Page 40 of My Brother's Best Friend

My phone buzzed again.

Vera: Blaise will be with me. I can drop it off out front.

“Who’s that?” Alec asked.

“Vera.”

“Will you tell me if that number messages you again?”

I chewed on the inside of my cheek. Honestly, I didn’t want to bother him or stress him out more than he already was, but if it would give him peace of mind about us, then … “Sure, I’ll let you know.”

Fifteen minutes later, the motion sensors in the driveway sent me amotion detectednotification on my phone. I spotted Vera and Blaise walking up the sidewalk out front, and then I headed to the front door while Alec woke up from his second nap of the day.

“Thanks for bringing my stuff,” I said to V after opening the door.

She handed me the backpack and smirked at Alec’s shoes by the door. “So, are you guys … like, a thing?”

“Sorta, but we’re not telling anyone.” I peered at Blaise. “So, keep your mouth shut.”

“He won’t tell anyone,” Vera reassured me, grabbing my hand. “But when people do find out … we should go on a double date sometime!”

I stepped closer to her. “A triple date with us and Piper and her guy.”

Vera flashed me a smirk, then returned her gaze toward me and glanced into the room at Alec. “Is he okay?”

I shrugged. “Worse than you were when everyone found out that you write smut.”

She pressed her lips together and frowned. “Really?”

“Unfortunately.”

With his skateboard flipped up onto his shoulder, Blaise leaned against the doorframe and arched his brow at Alec. Vera noticed the uneasiness between the two and grabbed Blaise’s hand, scolding him so he wouldn’t say anything to him.

Blaise Harleen said what he thought and didn’t give a shit how it hurt anyone.

And I’d bet he wanted to comment on Alec’s video.

Instead of saying anything, Blaise grabbed Vera’s hand back and tugged her down the sidewalk and back toward his father’s mansion down the road. He had lived on my street since we had been kids, but that guy had barely ever said two words to anyone.

“See you later, Mads,” Vera called over her shoulder, throwing me a wink. “Have fun!”

CHAPTER24

MADDIE

Later that night, I slammed the door to hockey practice open and stormed through the empty ice rink to the gym in the back. Less than twenty minutes ago, I had finally taken Alec home for the night and told him that he shouldn’t feel bad about missing practice.

Hell, I wouldn’t. Not when the people I’d trusted betrayed me like that.

The stench of body odor drifted through my nose as I spotted the guys doing burpees in sync and counting up from seventy-nine. I marched straight into the room, fuming with anger that these fuckheads would do this to their teammate.

“What were you thinking?” I shouted at the guys, not giving a single fuck anymore. When I locked eyes with Oliver, I barreled toward him and slammed my hands into his chest. “You all have to be the stupidest, brattiest fucking asses at Redwood!”

“Miss Weber,” Coach Leo said from the other side of the room.

I released my brother and stomped around the group who continued to do burpees, the sweat dripping off their skin, their wet shirts clinging to their bodies. “Which one of your assholes leaked that video?”

“None of us, Maddie,” someone said.

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