Page 104 of Broken Ties (Rixon High 4)

He snorted. “You’re seriously buying that? Is Xander home?”

“No, he’s over at Ashleigh’s house. Poker night.”

“So the three of them are in Halston. Alone.”

“Yeah,” I said, really not following.

“Any money says they’re going out.”

“What? No way. Xander would lose his shit.”

I would lose my shit.

“But Xander isn’t there. And you know how persuasive Poppy and Sofia can be. They’ll be in some bar, drinking cocktails, flirting with guys…”

“What the fuck? Why are you saying all this to me?”

They weren’t out at some bar.

My fist clenched against my thigh as the seed he’d planted took root.

Pulling out my cell phone, I opened my messages and started texting.

Me: How’s Peyton?

I hit send, a kernel of relief spreading through me when a reply came right away.

Sofia: She’s fine. Why?

Me: Just wondered. Say hi from me. What are you doing?

Sofia: Why?

Me: It’s just a question, Sofe.

Sofia: Is this some weird way of checking up on Poppy? Because if it is, I don’t want to be stuck in the middle…

Me: It’s not.

Sofia: Goodbye, Aaron. Go annoy someone else.

I was about to text her back, to demand to know where she was and what she was doing when laughter pealed through the room.

“Holy shit, for real?” Deacon was saying. “Your dad and Coach Ford really drove across town and gate-crashed an Eagle party with firecrackers?”

“True story,” Ezra said.

The guys all looked to me and I confirmed it. “The rivalry between the Raiders and Rixon East was big back then.”

“Shit, Mr. Bennet and Coach Ford were badass.”

A small smirk tugged at my lips. They didn’t know the half of it, never would either.

The guys had questions, a ton of them. And surprisingly, Ezra was all too happy to oblige them, and for once, I was all too happy to let him have the limelight.

Because for as much as it stung to be in his shadow, he’d lived in the darkness long enough.

It was his time to shine.

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