Page 57 of Always You

Jacob Spencer doesn’t scare me. He’s a bully to his younger brothers, and he was a bully in high school, but he knows I can take him any time of day if he’d give me a chance. He might be a few years older, but that doesn’t mean shit.

“You need better friends,fuckface,” he calls out to Jason.

“I need a better brother,” Jason counters.

“Whatever.” He screws the cap back onto the bottle, then throws it at our heads. I can easily duck, and it lands in front of the TV.

I shake my head with a taunt. “You’re gonna need to put a little more practice in that arm if you ever wanna become a Panther.”

“Good idea, Hansen,” he says, an ominous expression in his narrowed eyes. “Maybe I’ll ask Julie to help me with that tonight.”

Jason snaps his head to his brother. “What? You’re going to Julie’s?”

“What’s the matter, baby bro? Jealous?” Jake coos with a look that I want to wipe off his face.

“Don’t treat her like shit!” Fire fills Jason’s eyes as he points a piercing finger at his brother. His jaw is solid, and I frown at the lack of context I have.

“Find your own girlfriend, fuckface. I’m out.” Jake leaves the room with a mock salute, and Jason turns, then rests his elbows on his knees.

“He’s dating Julie?”

“More like Julie’s datinghim. I saw him with some exchange student from his class last Tuesday.”

I push out a breath. “Of course, you did. Did you tell her?”

Jason and Julie are not friends like Charlotte and I are. But I know they have been friendly ever since Charlotte and I started hanging out.

He gives me a bit of a pained expression, conflict bouncing in his eyes. “No. He said it wouldn’t happen again.”

“Jason.” I tilt my head.

“What, man? He’s my brother. She’s, technically, nothing to me.”

“He’s an asshole and you’re her friend.”

“I can’t just rat him out like that. It was just one time. He said she was helping him with some kind of paper.”

My eyebrows move into my hairline. “And you believe him?”

“I’m not stupid, Hunt.” His eyes drop to the floor before they flick back up. “I’ll tell her if it happens again. Don’t tell Charlotte!”

“You’re really gonna do me like that?”

“Come on, man.”

I lift my snapback from my head, rubbing a hand over my hair. “I don’t know, man. I don’t wanna lie to her.”

“It’s not lying. Just don’ttellher.”

I glance at my best friend, whose frown gets deeper by the second. I’m not sure why he’s trying to cover for his dickhead brother, but then I remember I’d probably do the same forLogan if he was still here. I’d kick his ass for cheating, but I wouldn’t rat him out either.

“Fine,” I growl. “She won’t hear it from me. But if she asks, I’m not going to deny it,” I add with a little more force. There’s no way I’m going to flat out lie to Charlotte.

Her trust means too much to me.

“Thank you.” His shoulders relax a bit and the corner of his lip curls in a crooked smile.

“Oh, God.” I roll my neck. “What now?”

---