Page 88 of Hide and Keep

“Missed you, Scoops,” Ever tells her.

I watch the interaction with the same amount of fascination. This is not how Ever acts with the clones. This is not how she acts with anyone. For a split second, she’s not the trainwreck of a human I fucking despise, but a cute girl I’d enjoy having under me for a night.

Or two.

Just one. They’re all just one.

“Missed you, too.” Her friend pulls away to pin her with a serious expression. “It’s been hell since I got back.”

“That’s right. The new stepfather moved in.”

“And stepbrother.” The friend trembles dramatically.

“Oh, yeah. What’s his name again?”

“Khaos.”

Ever giggles. “It sounds more like a warning than a name.”

“Consider me warned. I plan on staying as far away from him as possible.” Another shiver.

“Uh-huh…” Ever exaggerates the last part of that, not sounding the least bit convinced.

The girl’s cheeks turn a shade of pink that makes everything she just said that much harder to believe. “Anyway, did you get the pickles?”

“The biggest jar I could find.”

“Good.” The blonde eyes me but asks Ever, “Did you get a new stepbrother as well?”

“No. Ugh.” The sound she makes sounds like a gag. A gag I’d find pretty fucking offensive if I didn’t already know what shekeeps under her bed. “After carrying this team on my back all season, I had to hire someone to do all my heavy lifting.”

“Oh, God.”

They both break into laughter.

“Putting the ol’ family fortune to good use, I see.”

Ever drawls, “I try,” then sticks her hands behind her back, her fingers tangling together.

“Who is he really?”

As Ever regurgitates the stalker story, I lock eyes with a hot brunette. She’s a bit more put-together than the others, but not to the degree Ever is. I’m convinced Ever and her clones are the only people on earth who walk around looking like actual models. She is still imitating Ever by wearing a shirt similar to the one she was wearing the day I met her. While not a crop top, it does say “I got wet” across the chest in the same exact font Ever’s did.

“That’s so scary. Are you okay?”

“It’s fine. I’m just looking forward to not having a chaperone every waking moment.”

I ignore that jab, too. I’m busy anyway. The brunette’s doing some serious eye-fucking that I’m having a hard time not returning. I am on the job but that job is starting to give me blue balls. I’m only human.

“As far as chaperones go, yours is hot—”

“He can hear you,” Ever says as if that’s ever stopped her from talking about me in front of my face. It does make me tear my eyes away from the brunette though. Eye-fucking isn’t gonna make my balls any less blue.

There’s an awkward pause where both girls peek back at me and I have to pretend not to notice, lowering my gaze to the ground, the bill of my hat blocking my face from view.

Do theyboththink I’m hot? Or just blondie?

Ever’s friend asks, “Well, did they say how long it’ll be?”

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