Page 24 of Fractured Faceoff

"I love your sister," he said, his tone defiant.

I scoffed, shaking my head. "So does everyone."

"Sounds like you're jealous," he muttered, almost under his breath.

"Sounds like you're delusional," I fired back, turning to face him. His jaw tightened, eyes narrowing.

"I moved all this way to be closer to her," he said, his grip on the steering wheel tightening. "So I could see her more. So we could finally be together."

"She was never going to be with you!" The words exploded out of me before I could stop them.

His knuckles went white on the wheel. "You don't know that."

"Don't I?" I challenged, leaning towards him. "She chose Kash. She loves Kash. You were just... a distraction."

He flinched like I'd slapped him, but he didn't look awayfrom the road. "You're wrong."

"No," I said, my voice trembling with a mixture of anger and something else I couldn't name. "I'm not."

"You've never understood," he snapped, eyes flashing as he glanced at me. "You think you know everything about Ava, but you don't."

"And you do?" My laugh was bitter. "You think because you've been sneaking around behind everyone's back that you know her better than anyone?"

"I know how she feels about me," he said through gritted teeth.

I shook my head again, feeling the ache in my chest deepen. "She was never going to leave Kash for you."

"You don't get it," he insisted, his voice rising.

"No, Jared," I said firmly. "You don't get it."

The silence that followed was thick and heavy. The hum of the truck's engine filled the void between us as we sped through the city streets.

He finally spoke again, quieter this time. "Why are you so against this? Against us?"

"Because it's wrong," I said simply.

"And what if it isn't?" he asked softly.

"If it wasn't," I said, leaning back in my seat, "she would be with you. Don't you get it? This is what you get with Ava. She likes the thrill of the chase. She likes breaking the rules on her terms, and when it gets too real, she runs away, claiming innocence. You think you're the only guy she's done this to?"

Jared's eyes flickered, a mixture of confusion and anger clouding his expression. "What are you saying?" His voice was low, almost a growl.

I met his gaze head-on. "You aren't the only one she does this with," I repeated, each word deliberate. "She finds a guy she likes. She leads him on. They sneakaround for a few weeks. She gets bored, and she moves on."

He shook his head vigorously, refusing to accept what I was saying. "No," he insisted, voice trembling with desperation. "Not me. Not us."

I rolled my eyes, exasperation bubbling over. "Fine," I said sarcastically, throwing my hands up in mock surrender. "You're right. She doesn't do that with anyone else. Just you."

His jaw clenched tightly together as if he was trying to hold back something explosive. His knuckles were white against the steering wheel, and for a moment, I wondered if he'd actually explode.

"How do you know—?" he began, but I cut him off.

"I'm her sister," I said flatly.

The weight of my words hung in the air between us like an anvil ready to drop. His shoulders slumped slightly, but his grip on the wheel didn't loosen.

The truck rumbled down the road as Jared swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down like he was choking on my words. The silence stretched out between us again, thicker than before.

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