Chapter 2

Finn's POV

The next morning, Wanda called again, sounding tired and exasperated. "Finn, I'll admit we took things a little too far. Come meet us for lunch. Vivian and Mike will be there too. We can sit down and figure out how to put this whole mess behind us."

So, I went.

When I opened the door to the private dining room, I found Wanda and Vivian sitting on either side of Everett.

Vivian had a plate of shrimp in front of her and was busy peeling them one by one. She'd already piled the peeled shrimp onto a small plate.

Without thinking, I reached for it. Vivian had been peeling shrimp for me for 18 years. I'd gotten so used to it that I didn't even think twice.

But before I could take the plate, she slid it over to Everett. Without looking up, she said casually, "Everett's been studying hard for his exams. He needs to keep his strength up."

Everett speared a shrimp with his fork and popped it into his mouth, swallowing after barely chewing. "Thanks."

Then he looked up at me, pointing his fork in my direction. "Come on, Finn. How old are you now? You still need someone to peel your shrimp for you?"

My hand froze in midair.

Just then, Mike came over, holding up his phone. "Finn, since we're all here, why don't we go live and set the record straight?"

Before I could say no, he'd already started streaming. Within seconds, tens of thousands of viewers poured in. The comments flew by so fast I could barely read them.

"Well, look who finally showed up."

"Didn't he say it was a deepfake? Then where's the proof?"

"If the video was really fake, he would've called the cops right away. Why wait until now to go live?"

Mike shoved his phone right in my face. "Come on, Finn. Tell everyone. Is that you in the video or not?"

I stared at the camera, my mind going blank. "It... It's AI-generated. That's really not me..."

Mike turned the camera toward himself. "Guys, ease up on him. He's got his pride, and all this attention is getting to him. Even if you know what really happened, you don't have to be so harsh. Let the guy save a little face."

He sounded genuinely concerned. But he was making it seem like I was lying and asking everyone to play along, practically forcing me to admit to something I hadn't done.

"Even his own friend knows he's lying. Why is he still trying to deny it?"

"A grown man posting that kind of video for attention? What a creep."

I stared at the comments, my palms drenched in sweat.

Wanda sat beside me, not once speaking up in my defense. When Everett reached for the jug of juice, she took it from him instead. "Careful."

Then she turned to me with a frown and lowered her voice. "Finn, stop shaking. There are millions of people watching. You're just making yourself look guilty."

Just then, the braided bracelet on Everett's wrist came loose and fell onto the table.

I recognized it immediately. It was the bracelet I'd gotten for Wanda after visiting three different churches to have it blessed for her protection.

Wanda picked it up. Without a second thought, she took Everett's wrist and tied it back on for him. "Honestly, you can't even keep a bracelet on."

She smiled, then turned to me. "Everett liked it, so I let him borrow it for a couple of days."

I stared at her. She looked right back at me, without a trace of guilt. "Finn, at least try to smile. You're making yourself look bad."

I shot to my feet, shoving my chair back. "I'm not doing this anymore."

Wanda grabbed my wrist and lowered her voice. "Finn, if you walk out now, those tens of thousands of viewers will rip you apart online tomorrow."

For a moment, I caught my reflection on the phone screen. I looked pale and disheveled, like a clown stripped of all dignity and put on display for everyone to mock.

I pulled my wrist free and stormed out without another word. Just as the door was about to swing shut, I heard Mike let out a mocking laugh. He'd already ended the livestream. "Well, that's over with. Everett, hurry up and make a wish so we can cut the cake."

My heart skipped a beat. Through the narrowing gap in the doorway, I saw the lights in the room suddenly dim. Wanda and Vivian stood on either side of Everett, leading him toward the cake.

Vivian's voice drifted through the gap. "Seriously, Mike, you could've done a better job. Those pictures of Finn's face you got were so blurry. They were a nightmare to work with."

Mike was cutting the cake when he replied casually, "Hey, they were good enough."

Wanda sat nearby, sounding relieved that everything was finally taken care of. "Good thing I checked the video one last time and touched up the parts that looked fake. At least we got everything done the way Everett wanted."

I froze. It felt like all the blood in my body had turned to ice.

Mike had supplied the pictures. Vivian had edited the video. And Wanda had checked it before it went public.

The video that had nearly destroyed my life hadn't just been Everett's idea of a joke. All three of them had helped him make it.

Cheers erupted from inside the room.

"Happy birthday!"

"Thanks, everyone! This is the best birthday ever!"

For a moment, everything around me went silent. I couldn't even hear my own heartbeat. Then my phone buzzed in the darkness.

It was a message from my mother. "Get home. Now!"