Bitter Sweet Heart (Lies, Hearts & Truths #2)(25)

I take a step back. “It was me trying to apologize for my thoughtlessness, but I didn’t see how it could have been taken differently until after I left the restaurant. And I didn’t see the revised grade until I got home, which is when I realized how shady that probably looked to you.”

She stares at me for a few long seconds, saying nothing. Her throat bobs with a swallow, and she tips her chin up, looking down her nose at me. “You’re no longer failing the course, but there’s still one more independent assignment and the exam, so I wouldn’t suggest using your athletics involvement as an excuse to shirk your educational responsibilities again.”

“I won’t.” I tuck a hand in my pocket. “I’m not trying to be a pain in your ass, but, uh . . . Are you planning to report me to anyone else?”

She mutters under her breath before her gaze shifts my way—not to me, exactly, but in my direction. “Can you just be grateful I didn’t name you and leave it alone?”

Well, that answers that question. “I am grateful. I just . . . Thank you.”

She lifts her ancient bag. “Do not make me regret this decision. I didn’t do this because you’re on a sports team, or because of your family or their influence. Or because of what happened before. I did it because I see potential that’s being wasted, and I did not want to be the person to derail your future. I’m hopeful the lesson has been learned and the behavior won’t be repeated. Ever again.”

“It won’t. I swear.”

She nods. “I’ll see you next week.” She turns and stalks out of the classroom.

I should be glad this semester is almost over, but for some reason, the closer I get to the end, the less I want it to get here.





Nine





Turn a Corner





Maverick





When I get home, the living room is empty. I grab a beer and head upstairs, running into my younger brother, River, in the hall. He looks surprised to see me.

“Hey.” His brows pull together in his customary furrow.

“’Sup? You heading out or grabbing something from the kitchen?”

“Uh . . .” His gaze darts around. “Going to a friend’s house.”

River has always been the emo-kid in our family. He carries the weight of the world on his shoulders—wants to fit in, but hates everyone except for Lavender, sometimes me and Robbie, and our parents. Also, he desperately wants our dad’s approval, but chose football over hockey when he hit high school.

I nod once. I know better than to dig with River.

“You by yourself?” He looks over my shoulder, as if he’s expecting someone to magically appear behind me.

“Yeah. I came from my night class. Is Lavender home?”

He pokes at his lip with his tongue. “Yeah. She and Kody are upstairs.”

“Everything okay there?” River hasn’t ever been Kody’s biggest fan.

“With the two of them? Fine, I guess. She seems happy and like she’s got him by the balls, which is how it’s always been.”

“That’s accurate. But I meant is everything okay with you, in respect to them.” I point to the ceiling. River had a pretty epic meltdown when he found out Lav and Kody were dating. Since then, things seem okay, but sometimes it’s tough to tell with River.

He rubs his lip. “I think it took me a bit to come to terms with how different it is now, and that Lavender doesn’t need to be protected. Back when we were kids and Kody was always coming to the rescue, I used to feel like I was failing as her twin, because we were supposed to have that bond.” His eyes lift to the ceiling. “Those two have this connection that’s impossible to compete with, and Kody has always been all-in when it comes to Lav. It’s easier now, because it’s obvious she’s the one in the driver’s seat, you know?” He runs a hand through his hair. “Gotta be kind of weird for you, though.”

“Eh. We all knew it was coming. And you’re right about Lavender being the one running this ship. I mean, I think she probably always was, but now she’s aware.” It’s clear she’s learned how to stand on her own.

River nods thoughtfully. “As much as she hated staying home last year, I think she needed it—not necessarily the being-at-home part, but the not having us all watching over her.”

“It’s like she aged a decade in a year,” I muse.

He smiles, and it’s full of pride. “She’s pretty badass, isn’t she?”

I laugh, thinking about the stunt she pulled in a white thong bikini, and the whole talking to Clarke to piss Kody off. And then her brief stint in the dorm before she moved back in with me and River. “Yeah, she really is.”

River claps me on the shoulder, his expression turning serious. “I’m glad you pushed for her to live here. I don’t know whether it would have happened if I’d been the one to suggest it.”

I poke him in the side. “Shh . . . That’s not something I want her to know. At least until I’m out of here.”

“Dude, I’m implicated as much as you are because I went along with it. I’m taking that to the grave—or at least until their wedding, because that would be a fun bomb to drop then.”