Page 146 of Cruel Steps

“Thanks,” she mumbled, righting herself. I felt like an ass for forgetting she got the walking cast today.

“Aren’t you supposed to still use a crutch?”

“Yeah. I just wanted a few hours without it. My leg doesn’t feel like it’s part of my body.”

I understood that. I had similar thoughts when I got injured two years ago. Hope hobbled into my room. It was such an odd sight. Hope had always been graceful and confident, so to see her anything but immaculate was disarming.

Emerson sat on my bed with her legs criss-crossed. I didn’t think she did it intentionally. Still, Hope glanced at her position in longing, falling into my desk chair, and sighed in relief. Her face was red, and sweat beaded along her forehead. Shit. She was pushing herself too much. I’d need to watch her so she didn’t overdo it.

“I might have underestimated my strength. I feel so out of shape.”

“If you push yourself too hard, you’ll do more damage,” Emerson said. “Though, don’t know why I care,” she mumbled. She leaned back on her elbows, presenting her gorgeous tits to me, my desire for her returning at full force. I leaned against the dresser, needing the distance to keep my hands to myself.

“What do you need to tell us?”

Hope fiddled with the hem of her shirt, a clear sign of her nerves. I kept my stare on her, daring her to lie to me. I loved my sister but didn’t trust her at the moment. She had a lot to repair with me. I just hoped this was the first step.

“I’ve decided to not return to Hayward in the spring.” Hope swallowed.

“Okay. Why do you need to tell us that?” Emerson asked.

“Because I want there to be complete transparency. I’m not telling you the next thing because of that. My decision to transfer had nothing to do with this… I didn’t want it to seem like that was the only reason I’m telling.”

I motioned for her to continue. My patience for bullshit was gone.

“I thought I had a lot of friends at Hayward. It was why I hung on to my popularity so hard when you returned. I hated who I’d become, but it felt too scary to stop and lose my friends. Yet, not a single person visited me in the hospital. They messaged, wanting the gossip, but no one asked how I was doing. Turns out, that car wasn’t the only thing that hit me.”

“Too soon, Hope.”

She shrugged, not caring. “I might’ve been popular, but I don’t have friends. So I’ve been doing a lot of thinking over the past six weeks. Working on the anti-bully project, I’ve learned so much, but mostly I liked how it felt doing it. For the first time, I wasn’t seeking attention or affirmation to make me feel good. I needed help, so I asked Mom to find me a therapist.”

I swallowed. I hadn’t realized she’d been seeing someone. My anger lessened, and I relaxed against the dresser.

“It’s been hard, but I like the person I’m becoming. I’m proud of this version of me.” She smiled, her chin lifted, and tears shone in her eyes. “I’m choosing to do the right thing this time. You might hate me, but I’m tired of hating myself.” She swiped the tear that fell but kept her head up. “I’d been home for about a week when I got a message from my Zeta sisters. I was so happy they had finally reached out. I thought it meant they cared. I soon realized it was because of Emerson.” Hope gave a wry chuckle, shaking her head.

“Rumors were swirling that Holden couldn’t take his eyes off you, Colter was holding you on campus, and you spent most of your free time with Cody. Other guys took notice.”

I growled, and Hope rolled her eyes.

“I don’t understand. I haven’t dated anyone else,” Emerson replied.

“You didn’t need to. The fact that three football players couldn’t seem to leave you alone made you desirable.”

“She’s desirable because of who she is, not because of who likes her,” I said.

Hope held up her hands. “I agree. I’m just saying how the guys at Hayward thought. The Zetas have a list of men on campus with points, and you’re given special privileges if you score a guy on the list. Relationships, dates, hook-ups, they all account for different totals. Well, suddenly, none of the guys they’re hunting are interested. You can guess how that went down. The Zetas are jealous and want to teach Emerson a lesson.” She blew out a breath. “This is the part that makes me look bad.”

“Just spit it out, Hope.”

“I didn’t realize what they were doing. They asked me questions about Emerson, and I answered them. I thought they were going to tap her to join Zeta.”

“What kind of questions?” Emerson asked.

“It seemed innocent, I swear.” Hope bit her lip.

“Hope.” My voice was stern, and I narrowed my eyes.

“They asked about your likes, how long you’d danced, and where. They asked about your family and where you went to school before Hayward.” Hope shrugged. “All standard questions of someone they’d invite into the sisterhood.”

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