The Geek Revolution ✓

60 | freedom

DOWNSTAIRS I CAN HEAR MOM and Luke angrily berating an exceptionally uneducated contestant on a trivia game show. "Jupiter! It's freaking Jupiter!" Luke's muffled but discernible voice permeates my room.

Sighing shallowly, I adjust my position on my bed. I would be down there with my family, answering the trivia questions with frustrated enthusiasm, too, if not for—

"Hello? Earth to Sophie."

"Sorry," I mumble to Terrence, my phone pressed to my ear. "As I said, I don't know if I can make a decision tonight."

"You kind of need to," he warns me. "Time is running out." I roll my eyes. I know better than anyone that we don't have long to make our last stand.

And the massive dilemma at hand? Whether to release the Monarchs' secrets or to respect their answer to if they were willing to change the status quo. Which was a firm, resounding no. They were willing to do anything, except tell the truth.

Derek, Reece, and Madison were overtly opposed to having that information revealed, even if it meant that they could finally escape Brittany's clutches. I suppose there was some deep-seated shame about having let Brittany control them for so long holding them back. It is exasperating knowing that the only barrier now to overcome is a psychological one, yet it is the one that could undo it all.

That is how I've found myself in a call with Terrence, discussing if now is the time to truly take matters into our own hands. To throw diplomacy out the window, and use any means to an end.

"I— I don't know if I could live with myself." Talk about a psychological barrier. Everything is organised. We've informed Kyler and his editorial team about what needs to be done. It's ready to go, at the push of a button.

But I'm worried about the consequences. These secrets — well, they're more than just secrets. They are lost family members, siblings, and children that have been intertwined into Derek, Reece, and Madison's hearts. To so callously use that knowledge in the way we're planning is, frankly, abhorrent.

And after hearing Derek speak about his enduring emotional wounds from hurting others, I'm not sure I could do the same. Terrence's voice breaks through my reverie, gentle, and understanding. "Hey, you're going to be fine. I know you've got crazily strong morals, but you're looking at this all wrong."

"Am I?" I scoff, "So, if we go ahead with this, Brittany won't stop her donation to the elementary's music program? She won't send heartbreaking screenshots to Carter? And she won't humiliate Reece's entire family by blaming suicide on them?"

A thick silence greets me from the other end of the line. Despairingly, I sigh. "It's a small pond, Terrence. And Brittany is the biggest fish here."

"No. Well, yes, she is, but that doesn't mean it's hopeless. Maybe the donations will come from other people. Maybe online, Madison has just as much sway as Brittany — if not more — and can combat her bullying. Maybe the town will support the family for what they've gone through. Have faith."

"And if it goes awry? If Brittany implements the worst-case scenarios?"

"Then it's her fault," Terrence insists. "Her fault. Not yours, Sophie. Have faith."

"Would you stop saying that? Not everything can be fixed with—"

"—faith," he interrupts.

"No. I meant—"

"—faith."

Annoyance flares in my chest, red and hot. "Oh, my fuck—"

"Say it, Sophie. And things will turn out okay. I promise."