Will said nothing, his mind struggling to process the situation.

Megan told Will to get Taylor into the back seat of her car.

Will helped Taylor climb in and slid in beside him. Megan took the driver’s seat, started the engine, and sped away from the party house before anyone could notice them.

Taylor slumped in the seat, his head buried in his hands. "What is happening?" he muttered as another wave of nausea rose within him. The speed of the car did nothing to ease it.

Will placed a hand on Taylor’s back, stroking gently in a comforting motion.

A faint scowl began to form between Will’s brows.

"We cannot take him home like this," Will said to Megan.

Megan glanced at them through the mirror, her face drawn with worry. She did not even notice that she was biting her lip nervously as she sighed in frustration. "I cannot take you to my place either... what do we do?" she asked Will, her voice almost pleading.

Will paused to think. He looked at Megan, her eyes glistening with tears, then turned back to Taylor, who was trembling uncontrollably beside him.

"I guess we could go to my place and slip in through the back door..." Will could not believe those words had actually left his mouth. He was not even sure if his mother had returned home yet. The sun had nearly set, and his younger brother and sister bedtime had already passed. He only hoped everyone was in their rooms by now, so no one would notice them sneaking up the stairs. From the way Taylor looked, both he and Megan would have to support him just to get him up to Will’s room without raising suspicion.

Megan changed direction and headed toward Will’s house.

The entire ride passed in silence. Now and then Taylor groaned or let out a weak sigh. Will could feel his heartbeat pounding in his ears. He tried to take a deep breath to calm himself, but it did not work. His mind raced through countless possibilities—what might have happened if he and Taylor had not run into Megan at the party, how Megan even knew what was going on inside ? why she had snuck in? and why she had carried a bottle of water in her bag?. Had she predicted someone would tamper with the drinks?

So many questions spun in Will’s head that when Megan finally stopped the car, he was almost startled to see they had reached his house.

Will had no idea what was happening to Taylor, but from the moment they stepped out of the car he would not stop mumbling. Both he and Megan struggled to carry him while also trying to keep him quiet on the way up to Will’s room.

At one point, Will had to press a hand over Taylor’s mouth to silence him. He could not understand how Taylor had turned so talkative—just minutes ago he had been slumped in the backseat with his head in his hands, and now everything seemed amusing to him. He laughed when he stumbled over his own feet, trying to walk on his own from the car to the back door of the house. In the end, Megan and Will had to support him together just to get him inside.

“Look at all the stars…” Taylor said with amusement as Will set him down on his bed.

Megan turned to leave the room, but Will stopped her. “You are in no condition to drive back home,” he told her. One look at her was enough to say it—Megan was pale, almost white as a ghost, her eyes swollen and red, and tears had already begun to stream down her face.

Megan was too exhausted to argue with Will, so she went and sat on the floor beside the bed.

Will sat down on the bed next to Taylor, who was lying there marveling at the star stickers scattered across the ceiling. The room was lit only by a night lamp, which made the glow-in-the-dark stickers stand out even more.

Will began to feel the tension easing a little. He turned to Megan and asked, “Megan, can I ask what you were doing there?”

Megan looked up at him from the floor. She took her time before answering, so Will added, “You do not really seem like the party type.”

Megan’s lips trembled as she answered, “I am not…”

Will waited quietly for her to continue. Megan did not look at him, her eyes distant, as if she were somewhere else. “When I realized I was not the only one who got hurt… there… I understood that someone had to put an end to it.” She shook her head, tears now streaming uncontrollably down her face, staining her cheeks. “I need proof… You cannot stop them without proof… No one listens to you without it… Do you understand?” she asked Will.

Will stared at her, starting to connect the dots. He had just opened his mouth to speak when Taylor pulled him closer.

Taylor giggled, completely unaware of the serious conversation Will and Megan had just been having.

He locked Will in a hug and began showering his face with kisses, catching both Will and Megan off guard and leaving them stunned.

Taylor stopped kissing Will and rested his cheek against the top of Will’s head. “Have you ever thought about what would have happened if we had never run into each other?”

Will froze. He was not sure if Taylor even realized they were not alone in the room.

Will managed to free himself from Taylor’s grip and shifted so that Taylor could see Megan.

Taylor puffed out his cheeks and then released the air in a long sigh. Will began to think that whatever Taylor had drunk had already gotten into his bloodstream before Megan gave him the bottle with the salty water.

Taylor looked at Megan with an unfocused gaze, raised a trembling hand, and pointed at her. “You… if it was not because of you… hahaha… or should I say thanks to you… hahaha.” Taylor slurred some of his words.

Will covered Taylor’s mouth with his hand, trying to silence him, but quickly pulled back and wiped his hand on his shirt when Taylor licked it with a chuckle.

Taylor rolled onto his stomach, propped himself up on his forearms, and stared at a stunned Megan.

I… do not… understand…" Taylor swallowed hard and blinked forcefully, trying to stay focused. "I do not understand… why you had to… do that?" Taylor asked her, though he did not really want an answer. He just wanted to talk, which was why Will did not stop him, and Megan kept looking at him with a gaze full of regret.

"You know how… how much Morgan adores you? Huh? Because… I know… oh… my best… friend… because… I know…"

It looked like Megan was about to say something but then held back. She pressed her lips together and lowered her head, and they could see the drip of her tears falling onto her crossed legs.

"No!" Taylor almost shouted, startling both of them.

"You cannot cry and expect… me… to forgive you… for what you put me through…"

Taylor shifted into a half-sitting position, placing a hand on Will.

"If Will... had not helped... I... what would have happened... if Will had not... would you have kept going..."

And then, as if all the talking had drained him, Taylor rolled back onto his back and closed his eyes, still mumbling,

"You will not make me... pity you... because of what... everyone has... a past... I have a painful past... also... broken... Will... pretends... friend..."

Taylor stopped mumbling, and before his breaths settled, it was clear that he had fallen asleep.

Will brushed a few strands of hair away from Taylor’s face.

"So I guess the cat is out of the bag," Will said.

"I do not think I will ever feel worse than I do right now," Megan said, covering her swollen, tear-stained eyes with her hand. "I am the worst person alive."

Will climbed off the bed and sat beside her on the floor. He rubbed her back with his hand.

"Maybe..." Will said, not even trying to soften it.

Megan looked at him, her lower lip trembling. Will sighed and added,

"Look, the way you handled Morgan and Taylor... how should I put it... it is pretty twisted..."

"You think I do not know that? At one point they were the only friends I had... I do not know what came over me when I did it... I did not realize I had gone too far until... until you showed up..." she told Will. Her tears threatened to fall again; it was hard to hold them back. Especially since Will was not looking at her with judgment or hatred, the way she usually got from other kids at school. That was why Morgan and Taylor had been her only friends—until Will came along.

Will wrapped his arms around Megan’s shoulders in a kind of hug.

"What should I do?" Megan leaned slightly against Will and asked him.

"Are you really looking for my advice?" Will asked her.

"Will, right now you are the only person I trust to be one hundred percent honest with me," she told him sincerely, feeling a sting in her chest as she realized she could count the people she trusted on one hand.

Will nodded. "I think you should break up with Morgan."

She looked at him in disbelief. She opened her mouth to say something, but Will continued before she could.

"Look, I think you feel so comfortable with Morgan because he never pressures you about the things... that boyfriends and girlfriends usually do..." Will paused for a moment, searching for the right words while Megan kept her eyes on him, waiting for him to go on.

"And I think you already know the reason he has never pressured you. I do not think Morgan himself is even aware of it. Even Taylor did not believe me when I told him my radar goes off whenever I am near Morgan."

Megan gave him a questioning look, and he answered, "Gaydar."

From the fact that Megan did not look surprised, Will guessed he had been right—that she had felt it too.

Megan sighed. "You are right. But what if he hates me because of all the things I did?" she asked Will.

"I may not have known Morgan for long, but I imagine you would have to do something far worse than sending a few pictures of yourself to Taylor. I am sure that if you apologize to everyone involved, in the end they will forgive you."

"Are you sure? Taylor did not want to hear any apology from me just now. What if it will be the same with Morgan?" Megan’s voice turned into a whisper. She was exhausted from all the tears and from the turmoil that had happened from the moment she entered the party house until now.

"You need to give Taylor some time. He is a little hurt, but he will not be able to stay angry with you once you tell the truth. And as for Morgan, you heard Taylor. You are very important to him. I am sure he would not want to lose you as his girlfriend. So maybe they will be angry for a day or two, but in the end they will forgive you," Will said encouragingly.

"If they do not forgive me, promise me you will stay my friend," Megan asked with a slight plea, her voice hoarse. It stung Will’s heart.

"Of course. And just so you know, Eden and Anna have been wanting to add you to the group chat since the class trip."

Will felt a small sense of accomplishment when he managed to make Megan smile for the first time since they had met at the party.

"Really? Why?" she asked curiously. She liked Will’s friends, though she always felt a little intimidated by the special bond they shared—something she had always wished she could have.

"Of course. Maybe you did not realize it, but we all heard you singing with Matt."

Will laughed at Megan’s shocked reaction. "We all thought your voice was breathtaking. When Morgan told us it was you, we were stunned."

Will chose not to tell her, at least not yet, that after the trip Matt had asked him for Megan’s number and tried to find out about her relationship status.

Megan looked at him with her wide eyes. "Thank you so much. Even now you are trying to encourage me," she said and hugged Will tightly. Will hugged her back just as strongly. He held her for a long time because he knew she needed it.

"I know," Will whispered against her head. "That is why it hurts me to ask you what you were doing at the party today. And why you had that water bottle within reach?" He took a deep breath and added, "Why did you say you needed proof?"

Megan pulled away from him. She knew she had no choice but to tell Will everything. After all, he was the person she trusted most. Until now only Morgan had known what had happened to her. Not even her mother knew. Megan did not want to burden her single mother with her own stupidity. And she had definitely been stupid.

She told Will about it. She told him how in her first year of high school she had been invited to a party, and how they offered her alcohol, and how she had foolishly drunk it. She told him how everything had turned blurry after that, how sometimes she still had nightmares about the hands that touched her and covered her mouth when she tried to call for help, and how in the end she realized there was nothing she could do but wait until it was over.

Megan told him about the shame she had felt the next day, how she had needed to go and buy the morning-after pill. And how the guilt turned into anger once she started hearing rumors that she had not been the only one it had happened to. She told him there had been girls before her, and according to the rumors, it had been going on for years. And because the parties were held in private houses, it was harder to catch them. That was why she had been sneaking into parties for the past six months, trying to take pictures of what was happening there. Grown men encouraging teenagers to drink. Who knew what was in those drinks.

Megan pulled out her phone and showed him some of the photos she had taken over the past half-year. She showed him images of half-conscious boys and girls sprawled across couches or beds, some blurred together with older men or other youths who were taking advantage of the fact that they were not clear-headed.

Will looked at her and gently wiped away the tears she had not even noticed had started falling again. "You did a good job," he told her.

"Is it all right if I take it from here?" he asked, referring to Megan’s mission.

"I cannot let you get involved!" Megan said, pulling her phone back and clutching it tightly to her chest.

"I will not interfere," Will reassured her. "I just want to pass this on to the higher authorities." She gave him a fearful look.

"It might not look like it," Will added, "but I do have connections in the officer of the law." He avoided saying the letters FBI.