Page 46 of The Jack*ss in Class

Jules smacked me on the back of the head and gave me her patented you’re-a-dumbass glare. The one where she expected us to realize what dumbassery we’d done and to fix it immediately.

“Hey. What the hell was that for, brat?”

“I thought I raised you better than that, big brother. Have you legit fallen prey to the idea that being fat and being beautiful are mutually exclusive?” She glared at me. “Because I have very specific ways to reeducate you that involve death and dismemberment.”

Oh fuck. I’d just made my beautiful baby sister feel less than, and I deserved whatever punishment she meted out.

I set down my food, did the same with hers and then wrapped her into big bear hug. “I swear I didn’t mean it like that, princess. You know I think all women arebeautiful. And I’m sorry if how I acted or what I said made you feel anything different.”

“Okay. I won’t taint your Cheerios with the most vile additives I can come up with,” Jules gave me a squeeze, and then punched my arm, a little harder than I expected. “And by that, I mean I won’t pee in them. I’ll forgive you, even if you are a total horndog who never dates anyone longer than two weeks.”

“I’m not liking how you know so much about my love life.” But I couldn’t argue. It was true. I’d never wanted anything longer than a fling. Until now.

The suite erupted in cheers as something happened on the field, but my phone buzzed again and this time it actually was a text from Tempest.

Tempest: The donkey says hi. Now stop texting me and watch your brothers win.

I smiled stupidly at my phone.

“Oh brother,” Jules sighed, but she was smiling too. “You are in so much trouble.”

She had no idea.

The first quarter flew by in a blur of spectacular plays. Chris was on fire, connecting with Hayes for two massive gains, and Declan’s defense was crushing it. But during the first commercial break of the second quarter, the energy in our suite shifted.

“Here we go,” Trixie said, practically vibrating with excitement. “The KnightWear commercial is up first.”

I’d heard about these ads but hadn’t paid much attention to the details. Something about body positivity andour brothers’ partners. But after my conversation with Jules, I found myself watching with new eyes.

The KnightWear ad started with Everett talking about Mom. My throat tightened. It always did when anyone mentioned her. But this was different. He was talking about how she’d taught us about self-acceptance, about seeing beauty in everyone. The camera panned across people of all sizes wearing sexy pajamas, sharing their stories.

“Your brother’s a good man,” Dad said quietly beside me. I turned to find him watching the screen intently, his eyes suspiciously bright. “Your mother would be proud.”

Before I could respond, a loud snort came from the neighboring suite. “What is this touchy-feely crap?”

My jaw clenched. Dad’s expression darkened, but before he could move, Jules grabbed his arm. “Don’t. We’ve got something better coming.”

She was right. A Swoosh commercial aired next, featuring Kelsey Best, popstar extraordinaire who was about to join our family as Declan’s wife, singing about self-love and acceptance. The camera showed people of all shapes and sizes making heart symbols with their hands, including my family members.

“Did you know about this?” I asked Gryff.

He shook his head, grinning. “Nope. But it’s pretty awesome.”

More jeers floated over from the next suite, but they were drowned out by the cheers in ours. I found myself thinking about Tempest, wondering if she was watching these ads too. Wondering what she thought about them.

My phone buzzed.

Tempest: Okay, these commercials are actually making me cry a little.

I smiled, typing back quickly.

Me: Wish I was there to wipe those tears away for you.

The moment I hit send, I realized how much I meant that. I wanted more than to have a fling, or get in her pants. I wanted whatever this was between us, to be something real.

“Earth to lover boy,” Gryff elbowed me. “Chris just threw a touchdown while you were making googly eyes at your phone.”

I looked up in time to see the replay. Chris to Hayes, beautiful spiral, perfect catch. The suite erupted in cheers.

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