The onlookers started laughing.

“You stupid bitch!” I heard Nate bark from somewhere in the crowd. “It was your idea.”

And I straightened my shoulders when he stepped forward.

Some people were born stupid.

I cocked my fist back and punched him across the nose, sending him down like a dead deer. He dropped to the floor, holding his bloody nose, and I hovered, ready for his ass to pop back up again.

Madoc pushed through the crowd, his eyeballs damn-near popping out of his head as he surveyed Nate on the floor.

“Are you okay?” he asked, turning his eyes on Tate.

I didn’t hear or see her respond, but Madoc shook his head and looked back down to Nate.

“How did you do it?” Tate asked Piper.

She didn’t respond.

“Your dad’s a cop, right?” Tate asked. “What’s his number?” She held up her phone like she was ready to dial. “Oh, yeah, 911.”

“Ugh, alright!” Piper screeched. “Nate took me to Homecoming and then to Tori’s party afterwards. When we saw you and Jared head upstairs, Nate took his camera phone and climbed onto the balcony. When he showed me the video later, I saw that Jared had left his phone on the dresser, so I snuck back into the room to take it.”

Son of a bitch.

“So the video came from Nate’s phone,” Tate confirmed but was looking at me. “It was transferred to Jared’s before it was texted.”

Our eyes were locked, and a mountain of relief descended on my shoulders.

“Get Jared’s phone, Piper. Now,” Madoc ordered, and I looked down at Nate who was trying to get up.

Once our eyes met, though, he seemed to reconsider when he laid back down.

Piper took a grueling minute to retrieve the phone, and then she threw it at Tate.

“We’re done,” she said cattily and waved her hand, dismissing Tate. “You may go.”

I had a hundred f**king names I wanted to call her, but it would be a waste of time. I was going to take care of this. Piper and Nate weren’t getting away with shit.

Just get Tate out of here.

But, of course, Tate had other plans.

“Piper?” she spoke calmly. “Do yourself a favor, and get some help. Jared is not yours, and he never will be. In fact, he won’t ever look at you again and see anything good, if he even saw anything good in the first place.”

Tate turned to me, but all of a sudden, Piper was yanking her by the hair!

And I stood there like a damn moron, not knowing which one to grab, because they were moving too f**king quickly.

Tate was slammed against the lockers. Piper tried to punch her. Tate ducked, and then smacked Piper across the face. Twice.

Shit.

I caught sight of Madoc waving at me.

“Porter!” he whisper-yelled, urgency etched on his face as I hurriedly grabbed my girl and whispered in her ear.

“Shhh.” I tried to control her, but she was struggling.

Dr. Porter was working his way through the crowd. “What’s going on here?” he growled as he came to the front.

Tate immediately relaxed into my body. I released my hold, and she stood there silently, looking down, while Porter glanced between the whining lump of Piper on the floor and the bleeding heap of Nate next to her.

“Dr. Porter,” Madoc spoke up. “Nate and Piper bumped into each other.”

Sweat poured down my back, and I didn’t know if I wanted to hug Tate, smack Madoc, or…smack Madoc.

“Mr. Caruthers, I’m not stupid.” Dr. Porter looked to the crowd. “Now what happened here?”

I tipped my foot up and put pressure down on Nate’s arm as a warning to keep his mouth shut. He struggled, but I just pressed harder.

I doubted he’d say anything anyway. He didn’t want us going to the cops with this.

I would if Tate wanted to, but I’d rather handle it on my own.

“I didn’t see anything, sir,” my friend, Gunnar, offered.

“Me either, Dr. Porter,” another student followed his example. “Probably just an accident.”

Everyone else in the crowd figured out the game plan and followed suit.

Porter didn’t get anything from anyone, and no one got in trouble.

Tate was safe, and I would be taking her home without any complications.

Rubbing his beard, Dr. Porter looked to Nate and Piper. “Alright, you two. Get up, and come to the nurse. Everyone else. Head home!” he barked.

Nate and Piper stomped down the hall after Porter, although Nate was a little wobbly. The rest of the students departed slowly and quietly. No one laughed behind their hands. No one gave Tate a look.

They knew that the video wasn’t my doing, and if I wasn’t on board with it, they shouldn’t be, either.

People being afraid of you can be useful.

Wrapping my arms around Tate’s neck, I brought her into me where she was safe.

Not that she needed saving.

“I’m so sorry about not trusting you.” Her muffled voice vibrated against my chest. “And about what I did to your car, too.”

I couldn’t care less about the f**king car.

“Tate, you’re mine, and I’m yours. Every day you’re going to realize that more and more. When you believe it without a doubt, then I’ll have earned your trust.”

I knew I didn’t have it yet. Today was the result of the damage I’d done.

“I am yours. I just wasn’t sure if you were really mine,” she said quietly.