Page 65 of Rule Breakers Fall Hardest

What the fuck just happened?

Bertie blinks at me, her eyes wide. Her look saysyou have some explaining to do.

I’m hit with looks dripping with jealousy from every angle. Even from girls who’ve already secured a guy for the night.

A couple more guys exit the locker room, and one of them—Luke—takes an extra-long look our way. It’s not me he’s fixated on, but Bertie. I’ve never heard the guy speak more than five words at a time. He’s a scholarship student, and from what I’ve heard, a bit of a bad boy. But he’s a damn good hockey player.

In all the times I’ve stood in this very hall trying to score a hookup, I’ve never seen him pay attention to a single girl. If I hadn’t heard rumors of his extracurricular activities, I’d think maybe the guy was a monk.

He faces forward, but before he turns the corner, he steals one more look at her.

Beside me, Bertie is checking her phone, oblivious.

Giddy, I grab her hand. “Luke Covey was totally checking you out!” I sound way too excited. I blame it on the high I’m still experiencing from Daire’s kiss.

“Who?” she asks as she loops her arm through mine and tugs me away from the other girls. Before I can answer, she leans in close and changes the subject. “What was that kiss about?”

“I have no idea.” I slide my arm from hers so I can search through my purse for my keys as we walk.

“Did he tell you why he wanted you to wait?”

I shake my head. “No.”

Her eyes narrow on me.

Keys in hand, I pull up short. “I’m serious.”

With a sigh, she says, “Tommy never kissed me like that, and he supposedly loved me.” She looks off into the distance, her mouth turned down at the corners. “I miss him. Is that terrible? I know I’m better off. True love shouldn’t feel like an off- and on-again rollercoaster. Still, I’m sad.”

“Aw, Bertie.” I loop my arm around her shoulders and pull her in for a side hug. “It’s okay to be sad. You were with him for a long time.”

As we approach my car, I hit the unlock button on my key fob, and once we’re settled with the heat blasting to ward off the chill, I turn to her and grasp her hand. “It might not feel like it now, but you’ll find someone who treats you the way you deserve.”

Maybe someone like Luke.If the way he was checking her out is anything to go by, there’s definite interest there.“You’re beautiful. Some guy is going to sweep you off your feet in no time.”

She looks out the window, eyes swimming with pain. “I hope so.”

I hate seeing her feeling down, especially over a kiss that was most certainly not real.

“Want to get ice cream before I drop you off?”

She perks up instantly. “I’ll never say no to ice cream.”

The house isdark when I step inside. Daire’s car is still missing, so I assume he went out with the guys.

I let myself in and turn on the light in the tiny laundry room.

As the space brightens, a black eight-legged blur rushes past my foot.

The scream that comes out of me is shrill to say the least.

“Ew, ew, ew,” I chant, shaking my hands and gagging. “Not a spider. Why me?”

I’m on the verge of tears, paralyzed by fear.

“Get into the house,” I mutter to myself. “Don’t be a weenie.”

I scurry through the small space and open the door that leads into the kitchen, then I promptly slam it behind me.

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