John finds his spine

Author's note: I contacted Steveyboy42 with this parallel to his idea and they gave the okay for me to write it. I have no plans to include pictures but if someone wants to source pictures to what I write, I should be able to edit the links in after the fact.

John paced as his thoughts swirled around his head. Why did this happen? How did what he did wrong justify what he had to go thru? Also why did he have a nagging feeling that he'd been set up? The more the questions circled, the angrier he got.

The door opened and thankfully distracted him for the moment. She wore a fresh robe and all evidence of the earlier debauchery had been washed away. She looked as beautiful as the day he met her and a fresh spike of pain pierced his heart.

"It's done. You showed me you're sorry and I forgive you." Rachael said with a soft smile.

John just started at her, his expression blank.

"This can be a new start for us." Rachael continued, "Now you know how it feels-"

"How it feels?" John cut her off. "What did I do that I had to feel like this?"

Rachael's smile faded a bit. "Well you... I mean-"

"I feel like my heart has been ripped out." John said coldly. "I just watched my girlfriend cheat on me. You told me multiple times that you never wanted anything near your ass. Then today, I had sit there in silence while you begged Zach for it."

Taken aback by John's words, Rachael tried to continue, "Umm yeah... Amber said-"

"Amber said?" John couldn't keep the anger out of his voice as he cut her off again and held his arm up. "The same Amber who's been belittling me all day and literally dug her nails in to make it more painful. What did she say that made all that seem like a good idea?"

Rachael's eyes widened as she saw the red welts on John's arm and she seemed to shrink into herself. "I had a lot to drink." She offered meekly.

"Oh so if you drink too much you get to fuck other people but if I make a stupid and selfish decision because I had too much to drink, I need to be humiliated? I didn't even want to get drunk! Zach kept handing me those damned..." John growled out but paused as things fell into place and his anger drained out of him.

"Amber and Zach were the ones making the extra strong drinks." John said sadly as he ran his hand down his face. "They kept challenging me to down them all to keep me drunk so when Amber played the tease, she'd be all I could think about. Even Zach was the one who pushed me to share your picture. They planned this whole thing. I'm such an idiot."

"Oh God you're right." Rachael exclaimed as she covered her mouth in horror. "When we were on our own, Amber kept giving me those cocktails and making snide jabs about you. The more I drank, the easier it became to accept what she was saying was true."

Rachel's voice stated to tremble and tears formed in her eyes. John's heart melted and he quickly pulled her into a hug.

"She said it was the perfect way to put you in your place." Rachael cried into his shoulder. "Why did I believe her? Why did I let her talk me into cheating on you?"

John rubbed her back and whispered softly in her ear, "It's not your fault. If I hadn't been selfish and taken our relationship for granted, their plan wouldn't have worked. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too." Rachael whispered back.

"I love you."

"I love you too."