Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Revenge, I Just Love It

Chapter 14: I'm Not Angry

"You don't have to keep checking on me Jack," Amanda sighed, as she gestured for him to enter her room upon seeing his welcome face peak through her half-open bedroom door. She was sitting cross-legged on her bed using the Nolpad Nolan had gifted her. She had multiple tabs open, each page detailing an article or website surrounding the Grayson's accomplices who her father had named in his journals.

"I'm not checking on you", Jack denied, as he walked over to where she was on the bed, peeked over her shoulder to see who she was investigating this time, and then stepped backwards and hoisted himself up on her dresser to sit. That was a small lie. He was checking on her. He was worried, but how could she blame him? Just days ago he had watched her have a full-fledged panic attack on his boat. It had scared him more than he could admit. Amanda was usually so resilient, but the enormity of the truth had caused her to crumble, and though it had only lasted less than 10 minutes, it had been a reminder of the turmoil rumbling deep inside of her. She had recovered, and he hadn't seen her breakdown again since, but he knew it was in there, and he was afraid of her self-destructing. He had thought that revealing the truth to her would unburden the pain she carried in her heart for what she thought were her father's abhorrent actions. But now he was wondering if he had only traded that burden with anger and her self-sacrificing desire for vengeance.

"I'm just checking in….as," pausing, catching himself, Jack let his words trail off, not finishing that sentence. He was going to say as friends do but it hadn't been made clear what they were after the kiss. It was silly maybe, but he wanted to stop referring to them as friends. Regardless of how she felt, Amanda would probably always have a special place in his heart, but he wanted her to know that he was serious when he had told her that she meant more to him than friends. He felt tired of playing around with that word when his feelings for her felt so clear. He just wished he could decipher Amanda's feelings for him. She hadn't verbally replied to his words but she had reciprocated his desire for a kiss and leant into him with a tenderness in her amber-brown eyes that he didn't see often; that had to mean something.

Feeling Amanda's speculative gaze on him as his voice trailed off to silence, Jack cleared his throat awkwardly, not being able to deduce whether Amanda had known what he had held back from saying or if it had swept past her sharp mind.

"Okay", Amanda murmured, "So what's up?"

Jack couldn't help but chuckle at the simplicity of her question. "What's up?," he repeated sarcastically, "Really Amanda? Your life is the epicentre of drama, you tell me".

Pursing her lips, trying not to let the corners of her lips pull up into an ironic smile, Amanda cut her eyes at Jack although there was no real bite behind them. She hated being made fun of, even jokingly, but there was no denying he was right, it was ridiculous to act as if they were just normal friends going about normal things. "You might be right," she conceded.

"Might" he scoffed, "You never told me how Victoria's went…"

"Just as planned", Amanda replied instantly with a devious smile, "She was infuriated by the end of it".

Jack nodded his head slowly, "That's great,"

His response was tentative, lacklustre even, and Amanda instantly picked it up.

"What?"

Her voice was calm, but he could sense the edge behind it. He would have to proceed with caution.

Sighing, he shook his head slowly before softly replying, "What are we doing Amanda? What's the plan in the long run? We're just kids really and they are powerful people. Your father deserves justice, and they deserve to be vilified. But how can we prove your father's innocence when he had all the facts and couldn't do it himself. They're bad people."

"I don't know" Amanda replied unwaveringly, confident even in her admittance to the unknown, "but I'll figure something out, Jack".

"How can you be so sure?" Jack pressed.

"Because I have to be!"

She cast her eyes up into Jack's now, the intensity behind her brown irises piercing deep into Jack's blue ones. "I gave up on my father once, and I will die before I ever do that again. I won't stop until the truth's out"

Breathing in deeply through his nose, Jack let out a quiet breath he didn't realize he had been holding. She scared him. His body had instantly stiffened at her mention of death. He knew her well enough to know that she wasn't bluffing. She meant every word. At 16, Amanda was ready to put her life on the line for a father who sadly was not even still a part of this world.

"At what cost?" Jack questioned rationally, steadily, trying to get through to her, "They are powerful people Amanda, and we know firsthand what they are capable of. They could hurt you".

"I'd like to see them try," she boldly challenged.

"No!"

In his growing frustration, Jack's tone of voice ended up sounding sharper than he had intended, but he didn't correct it. She was stubborn, so maybe he could only get through to her by bumping heads with her straight on. "This isn't a game, this is serious, your father wanted you to leave this alone for a reason."

Narrowing her eyes at Jack, annoyed by the sternness in his voice, Amanda crossed her arms as she sharply warned, "Don't put words in his mouth now, Jack"

"Your father asked you to forgive" Jack challenged.

"My father gave me a roadmap to Revenge," Amanda retorted, "He knew me inside and out, if he wanted me to forgive he wouldn't have given me the journals".

"He loved you Amanda, and I don't think any father would wish such an unforgiving path on their child, he would just want you to be happy"

"Don't you get it," Amanda instantly spat back, her fuse which was certainly longer for Jack than anyone else having ended. "I won't be until he's exonerated!". She thought Jack of all people would understand that and the fact that he didn't unnerved her. He knew her father, hell he believed in David's innocence even when it had been beaten out of her. Jack should understand why she had to go down this path. "You're either with me or you're in my way, Jack" Amanda added coldly and definitively.

Jack sighed deeply, her words instantly jarring him. It was essentially an ultimatum. He had to get onboard wholeheartedly, or jump ship, and there was no way he was leaving her alone in this. The Grayson's had to pay, that was a fact, and although he was worried about what revenge could do to Amanda, he knew now that she wouldn't rest until she had inflicted upon them what they deserve, "I'm always with you" he replied gently.

Amanda didn't verbally reply, Jack didn't need it though, in the briefest of seconds between her firm nod of acknowledgement and her casting her eyes away from his back down to the Nolpad, he had subtly noticed the hardened expression in her face soften, and something akin to relief flash through her jaded brown eyes. She was relieved, which in her own way meant she was grateful.

"Victoria!" Conrad bellowed as he walked into their master bedroom to see his beautifully fatal wife standing in front of their vanity dutifully applying one of her many facial serums to her porcelain white skin.

She looked at him through the vanity mirror, "Yes, Conrad?" she replied indifferently as she continued massaging the oil into her skin. She was used to the abrasive tone in which he spoke to her, so it no longer phased her.

"You assured me, upon letting the Clarke inside our house, that she would pose no trouble. Why are my lawyers now on the phone with an angry director of Collin's Prep who is catching disapproval over having been fooled by you into allowing Amanda to join the school under a fake identity. Do you not see how this is a problem?"

Victoria sighed, as she turned around to face Conrad, "Our lawyers are competent people, Conrad, that is why we hired them, and we are generous donors of the school. They will simply have to get over it".

Conrad glared at Victoria, her indifference to the matter bothering him. Being able to smooth over the mishap with the school, was not the problem. The problem was that Amanda Clarke, who had been of zero relevance to anyone for years, now seemed to have her own public agenda in the Hamptons, which Victoria had ironically helped her return to.

"Do you see this?" Conrad questioned hotly, as he pulled out his phone towards her face so she could read the headline of the article, "Every major news outlet in the Hampton's is talking about Amanda Clarke's return. She was supposed to be inconspicuous. I only allowed her here because I thought you would be able to control her. Maybe you're losing your touch dear."

Victoria rolled her eyes at his remark. Their marriage was not a dictatorship. Conrad had not allowed her to do anything. In her life, she had learnt that wealthy men especially, always believed that the whole world was in their hands, and tried to shape and mould their life and the people in them to their greedy desires. They got off on power, but Conrad's was the biggest illusion of all. She ran the show.

"She's a little girl Conrad. Troublesome but not dangerous. Someone is paying for her stay in the Hampton's. Once I find out who and put a stop to it, it'll be over for Amanda. I already have a fitting group home waiting for her."

Walking down the hallway of Collins Prep, Amanda felt a strange feeling of deja vu. The eyes on her, the whispers, the gossiping. She had been here before, as the new and glossier version of herself; Emily Thorne. But now she was her true self; Amanda Clarke, and the stares and gossiping weren't innocent curiosity at the pretty new girl. They were resentful and distrusting stares and toxic gossip.

She had done this before in all the public schools she had attended in the past. But this felt different. Maybe it felt more personal because for once in her life, fellow students and teachers had seen her as normal…..even privileged. For those few weeks, she had gotten used to that preferential treatment, untarnished by her infamous surname. Or maybe it was because, as fellow Hamptonites with many connections to the powerful figures that had been involved in massacring her father's name, the students felt more closely affected by the David Clarke trial, and what they believed were his abhorrent crimes. Or maybe she was just more sensitive to it now that she knew the truth of her father's innocence. In the past, she had always felt like the mistrust and mistreatment of students and teachers was justified and that it was just the price she had to pay as the devil's daughter. But now that she knew the truth, it stung so much more.

"I can't believe you have the audacity to show your face here".

Those words snapping her from her thoughts, Amanda looked up to see Ashley Davenport with a scowl on her make-up plastered face, surrounded by her posse with equally nasty glares.

Amanda glared back coldly, but ignored her comment and simply continued walking. She was not going to waste her energy on the likes of that girl, she was a hindrance but unimportant in the grand scheme of her plan. Anyway, Nolan had already warned her that the school would be looking for an excuse to have her expelled so to be on her best behaviour.

Quickening her pace, Ashley Davenport followed close behind her and manoeuvred straight in front of her, forcing Amanda to stop and face her as her posse encircled her like sharks.

Was she supposed to feel intimidated? Because she didn't. In fact, she found it kind of funny. They were too pretty and polished to be taken as threats. What were they really going to do, throw punches at her, and dare ruin their rose gold acrylic nails?

"Look around Amanda", Ashley spoke with spite, "nobody wants you here. You're deceitful just like your father, I wonder how else you're like him?"

"I'm a lot like him" Amanda shot back hotly, her lips pulling up into a conceited smirk. "I don't think you want to find out".

Ashley's eyes widened in shock, before narrowing, "Is that a threat?".

Before she could respond, Amanda saw the broad shoulders of a teenage boy with dark brown hair slip in next to Ashley, casually throwing his arm around her shoulder. Facing Amanda, he grinned devilishly instantly making her feel nauseous.

Tyler.

It had only been about a week since he had sexually assaulted her at the party, but in light of everything that had transgressed after, she'd had the privilege of him being the farthest thing from her mind until now. But now she was face to face with him, his ugly nose splint a reminder of what had happened. She wasn't scared of him, but she was uncomfortable and even worse than that she was embarrassed; a feeling she wasn't used to. He had taken advantage of her in her vulnerability, and the fact that he'd optimized on her weakened state when she had tried so hard to always be strong deeply bothered her. She should have known better.

"Had I known you were Amanda Clarke, I never would have touched you, although I do like playing with fire and you are still a pretty girl, so maybe I would have" he laughed. "Could you imagine the shock value I'd receive saying I fucked David Clarke's daughter. I'd be sensational. Is that why Daniel likes you?".

Cutting her eyes at Tyler, her brown eyes seeming to darken in deep animosity, Amanda drew in a sharp breath, before exposing him. "You're disgusting Tyler, I was drunk at the party and you tried to rape me".

In her shock, she had let Daniel defend her back when it had happened. But she was in a clear state of mind now, and he needed to be confronted. Tyler knew what he had done but those words needed to be said and heard and she refused to let him pretend otherwise. She also refused to let him think she was in any way intimidated by him.

At the word rape, she saw the eyes of the girl's surrounding her flicker in confusion. Their spiteful gaze towards her weakening as they shifted their eyes away from her, first towards the ground and then towards Ashley. Rape was an uncomfortable word, and they were girls, they knew all too well what unwanted advances could lead to. It went above everything to show any support towards it.

Ashley turned her head towards Tyler apprehensively, but he was too focused on Amanda to notice the question in her eyes. He was definitely an asshole, and on more than one occasion he had asked her for sex and tried to push her boundaries past what she was comfortable with. But physically, he had never tried to force himself on her. They'd been friends of sorts since middle school, was he really capable?

"That's a bold accusation…..but who are they going to believe?", Tyler questioned coldly, not even bothering to deny it in his arrogance, "me or the daughter of a terrorist?".

"We could go down that route. I know for a fact Daniel would testify against you," Amanda challenged boldly. At the mention of Daniel, Tyler bristled, and a smirk crept up onto Amanda's lips as she continued, her voice dripping in disgust, "But you're insignificant to me. You haven't been on my mind since the night Daniel beat you up. Karma will get you in due time anyway. You're weak and pathetic Tyler, nobody wants you and so you have to try and force it. Even Ashley wouldn't date you or any of the girls here for that matter."

At the mention of Ashley, Tyler turned his gaze expectantly towards her for her support. But she'd already shaken his arm off her shoulder and begun to back away from him. He hadn't denied it. He'd practically admitted to it in his counter-threat to Amanda. It was disgusting. She hated Amanda, but she was still a girl just like her. She couldn't just ignore that could she?

"I have to get to class Tyler", she snapped, purposefully avoiding his eyes as she fluffed her hair, sent one more nasty glare towards Amanda for good measure, and turned on her heels, knowing her girls would instantly follow.

"Ash", Tyler called out for her, but she ignored him as she walked away.

"See", Amanda sneered, watching as his face fell and then hardened in outrage.

"You…." he grumbled with a threatening intonation.

But before he could finish his sentence, Amanda had already brushed past him, her shoulder purposely bumping into his upper arm as she walked past him with more force than he had expected from a girl.

She'd read him for the filth he was and she loved that. He was the type of guy to take advantage of the weak to make himself feel strong and Amanda had just proved to him that she wasn't weak and that she wasn't one to be played with. He wouldn't bother her again, she was sure of that.

"Was that Tyler?"

Turning around towards the source of the hardened voice behind her, Amanda nodded her head at Daniel's question, watching his jaw clench in anger at her response.

"I warned him to leave you the hell alone" he responded with outrage, his eyes leaving her face and zeroing in on Tyler's back, as he clenched his fist aching to plummet it back into Tyler's flesh. Feeling Amanda's tentative brown eyes on him though, instead, Daniel forced himself to take a deep breath and reluctantly relaxed his fists, focusing back on what mattered, Amanda. This is where he had messed up last time, he had gone after Tyler instead of checking on Amanda. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice, especially when their current friendship was already so suddenly unstable.

"Are you okay? What did he say to you? Did he put his hands on you?"

His questions, although out of goodwill, irritated Amanda. "I'm fine Daniel" she replied curtly. She didn't need Daniel to defend her, and she definitely didn't want Daniel to think she needed his protection. "I'm not scared of Tyler, I told him as much. It actually felt good to confront him. He's weak".

Daniel stared at her intently, not surprised by her dismissive response but not truly believing her either. He remembered the vulnerability he had seen in her eyes that night, the way her eyes had screamed out silently for help.

"What?" she challenged.

Daniel shook his head, he could not sense an ounce of that same vulnerability, all he saw in her brown eyes was a force to be reckoned with. Opening his mouth to speak, a little chuckle couldn't help but escape his throat, "He is weak".

She smirked at him and his lips automatically curled up into a smile to match hers, but their unity didn't last for long and as the awkward silence started to settle between them, Daniel's smile dropped, remembering how strange she was being and Amanda drew her foot back as though she was planning on walking away.

"What's going on Emily, you're Amanda Clarke now?"

"I was always Amanda Clarke" Amanda retorted cutting her eyes at Daniel.

"Sorry" he appeased, with a heavy sigh, "You know what I mean. I'm just confused. My mum said that you were being sent to a group home across the state. I went to your place to try to talk to you last night and say goodbye, but you still weren't there. How are you still here?"

"I told you I would see you at school, Daniel".

"You never said why," he persisted, "What's going on?"

Looking into Daniel's pleading eyes, Amanda couldn't help feeling a sharp twinge of guilt. The only problem was that she could not place its origin. There was too much dissonance within her thoughts and feelings. She was hurting Daniel, but he was a Grayson and was she not betraying her father by associating with him?

It was so confusing, Daniel had been a surprisingly good friend to her, and it felt like she hadn't really given him much in return. Now she was shutting him out, and it was painstakingly obvious to him, just unclear as to why. He didn't deserve it, but a part of herself hated being around him now. It just felt so wrong. He was a Grayson, he was her enemy. When she looked at him closely, she could see Victoria behind his deep brown eyes and Conrad in the confident way he carried himself. He was a mixture of both of his parents at least in appearance, and that unnerved her. He seemed innocent now, but what if he grew up to be like his parents, what if evil was simply in his DNA?

"Want to know a secret?" she slowly asked.

Daniel nodded his head instantly, taking a deep breath in anticipation as Amanda drew even closer to him. It was only for a few seconds but he could feel her breath tickle his ear as she leant into him. Their proximity making it hard for him to focus, especially as her blonde strands brushed against his cheek.

"Your mother's not as powerful as you think" she breathed into his ear, pulling away just as quickly as she drew into him as soon as the whisper left her lips.

This triggered him. Amanda was so hot and cold, and it wasn't fair to him that it always seemed like he was on her playing field. One minute they seemed like friends, the next she acted like they were enemies. One minute she was there, the next, she was gone. Yet despite all this, there was something so alluring about her that just made him want to keep trying with her, no matter how difficult she acted.

Daniel shook his head at her words, "You're full of bullshit" he accused hotly. Her words had not provided an ounce of the clarity he had been looking for, and this frustrated him.

Amanda shrugged her shoulders indifferently, "It's true". Victoria was not invincible, and once she found out all of his mother's weaknesses, she would exploit them.

"It doesn't explain anything" he exclaimed " Where were you? Why have you now decided to come out as Amanda Clarke? Where are you staying? Who's paying your tuition to be here?" The more questions he asked the more his voice became drenched in his outrage. Every time he saw her he had more questions, and it was beginning to sting considering how much she was on his mind. "Why won't you talk to me?"

Amanda lowered her eyes from Daniel's, there was too much emotion in them and she didn't know how to handle it. He didn't know it yet but he was right in the middle of her vendetta. She was trying to keep him out of it at the moment but she knew that eventually, he'd be unable to avoid the blowback he'd receive as a Grayson in the aftermath of it all.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, her words surprisingly sincere, "I never wanted to hurt you and I should have at least told you I was revealing my identity to the school. I've heard what they're saying about you. Everyone knows we were friends, and you lied for me about my identity….. that makes you look bad now, and naturally, everyone has questions for you."

Daniel shook his head. She didn't get it. "I don't care about that. Let them talk." They were saying much worse about Amanda anyway, and she looked unbothered. Although he wondered if that was just one of her faces. "And we are friends," he added pointedly, hating how she had referred to their friendship in the past tense, "at least I'm yours".

Amanda opened her mouth to respond but then shut it, thankful for the sharp shrill sound of the second bell which signalled that lunch was over. It served as an easy excuse for her exit. She had nothing more to say anyway. "I've got to get to class".

Amanda Clarke, Why have you returned to the Hamptons?

Amanda Clarke, Do you have any comments about your late father?

Amanda Clarke, there are already reports from fellow students saying that your presence here makes them feel uncomfortable. Any comments on this?

Stepping out of Collins Prep, Amanda was almost blinded by all the flashing lights of the various cameras facing her way trying to catch a glimpse of her; the infamous daughter of David Clarke. She knew that with her attending such a prestigious school, news of her return would spread quickly through the Hamptons, sending shock waves in its wake. There were too many affluent children of wealthy and powerful people at the school for her identity to be brushed aside. She was making them all nervous. Why was she here? How did she have the money to attend Collins Prep? A school that was meant to be for the so-called elite. It was scandalous, and the news reporters loved that, they knew that in people's morbid curiosity of her family's misfortune, the Hamptonites would eat up any story about her.

Although she had braced herself, she was not used to being in the public eye. News reporters were so invasive; shamelessly shouting so many insensitive questions at her, as cameras and lights flashed obtrusively in her face. Student's were pushing past her now, trying to get down from the school steps and out of the camera's eagle eye, but Amanda stood steady, almost as if she was frozen in spot. She was staring the sharks straight on contemplating her move….her words.

"Emily!"

Hearing a familiar voice shout her fake name which cut instantly across all the greedy yells of Amanda Clarke. Amanda turned her gaze towards the source of the voice; Daniel Grayson. He was sitting in the driver's seat of his Tesla with one hand still cooly on the steering wheel. The front door was raised upon, as he leant out his seat and gestured for her to get in. She didn't know why but seeing Daniel in the midst of all the buzz surrounding her relieved her. He had pulled up to the school as close as he could physically get. He was offering her an out; a quick escape. If one thing was certain, Daniel did always try to have her back.

Releasing a long breath she didn't realize she'd even been holding, Amanda forced her gaze away from Daniel and back to the crowd of reporters.

What if she liked the attention? She didn't need an escape, she wasn't weak, and she wasn't hiding anymore. She had to face this head-on, set the record straight. This was her chance. In the foster care system, nobody had ever cared to listen to her, all her words and thoughts had been stifled until she had stopped expressing them. But now she had a crowd of people wanting to listen to her. She wasn't naive, she knew it was only out of greed, rather than respect, but still the fact remained it gave her power.

If people finally wanted to listen to her maybe she should talk.

Pulling in a breath to steady herself, as Amanda exhaled she loudly and firmly began to speak, "There has been much speculation over why I have returned to the Hamptons".

At her first words, the news reporters began to hush, their yelling coming to a cease-fire as they stared at her with curiosity and adjusted their cameras. A microphone that seemed to come out of nowhere was immediately stuck in her direction, it making her momentarily falter. She couldn't take this back. She didn't want to though. Let the war begin she thought as she regained her confident steely composure and began to speak the truth.

"I returned to the Hamptons because the Hampton's is my home. My father believed it would be a beautiful place to raise a daughter, and it would have been if he had not gotten trapped in the web of lies and deceit that tarnished his name. My father, David Clarke, was innocent! He was framed for the downing of flight 197 by powerful people that still reside in the Hampton's today. Through bribery, threats, and coercion, they were able to influence people involved in my father's incarceration to lie, and put him, an innocent man in prison. These people are Victoria and Conrad Grayson".

With that bold accusation, Amanda confidently walked down the rest of the school steps, pushing past all of the reporters who were now on her like a hoard of bloodthirsty mosquitoes. The truth about her father was out in the open, and she simply felt exhilarated. A rush had hit her, and she wanted to hold onto that feeling for a while. She knew it would take so much more than her word for people to believe her but maybe just maybe she had sowed that finicky seed of doubt in some people's mind, and at the least, it would get people talking and put the Grayson's and those involved on edge.

The reporters were now on her heels and in her ear, firing follow-up question after question, but she had tuned them all out as she briskly tried to walk past them. Now an escape would be nice. That thought reminding her of Daniel's presence, she turned her gaze towards where Daniel had been waiting for her in his car, but now that spot was jarringly empty. Daniel had asked her so many times for the truth, and she had brushed aside each request, and instead had told the public before him; cruelly outing his parents right in front of him. She hadn't even warned him. She should feel guilty, and maybe a part of her did, but was it genuine if she didn't regret it? In the moment she hadn't cared to think about Daniel, but she hadn't cared to think about anyone else either, except for her father. Daniel had told her that he was selfish, but she was the true selfish one; selfishly consumed in her path for vengeance. Anyway, if she was being honest, she didn't want to hurt Daniel, but it almost felt inevitable, how could she really spare him?

Seeing a sleek black limo pull up in the spot Daniel had been in, Amanda read the familiar license plate, and graciously ran up and slipped into the backseat, the reporters still on her tail.

"Go" she urged, as she watched the vultures trying to shine their cameras through the window and see who she was inside with.

"Well, Hello to you too, little stow shopper" Nolan quipped sarcastically.

"Mum!"

Daniel's outraged voice echoed throughout Grayson Manor instantly, as he rushed inside from school feeling confused and betrayed by Amanda's disturbing announcement. "She's blaming you and Dad," he said in disbelief.

"She's clearly disturbed….making up salacious lies". Victoria's voice replied calmly as she stepped out from the foyer to greet her son. Her exterior was calm, but deep inside there was something ugly rattling inside of her. They had buried the David Clarke trial years ago, and now suddenly Amanda Clarke was trying to publically dredge up the past. It was unsettling, but what disturbed her the most was the unknown. How much did Amanda truly know? And what game was she playing?

Daniel's face scrunched up into a frown, "You have to say something, you have to deny this".

Victoria scoffed. Daniel was still so naive and his emotions so transparent. They were his biggest weaknesses. She loved her son dearly, but there was much he needed to learn. He still thought like a boy, and not like the man of standing he was growing into. No wonder Amanda had so easily been able to infiltrate her lecherous self into her son's life.

"Daniel, your father and I are not entertaining the wild thoughts of a troubled teenage girl. We don't need to go on record and say her claims are outlandish because everyone already knows they are. There's not an ounce of validity to her story. It's a sensational claim, so it will circulate around the news for a few days, and then something more exciting will hit the Hamptons than the likes of Amanda Clarke. There's nothing to worry about" she assured.

Daniel shook his head, his jaw still clenched in anger, "But, she can't get away with just slandering your name. I don't get it. After everything you did for her."

"Then tell them," Victoria replied slyly, capitalizing on her son's idea as she strategically planned it over in her head. The press loved a story, and who better to tell the truth, than her good-hearted but transparent son who was truly an innocent in all of this.

"We'll set up an interview here, and you can tell them the truth about Amanda Clarke".

"Daniel Grayson, tell me how you feel about the absurd allegations Amanda Clarke made today about your family?"

It was only two hours later and Daniel Grayson was now seated on the corner seat of his main living room couch, still dressed in his Collins Prep uniform at Victoria's request that it would look better for optics. He was directly facing the interviewer, a woman in her late 30's wearing a form-fitted black pencil dress, with her hair pulled up tightly into a bun. She looked pretty and polished, although Daniel could sense her intimidating aura behind her piercing hazel eyes. He would have to be careful with what he said around her. She was sitting on a stool a few feet in front of him, with the camera and lighting crew spaced out quietly but not inconspicuously around them. His mother of course was present, standing a few feet behind the interviewer, her cryptic brown eyes watching him carefully. He had the privilege of doing this in the comfort of his own home; an impromptu interview his mother had set up swiftly, but he felt anything but comfortable.

Daniel had cooled down from earlier. He was still outraged, but he no longer wanted to lash out at Amanda. As his shock had subsided, confusion had instantly set in; overwhelmed him as it had only multiplied with his past confusion. All he wanted was some clarity. He didn't think the pit in his stomach would subside without it. He didn't want to fight her, and he didn't want to hurt her. He just wanted to sit down with Amanda and have her lay it all out on the table at once, even if it meant cutting ties with her in the end. Which he was sadly starting to think it might. She might be more trouble than he could handle. She was clearly mixed up in something deep, something toxic, and he couldn't be dragged down there. He had worked hard from last summer to stay on the right path, and not let so-called friends pull him into bad situations.

Looking up at the interviewer, Daniel cleared his throat and then firmly replied, "I feel hurt, and confused by Amanda's malicious lies. I honestly thought we were friends"

"Friends?" the interviewer emphasized with raised eyebrows, "I can't imagine many people would publicly claim that girl as a friend."

Frowning, not liking the way the interviewer had framed her statement, Daniel found himself hesitating, his eyes automatically passing the interviewers and finding his mother's. Victoria was standing stiffly behind her, with a steely look in her dark brown eyes. Don't mess this up. They were saying.

Exhaling a quiet breath, Daniel continued, "I looked past her last name, looked at her as a person. I thought she was a good person".

"And now?"

Daniel sighed, trying to choose his words carefully. He was definitely angry at Amanda, but this interview was not intended to hurt her in retaliation. He had no intention of publicly bashing her, but he was going to tell the truth and set the record straight. He had already been so forgiving of Amanda, but he couldn't just excuse her actions, not this time. What she did today; publicly degrading his family by accusing his parents of something so ridiculous was just too wrong.

"I just think she's confused," he replied steadily, "The claims about my parents are completely unfounded, and it's come out of nowhere. Emily….I mean Amanda" he quickly corrected, "didn't return to the Hampton's because she wanted to be home, she returned to the Hampton's through my parent's kindness."

"Elaborate," the interviewer insisted.

Clearing his throat again, Daniel thought back to how it all started, "Amanda Clarke, and I became friends by chance when I spent a week in Connecticut for a school football tournament. We met one day randomly on a park bench. We looked to be about the same age, and so we just started talking. We'd hang out after my practices sometimes."

"Was it ever more than friends?" the interviewer probed, her hazel eyes piercing into Daniel's directly as if daring him to lie.

Daniel instantly cut his eyes away from the reporter as the question took root in his mind. He didn't trust himself, he did not have a good poker face, and how could he even answer that question when he was asking himself the same thing. He had wanted to be more, but then Amanda had started acting cagey. He still thought about the kiss all the time though, even though he was trying to forget about it; even though he hadn't been her only kiss that day. Her lips had been so sweet and supple, one taste and he'd had no choice but to pull in closer to her. He couldn't help it, but clearly, she could. Amanda had pulled away from him, and he had felt it instantly; her barrier going straight back up.

Shaking his head firmly, it feeling heavy with the burden of his hidden desire, Daniel forced his brown eyes back up into the interviewers, "No" he scoffed, "never".

The interviewer raised her eyebrows suspiciously at Daniel as though she didn't quite believe his words, but nevertheless moved on to the next question, "Did she know who you were back when you met?"

"Yes, I had told her my name, but I had no idea that she was Amanda Clarke, she told me her name was...".

"Emily Thorne"

Daniel nodded his head, "Yes, and I had no reason to believe she was lying. On my last morning in Connecticut, I had wanted to say goodbye to her, so I had looked for her in the park".

"Did you find her?"

"Yes...with a huge bruise on her face". Daniel replied solemnly, wincing at the memory before his face slowly hardened in revulsion for that man, "Her foster father was physically abusing her, and she couldn't stop it on her own, and I couldn't leave her there in such an awful situation. So I asked my mother to help her and my mother did. She got social workers and lawyers involved and took Amanda Clarke out of that situation, and brought her back into the Hamptons, right here in our home where she would be safe."

"Victoria Grayson saved Amanda Clarke from an abusive home," the reporter confirmed.

Daniel nodded his head, "Despite her last name, my parents showed Amanda Clarke such kindness. She was scared to be placed in another home, so my parents hired her a family attorney who went through all the proceedings for Amanda to become legally emancipated. My parents also rented her an apartment to live in and paid for her tuition to attend Collin's Prep so that she would have no trouble supporting herself as an emancipated minor. They both went above and beyond for Amanda Clarke, that's why I'm so hurt that she would lie so blatantly about them."

"There's rumours that Amanda Clarke went under a different alias at your school, what is that about?"

Daniel paused at the question, trying to gather his thoughts. He and Amanda had been sitting on this very couch when his mother had told Amanda that she would have to go under a different name. He had eyed his mother suspiciously at the time, convinced that it was more for his own mother's reputation than for Amanda's benefit. He couldn't say that on interview though, he was trying to paint his parents in a positive light after Amanda's wild accusation.

Wetting his lips before speaking, Daniel caught his mother's scrutinizing gaze upon him. Her eyes reminding him to choose his words very carefully. He didn't want to lie but maybe it wouldn't hurt to embellish the truth a little. Anyway, just because he suspected his mother had done it for her own reputation, it didn't mean that she actually had.

"My mother was worried about Amanda Clarke settling into the Hampton's and the prejudice she would face as the daughter of David Clarke. Amanda has had a hard life, and she didn't want her return to be shrouded in the negative light of her father. My mother knows all too well that living in the social eye is not easy, and she just wanted Amanda Clarke to have a chance, so at the time she had suggested Amanda go under a different name. Amanda wasn't forced, she agreed to go by Emily Thorne. Honestly, I think she was secretly relieved to not have to carry the burden of her father. My mother was trying to protect Amanda, but she admitted to me that she regrets how she went about it because she never wanted to make my fellow students at school feel unsafe or uncomfortable."

His embellishment slipped off his tongue more smoothly than he had anticipated, and he was both slightly impressed, and slightly disappointed at how slickly he could twist a story. Maybe he was his parent's child after all.

"So what changed? Why is Amanda Clarke suddenly attacking your family?"

"I wish I knew," Daniel sighed heavily, his focus shifting as he caught his mother who had been vigilantly watching his interview up until this moment, now off in the corner deep in conversation with an intimidating looking man he only knew by the name of Frank. "I'm as confused as everybody else. A few days ago, Amanda, just disappeared for days. I couldn't get in contact with her, my mother couldn't get in contact with her, and she wasn't in her apartment. We were all so worried. Days later when she finally resurfaced, it was like she was a different person, she wouldn't tell me where she had been or why she was acting so strange. My mother had no choice but to pull her tuition and lease on the apartment, she was acting irresponsible, and my mother was worried she wasn't stable enough for this lifestyle. She thought a group home might be a good place for Amanda to get the support she needed."

"Interesting", the interviewer bemused, "So your parents taking away those resources could be seen as motivation as to why Amanda's publicly attacking your parents".

"Could be," Daniel replied slowly. He didn't believe that though. Surely, Amanda wasn't that vindictive.

"And yet, Amanda Clarke is still here, so who is now paying for her stay in the Hampton's?" the interviewer questioned.

Daniel shook his head, "I don't…."

"Let's take a break."

Victoria's authoritative voice cut through the interview, and the crew instantly moved to her command; pausing the cameras, cutting off the microphone, and turning down the spotlight on Daniel.

Lifting himself from his seat, relieved to stretch his legs and be out of the spotlight, even if only momentarily, Daniel called out to his mother and began to walk towards her.

Victoria briefly turned her gaze towards her son and flashed him a pearly white smile, "You're doing great, Daniel" she praised, albeit dismissively, as she gestured for him to take a seat back down on the couch.

He sighed but reluctantly sat back down, loosening his school tie around his neck as he accepted the water bottle a crew member thrust into his hands. Pulling out his phone from his pocket, Daniel scrolled through his messages which had continually fired off silently buzzes throughout the interview. All his so-called friends were texting him about the craziness of this afternoon, trying to find out more about the gossip surrounding Amanda Clarke's ludicrous statement. Not one had asked him how he was doing though. Rolling his eyes in frustration, it ironically dawned on him that despite his popularity, he had no real friends. Turning off his phone now, Daniel angrily shoved it back in his pocket. There was only one person's name he wanted to see on his screen, and of course, she hadn't tried to contact him.

Scanning the large room, Daniel's eyes landed on his mother and the interviewer whispering in the corner Frank had previously pulled her into to talk. They looked like co-conspirators. The interviewer was intently listening and nodding her head at Victoria's every word.

Was this right? Suddenly that thought hit him and he couldn't shake it. He was talking on TV so candidly about someone he thought of as a friend. She would hate him, he just knew it. Emily was a secretive person. Back in Connecticut, during their late-night talks, it had been like pulling teeth trying to get personal information out of her. Very slowly, as she began to trust him more she had opened up to him, even more so upon her return to the Hamptons, but now he was just laying it all out in the open for the whole Hampton's to see.

Did he have a choice though? The truth was his only defence, and unlike her, he hadn't lied and he wasn't trying to be malicious like she was, he was just trying to defend the allegations Amanda had thrown at his parents.

Just as he was about to stand up again, the interviewer sat back down opposite him, "We're nearly finished Daniel" she assured him, with a fake smile, "I just have a few more questions".

Daniel shook his head, "I think I'm finished, there's nothing more to say," he insisted, as he removed the tiny mike from his school blazer. He had told the story of how they met, and how his parents had helped her return to the Hampton's. He didn't know anything else, and he was beginning to feel nauseous, it dawning on him how he had made her sound….. vulnerable, unstable, and confused. That's not how he wanted people to see her though because she was so much more than that. She was smart, resilient, and talented, but she was human, and she had gone through so much, it was only natural to have deep flaws. He couldn't control how people interpreted his words though, could he?

"Daniel you're not finished". Victoria spoke staunchly, as she cast her intimidating gaze on her son.

He lowered his eyes, not wanting to face her, knowing all too well what her response would be to his next words. But still, he couldn't help but express them, "I don't want to make things hard for her".

"Do you think she thought the same of you on the school steps this afternoon? She's not your friend Daniel, she's a troubled young girl and I've found out who's pulling her strings."

At his mother's new admission, Daniel shot his curious eyes back up into hers instantly, the question so evident in his eyes. "Who?".

Victoria pursed her lips, and shook her head, knowing that she had him roped back in now, "Sit back down, Daniel, finish the interview".

Clenching his jaw in frustration, Daniel caved to his mother's request, as he begrudgingly sat back down in his seat and faced the interviewer. Taking a deep and much needed breath he felt an assistant at his side reclipping his mike to his blazer and in seconds the spotlight shone on him once again.

"So Daniel," the interviewer questioned as the camera clicked back on, "My sources tell me that Amanda Clarke is currently living with Nolan Ross who is financially supporting her stay in the Hampton's. Do you happen to know anything about their relationship?"

Daniel's face scrunched up in confusion and he shook his head heavily, his gaze venturing off-camera towards his mother. Why did she look so smug, so pleased with this newfound information, "I don't understand," he stuttered, feeling even more confused and even more nauseous. "Isn't he like 30, she's 16, what's he doing with her?"

"We thought we'd ask you as you stated you were friends with Amanda. Did she ever mention Nolan Ross to you, detail their relationship, or talk about a mysterious man in her life? We're trying to understand the extent of their relationship."

"Don't call it that". His voice came off angrier than he had intended but he couldn't control that, not even for the cameras. He had never been good at hiding his emotions. What he felt so transparently showed but he didn't care. What business did a millionaire have with Amanda Clarke? It didn't make sense and it didn't feel right. Why was she suddenly living with an older man she didn't even know and letting him pay for her stay here? Was she that stupid or that desperate? And what had Nolan said to turn her against him?

"You seem angry," the interviewer surmised, almost goading him.

"I'm not angry!" Daniel instantly denied, rather unconvincingly, "I'm just…." taking a deep breath, trying to control the tone of his voice, Daniel quietly finished his sentence, "worried".

"You believe Nolan Ross is dangerous?", the interviewer shrewdly asked in response. It was a question, but she had made it sound more like a statement and had purposely misinterpreted the sincerity of his last response.

Daniel was young but he wasn't stupid. His mother did this all the time…..tried to put words in his mouth. It was his interview, but he suddenly realized that his mother had been manipulating it this whole time. He was certain now that she had told the interviewer what questions to ask him, knowing all too well how her son would respond. There was no reason for him to find out about Nolan Ross in front of the cameras, except for his mother betting on his outrage and predicting what the public would infer from it. There was a narrative Victoria had wanted to paint, and she had used him to do just that. He had wanted to do this interview to help her, not to be used like a pawn. He was her son, not a puppet.

"I didn't say that. I don't know him" Daniel responded stiffly, as he stood up and unplugged his mike before the interviewer could put more words into his mouth. "I'm done here!"

A/N Thanks so much for reading, please let me know what you think of this chapter. I know Daniel's interview was long but it felt important to show Daniel's perspective and his side of the story since he is still in the dark about his family's transgressions. How do you think he handled the interview? Was what he said out of line? And do you think it was wise for Amanda to publically out the Grayson's so early on?