Page 3 of Second Down Darling

If I’d gotten knocked up at a party, perhaps I’d feel the same way, but as a bystander and his friend, it’s hard towatch.

I grab the envelope I hid under mylaptop.

Charlotte Darling, welcome to Lone Star State University! Attached you’ll find everything you need to make your transition to our fineinstitution.

Lone Star State has always been my dream school. Jake’s too. But after my sister got pregnant, she argued we should stay close to home so our families could help with the baby. Even though I resisted for a while, I couldn’t really say no when Kota begged me to attend North Texas U with her andJake.

If all that babysitting I do is any indication, my nephew is my Achilles’ heel. Because the last thing I wanted was to tag along while the guy I’d been infatuated with for years dated mysister.

And yet that’s exactly what Idid.

But no matter how frustrated I am, I’m not sure I can pull the trigger. Can I really bail on my sister, nephew, and bestfriend?

Maybe if I set some clear boundaries and make sure I’m never at their apartment in the evenings, I can decrease the odds of overhearing Jake and my sister havingsex.

I’m so torn up about everything, I take a shower and cry into the tile until the water runs cold. I don’t have anyone I can talk to about this. I obviously can’t tell my sister, who used to be my main confidante. I can’t tell my best friend I’m in love with him when he’s very seriously committed to Kota. And my mother would freak out if I even suggested I had feelings forJake.

Plus, I’m not a home-wrecker. I would never do anything to come between Jake and mysister.

But I need someone to talkto.

It’s a depressing thought—I’ve been at NTU for an entire year and literally have no friends here. I’ve been too busy babysitting my nephew to have any kind of social life. I’m gone so much I barely see mysuitemate.

You know how you can erase your computer and reset it to the factory settings? That’s what I need to do with my life. I need to startover.

Buthow?

Afew days later,my laptop chimes. Without looking, I know it’s my sister. It’s much earlier than she usually calls, but I’ve been MIA lately, so maybe it’s thrown her offtoo.

Every week, we video-chat so Kota can plan out her social media. You’d think having a kid would slow her down, but if anything, it’s only made her more focused on building her online following, which is now two millionstrong.

I prefer doing our calls by video so I don’t have to haul my crap over to her apartment. She gets mad when I forget to bring one of her calendars or social media planners, and the last thing I’m in the mood for is anargument.

As much as I shudder at the thought of displaying my whole life online, I admire her focus and drive. It’s probably why Kota and Jake got together. He’s been singularly focused on playing D1 football since he was a kid, and now he’s living his dream. I’m so proud of him. Both of them, really. They have a bright future ahead of them, and I’ll always cheer the loudest for theirsuccess.

After taking a deep breath, I accept the call and my sister’s face fills thescreen.

“Hey, loser. Did you edit those pics? I need them by noon.” She leans over her dressing table and flicks on some mascara. She’s wearing some kind of sheer, lacy lingerie and her boobs are spillingout.

I manage to stop myself before glancing down at my modest chest.Comparison is the thief of joy, Charlotte. You’ll never be Dakota. That’s okay. You doyou.

“Yes, I uploaded the pics to your drive lastnight.”

“Did they include the ones of me and the baby napping? The ones where the light is filtering in from the window? It made my skin look reallygood.”

“Yes.”

She pauses applying her makeup and turns to face me. “Are you over… your stomachbug?”

The look she gives me makes me think she knows the real reason I bailed, and I feel horrible for lying, but I needed to tell her something plausible. Something that would help me save face the next time I see Jake, which I hope isn’t for a few weeks because I need to lock down my emotions first. “Mostly.”

“Good, because I don’t want you to give me theshits.”

Feeling my ears go hot, I’m grateful no one is around to overhear her. I swear I’m the only person she talks to like this. With everyone else, she’s as sweet as pie. Well, she’s snarky with Jake, but having a baby just before college and then trying to get through freshman year as a parent while your boyfriend plays D1 football is not acakewalk.

Still, she was never mean before she starred in three seasons ofWinchester Prep High. I swear those producers turned her into asnob.

I miss my sister. The one who always shared her toys and clothes with me. The one who gave the neighbor kid a shiner when he kicked sand in my face. She’s in there somewhere, and I’m not giving up until I find heragain.

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