Page 20 of My Brother's Best Friend

When we finally stepped inside the building, a wall of heat hit us. Vera relaxed and tugged off her jacket, scanning the halls and finding Piper at her locker. Vera dragged me down the hallway toward Piper, who met us halfway.

With heavy bags under her tired eyes, Piper swiped a hand across her face to push some pink-blonde hair off her forehead. “God, how are you this bubbly already? It’s too damn early for school to start.” When she made it to us, she rested her head against my shoulder. “I’m so tired.”

“Guess what!” Vera beamed.

“Uh, you have way too much energy for Monday morning?” Piper asked.

“No!” Vera playfully smacked her shoulder, then swung an arm around me. “Maddie slept with Alec on Friday night!”

My eyes widened, and I slapped my hand right across her mouth to shut her up. Why was she screaming this in Redwood’s hallway on a Monday freaking morning? Didn’t she know that people had nothing better to do than eavesdrop and spread rumors here?

“Can you not scream that?!” I whisper-yelled. “Nobody can find out. My brother would kill both of us!”

Especially after what had happened with Spencer. And besides, nothing would ever happen between Alec and me. I squeezed my hands into fists and gritted my teeth, nostrils flaring. Especially not after what Alec had pulled the other day.

“With Alec, Mads?” Piper scrunched her nose. “Why him?”

That was the damn question I had been asking all weekend. Out of all the people who could’ve flirted with me in the kitchen, tried to get me to dance with him, then followed me up to my room to fuck me senseless, why Alec?

“Hello?” Piper asked, waving a hand across my face. “Alec Wolfe?”

“He, uh …” I scratched the back of my neck. “Came on to me?”

I honestly didn’t know. It had happened so suddenly.

“Is it serious?” Piper asked, pulling some books out of her locker beside mine.

“God, no,” I said. “I want to puke at the sight of him.”

“It definitely is,” Vera said, grinning like a madwoman from ear to ear.

Piper looked between us, arched her brow, and leaned against the locker beside me, giving me thatI don’t believe you, but I’m going to shut my mouth for nowlook.And I was glad because if anyone found out, it would spread like wildfire across these halls, and soon, Oliver would know.

“Like I told you on Friday, V, it didn’t mean anything,” I concluded.

Though I knew my words were just chaotically crafted lies.

It had meant something.

Then, he had ripped my heart out and stomped on it with a muddy boot.

“Suuure,” Vera said.

“Speaking of the king of Redwood …” Piper glanced behind me and bit back a gag.

I followed her gaze to see Sandra and her best friend, Tiffany, standing right next to Alec, staring up at him through mascara-heavy lashes.

“Gross. They’re fawning over him like he’s a god or something.”

I dug my nails into my palms, nearly ripping the skin. I’d bet those texts were from Sandra or Tiffany or both of them at the same time. I gritted my teeth and was seething as he glanced over his shoulder at me. Sandra looped her arm around his, like she always did. And he let her.

That asshole let her.

I wanted to wrap my hands around his throat and?—

I blew out a breath. No.

“It wasn’t anything serious,” I whispered to myself, but my words came out through clenched teeth.

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