Page 48 of Study Buddies

“Of course.”

“One more question and then I’ll stop micromanaging your outfit. What jewelry are you wearing?”

“I already have earrings in. They’re gold—not real gold, but they dangle and sparkle. And I’ve just got to put on my necklace, and I’ll be ready to go.” I smoothed down my dress. The fabric flowed around me when I moved, but when I was still, it clung to my curves. “I’m nervous.”

“Don’t be. You’re going to have a blast. And if you don’t, then have a blast with one of the other two.”

“Hailey!” She was being outrageous. She hadn’t been like this last year. Her roommates were clearly a bad influence on her—but I was pretty sure she liked it that way. This past month or two, she’d been the happiest I’d ever seen her.

I lowered my voice. “I should probably let you go—especially if Lucas is out in the living room and you’re saying things like that.”

“Okay, but have fun. Seriously. This guy’s a cutie, yes, but he’s your friend, too. Just relax and have fun, okay? You deserve it. And it sounds like he does as well.”

“I will.” I said it more confidently than I felt. That was the plan, to have a nice, fun evening, but still—dates were nerve-wracking.

After I hung up the phone, I opened the top dresser drawer for the final touch. On my tenth birthday, just a few years before she met Doug, my mom gave me a gold necklace. There was a thin gold chain and a small pendant in the shape of a flower. She’d saved up for it for months, and I loved it.

It was one of my most prized possessions, so I didn’t wear it every day out of fear that it might get broken. Instead, I kept it in a padded jewelry box. I frowned as I moved aside the bras, panties, and socks in the top drawer. Then I felt the velvet surface of the box.

I set it on top of the dresser and smiled in anticipation. I liked my dress. I liked the strappy heels I’d put on. But this—this necklace meant something to me, and it felt like the centerpiece of the whole outfit. I hoped Lucas would notice it and maybe ask me about it. I didn’t have many good memories of my mom since she met Doug, so I cherished the ones I had from before that time.

I opened the box and moved the white cotton padding. The glint of gold made me smile as I reached for the necklace.

And froze.

My mind scrambled to make sense of what I was seeing. The chain was gold, as was the flower charm.

But I’d never seen this necklace before in my life.

18

KYLE

I sat on the couch,my legs up on the coffee table, a game on the TV. But I wasn’t watching it. No, I was watching my dorky stepbrother pace around the living room like an idiot.

He’d known Tori for over a year. How was it possible for him to be this nervous before taking her out? He was acting like it was his first date, and if I hadn’t seen him and Natalie pawing at each other for three fucking years, I might’ve believed it.

At least he wasn’t wearing a white button-down shirt and a tie. That had been his first choice, but Jayden had talked him out of it. Thank god. I mean, not that I cared how badly he struck out with Tori, but still, looking that stupid might reflect badly on the whole household.

Jayden had convinced him to wear a steel-gray button-down, open at the throat. The simple black trousers and shoes weren’t doing him any favors, but hopefully Tori wouldn’t be embarrassed to be seen with him. Though she should be.

His pacing was driving me nuts. “Dude, chill.”

He didn’t even look up as he walked by. “Don’t talk to me.”

“Fine.”

“And don’t talk to her. Don’t you have somewhere else you could go?”

“Yes.”

He scowled when I stayed where I was. If I were a decent guy, I would’ve left. Jay had asked if I wanted to go to campus. He had a meeting for a group project in one of his classes. But I’d turned him down. I was already hitting the books harder than I ever had. Not that that was saying much, but it felt good to sit back and watch the game.

Or to sit back and watch the nerd self-destruct.

Still, there was a code among men for this kind of situation, and I promised myself that I wouldn’t show him up when Tori finally emerged from her room. Lucas wouldn’t survive it if another woman he was into went for me. Besides, I didn’t need to stake my claim tonight. Tori had already agreed to go on a date with me, and I had big plans for that.

We both looked up when we heard a door open in the hallway. Lucas froze, and I couldn’t help craning my neck, wanting to see her.

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