Charlie had saved all the pictures he and Jeff had taken to a drive. As soon as Simon got the notification that Charlie had given him permission to access the folder, he immediately followed up with a message to prepare him for what he was about to see.  

Simon only had to see the number of items in the folder to know that it wasn't going to be a pretty sight. Still, he opened it, scrolled through the photos, and then put the phone face down on the table so he couldn't see the screen. 

Many emotions were racing through him. He still felt sad, but this time the anger was a little stronger. He'd had time to deal with it since he'd found out the truth about Max, but his emotions had been a rollercoaster since they still lived together. 

Fortunately, Simon was taking on more and more shifts, so they spent less and less time together. If Max was suspicious, he didn't say anything out loud, so at least Simon didn't have to lie. 

This way Simon was earning more money and could save for his departure, and even though it meant he had less time to study, he was prepared for worse grades if it meant his life would get better in other ways.

Speaking of money, tonight was another night that Simon was going to work and he couldn't wait to tell Jess all about it. Even though she wasn't directly involved in the plan, Simon decided to trust her and tell her about it, and she listened eagerly. It almost sounded like she was more excited about the revenge than Simon was. 

The bar was full when Simon arrived so there was no time to chat. Jess was mixing drinks and he had just enough time to get ready for the changeover as Sophie was ready to leave and he was going to take her place. 

Therefore, Simon's thoughts were completely distracted for a couple of hours until he saw a familiar face. At first he wasn't sure how he knew the guy, but when he figured it out, the glass he'd been just wiping down almost fell out of his hands. 

He was one of those in the pictures.

"Jess," he called to his friend, but she couldn't hear him over the noise of the bar. Simon felt like he was pinned to the floor and couldn't move. He didn't think anything could shake him like seeing Max cheat on him in front of his eyes, but he was obviously wrong. 

Simon knew he had to keep doing what he was doing or the work would stagnate and become a mess, but he couldn't get out of this frozen state. 

Fortunately, Jess quickly realised that something was wrong and startled him by putting her hand on his shoulder. "Simon!" 

Simon only now realised that he was still looking at the place where he had seen the blonde, even though he hadn't been there for quite a while. 

He shuddered and turned to Jess, searching for words. 

She beat him to it, though. "Are you all right?" 

"No," he admitted honestly. But then he gave a quick smile. "But I will be. Don't worry." He was at work, not out somewhere with his friends. He couldn't just walk away or go crying into his pillow. 

Jess quickly saw through his act. "Are you sure?" 

"I'll explain later, okay? Let's focus on work," he told her with a tight-lipped smile. 

"If you need me, come to me, okay?" With the hand she had on his shoulder, Jess slid down and squeezed his arm. 

"Thanks, Jess." His smile was less fake and more genuine now. 

Luckily for Simon, he didn't see the guy again, so he could finish his shift in peace. Jess and Simon were finally able to start cleaning up. 

Before Simon could figure out how to start the conversation, it was Jess who got straight to the point. "What happened earlier?" 

Simon sighed and braced himself on the broom. "I told you Charlie and Jeff are taking pictures of Max with his side pieces. Charlie sent me all of them this afternoon." 

It took Jess three seconds to put all the missing pieces together. "You saw one of them."

"Yeah," Simon admitted.  

"How does that make you feel?" Jess was the person who knew best how much Max's betrayal had affected him and how much he was bottling up inside. 

"I just..." Simon sighed again. "I thought I was getting the picture. That I'd got used to it. But obviously I was wrong."

"Oh, honey." Jess walked around the counter and pulled him into a hug. The broom fell to the floor, but neither of them cared. 

"We have the next step of the plan," he revealed to her. Tears were burning in his eyes, but he was convinced that he would not let them go loose. 

He pulled away from Jess first, but stayed close to her. He put his hands in his pockets, not wanting to play with them as he didn't know what to do with them. 

"Really? Tell me more." Jess looked intrigued, just as he'd expected. And so Simon explained everything to her. 

After a while they sat down while Simon explained, and although they still had a lot of work to do, it was forgotten until they had sorted this out. "You know what? I have an idea."

"I'm listening." 

"You have to send the first picture soon... How about sending the one with the guy you saw today?" she suggested. 

Simon chuckled. "Sounds like a Pokémon hunt. I've seen him, so I'll send him first?" 

Jess laughed at his comparison. "Exactly. Why not?" 

"You know what? You're right. Help me formulate a message so I can send it to him in the morning?"  

…

Max was at school right now, while Simon had an hour before he had to go to class. It was the perfect time to start step three of the plan. 

He ran his eyes over the screen again and told himself to hit the send button. He had no idea why he was so nervous. He knew exactly what to do. He had no reason to hesitate. Max's feelings were not his responsibility. 

"Fuck it." He had finally done it. Now all he had to do was wait for a reply. 

To Max: Sin is a temptation only as long as it is not exposed. Do you know what happens to sinners? 

From Max: You got the wrong number. 

To Max: One is a mistake. Two is a slip-up. But the third? It's called a pattern. 

Max didn't text back, so Simon knew he had to step up his game. 

To Max: Poor Simon. Home alone. Too bad he didn't learn any tricks from you. 

Three dots appeared on his screen, indicating that Max was looking for an answer, and Simon smiled contentedly. 

From Max: What do you want?

To Max: The right question is not what, but how much.

From Max: I don't know what your deal is, but I'm not enjoying this game.

To Max: Does Simon know? 

From Max: I don't know what you're talking about.

Knowing that no more words were needed, Simon decided to send a photo instead of another text message. 

From Max: Where'd you get that?

Max didn't even try to defend himself, didn't try to lie that it wasn't him in the photo. Simon was saddened, but quickly decided to put his grief aside and focus on revenge instead. 

To Max: You're not as invisible as you think.

To Max: Who knows what Simon would say if he knew. 

From Max: Leave Simon out of this.

Simon felt like laughing. He was the one being cheated on, but clearly Max didn't consider him part of the equation.  

To Max: Should I? 

To Max: I thought he'd be interested. 

From Max: Leave Simon out of this.

It looked as if Max had run out of arguments and Simon had managed to corner him. He had him right where he wanted him. There was only one thing left to do. 

To Max: Like I told you, it's not a question of what, it's a question of how much. 

To Max: Are you willing to pay? 

From Max: How much?

Max obviously wanted to keep his secret further. Simon was sorry about that, but he knew that one way or another, all scenarios were bound to end the same way. In one of them, however, he had enough money to not end up on the street. 

To Max: Now we're talking. 

To Max: Since you're so willing. I'll give it to you cheaply. 

To Max: 100. 

Jess would probably scold him for not asking more, but Simon didn't dare suggest a thousand or so on the first try. Plus, with the number of photos he still had in store, he knew that if he paid for every single one, in the end it would be worth it. 

Max didn't respond right away. The dots appeared and disappeared from the screen, and Simon began to worry whether he would text back.  

In the end, however, Max turned out to be a real bastard and was willing to pay to keep his secrets hidden. 

From Max: Send me the account number.