Page 103 of Foolish Games

“Maybe,” I say, covering the carton with a napkin.

“Okay, so this is serious,” he says, straightening and coming around the car. He slides into the passenger seat and tips it back, the way Sebastian always did.

The memory brings fresh tears, and I sniff them up and grab my shake. I take a drink through the straw, then pick up a handful of fries and dip them into the creamy chocolate.

“Go on,” I say. “Tell me I’m disgusting.”

“Yeah, you’re pretty disgusting,” Rob agrees, shutting off the radio. “You’re probably dripping snot and tears in that shake, and dipping French fries in chocolate… That’s just nasty.”

I drop the shake and grab some napkins, mopping up my tears and blowing my nose before balling them up and tossing them into the fry cup and setting it aside. “I hate you.”

“You can’t hate me,” he says. “As my sister, you’re obligated to love me. And as your brother, I’m obligated to tell you the truth.”

“I didn’t tell you the truth,” I say, staring down at my hands.

“And that’s why I’m punishing you by ruining your pity party.”

“I’m sorry,” I tell him. “I never meant for anything to happen. It really did start out as just an arrangement.”

“Hey, I’m not buggin’,” he says. “I get it. I’ve been friends with Sebastian for a long time, and I can tell you, that guy is charming as hell. That’s why I was skeptical about the arrangement from the start. I was afraid something like this would happen. I should have stopped it from the beginning.”

“You did try to warn me,” I admit, slumping in the seat.

“For what it’s worth, I think he really did like you.”

My heart opens like that damn flower bursting into bloom. “Really?”

“Yeah,” he says. “I’ve known him for three years, and I’ve never seen him get stupid about a girl before. Dude was downright giddy the last few months.”

“Wait, so you knew all along?”

“Not all along,” he says. “But I’ve suspected for a while now.”

“How’d you find out?”

“You think you could hide that shit from your brother?” he asks. “I’ve known you all your life—a hell of a lot longer than I’ve known him. Neither of y’all hid it worth a damn. All those times you went out driving and came back looking like a lovestruck fool… You couldn’t stop smiling. Looked like someone made a jack-o-lantern out of your face.”

“I did not.”

“Anyone with eyes could see how happy you were,” he says. “That’s why I didn’t shut it down right away. But I knew something was up when you weren’t together at the New Year’s party.”

“You were okay with us dating?”

“Not exactly okay,” he says. “But as long as he was making you happy, I wasn’t going to ruin it. I may bust up your wallowing session, but I’m not going to break up a relationship that makes you that giddy. I want my little sister happy.”

“Your big sister,” I say, rolling my eyes.

“Hey, the minute I got bigger than you, I became your big brother,” he says. “And it’s my job to kick anyone’s ass if he’s not treating you right.”

“Yeah, well, that may have backfired,” I say. “Since it got recorded and shown to the entire school.”

“I was hoping that wouldn’t come up,” he says with a sheepish grin.

“How could you do that?” I ask. “I’m the joke of the school now, not to mention everyone thinks I’m a slut after everything y’all said in that video and then Chaz lying about sleeping with me and how freaky I am.”

I wipe my lids when another tear leaks out, stinging my eyes with the shame of walking around school being catcalled and laughed at.

“I’m sorry,” Rob says. “We had no idea it was being filmed. She must have turned the camera around and kept rolling. And hey, if anyone calls you a slut, come tell me, and I’ll personally kick their ass like I did Sebastian’s.”

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