Page 8 of The Bro-code

I mean, I love most of my Zeta sisters, and some of them have become very close friends, but Cole and I are tight. Almost as tight as me and Lake.

So tight that sometimes I wish he liked me as more than a friend. But that isn’t the way it is between me and Cole. He doesn’t do relationships, too focused on getting his degree and going pro. He’s the best D-man in the league, and after the Cove Knights’ Frozen Four win, he was drafted by the Hartford Heroes. There’s no way he would want any distractions now that his dream is within reach.

Besides, he gets so much action with his hookups that his playboy reputation rivals Luca’s; before Luca fell for my sister, of course.

So there’s no chance of anything happening between me and Cole and maybe it’s for the best. Not just because we’re BFFS, and our friendship is worth more than any hookup, no matter how hot.

After the way my relationship with Topher ended, I decided no more hockey players. Ever.

Those guys might be hot, but they get so much female attention that they aren’t relationship material.

I don’t really blame them. Why commit to one person if you’re young, hot, and a hot commodity?

That’s always been Cole’s belief.

Obviously my ex felt the same way; he just neglected to tell me that. I can’t believe I’ve been so blind for over two years. Lake told me that Topher hit on every girl in sight whenever I wasn’t looking, including her. Hearing that was almost more painful than catching him in the act.

In all fairness, Lake had tried to warn me many times about Topher not being who I thought he was. I just didn’t want to believe it.

I saw a caring, gentle side to him that he showed only to the ones closest to him.

I wanted to believe that the cocky, arrogant frat boy was just the veneer he liked to present to the outside world.

Boy, was I wrong.

He also had a drive and ambition that spoke to mine, and that might have contributed to me turning a blind eye to Topher’s many shortcomings.

Once we were both elected presidents of our own Greek chapters, he called us Star Cove’s power couple. A part of me loved that feeling of power, and I guess that’s one of the reasons why I gave Topher so many chances when he started screwing up more often than not.

The bottom line, however, is that I truly loved him.

Well, fuck.

Lesson learned.

No more hockey players for this girl.

My senior year is going to be “The Year Of Bay.”

I’m going to focus on myself and my career. Show Topher and his pretentious family what this “middle-class girl” can do.

There’s no way I’m going to let anyone derail me from my plans.

I’m too busy to be chasing a rebound.

The best way to forget someone is to get under someone else.

My own voice echoes in my head as I remember what I told Lake a year ago when she found herself in a very similar situation to mine.

Am I being a hypocrite?

I shake my head. Not really.

My situation is totally different from Lake’s. She had barely even shared a kiss with her ex-boyfriend. Dipshit didn’t believe in premarital sex until he decided to fuck around on her.

I tried sex.

I’m not as experienced as people might think. I have only slept with Topher and with my high school sweetheart. I guess people judge a book by its cover and take my outer confidence as something entirely different.

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