Page 52 of College-Virgin & Dark Bully Next-Door

“Shut. Up,” I hiss. When she doesn’t finish that same damn line, I relax a little. “Can you just answer one single question straight? Can you not push me away for one conversation?”

She’s silent for a long while, so long I’m not sure if she’s going to say anything at all. “I don’t want to like you, Ash. That makes everything harder. I have so much I’m trying not to feel on a regular basis that I don’t want to like you, feel anything at all, or think about the consequences of someone finding out what we’re doing.”

“Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?”

“No.” There’s no hesitation. “I’m afraid of how my brother and best friend will react. Like how you’re afraid of spiders.”

“Can I come over tomorrow?”

She exhales. “Yes, but later in the day. Chase is going out with friends around one.”

“Got it. See you then.” She doesn’t hang up like I expect. I smile. “Yes?”

“You fought really well tonight. You’re a step ahead of Rocky.”

She hangs up right after that, but I fall asleep with a huge smile on my face. Sky has no idea what she does to me, how she makes me feel, or how she inspires me to do better and be better. But I’m going to keep pushing until I can win over her brother, her bestie, and show her we could do more than run around behind closed doors. Even if it will only earn me her company for a few months until she heads to college.

***

The smell of fried bacon hits my nose as I bound down the stairs while yanking the T-shirt over my head. It’s one of the things I’ve missed being away from my family all these years, home cooking. Granted, I won’t get used to it. Dad gave me twelve months to get my shit together, and I intend to surpass that goal. Six months. That’smydeadline.

I find Peter sitting around the dining table, already digging into breakfast. He looks up as I enter, throws his waffles down on the plate and shoots me a glare. “You’re fucking things up again.”

“Is thisstillabout the girl next door?”

“I can’t even be nice to her without her being suspicious and rude. What did you do?”

“How about you stop looking for a scapegoat, Pete? Why would she trust you when you haven’t given her a reason to? If you keep picking at someone, it’s bullying, not flirting. She probably thinks you’re setting her up to be the butt of a joke.” It’s obvious after talking to Sky, after understanding how my teasing hurt her.

He complains about how impossible girls are and how unfair it is that no matter what he does, he can’t getevenSky to look twice at him like she’s the lowest level of girl. He’ll learn one way or another.

Peter heads out after breakfast with one of his stoner friends, and I watch the clock tick until one-thirty. I head over to see my not-girlfriend, and she immediately sits me down on the couch, narrowing her eyes at my face.

“You look like crap,” she mumbles.

“Sky-”

She holds up her finger and goes to the kitchen. I see her come back with an ice pack. I lean back. “Hell no. I already did the ice thing.”

“Let me play nurse,” she orders.

“Where’s the costume?” I challenge.

Sky narrows her blue eyes at me, then drops the ice a little too close to my dick. “Hey, watch out!” I screech.

I mock-glare at her curvy ass as she sails upstairs without a word. My mouth flies open a few minutes later when she comes downstairs in a terrible nurse’s costume. Not sexy at all. She’s wrapped up from shoulders to knee in a stiff white dress with some red hems.

“Not a word, you hear me?” she says sternly as I hold back my snicker.

I throw up my hands, and she sits beside me, holding up the ice. “I’m expecting a sponge bath after this,” I murmur.

“Expect disappointment. Give me your face.”

“Ask nicely.”

Instead, Sky climbs onto my lap and pushes the ice against my face. I flinch, and she softens a little. “Let me take care of you for twenty minutes, and I’ll talk to you.”

“Bribery?”

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