Page 253 of Small Town Firsts

“Talk to me, sweets.”

“The TA for my Psych 101 class hates me.”

“I’m sure that’s not true,” Zach says.

“No. It is. We have... a history. He’s best friends with my stepbrother, and yeah, he hates me, and is determined to make me miserable.”

“Why does he hate you? You seem cool as hell to me.”

I turn slightly toward Zach. “It’s a long, messed-up story.”

“CliffsNotes, sweets.”

“Right.” I swallow roughly. “Um. My stepbrother and I have a really bad relationship. Like, really bad. And some things happened and I spoke up, and no one believed me. Now he’sdetermined to ruin my life and has apparently enlisted the help of a friend to do it.”

“Some things?” Gabe asks, a blond brow arched.

I nod, unwilling to elaborate. But I think both of these men are smart enough to put two and two together.

“Why didn’t anyone believe you?”

“Because he’s a Pearson, and while that doesn’t mean much here, it means a hell of a lot back where I’m from.” I shrug. “He’s basically Texas royalty, and it was my word against his.”

“What about your parents? Didn’t they?—”

“Dad’s dead and my mom chose her husband over me.”

“Man, fuck them!” Zach declares. “We’re your daddies now.”

I don’t mean to, but I can’t help but laugh.

“Yeah, that sounded bad.”

“So bad,” Gabe agrees with his boyfriend. “But I dig it. Daddy Gabe. It’s got a ring to it.”

“Y’all are crazy.”

“The best people are, sweets. The best people are.”

CHAPTER 13

STERLING

WatchingEmmalyn eat lunch with those two jocks has my heart racing and my blood pumping.

As irrational as it may be, I need to know who these two men are. I need to know what they are to her. How close they are to her.

I need to know it all.

I tell myself it’s because I need to know my enemy and knowing the company she keeps is paramount to taking her down.

However, telling myself something doesn’t make it true. And if the way my gut twists in anger at the sight of her—head tipped back, laughing at something one of them said—is anything to go off of, I’m absolutely lying to myself.

Who does she think she is? In what universe is it okay for her to do what she did and then go on living her best life like she’s not a lying, backstabbing, disloyal bitch.

As much as Rob likes to dog her, saying she destroyed his life, she really didn’t. After all, money talks. But my earlier thought from after class lingers: what if she were to do the same to a guy who doesn’t have pockets deeper than Mary Poppins’ bag? What then?

It’s not fair to let her potentially ruin someone’s life.

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