Page 86 of Make The Cut

“It took you this long to realize that?” I roll my eyes as I carry Poppy upstairs, heading toward the guest bedroom next to mine. “You’re a slow learner, Black.”

“Never mind. The jury’s still out on that one,” he yells back.

“Don’t burn down my house in my sleep.”

“Don’t give me any ideas,” Ryder calls. I hear him sit back down and phone someone—the girl he mentioned, Isla, maybe?—as I enter the guest bedroom next to mine.

It’s decorated in soft shades of peach and orange, the bedspread a fluffy white comforter that reminds me of the evil cat that attacked me atLa Modeall those years ago.

I tuck Poppy in and listen to her breathe, the rhythm gentle and steady, before I shut the door and go back to my own bedroom, collapsing onto the mattress without a thought in my head.

Just as I’m about to fall asleep, my phone buzzes.

Naoya, it’s Sasha. Your sister. I know this whole thing has been really weird and you probably don’t even want to see me, but is there any way you could bail me out of this locked room at the Grammys? –Unknown number

I blink at the message once. Twice. Then five times just to be sure I’m actually reading it without hallucinating the words.

Then I call the number.

She picks up on the second ring, her voice frantic, words blurring together in a rush. “I’m so sorry to ask this of you, but after you and Ryder left the stage, I, um, kind of may have tried to get up and talk to you. And then I was tackled by the security guards.”

“Take deep breaths,” I say, sitting upright against the pillows. Doubts spring up in my mind. How do I know this is really my sister and not a delusional fangirl? How do I know she’s been my stalker all along? “Where exactly are you?”

She drops me a pin of her location, somewhere in the building where the Grammys took place. I get out of bed and spring to my feet.

This should be the start of an interesting sibling relationship.

* * *

@ENews: Unknown woman spotted climbing onto stage after *that* kiss at the Grammys! It’s unknown why she was there but she was tackled by security shortly after

@PeopleMag: Woman who climbed onto stage at Grammys after Naoya Sugawa and Ryder Black’s performance has been stalking Naoya Sugawa for some months now, sources say

@SnapBuzz: Previously unidentified woman who intruded on Grammys stage as Naoya Sugawa and Ryder Black were escorted off by security is revealed to be Naoya Sugawa’s half-sister

Chapter Forty-One: Poppy Black

“Please tell me why I had to find out about you and Naoya from you interrupting our performance at the Grammys,” Ryder snaps when he finally deigns to roll out of bed and enter the kitchen.

I stir my bowl of fruity flakes, finding the now-soggy, artificially coloured, and milk-logged substance to be entirely unappetizing. “Because… I knew you were going to react this way.”

“So you decided that it was better to let me react that way,onstage, whilemillionsof people were watching?” My brother doesn’t always have a temper. He’s typically the forgive and forget type, heavy on the forget.

But when it comes to family, he’ll usually brush over any hurts we’ve done. If I’ve managed to make Ryder Black hold a grudge, then I’m the world’s worst younger sister.

“Ryder,” I start to say, before realizing I have no idea what exactly I can say. that will make him feel better or make any part of this situation okay. “I’m sorry.”

He snorts. “Of course you are.”

I bristle. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Everyone just expects me to lie down and let them walk all over me and then for me to dismiss it with a simple apology. Well, maybe I’m done with that. Maybe I want you two to break up.”

I square my shoulders. “Even if I thought that would make you forgive me, I wouldn’t do it.”

His blue eyes bore into mine, mirrors of my own, but his are filled with so much ice it sends a painful chill down my spine. “Why? You can’t seriously think he’s in love with you.”

“I don’tthinkhe is. I know he is.” My voice shakes. What could it be but love, from Naoya, who has given me so much—all without demanding in return? From a man who held my hand while I got over my fears, who was there for me when I had no one to turn to? “And I love him.”

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