Page 112 of The Jack*ss in Class

“We need to talk,” she announced, grabbing Tempest’s hand in both of hers.

“Okay,” Tempest took a deep breath like she was preparing for more unwelcome news. But I trusted my little sister. She wouldn’t hurt my girl.

“I have a confession to make,” Jules said, her expression suddenly serious.

Tempest tensed beside me.

“I’ve been Miranda Milan’s biggest fan since the first book came out,” Jules continued. “I’ve read each one at least six times—I can quote entire scenes from memory. I run three different fan accounts dedicated to your work.”

Tempest’s eyes widened. “You do?”

“And when all this started breaking today, I knew we had to do something,” Jules continued. “So I rallied the book club. We’ve been flooding social media with competing theories about who Miranda Milan really is.”

“What kind of theories?” Tempest asked.

Jules grinned mischievously. “That Miranda Milan is actually a collective of male ghostwriters. That she’s a seventy-year-old grandmother in Maine. And my personal favorite, that Miranda Milan is actually Kelsey Best writing under a pseudonym.”

“I heard about that one.” Tempest visibly relaxed. “International pop stars probably don’t have time to write romance novels though, do they?”

“She thought it was hilarious,” Jules continued. “She’s been dropping hints in her FaceSpace group all day that she has a ‘secret creative project’ just to fuel speculation. The more theories out there, the harder it is for anyone to be sure about the truth.”

Tempest looked stunned. “Why are you doing all this for me? I mean, I appreciate that you’re a fan, like, really, really appreciate it. But you hardly know me.”

“Are you kidding? I know you through your words.” Jules’s expression grew earnest. “Your books got me through midterms last semester. The way you write about women taking up space in a world that wants them small. That matters. When I realized my brother was dating the author I admired, well, fate doesn’t hand out coincidences like that every day.”

I watched Tempest’s face as Jules spoke, saw the dawning realization that her work had meaning beyond her own fears. That her words had touched lives.

“I don’t know what to say,” she finally managed.

“Say you’ll sign my copies later,” Jules grinned. “And say you’ll let us help you through this. The Kingmanmachine is pretty unstoppable when we all work together.”

Tempest looked at me, her eyes asking a question I couldn’t quite interpret.

“Only if you want,” I said. “No pressure. If you don’t want us all up in your business, this can just be a night away from your problems.”

She took a deep breath. “I’d be grateful for any help. Especially before tomorrow.”

“What’s tomorrow?” Jules asked.

“My parents are flying in,” Tempest said, her voice catching. “They’re... not going to be happy.”

Jules squeezed her hand. “Then we’ll make sure you’re armed with a plan before you face them.”

A shout from across the room drew our attention—Everett had apparently made a controversial move in whatever game they’d started.

“Come on,” I said, standing and offering my hand to Tempest. “Let me show you how Kingman game night works. Spoiler alert. There will be shouting, accusations of cheating, and someone might flip a table.”

Jules grinned and pulled out from behind her chair a worn green pillow embroidered with the words -In this house we bleed green- and held it high above her head. “And I’m going to win it all, because I’ve got the lucky pillow.”

Isak, who’d just arrived with Gryff, whipped that pillow right out of Jules’s hands. “Not for long, brat. You’re going down.”

Gryff gave Tempest a pat on the shoulder and said, “Welcome to the chaos, kid.” Then jumped on Isak, taking him to the floor, wrestling for the pillow.

Tempest took my hand, a small smile playing at her lips. “Sounds like my kind of chaos.”

The next hour unfolded exactly as I’d hoped. Game night worked its magic, pulling Tempest into our family’s particular brand of competitive camaraderie. She even laughed when Chris accused Hayes of stacking the Scrabble tiles, and she formed an unexpected alliance with Kelsey during a particularly cutthroat round of Pictionary.

But I could still see the worry lurking behind her eyes. Tomorrow’s confrontation with her parents cast a shadow over each moment of reprieve. I needed to do something more to help her feel supported and ready to fight her demons.

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