Dirty Little Secrets

CHAPTER 29.

SUMMER'S POV

The Dean’s office smelled like old paper and disappointment. I sat between George and Kingsley, my body still aching from the beating, bruises carefully covered with makeup and long sleeves. Every breath reminded me how fragile this second chance was.

“You will be placed on probation,” Dean Finerty said coldly, tapping the folder in front of him. “Strict probation. One more incident and your scholarship will be revoked. The evidence your friends provided, helped prove the video was manipulated, but your behavior remains concerning, Miss Walker.”

George leaned forward, voice steady but firm. “Sir, she was targeted. We have the packet traces. This wasn’t random.”

Kingsley’s hand brushed mine under the table—silent support that made my chest tighten. “She deserves to finish the semester. The showcase matters for her scholarship.”

After what felt like hours of tense back-and-forth, the Dean finally relented. “Fine. But any more drama, and it’s over.”

---

Campus was a battlefield of whispers.

Heads turned the second I stepped onto the quad. Some students avoided me entirely, crossing to the other side of the path. Others stared with fake pity, murmuring just loud enough for me to hear.

“Poor thing… but did you see what she did to Dira?”

“Still showing up after all that?”

I kept my head down, limping slightly, pain flaring with every step. Dira was across the courtyard, surrounded by her usual group. Our eyes met for a split second. She looked terrified—pale, eyes darting like she expected someone to jump out at any moment. She quickly looked away and hurried off. The blackmailer was squeezing her too. I could see it.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I didn’t dare check it.

---

That evening at George’s apartment, the real storm hit.

Clyde was waiting when I walked in. His eyes widened the moment he saw the faint bruises I couldn’t fully hide, the way I favored my left side.

“Summer…” His voice cracked. He dropped his game controller and crossed the room in three strides. “What happened to your face? And you’re limping. Do not Dare lie to me.”

I forced a weak smile, guilt twisting like a knife. “It’s nothing, Clyde. I just fell down from the stairs at Amanda’s place. Clumsy, right?”

He didn’t buy it. His eyes—too sharp for an eighteen-year-old who’d already lost too much—filled with hurt and anger. “You’ve been gone for days. George won’t tell me anything. That guy followed me the other night, Summer. He said he was your ‘friend’ and gave me a message for you. ‘You can’t keep running. Just embrace it.’ What does that mean?”

My blood ran cold. I reached for him, but he stepped back. “Clyde, it’s complicated. You won't understand. They are adults stuff. I’m handling it.”

“Handling it?” His voice rose, trembling with frustration. “You’re my sister. You’ve been my everything since Mom and Dad died. And now you’re lying to my face while looking like you got hit by a truck? I’m not a little kid anymore! Let me help. Or at least tell me the truth.”

Tears burned my eyes. The guilt was suffocating. “I can’t, Clyde. Not yet. I’m doing this to protect you. Please… just trust me.”

He looked at me for a long moment, eyes glistening. “I do trust you. But you’re breaking, Summer. And I don’t know how to stop it.”

I pulled him into a hug, ignoring the pain in my ribs. He held on tight, like he was afraid I’d disappear again. My heart shattered a little more.

---

Later that night, I went to Kingsley’s house for duet practice. My body screamed in protest with every step up the driveway, but the showcase was days away. I had to try.

The house was quiet except for a raised voice coming from the living room. I paused at the slightly open door.

Eleanor—Kingsley’s mother—was on the phone, voice cracking with desperation and fury.

“I regretted all of that years ago! I won’t go back. I can’t do it. Do you hear me? I won’t let you drag my son into your darkness. Stay away from us!”

My heart hammered. Someone was also threatening her.

I stepped back too quickly. The floorboard creaked.

Eleanor spun around, eyes wide with fear before she quickly composed herself. “Summer,” she said, forcing a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “You’re early. Kingsley’s upstairs. I’ll… let him know you’re here.”

She ended the call abruptly and slipped the phone into her pocket.

Kingsley appeared moments later, drawn by the shouting. “Mom? What’s wrong? I heard you yelling.”

Eleanor waved him off, already moving toward the kitchen. “Nothing, sweetheart. Just an old friend who doesn’t know when to let go. I’m fine.” She gave me a quick, strained nod before disappearing down the hall.

Kingsley turned to me, eyes searching my face. The tension between us was immediate—thick, unresolved, heavy with everything we weren’t saying. “You heard that, didn’t you?”

I nodded slowly. “Enough.”

He stepped closer, voice low and intense. “She’s hiding something big. And you… you’re hiding the same thing, aren’t you?”

The air between us crackled. I wanted to tell him everything. Instead, I whispered, “Kingsley… some truths destroy people. I won’t let them destroy you.”

He reached for my hand, grip firm but gentle. “Then stop pushing me away.”

I swallowed hard, the weight of Clyde’s hurt eyes, Dira’s terror, and Eleanor’s desperate phone call pressing down

on me.

The stars weren’t going to be rewritten.

But maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t meant to face the darkness alone.