Lyon's Estate

Claire's Room

11:45 PM

Saturday

Claire Lyons laid on her bed, toes up in the air, head hanging off her bed, Todd Lyons beside her, in a similar position.

Small kept secret.

Todd Lyons had weekly pedicure's with this sister. He was a well kept man afterall. And it wasn't like the painted them, no more like got them shined, you know? It was a good thing to have attractive toes, especially when wearing sandals.

"So, you and Massie?"

Claire twirled a strand of her blonde hair around her finger, "You make it sound like we're dating, but I think we're forming a tentative friendship."

"But you thought you two were cool before?"

"I mean yea, but its obvious that there's tension there, and I"m not quite sure why, so I'm just gonna see how things go."

"Yeah thats a good plan, you remember Layne, right?"

At that Claire perked up, and flipped herself over so that she was laying on her stomach, her blue eyes peering down at Todd.

"Of course, I've been dying to talk to her, but I don't know if she's avoiding me, or what. But she's changed, appearance wise, I'm not sure about her personality..."

Todd could only roll his eyes and smile, Claire's endearing quirky trait, girl loved to ramble.

"Claire!"

"...But perhaps her and I could still be friends, did you say something?"

"Yes, finally, we met up at the soccer fields a couple of weeks ago."

He saw her blue eyes widen in curiosity, "Oh?"

He gulped a little bit, he had to come clean, "She met up with me a couple of weeks ago, and it was shady."

Claire's eyebrow rose, "Shady?" She echoed.

"She's not Layne anymore, and I swear, she's up to something, cause you know, you caused quite the stir and the whole Massie conflict, and I swear she was digging for information."

There was a silence, as Claire tried to abosrb the information.

"So, what are you saying?" Her words were quiet and muted.

"To completely watch your back, and you know Westchester - no one is what they seem."

"To not trust her."

"Exactly."

Claire spoke after a minute, "So why did you meet up with her?"

The top of Todd's ears began to burn, "Well.."

"You thought she was attractive!"

"I'm only a guy okay."

Claire sat up, forcing Todd to do the same, they sat cross legged, "Okay, so thanks for the warning, I will be sure to keep an eye for that.."

He nodded, "That is all I ask, you don't need to be caught in the middle of drama."

"And I'll make sure that you don't think with your other head."

"So we got the other's back?" Todd asked.

Claire only stuck out her pinky, "Always."

Starbucks

Secluded table by the window

11:50 AM

Sunday

"Thanks for meeting with me."

"Josh, I didn't have much of a choice, we need to clear the air."

"Alicia, I know we can work this out."

Alicia could only look down at the drink that was in between her hands, her heart ached, her head hurt, her world was slowly falling apart, and she wasn't trying to put it together, but trying to sort some order.

"But there's no working this out, we can't."

Josh went to hold her hand for her to retract sharply, "Don't." The word was weak.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "What do you want me to tell you?"

"I want you to explain to me how everything got so fucked up."

He chucked darkly, "You really want to go back to how this mess started."

His eyes were dark, his expression crazy, Alicia knew she was in dangerous waters, they were digging too far back. Back to her mistake, and she closed her eyes, her eyes suddenly watery, she knew what he was thinking.

"We were on a break." She whispered.

"It's no excuse and you know it."

"I fucking loved you."

"Did you reall not think I wouldn't have found about you and Kemp Hurley?"

She reeled back, "You're going to bring that up? We were on a fucking break, I was emotionally drained, I was fucking broken, the guy whom I was madly in love with broke up with me so that he could 'see other people', Massie dragged me to that party and I drank a bit, we never slept together Joshua, we made out."

His eyes widened for only a moment, his brain struggling to wrap around the new information, he had been so sure that they had slept together..Massie had said, she had evidence. No.

"Why so surprised Josh, did you ever doubt my feelings?"

Her voice was cold, "Did you ever doubt my fidelity?"

She didn't let him get a word in edgewise, they were past the point of soft talking, they were officially hashing, and she was reveling in it.

"But do you want to really relive where the situation got so fucked up? The Fourth of July Josh, we were fucking hammered, we had just agreed to work shit out remember?" Her eyes were glassy.

"And for some reason, the idea was so appealing, I can't remember why, but we all agreed to it, me, you, Massie, And then right after things changed. No wait, not right after, weeks after."

She said it almost to herself, "It was almost as if you had lived something that you could never get again with me..like you had fallen in lust..."

She trailed off then, her eyes boring into his, seeking for a truth, or for a solid denial, how she would love if she were wrong. If that hadn't been their true turning point.

"I love you."

And that was it.

She knew.

Her world felt as if it were spinning, and her stomach churned violently. She wanted to scream, to hit him, to kill her, but what could she do? But looking at his face, he still hadn't connected the dots, and with that resolution, she would see him squirm, and she would see the guilt flash across his face.

"How long?" The words were bitterly cold.

"I-I..You-I"

She sneered and mocked him, "I-I? Cat fucking got your tongue?"

"I was drunk..." He was nervous.

"How long?"

"Months."

Her eyes were cold, and he was pinned to his spot, "Goodbye Josh, I hope you've had your fun with the whore."

Her never turned back, not even as his chair fell back from the sheer force of his getting up, not even as he shouted her name, she never stopped - not even as he tried to chase after her, she never looked up - not even as he banged on her dark tinted windows.

She almost ran him over, until he jumped out of the way.

She wasn't sad, anger fueled her veins, she wasn't going through self pity - no, she had bigger things to think about, she was mad at herself, at Josh, at Massie, at everyone, she hated her ignorance, but there was a cure for all of that. She smirked to herself.

She'd been docile for long enough.

She was a woman scorned.

Abeley Estate

The Basement

2:45 PM

Sunday

Legs were thrown over the love chair as one Joshua Hotz sat on the floor.

"Unexpected house call, how classy of your Mr. Hotz."

"Cut the bullshit."

"Well then, someone's rather snappy today, lets talk about what brings you to my neck of the woods?"

"Information..."

Her eyes brightened, "Ah, fantastic Mr. Hotz, but lets see it might cost you."

He sighed, he was tired and heart broken, he knew things with Alicia were irreparable at this point, and he knew especially that it was all his fault, he should have been stronger, but right now he sought the truth.

"I'll do anything, but just please.."

"The amazing Josh Hotz, humbling asking me a nobody for help, an exciting little plot twist. Well lets hear it?"

She was strangely complacent and it set him on edge, "I want you information on what happened between Alicia and Kemp Hurley."

She whistled low, her mind already connecting the dots, Alicia finally told him the truth so it was up to her to confirm it, how interesting. She loved it, taking down Massie Block and getting the first scoop, ah, she relished in it in.

"I wonder what makes you come to me, I thought you knew the story, since Massie did tell you did she not?"

"Showed you pictures and everything, right Hotz?" She smiled like a cheshire cat, she knew all about those pictures, she'd taken them herself, and of exchanged the pictures to Massie Block for a bit of information, but of course what Massie didn't know were all the copies that she had given her weren't all real, there was one copy that she had saved for herself, and for certain red-head..oops.

In case of emergency. Massie would have to understand.

Blackmail is gold.

"Were they real?"

"Of course they were..." She let herself trail off. "But they weren't of Alicia."

"What are you saying?"

She grinned, and shook her head, "Nope, first things first, what are you going to do for me?"

Marvil Estate

Dylan's Room

5:30 PM

Sunday

She saw the blue line, her Mac was uploading the USB onto her hard drive, her heart beat in anticipation. She hadn't touched the USB since Layne had given it to her, instead the USB had stayed on top of her beside table for days just waiting to be touched, and finally she had - had enough.

She was going to see what Layne Abeley knew about Massie Block.

She nearly giggled as her everything loaded, and she began clicking. A lot were notes and conclusions, but she would pay mind to that later.

Right now what she wanted to see where the pictures.

And they were many, indeed. Her green eyes widened as she click on the file labeled, Massie, yes..that was what she needed.

She laughed in glee.

She had Massie now, every hidden secret, was now before her eyes. And she smirked as she saw what she had truly been searching for.

Fourth of July. She wouldn't scar Alicia for this, but it painted such a broader picture. Showing these would take down Alicia, Josh and Massie, and while Josh and Massie deserved to be taken down, Alicia didn't, no matter if they had issues.

Alicia had paid her dues.

But Massie was a different story.

She laughed, she had Massie now.

Chris Polvert and Massie Block. Interesting indeed.

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Text Message

Alicia Rivera to Massie Block

We need to talk.

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End Chapter

Read and Review! I love your opinions.

So, What do you think?

Things are heating up quite fast.

Anyway, I put up pictures of the characters on my profile, and now there will be a rough timeline of when I will be updating, and I will try to stick to it.