Page 133 of The Jack*ss in Class

“And exposing me, without warning, without giving me any chance to prepare was a better choice than just talking to me about it?”

“You should have told us,” she snapped back, her voice hardened. “You kept this whole secret life, this whole career, hidden from your family for years. Writing... that kind of content. It needed to be nipped in the bud. And I’m not the only one who thinks so. Mrs. Henderson always did like me better than you.”

The anger I’d been holding at bay began to surface. “She’s the one who let you into my room? No wonder we had so many random room checks this year. That was your fault, wasn’t it? I was protecting myself and my work, and you were spying on me?”

“And never thought about how it might affect the rest of us?” She stood, pacing to her window. “I have a bright political career ahead of me, Tempest. Everyone says so. What do you think happens when the senator finds out? Or when I run for office and have to explain that my sister writes porn?”

“So this was about your career? Your reputation?”

“It’s about all of our reputations.” She spun to face me. “You think Mamá’s medical colleagues aren’t gossiping about this? That Papá’s academic friends aren’t whispering behind his back?”

“My books are successful and they’re not something shameful,” I countered.

“Maybe not to you.” Rosalind crossed her arms. “But some of us had to work our entire lives to build respectable careers. Some of us don’t get to follow our passions and do whatever makes us happy.”

The bitterness in her voice caught me off guard. “What are you talking about?”

She laughed, a harsh, brittle sound. “You did what you wanted, you pursued this... this writing thing that everyone told you was frivolous. While the rest of us towed the line and did what we were supposed to.”

“I worked hard for my degree and the success I’m having in my career,” I said, my voice quieter now as understanding dawned.

“So am I,” Rosalind’s composure cracked. “I’ve done everything right. Everything that was expected of me. I stayed at home and went to DSU for law school because that’s the path to politics, which is what everyone has told me I should do since I was ten. Ten, Tempest.”

“And is that what you want?”

She hesitated just a fraction of a second too long. “Of course.”

That tiny pause told me everything. “Ros... if you don’t want to be a lawyer or go into politics, you don’t have to.”

“Don’t I?” She turned away. “Not everyone gets to buck the system. Not everyone gets to be the rebellious middle child.”

The anger I’d carried into this room began to shift, making space for something unexpected...understanding.

“It’s not too late to change your mind,” I said gently. “To do something that actually makes you happy.”

“Easy for you to say. You’ve already built your secretcareer even if you don’t seem to care what anyone else has to say about it.”

By anyone else, we both knew she meant Mamá.

“Better than spending your life doing something that makes you miserable. To thine own self be true.”

Rosalind turned to face me, her expression suddenly fierce. “Don’t ruin my chances with your trashy romance novel scandal. That would be a real betrayal, little sister.”

The attack stung, but I recognized it for what it was. Fear. Fear of disappointment. Been there, done that, got the scars.

“I hope someday you grow up and figure out you have to live your own life,” I said quietly, “being true to yourself instead of living up to others’ expectations. I spent too many years hiding who I was, and it was exhausting. I don’t want that for you, Ros.”

She stared at me for a long moment, something unreadable in her eyes. “I think you should go now.”

I nodded. There was nothing more to say.

I made it all the way to my car before the emotional weight of the confrontation hit me. Tears burned in my eyes as I fumbled with my keys.

On the way back to the sorority house, I dialed Flynn’s number. I needed to hear his voice. Tell him what happened.

Instead I blurted out, “We can’t go to KATman.”

“What do you mean we can’t go?”

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