Page 41 of Broken Ties (Rixon High 4)

I kissed him and Mom goodbye and followed Sofia over to her car. “I guess we’re riding on our own then,” she huffed as she ducked inside.

“Looks like it.” I climbed in and buckled up.

“Are you meeting Eli there?”

“He’s going to be there, yeah.” I stared out of the window.

“And what about his lovely friend Leo?”

“No Leo tonight.”

“Thank God for that. I think he scarred me for life.”

“He wasn’t that bad. Eli said he was super nervous and that—”

“An ass. He was an ass, Poppy.” She smirked. “So what did Eli think about you waiting for Aaron tonight?”

“Sofe.” I let out an exasperated sigh. “I wasn’t waiting… I was… it’s different. Aaron is my friend. I’d wait for any of you.”

“Yeah, I know. I just wish you two could sort things out. You’d be so good together and then, when you got married and had super cute babies together, I’d be your sister and the coolest aunt ever.”

Soft laughter bubbled up inside of me. I couldn’t count how many times I’d imagined that very thing. A simple white dress. Aaron in a tux waiting at the end of a flower-lined aisle. Of course, I’d been younger then. Young and naïve with stars in my eyes and love in my heart.

But as we grew older and things became less innocent, I realized it was my dream.

Not ours.

And slowly over time, I tried to shove it down and accept that Aaron would never truly be mine. Because although he would give me his friendship, and loyalty and love, he would never give me his heart.

Even though he’d owned a piece of mine since we were just two children who didn’t understand the gravity of such things.

“What?” Amusement danced in Sofia’s eyes as she glanced over at me. “A girl can dream.”

Tell me about it, I wanted to say. But I swallowed the words.

“Do you know what I need tonight?” I said.

“Some good dick?”

“Sofia!” I gasped, heat bleeding into my cheeks.

“What? It’s senior year. We should be hooking up with guys and making the most of our freedom before we’re in college.”

“I’m not going to just give it up to anyone.”

“Eli isn’t just anyone. He’s cute and something tells me he’d make it good for you.”

“I am not sleeping with Eli. We’ve been on like two dates.” I pressed my lips together, heat simmering in other parts of my body too.

“Okay, so no sex. But there are other things… fun things.” She waggled her brows.

“Who are you and what have you done with my best friend Sofia?”

“Well, after the disastrous date with Leo, I realized some things.”

“What things?”

“Life’s too short, Pops. Look at Lily and Peyton and Ashleigh…”

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