to her sister. Some positive, but honestly the comment section had been so negative. Had made her wonder why she had ever thought taking the photos in the first place had been a good idea. The few times she had sex with Fezco she hadn’t even been comfortable taking all of her clothes off, but he had never made her feel uncomfortable. In fact, his words of praise had made her feel powerful. They made her feel beautiful.
“Do you think he’ll hate me?” Lexi wishes her voice wasn’t so small.
Before Jules could respond there was a knock at the door that startled them both.
“Ay, Lex you in there?” Fez’s gruff voice normally would have soothed any kind of upset, but Lexi wasn’t sure she was ready to face him yet.
“I think you should talk to him, do you want me to let him in?” Jules asked quietly.
Lexi nodded and drew her knees even closer to her chest. It was better to rip the bandaid off than cycle through the inevitable what ifs of the situation.
She heard Jules open the door and tell Fez something. She pushed her face into her knees. She knew she needed to be brave, to be fucking fearless as he was always telling her.
She could feel Fez sit beside the tub and kiss the crown of her forehead.
“Wanna look at me babe?” Fez squeezed her knee and Lexi looked up at him.
“Are you mad at me? Because I know I really hate myself right now.” Lexi wasn’t sure what his reaction would be. She didn’t expect the complete heartbreak his eyes were showing her.
“Nah, I could never be mad at ya for this. I’m fuckin’ pissed that Nate pulled this shit” Fez kept eye contact with Lexi to show her he was serious, “But you shouldn’t hate yourself for shit you didn’t cause.”
Lexi could feel more tears building, “I just wanted to do something special for you and I was going to send them. I promise I was.”
“You ain’t gotta trip about that. You’re my girl, when you are ready you’ll be ready.” Fez assured her.
“Have you seen them?” Lexi wasn’t sure why she was asking. Maybe, it was for validation that he felt differently than all of the boys in the comment section. Or maybe, it was to prepare herself that he hadn’t liked the photos she had taken.
“Nah, and I ain’t gonna until you wanna share with me cuz you’re ready.” Fez kissed her forehead tenderly “I don’t care if that never happens either, you’re still my girl.”
Lexi leaned over and kissed him fiercely acutely aware of the water she had splashed onto the floor and likely onto Fez. She felt protected when Fez’s hands wrapped themselves around her ribcage to deepen the kiss.
It was strange to think that Fez had a reputation for being gruff and a little bit intimidating, but here he was a balm to her open wounds. He wasn’t even physically protecting her. It didn’t matter though, she had never felt safer.
Cassie wasn’t sure how Fezco’s conversation was going with Lexi. Part of her wanted to barge into the bathroom to make sure he was treating her baby sister right. The other part wanted to give them the privacy to work out any issues that may have been caused by Nate.
Sitting next to Jules she looked at Rue and Ashtray. Everyone had similar looks of anger and disgust at the situation.
“How are we gonna take care of Nate?” Jules asked. Everyone was tense, but they all wanted to make a plan to end the bastard once and for all.
“We could take a tube of aerosol expanding foam and poke it down the exhaust pipe - it’ll cause the truck to not start and a mechanic won’t look at the exhaust pipe for a starting issue.” Cassie had rambled off a fact that her dad once told her.
“That’s just an inconvenience though, that doesn’t fucking teach him a lesson” Rue said hotly.
“Fuck, if I could prove that goddman IP address for the slut pages came from Nate’s computer I fucking would share that to the world, cause him to lose his goddamn college scholarship.” Cassie shot back.
She didn’t want her original plan criticized for not being harsh enough for Nate. Nothing would ever be harsh enough.
“Yo, if it’s just an IP address, I can get that for you.” Ashtray told them.
“Are you serious right now? How much would I owe you for that?” Cassie knew she would pay anything at this rate. Anything to bring Nate down. Anything to make him suffer an ounce of what her sister went through this morning.
“Nah, you ain’t gonna owe me nothin’ Lex is fam, and we take care of fam. Give me a few days and I’ll get your proof for ya.” Ashtray said confidently.
Things were starting to look up for Cassie. Lexi had emerged from her bedroom holding Fezco’s hand tightly, but looking markedly better than she had an hour before. She could see how much Fezco loved her sister in the way he looked at her. Like he was lucky to be in her presence.
It soothed an ache in Cassie that she no longer had to worry that Lexi would be taken advantage of by men in the way that she had been.
Now, all that was left was taking Nate Jacobs down.
It had been a few weeks, but their plan had finally come together. Cassie had worked tirelessly with Ashtray. Both of them had waved off any questions that had come from Lexi or Fezco.
It didn’t matter. The two lovebirds had been by each other’s side almost constantly. Fezco had become a rock for her sister to lean on. Her sister still had waves of grief dealing with the fallout of her pictures being leaked.
Lexi had confided that she had finally shared the photos with Fezco. She had whispered that he had made her feel like she was a piece of artwork meant to be hung up in the Louvre to be marveled at and appreciated.
Cassie had appreciated the happiness that was radiating from her sister that night.
She appreciated it more when Fezco punched Tucker Blake for making an unkind comment to Lexi about her nudes. After that, any commentary ceased to happen at school for fear of bringing down Fezco’s wrath upon them. Plus, most people didn't want to get on the bad side of their plug for booze and weed.
Cassie had submitted the proof to the school board that Nate had been running the slut pages. On the off chance they chose to not pursue anything she had also sent the information to his college and a local reporter.
Cassie had promised him that she was crazy. Nate thought he had won by shaming Lexi. That he had outmaneuvered her by involving her sister. Cassie was going to prove to Nate that he couldn’t get away from his actions.
She was going to take everything away from him. She was a fucking Howard and she was going to make him regret ever messing with her family.
Nate: Did you fucking report me to the school board and my college?
Cassie: I told you that you would regret doing what you did to my sister
Nate: You fucking bitch, I’m losing everything. They’re talking about expelling me and any college that was interested in me playing has dropped me.
Cassie: Well, not to quote you, but if you didn’t want bad things to happen maybe you should have made better decisions. It must be the Jacobs blood to be this big of a fuck up.
*Nate Jacobs has been blocked*