Page 22 of Swallow Your Sorries

“Class and teenagers?” Bae smirks, breaking the tension. “A winning combination.”

“You’ll see. You’ll all see…” Hale pauses at Étienne who’s still glued to his phone. “What the hell do you keep watching?” He asks, leaning over Étienne’s shoulder. His blue eyes grow wide before shooting up to meet Zedd’s. “Stassi’s back home? You didn’t tell me she came back.”

It’s as if someone’s cut the music and the world spins to a standstill.

Étienne’s ears perk up, his narrowed eyes travelling to Hale.

If there’s one thing Éti and Zedd bond over, it’s being overprotective brothers. Though the ‘b’ word triggers Étienne so badly, we refer to his future stepsister, as his father’s, fiance’s daughter.

“Why would I tell you that Stassi’s back?” Zedd asks before turning to Étienne. “And why are you watching her stories?” He leans over to see the video, and Bae and I follow suit.

Stassi, Zedd’s twin, smiles at the camera, exposing one deep dimple. She’s having dinner at some swanky restaurant with a group of Beaulieu girls.

“Why isn’t Aria with her?” Étienne asks, making it clear that it isn’t Stassi herself he’s been staring at. He’s triple-checking the girls that surround Stassi, and Aria’s brown skin and curly hair are missing, and yet, the girls are always inseparable.

Zedd shrugs. “Stassi’s been blowing me off all summer. She wouldn’t pick up for two whole days and Mum said to leave her be. Mum’s covering something for her.”

Hale swallows. “She looks different. She’s thin.”

Stassi was never and still isn’t thin. She’scrazy curvy,with chubby cheeks and round eyes. Now she’s just three sizes smaller as if she’s shed some baby fat. You look at Stassi, and all you see are soft curves.

I think the word Hale’s looking for isthick. Dumb thick. Super…

“What are you all smiling at?” Zedd asks, glancing around murderously. He and Stassi share a resemblance, but you wouldn’t peg them as twins initially. Zedd’s shredded, with even dirtier blonde hair.

I lean back, feigning disinterest, while Bae quickly looks up at the spotted ceiling. But from the corner of my eye, I catch Hale eyeing Stassi’s breasts, encased in a lacy white corset top. Realising his mistake a half second later, he quickly finds interest in a drink as Rie Rie makes another round with the free shots. The fact that he grabs a second tells me it’s actually liquor this time.

“I can’t believe she didn’t tell me she was coming home. Where the hell is that restaurant?” Zedd asks distractedly, as he pulls out his phone and opens Instagram. “What the…she…she blocked me from seeing her story!”

“I wonder why,” Bae says, rolling his eyes.

“Her location is turned off too.”

“Maybe she’s blocked you on the finder app,” Hale says. “I’ll check.”

Zedd’s face turns an ominous shade of maroon. “Why would you have Stassi’s pin to check?”

“It’s a safety thing, isn’t it?” Hale says weakly, glancing at us for help.

No one says anything.

“Safety is Bae having Stassi’s pin. Not you.”

Bae and Étienne have a type, and even Stassi’s olive skin isn’t dark enough.

“What’s wrong with me? Why am I not as good as them?” Hale asks defensively.

“You have no discretion and no morals. You’ll fuck a roach if it has a big ass.”

“Are you comparing Stassi to a roach?”

“I’m comparing your self-control to the size of an ant. Stassi’s off limits, and you know that, yet nothing will stop you from sticking your dick into someone. Name one girl at Beaulieu in our year that you wouldn’t fuck.”

Hale’s brows knit in concentration.

“Just one. I’ll wait.”

“Why didn’t you say Aria?” Étienne asks so softly we all turn to him. His voice is like ice blowing over a crater, deep, smooth, and freezing. Even a chill curls around my ears whenever he speaks.

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