Page 91 of Study Buddies

“Good idea.”

He followed me up the stairs and out of the house. Fortunately, Kyle was taking a shower, and Jayden had been kind enough to make himself scarce.

We got outside, and I stopped. “Actually, could we go to my car? I haven’t been in it in ages.”

“Sure.”

Somewhat awkwardly, I led him over there. The guys had been driving me so often that I automatically went to the passenger seat, which was ridiculous since it was my car. But I supposed it didn’t matter since we weren’t driving anywhere.

We climbed in, and I turned on the car long enough to roll down the windows a few inches. “The night air feels good,” I said to Lucas. He didn’t respond.

The fact that he was looking straight ahead bolstered my confidence. He sat only inches away in my small car, but we weren’t eye-to-eye made, so that made it easier to talk to him. Easier, but noteasy.

I let out a sigh and tapped my fingers on the passenger door. “So… at the library, you saw… us?” I had to ask, even though I already suspected the answer. I needed to know where we stood.

“Yes,” he said flatly, keeping his gaze fixed forward.

“I’m sorry that you saw that.” My voice trembled. “I’m sure it must’ve been upsetting.”

“That’s putting it mildly.” He let out a bitter laugh, then raked a hand through his hair. “You were all gone for so long, and I went to check and…” His voice trailed off into silence.

I cringed, picturing exactly what he’d walked in on: me sandwiched between his best friend and his worst enemy. Theirhands all over me, their hips grinding into me. My cheeks burned at the memory.

“I shouldn’t have let it get to that point,” Lucas said in a low but firm voice. “I should’ve thrown him out on his ass when he even proposed that.”

I ached to reach out and take Lucas’s hand, but I knew he wouldn’t welcome it. Instead, I curled my fingers in my lap.

“Did you hate all of it?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. “I liked the first part—with you.” My face warmed as I remembered his slow, thorough kiss, the kind that made me want more.

But the rest had clearly ruined the moment for him. He sounded wounded when he said, “I never would’ve done that if I’d known whathewould do to you.”

A heavy knot formed in my stomach. I hated disappointing Lucas, but I didn’t see it the same way he did. I swallowed hard and said, “You did kind of know. That was the game—for me to spend a little time with each of you.”

“I didn’t know he’d take advantage like that,” he snapped, his voice rising. It was obvious who he meant.

Taking a deep breath, I spoke softly. “You’re mad at Kyle, but I think maybe you’re mad at me, too.”

“What? No. Of course not.” His hands moved to the steering wheel, gripping it tightly.

“Really?” I pressed. “Because you already had a pretty low opinion of him.”

He scoffed, rolling his shoulders. “That’s no secret. He’s complete scum.”

“So the thing at the library couldn’t make your opinion of him worse,” I pointed out, my voice turning firm. “So I think you’re disappointed in me.”

“I’m not,” he argued. “I just can’t understand why you let him corrupt you like that.”

“He didn’t corrupt me,” I said, my heart pounding unevenly. If I couldn’t get Lucas to understand, he might hate me forever. “I’m really sorry you had to see that, but there were three of us involved. Why aren’t you angry at me and Jayden?”

His head turned slightly toward me, though he kept his eyes on the windshield. “Do you want me to be?”

“I don’t want Kyle to be blamed for something all three of us did.” I struggled to keep my voice from shaking.

“He’s poison, Tori,” he muttered through clenched teeth. “He ruins everything. I don’t want you near him.”

My mind spun, trying to figure out the right thing to say. I hated watching him hurt. Still, I couldn’t accept how he assigned blame.

“I don’t need you to protect me, Lucas.” My voice came out so softly I wasn’t sure he heard me.

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