Page 25 of Catch Me

“Then it’s just a he said she said.”

Reid shrugs. “Not if we have physical evidence. It can’t hurt to try.”

I reach out to rub his forearm. He’s still trying to keep me safe, and I love him for it. But we’re beyond that. Her shit isn’t going to fly anymore.

12

That Friday is another game in the Spring Hill books that Reid doesn’t play in. This time, though, he’s actually on the sidelines, and I’m in the bleachers, watching him sit there with his sexy suit on while he observes the game he loves pass him by.

I try not to notice, but Oscar is good. Spring Hill wins because of him, and I can feel the conflicting emotions firing on Reid’s face when he gets up to congratulate all the sweaty players when they jog off the field with the last seconds of the clock ticking down.

Sasha runs up to Oscar now, instead of Reid, planting a disgusting, triumphant kiss on him that turns my stomach. To all the world, she appears to be a happy cheerleader congratulating her boyfriend, but to those of us who know what she did to obtain all this, she looks like a playboy devil. She took out Reid, injuring him. He could’ve been hurt worse. I wonder if she ever thought of that. As if that wasn’t enough, she invited Oscar to SHH, orchestrating Oscar’s mother’s new job at one of her father’s companies and giving them a place to live.

Coach leads the team into the locker rooms, and I stay right where I am, casually watching as everyone else makes their way back to the parking lot. “You okay?” Jules asks, bumping into me.

I was surprised she came today, but I think she did it for both Reid and me, pushing down her emotions about Brady to be able to help us if we needed it. I shrug. “I guess. I just wonder how she can live with herself. It’s disgusting.”

“It takes a truly special person to be that much of a bitch.”

“You’re not kidding,” I say.

Both mine and Jules’s cell phones buzz at the same time. I take it out first, opening up the group text to find Cade telling us we’re all going to the after party at Sasha’s house. Before I can ask why in the hell we would do that, he texts,Might find some shit.

I blow out a breath. “I hope Reid is okay with this.” When Jules doesn’t answer, I look over. “Are you going to come?”

She nods. “Yeah, I’m up for it. Who knew a little revenge would make me feel better?” She tries to carry it off as a joke, but I can still see the sadness just under the surface of her pale skin. I can feel my own too, hovering there, just waiting for me to get a break in my life to feel it all again. She smiles to herself. “I keep telling myself that Brady hated her, so he’d probably approve.”

I laugh. “He hated her that much?”

She smirks. “He told me it made him want to hurl every time he saw Reid and Sasha together.”

“It’s so weird,” I muse. “I wonder why he was so against Reid and me then. You know, if he really didn’t like Sasha...”

“He’d probably rather watch Sasha and Reid suck face than his sister and his best friend,” Jules says, quirking an eyebrow at me.

She’s got a point there. But it still bothers me why Brady wouldn’t have wanted us together. I’m just curious. It doesn’t change my mind about him. Nothing would change my mind, but it would be an insight into what he was thinking. Plus, Reid is still a little unsure sometimes, so if Brady’s reason was nothing big, it would put him at ease.

Jules stands and holds her hand out to me. “Come on, let’s go get ready for this party.”

I start to follow her down the bleachers, but I stop. “Shit. My parents aren’t going to let me go to a party. They barely let me come here. They only did because Reid asked them.”

My phone rings. I show Jules the screen when I see “Mom” scrolling across it. I swipe the screen to answer. Holding it up to my ear, I say, “Hey.”

“I’ve agreed, but I swear to God, Briar, if you make your father and I worry about you again, I’m going to— Well, I don’t know, but I do know you’ll be on your way to Grandma and Grandpa’s tomorrow. I’m not joking. You understand?”

“I—” I stumble over my words, not knowing what to say.

“That goes the same if I hear you were with anyone else but Reid. Okay?”

NowthatI can answer. I don’t want to hang out with anyone else but Reid. Well, Reid and the rest of our friends. “Yes, Mom. I promise. You don’t have to worry.”

“You don’t deserve this, you know?”

My heart pounds heavily in my chest. She’s right. “I know.”

She sighs, and then the phone cuts out. I look at Jules. I should be smiling right now because I get to go to the party, but I don’t feel like this is a win at all. My parents—well, my mom—is still super pissed at me. Rightfully so. “I guess I’m going.”

“How the hell did you do that?” Jules asks. “Your parents are usually strict.”

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