I press my hands to my face for a second, almost embarrassed at how long it took me to notice. How could I have been so oblivious? But then another thought crosses my mind. How could she think it’s fake? Does she really think it’s impossible for me to be wearing it?
Or that I’d just plop on a fake jacket and walk around campus? I shoot her a glare. “It’s real,” I say. “Why would I wear a fake jacket?” She gasps, covering her mouth with her hand. “So it’s true?” she whispers, leaning closer.
“Tr…true what?” I stammer, my brain scrambling. “That there’s something going on between you and Braydon,” she says. “I heard he brought you a drink at the library, and now you’re wearing his jacket. Apparently, half the school is freaking out, and his fan club is losing it because he’s never ever given anyone his jacket before.” I clear my throat, feeling a strange flicker of pride. Even if our relationship is fake, it feels good to know I’m the first girl he’s broken his own rules for.
“I mean, it’s not a big deal,” I tell her, waving my hand like I actually mean it. “It’s just a jacket.” She inches closer, c*****g an eyebrow. “So… it’s true?” I know exactly what she’s trying to do. She’s trying to confirm if we’re actually together, but I can’t bring myself to say it. I’m not about to hand her the first confirmation, not when it would make it look like I’m the one completely obsessed.
Our deal was that he would pursue me, that he’d show the interest first. I square my shoulders and force that awkward, practiced smile like the ones cheerleaders always have in movies. “Why don’t you ask him?” I say smoothly. “I don’t talk about my personal life.” Turning back to the counter, I catch a flash of disappointment cross her face. Not that I care.
Well… maybe just a little. A few minutes later, I give my order, and the barista hands it to me after what feels like forever. I grab the cup and step out of the caf?, feeling a wave of relief wash over me as I’m away from their staring eyes and whispers. I mean, Cadston College is quite small, but still, I didn’t expect the rumors to spread this intensely. His fan club is losing it?
I scoff and roll my eyes, not paying close attention, and almost collide with someone. “Sor…” I start to say, but then I look up and freeze. Staring back at me is the same face, the same red hair, the same girl I saw yesterday. The one Bryan… yeah. Did she walk into me on purpose?
“Hi, Katy,” she says, cutting me off before I can continue. “Can we talk?” I frown, a thousand thoughts racing, but the loudest one is: what could the girl my ex cheated with possibly want to talk about? How great his d**k felt inside her? Anger surges inside me, and I step aside, gripping my iced coffee like it’s the only thing keeping me from lunging. “I have nothing to talk about with you,” I say, my voice tight, and start to walk away.
“I didn’t know you were still together with him,” she calls after me. I pause, my fingers twitching around the cold cup as the words echo in my head. She didn’t know? I turn slowly, tilting my head. “How?
I mean, you knew we were dating.” She steps closer, closing the small gap between us. “I did,” she says. “I asked him, but he lied to me. He said you split up, and I only found out that he lied when he told me you were coming, right before you showed up.” I scoff, shaking my head because her words sound like made-up lies. She thought we broke up?
Really? “I don’t believe you,” I grind out, my jaw tight. “And if he sent you to lie to me, go f**k yourself and him. You deserve each other.” “I have proof,” she insists breathlessly, just as I start to turn away. Before I can fully look back, she pulls out her phone and angles it toward me.
“Here. I’m not lying.” I stare at the screen, my stomach tightening, and it doesn’t take more than a few seconds for my eyes to fall on the words: BRYAN: We broke up. b***h’s always busy with everything but me. Come over and have fun with me. She couldn’t even do it right anyway.
My heart clenches as I reread the words, even as I whisper to myself to stay calm and not let it get to me. Then the redhead tucks her phone into her pocket and takes a small step closer, her eyes earnest. “Look… I know I don’t really know you and I probably don’t deserve your respect. But I want you to know that I would never, ever try to come between you and Bryan. I’m not that kind of person.
I was just… I believed him, and I’m sorry. I really am. That was wrong of me, and I hate that I even got caught up in this.” She pauses, taking a slow breath. “Anyway… maybe things were meant to happen the way they did. I hear you’re with Braydon now.
Good luck with him.” And then she’s gone, melting into the crowd, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the anger still simmering from what I just read.
KATY’S POV
I knock on Braydon’s door, expecting his usual lazy grin to greet me. Instead, the door swings open to reveal my brother, Justin. For a second, I just blink at him, thrown off, but he doesn’t look surprised to see me. In fact, the look he gives me makes it very clear that he’s been waiting for me. My stomach dips.
Great. Of course, this would happen today. The universe is definitely against me for some reason. “Get in here,” he says, his tone leaving no room for argument. I hesitate, shifting on my feet.
Part of me wants to spin around and pretend I knocked on the wrong door. But Justin doesn’t bluff. When he’s in big-brother mode, he’s scary. So I do as I’m told and step inside. The living room smells faintly of pizza and body spray, a mix that screams college guys live here.
A couple of textbooks are scattered across the coffee table, though I’d bet good money nobody’s actually read them. Justin sits back on the couch like a judge ready to pass sentence, then motions for me to stand in front of him. I roll my eyes, but obey because it’s not like I don’t know the drill. He’s always been overprotective, painfully so. It took Bryan three weeks, three weeks of convincing, before Justin finally let him take me out.
And he monitored all our dates till we became official. Why older brothers are built like this, I’ll never know. “Dude!” Justin suddenly calls out, loud enough to make me flinch. “Get out here!” Right on cue, Braydon walks out of his room shirtless, his hair a complete mess like he just rolled out of bed. Seriously, does this guy even own a shirt?
He drops onto the couch beside Justin, who shoots him a look before turning all of his attention back to me. Perfect. So why am I the only one standing here like I’m on trial? “I wanted you to get here before I ask my questions because I’d like to hear both sides.” Justin says, like he’s officiating a trial. “I could’ve texted you, but this is better, so I can beat the s**t out of Braydon if it’s true.” He stares between us.
“What the f**k is going on between you two?” My fingers squeeze the strap of my purse until the leather creaks. Braydon meets my gaze and gives me a look that says he’s about to spill everything, and my throat goes dry. For some reason, I’m not ready for him to. I know what you’re thinking: this is simple. I should tell Justin the truth and get it over with because it’s the smart move.
But the truth carries weight: it means admitting Bryan cheated on me, that he mocked me, and these are things my brother won’t let slide. And Justin does one thing exceptionally well when he’s mad: he beats people up. If he lays hands on Bryan, it won’t just be a fistfight. It will be a disaster. And he’s on the hockey team which is his scholarship, his way through college, and his ticket to something bigger after graduation.
One fight on record could cost him everything, including his spot on the team, his funding, and maybe even his shot at going pro. I’m his sister and will definitely not be the reason he loses his chance at hockey. “Is anyone going to say something?” Justin snaps, dragging me out of my spiral. His leg bounces against the coffee table, rattling an empty soda can. “This silence is already pissing me off.” Beside him, Braydon shifts in his seat.
He doesn’t look like himself right now without his cocky grin and confidence. Instead, he looks uneasy, like he knows exactly how thin the ice under his feet is. “It’s not what you think,” he says carefully, glancing between us. “We had an arrangement, buddy.” “Don’t buddy me,” Justin cuts in. “The arrangement I remember you having with my sister was tutoring.
So why the f**k is everyone suddenly whispering about a relationship?” Braydon looks at me, waiting for me to bail him out. My stomach knots, and I force myself to swallow, then exhale. “It’s fake,” I blurt out, and Braydon lets out a sigh like I just saved him from drowning. Justin’s head snaps toward me, confusion written all over his face. “What’s fake?
The news?” And just like that, I wish the floor would open and swallow me whole. I always thought the most humiliating moment of my life was when I s**t my pants in fourth grade during a math quiz. Turns out, no. This, standing here in front of my brother, confessing to this is worse. “I asked Braydon to pretend to be my boyfriend,” I say quickly, my words tumbling out in a rush.
Justin stares at me like I’ve completely lost my mind. His eyebrows are halfway to his hairline, his mouth opening and closing like he’s not sure which question to ask first. Panic kicks in, and I scramble to keep talking before he can explode. “Nothing’s going on between us. It’s staged.
That’s all. That’s the truth.” For a long beat, the only sound in the room is the low hum of music coming from the apartment next door and the faint ticking of Justin’s jaw as he grinds his teeth. Then, slowly, he turns to Braydon. “What?” “I think she forgot to mention her ex-boyfriend cheated on her and claimed she wouldn’t find someone better,” Braydon says smoothly and humiliation burns up my neck and settles hot on my cheeks. He doesn’t even stop there.
“So we made a deal: fake boyfriend for tutor. You wouldn’t really think I’d mess with your sister, did you?”
KATY’S POV
Justin goes still. For a few long seconds, he doesn’t move, doesn’t blink, but just stares like he’s rebooting. Then his gaze snaps to me. “Wait… Bryan cheated on you and f*****g said that bullshit..” his voice rises, then drops into something harsher, “and you didn’t think to tell me? Huh, Katy?” I scoff, trying to cover the fact that I suddenly want to cry.
“Well, I had my reasons for not telling you.” Justin spreads his arms, like he can’t even process what I just said. “What possible reasons?” “The way you’re acting right now.” I snap, heat rising in my chest. “I’m sure you’re already picturing beating him up.” “And why shouldn’t I?” he fires back. “You play hockey!” My voice climbs before I mean it to. “If you beat him up, what then?
Lose your scholarship? Lose the team? And then what, move back home? Start over? That’s not something you bounce back from in a semester.” His expression shifts.
“You should let me figure that out.” “I can figure myself out,” I snap right back. “I’m not a kid, and this is my decision.” He pushes up to his feet so fast the couch groans behind him. For a moment, he just glares at me before his attention cuts to Braydon. “I don’t want this s**t between you two. Call it off.” “No.” I grind out.
“Call it off.” He grits. “Come on, it-” Braydon starts, trying to smooth things over. “Shut up!” Justin snaps, and he clamps his mouth shut instantly, sinking back against the couch. Justin points at me, finger shaking a little with the force of his anger. “I asked you to tutor him, not fake date him or whatever this is.” His voice rises with every word, loud enough that I’m sure the neighbors down the hall can hear.
“You say it’s nothing, but in a few weeks, you’ll be making out with him!” I scoff, heat bubbling up in my chest. “So this is because you don’t trust me? You think I’m that easy?” “It’s not you I don’t trust.” He shakes his head, his finger pointing at Braydon even though his eyes stay on me. “It’s him.” Braydon sits up straighter, looking almost offended. “Forgive me, bud, but she’s not my type.” I whip my head toward him, disbelief and anger hitting me at the same time.
My glare could burn holes through him, but he just shrugs like it’s not a big deal. “She’s definitely not my type,” he repeats, casual as ever. The room goes dead silent for a second, then Justin slowly turns his head and narrows his eyes at Braydon. “What the f**k are you saying? That my sister isn’t your type?
Are you trying to insinuate something?” Braydon rises to his feet, his palms out and eyebrows raised. “Hold on. Let me get this straight.” He points between the two of us. “Justin, are you pissed about our arrangement… or the fact that your sister’s not my type?” Justin drags in a deep breath and lets it out, his shoulders sagging like he’s suddenly tired of all of this. “I don’t care anymore.
Just stop whatever this is or I’ll cancel the whole tutoring thing.” “And I said no.” I counter. “Why do you think you get to make decisions for me? You’ve had three girlfriends in one year, and I haven’t tried to police you about it.” “That’s differe-” “Different how?” I snap before he can finish. “Because I’m a girl? You think I’m na?ve?
I’ve got a 4.0 GPA, sixteen medals from different awards, and I wasn’t dumb enough to forgive Bryan for cheating on me. So tell me, what exactly makes you think you’re smarter at making decisions than me?” The room goes quiet, and out of the corner of my eye, I catch Braydon watching me with raised brows, like he didn’t expect that speech. He looks almost impressed, but I don’t care. I’m pissed. He said I’m not his type?
Really? “And about Braydon,” I say, folding my arms tight across my chest, “Do you really think I’m stupid enough to fall for him or just topple into his bed?” I stare at Justin like it’s the most ridiculous thing he’s suggested. “Look at him, he probably has a fifty-plus body count of girls. Maybe even boys. Who knows?” Braydon’s mouth opens as if to protest, but I cut him off before he can find a word.
“I’m not desperate to add my name to that list, okay? And let me make this perfectly clear: he’s not my type. Not physically, not emotionally, not sexually and hell, not even mentally.” I take a breath. “So…unless you’ve got another reason to barge into my decisions, I’d like to end this discussion now.” When I finish, Justin looks speechless. His gaze shifts to Braydon, whose easy smirk is long gone, and his face is tight now, clouded with visible displeasure.
But I don’t care. He started this. I can finish it. “So…” Justin rubs the back of his neck, eyes darting between us. “I can trust you?
No hooking up, no… other s**t when I’m not around?” “Yes.” Braydon cuts in before I can even open my mouth. “One hundred percent sure.” The way he says it isn’t for Justin. It’s for me. His eyes lock on mine, and every line in his face spells out the same thing: he’s pissed.
KATY’S POV
I close the door to Braydon’s room and sit on the edge of his bed, dropping my bag beside me. My eyes sweep the space because knowing him, it wouldn’t be shocking to find a used condom wrapper lying around.
“I think we should start with marketing theories,” I say. “Then maybe look at how they apply in real life situations.”
I flip open a textbook, pretending not to notice the way his eyes flicker toward me and then away, like he can’t stand the sight of me and also can’t help himself.
He leans back in his chair, arms crossed. “Whatever. You’re the one with the 4.0 GPA, remember?”
The jab stings, but I bite my tongue. “Let’s start with Marketing Management then.”
“Okay.”
The one-word response grates on my nerves. It’s not like I expect him to serenade me or ramble on, but at least he could pretend to want this session.
“Open page fourteen in your textbook and read the first line,” I tell him.
He drags his hand across the pages, flipping them with a slowness that makes my skin crawl. “What part should I read, again?”
I exhale and press my fingers against my temples. “Do you really want to do this tonight?”
He doesn’t answer. Instead, he snaps the book shut and swivels toward me, his eyes sharp. “You think I’m filthy, don’t you?”
I freeze. The question catches me so off guard and from the look on his face, I can tell he could no longer hold it in.
“What do you mean?” I manage.
“Back there,” he says, his voice colder than usual. “The thing with the body count. You think I’m dirty, right?”
I swallow, suddenly shrinking under his gaze. His eyes burn with something more complicated than anger, disappointment maybe. Like he expected me to be cooler, smarter, and I fell short. The thought of that makes my chest feel heavy, and I hate that I feel bad for letting him down.
“That’s not what I meant,” I respond. “And besides… I just wanted Justin to get off our case.”
“Really?” He arches a brow, his tone skeptical. “I don’t buy that, Katy.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.