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Cole
It’s been almost nine hours since Sawyer told me she’d think about being my fake girlfriend.
Surely, she’s made up her mind by now.
I stare at my phone, debating whether or not to text her.
Seriously. What the fuck is there to think about? She scratches my back and I scratch hers. It’s the perfect solution.
“Cole?” Jace cuts in, interrupting my thoughts. “A little help here.”
I look up from my plate of uneaten scrambled eggs. “Huh?”
He’s currently reading Bianca the riot act. I tuned out somewhere between fake food poisoning and stealing Dylan’s nightgown.
“Tell Bianca how great Dylan is.”
Shrugging, I look at my little sister. “She’s okay.”
It’s the best I can do. We’re not particularly close, but I know she loves Jace and Jace loves the fuck out of her.
That’s good enough for me.
Jace opens his mouth, but much to his dismay, it’s Oakley who comes to Dylan’s defense.
“Dylan’s the shit—” he starts to say before Jace cuts him off.
“She makes me happy, Bianca. Don’t you want me to be happy?”
Keeping her expression impassive, Bianca plucks an apple from the fruit bowl. “Are you sure? Because you don’t seem very happy right now.”
Jace looks like he’s about to have a coronary. “I’m not happy because you keep trying to drive a wedge between us and won’t give my girlfriend a chance.”
Bianca thinks about this for a minute before replying, “Only because your girlfriend is a giant murderous cunt.”
Yup. I saw that response coming from a mile away. I’m pretty sure Bianca will always blame Dylan for Liam’s death.
I ignore the way the proverbial knife twists in my gut.
Rising from the table, Jace sighs. “You need to stop. I can’t take much more of this.”
She frowns. “Well, if she’s causing you this much stress, you should probably get rid of her.”
“I’m not getting rid of Dylan—” Jace starts to shout before Oakley takes over.
“Cut the shit, B.” He takes a big swig of his orange juice. “Dylan’s my fam, and I’m not go
Glaring at him, she takes a giant bite of her apple and chews. “Wow, someone’s awfully salty about last night.”
Awkward.
Oakley’s jaw tics. “You just had to bring that up.”
Jace looks between them. “What happened last night?”
They both clamp their mouths shut.
He’s bound to hear about it sooner or later. Here goes nothing.
“Bianca made out with Hayley.”
“Hayley?” Stu
He sulks. “Yup.”
Jace looks at me next. “You let her make-out with a girl at a party?”
Frankly, I’m not sure what the big deal is. I, for one, am a huge supporter of her newfound lesbianism.
If Bianca’s gay, it means she won’t want to mess around with any guys…ergo less stress for her big brothers.
Besides, what does he want me to do? Lock her up in the basement? Forbid her to have any contact with the human race?
I open my mouth to speak, but Bianca beats me to it.
“In Cole’s defense, he told me not to hook up with any guys. He never said anything about girls, though.” Smirking, she adds, “Plus, it’s not like he was there. He was too busy hanging out with his new girlfriend, Sawyer.”
On second thought, maybe locking her up in the basement isn’t such a bad idea after all. There would be way less shit for her to stir up from down there.
I can tell the exact moment he processes what she said because the little vein in his forehead makes an appearance. “Sawyer? As in Dylan’s best friend, Sawyer?”
“Do you know any other Sawyers?”
“I told you to stay away from her.”
“You also told me not to fuck Mrs. Be
“Holy shit. You fucked Cortland’s mom?” Bianca exclaims.
We both ignore her.
“Look,” Jace starts. “Dylan doesn’t want you hanging around Sawyer. Not after what you did to her.”
“I’m sorry, last I checked, I’m a big boy and Dylan doesn’t get to make decisions for me.”
“Yeah,” Bianca cheers.
Jace’s gaze swings her way. “Go upstairs.”
“Whatever.” She fixes her stare on Oakley. “I’m go
Oakley makes a low growling sound as she scampers away. When she’s out of earshot, he says, “Hayley’s a sweet girl, Jace. You need to put an end to that shit.”
Truth be told, I get why he’s uneasy about the whole thing. Hayley might be two years older than Bianca, but Bianca is…Bianca.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out things probably won’t end well once Bianca decides she’s had enough and moves on.
Huffing out a breath, Jace motions to me. “Yeah, after I put out the other fire.”
“Me dating Sawyer isn’t a fire.”
It’s a motherfucking atomic bomb. One I can’t wait to drop on Cortland’s dumbass come Monday.
Jace doesn’t look amused. “I don’t want you dating Sawyer. You’ve already hurt the girl enough. Stay away from her.”
Oakley nods in agreement. “He’s right. Short stack is cool peeps. It’s not cool to fuck with her head.”
I wasn’t aware they were her personal security guards. “I’m not fucking with her head.”
“Right,” Jace scoffs. “You—the guy who’s only ever dated cheerleaders and models—just so happens to be dating a girl who looks like Sawyer…right after Casey dumps you publicly. Sorry, little brother. I don’t buy it for a second.”
“Suspect as fuck,” Oakley chimes in.
Technically, I dumped Casey, but I don’t bring that up because it will only give them more fodder.
“What’s wrong with the way Sawyer looks?” I counter instead.
Jace opens and closes his mouth like a fish before he says, “Nothing. She’s just…” He looks to Oakley for help.
“Got more cushion for the pushin’ than your usual type,” Oak finishes for him. “Plus, everyone knows Casey hates her guts.”
“Exactly,” Jace exclaims. “So why don’t you cut the shit and tell me what’s really going on here?”
“Nothing is going on,” I deadpan, because I’m sure as fuck not going to tell them the truth now. “Did it ever occur to either of you bozos that maybe—just maybe—I’m really into her?”
“If you were into her, you wouldn’t have called her fat in front of the whole school and denied hooking up with her,” Oakley unhelpfully notes.
You know you’re in trouble when Oakley starts making sense.
Jace’s features grow taut. “Don’t do this, Cole.”
Frustration rises in my chest. “Do what? Date someone I like?”
“Use her to get back at Casey.”
“I’m not using her.”
It’s not using someone if they give you permission.
Not that Sawyer has…yet.