I was twelve.

Who would send this to everyone? It’s not like it was a secret, but it feels like shit even seeing my innocent face there, and the fact that nobody in that family would vouch for me, the wife hated me, the kids thought I was shown too much favoritism, and the case was eventually thrown out, the only reason it made the news was because I called the cops on him in the Wal-Mart parking lot after he threatened me in the minivan for not spreading my legs for him again and that I needed to stop asking for it.

I’m shaking. I’m mortified. And I’m angry, but I’m afraid to move; it hurts to breathe. I lean back against the locker and try to even my breathing as much as I can when Ambrose pulls me into his arms and rubs my back. “Ignore it as much as you can, chin high; you have my family to protect you. People always want to hate you when you have it all, do you understand?” His words are falling on deaf ears.

“You don’t know,” I whisper. “You don’t know.”

“He knows,” Quinn chimes in behind me. “Trust me when I say he knows.” Ambrose tenses.

People are starting to gather around us; I feel Quinn move away. Is he abandoning us?

And then, the sound of the fire alarm goes off as water sprays down from the ceiling, and people start screaming and running.

I turn around and see Quinn casually standing next to the handle and shrugging. “I was hot.”

“Yeah, the flames basically swallowed us all whole.” Ambrose agreed. “Thank you.”

“But…” I look between them. “Quinn’s going to get suspended now!”

“Who? Me?” Quinn points at himself. “Look, I know Ambrose is a big deal, but so am I.” He winks. “Now run along while I go turn myself into the principal’s office. Sometimes she has bubble gum suckers.”

“Get me the blue one,” Ambrose calls after him.

“I’ll get you two!” Quinn salutes us and runs off while Ambrose walks me outside the school.

The fire department comes, and everyone’s so focused on the sirens and missing classes that they’re not even looking at their phones.

I know it’s only a temporary thing—people forgetting and focusing on something else, but it was what I needed before I broke down in the hall.

Ambrose wraps an arm around my shoulder. “You doing better now, sis?”

I scrunch up my nose. “Gross.”

“Agreed.” He laughs. “I can totally see your nipples through your white shirt, by the way.”

She elbows me. “You can’t call me sis, then say that with your next breath, you weirdo!”

“But I did make you laugh.” He points out. “If you’re feeling generous, I’d be more than happy to let you slide your breasts across my chest a bit to warm up; I can even offer a hot mouth, a bit of biting just to make sure you still have sensation.”