Page 17 of The Blairville Legacies

“Julian saved me,” it escaped her with widened eyes, as if she were reviewing the conversation with her father before her inner eye.

The corners of my mouth moved upward.

She was lucky to have her big brother...

A shadow settled over my thoughts. I had never had that relationship with Ezra. He cared about me... But it didn’t feel like he was my brother. More like someone who was trying to hold on to everything our parents had left behind before it collapsed in on itself.

“Is Ezra still at work?”

I looked at Mia, caught.

“Yeah, he…”

“He’s gottenreallyhot.”

“Mia!” it escaped me, and I threw back the pillow, which she caught with a gleeful look. “He’swaytoo old for you! And besides...No!” I laughed, feeling the warmth in my cheeks. “He’s mybrother!”

My eyes wandered to the window outside, where Julian was pulling two suitcases out of the car. His arm muscles visibly tensed. “Yourbrother got hot.”

The pillow hit me straight on the head.

“Don’t you dare!” It sounded like a warning, but the grin returned a few seconds later, making us both laugh out loud.

I raised both hands as she reached for the other pillow.

“Don’t worry. I’m through with guys... for now.”

A lie. I wanted it to be, but the dreams still hadn’t stopped.

“I hope Nash hasn’t gotten any hotter.”

My smile disappeared for good.

Mia rose from the beanbag and came to me, putting a hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry...that was stupid of me.”

“It wasn’t,” I tried to assure her, but I couldn’t even manage to hold her gaze.

“If I don’t talk about it, this crap will eat me up eventually,” I sighed softly, finally rising from the windowsill. “But you know what? Soon, I’ll be in a new place with new people, not to mention...” I paced lightly around my room. “I have a degree that I’m going to invest my seemingly endless time in.”

In front of the mirror, I paused and looked at the girl with wavy black hair and eyes that matched the color of her emerald green cardigan.

“Listen... You might not like this, but...” Mia paused for a moment, and our eyes met in the mirror. “They’re all going to stay here.”

I couldn’t stop something in my chest from tightening, contracting, and growing heavier.

“My friends told me that Vivienna and her friends will be attending Vanderwood.”

Mia hesitated. And I had to take in what she had just told me. I should be excited that I might get another chance with them, but all I felt was this tugging in my chest.

“And Julian said that Emely is staying too.”

My breathing stopped completely. I was just waiting for her to say it, to say the damn thing I was most afraid of.

“Nash is staying, Mady.”

My heart stopped.

What had I done to deserve this? How had I managed to manifest all this bad luck in my life?How?

---