Page 1 of Jig's Last Dance

Chapter One

“Where do you think you’re going?”

With my hand on the knob, I grit my teeth and infuse a nonchalance I don’t feel. “Out.”

“Nope. Go do homework or something.”

“I have one class left to graduate,” I mutter, spinning to face my brother.

He stares back at me with an I-could-give-a-fuck expression, and I roll my eyes. Cliché, maybe, but I know it drives him nuts.

“Alice,” he growls.

“Ben,” I growl back, raising a brow.

As soon as he’s out the door, we both know I’m right behind him, but I guess since our parents are gone, he figured he had to fill the bitch-ass role.

He blinks, his wide blue eyes dark, before looking away. “Fine. Fuck. Go.”

Ignoring his sigh and the way my chest clenches, I slip out before he can get enough air to start another lecture. I’ll figure out what to do about my moody older brother later. Like when I can sit across from him without going at his throat.

“What took so long?”

I flip off my best and only friend as I slide into the car. She raises her brows and rolls her tongue suggestively while we pull away.

With one last glance at the house, I turn away and force a smile, muttering, “Skank.”

“Ho,” she says, popping me in the arm.

“Ow,” I grumble, rubbing my bicep.

Shawn O’Reilly packs a mean punch, but she would have to, with three older badass brothers. You don’t survive any other way.

I suppose their rough and tumble demeanor rubbed off on her. She’s been dabbling in her own mixed martial arts. Hence her nicely defined arms, which I stare at with envy.

Not only is she strong, but she’s hot, too. Tonight, she has her long black hair pulled into a braid down her back. Rocking tight pleather pants and a red tube top, every inch of her sexy body shows.

“Yo, where’s your hot brother tonight?” She flashes me a smile, and I huff. First, gross. Second, gross.

“He’s working,” I mumble, crossing my arms.

She eyes me carefully. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“Alice Marie!” she says, smacking my arm—again.

“Ow, keep those beasts to yourself.”

She laughs, and I crack a smile. “Where’s Julio?”

Her smile falters before she shores it back up, and I turn to her with a hard stare. “What did that dick do this time?”

“Calm down. Fuck. It’s fine. He’s out with his crew.”

“Right,” I mutter. But I refrain from commenting because I suspect the more everybody hates him, the tighter she holds on—stubborn little jerk.

“Whatever. It’s girl’s night. Let’s just have fun and get shit-faced,” she says, and I nod.

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