Page 72 of Pinkie Promise

“Speaking of betrayal,” Ash murmurs, and I give her alet’s not even get into itlookas we prop ourselves against the dark counter.

With her connections, Blair’s position on the team was a guarantee, and there’s nothing I can do about what has already happened. Plus, I can join the events team seeing as I was only barred from doing comps and, with my aim to now get a grant from the literature department instead of from my sport, I technically don’t have anything to complain about.

Aisling hasn’t reached that kind of enlightenment yet though.

“I want to kick Whitney’s ass off the team,” she says casually, giving me a naughty little smile as we take a sip on her extremely expensive champagne. “Obviously I can’t, because we need her for Elite, but seeing all of the messages really stressed me the hell out, and thenhestarted stressing out becauseIwas stressing out…” She rolls her eyes. “I just set myself up for disappointment after disappointment. Like, going into it with him, I literally knew that we wouldn’t last. And it’s not even fair to him because he isn’t encouraging it – being hot can be such a curse sometimes.”

She laughs wetly and then covers her eyes with her hands. I wrap my arms around her shoulders and give her a comforting squish.

“I don’t know what to do anymore,” she murmurs, and in the very next second a big warm presence presses up behind me.

I turn my head and Connell is bearing down on me, a frown on his face as his eyes flick between his sister’s face and mine. The cheer squad and the football team are getting a fleet of Ubers to take us to the sorority house, so Connell’s teammates are filing into our living room as they wait for the girls to finish getting ready.

I haven’t spoken to Connell since I argued with him about my grant and, now that he’s looking down at me like an all-knowing big brother, I have guilty eyes and a sad pout on my lips.

“What’s she crying for?” he asks me gruffly, flicking his chin over to his sister.

“Nothing,” Aisling says immediately, her head snapping up. “Everything’s fine. I was being stupid.”

I purse my lips, not wanting to explain a secret that isn’t mine to tell.

Connell narrows his eyes on us and Aisling subtly shakes her head at him, telling him not to press it.

“Nice earrings,” he comments. “When did they happen?”

She scowls up at him. “Just an early Christmas present.”

He scowls back down at her. “You sure it wasn’t an apology present?”

Aisling’s eyes widen and I feel my cheeks getting very hot.

“He better not be buying your loyalty, Ash,” Connell says quietly, his words making me wince even though he doesn’t mean them maliciously.

Seeing the look in her eyes, Connell presses himself up behind me, reaching his arms around the both of us and squeezing us into a bruising football-player hug. Aisling fervently swipes under her eyes.

After a minute she pulls back and says, “I’m gonna check my make-up and then I wanna get extra tipsy. Make me something strong,” she orders him as she slips around us and jogs over to our bathroom, looking flawless in those shimmering heels.

I wriggle to get out of Connell’s grip but he simply turns me around, his expression hard and sure.

“I’m sorry,” we both say at the same time. His mouth ticks up into a half-grin.

“No,I’msorry,” he says. “I have no fucking right to try and give you advice about money.”

“You were right though,” I argue back. “I should’ve listened to you from the get-go. Literally all I’ve done today is mass-email my ex-professors so that I still have a shot in the dark at maybe getting this grant.”

He hands me our bottle of champagne and I take a little willing sip. I pass it back to him and he drains half the bottle.

I roll my eyes and laugh.

“I’m still sorry, Fallon. What you’re doing takes guts. When I knocked on your door a million times last night and you didn’t answer, I thought that you were never going to forgive me.”

I stare up at him, confused, and then my cheeks get a little pinker.

“Oh,” I whisper. “I didn’t know that you came by last night. I… I wasn’t at the condo.”

He watches my face carefully before his chest suddenly swells. In a deep voice he says, “Hunter?”

I nod.

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