Letting My Brother's Best Friend Take My V-Card

CHAPTER 41 JESS Lying on my bed, I scrolled aimlessly through my feed, trying to distract myself from the turmoil inside me. The morning had been a whirlwind, and I was still reeling from the confrontation with Luke. My thoughts were a chaotic mess, making it impossible to focus on anything for more than a few seconds.

Suddenly, a message popped up on my screen, causing my heart to skip a beat.

Luke: Jess. We need to talk.

I stared at the message, my fingers hovering over the keyboard. The last thing I wanted was to talk to him, especially after everything that had happened. I locked my phone and threw it besideon the bed, taking a deep breath to calm myself. But my phone pinged again, making my heart race.

Luke: Jessica. Just answer the phone.

Anger surged through me, fueled by the frustration and hurt that had been building all morning. I grabbed my phone and typed back furiously.

Me: NO I sent the message, hoping it would be enough to deter him. But within seconds, his nflashed across the screen. He was calling me.

1 15 19 I hesitated, my thumb hovering over the "Decline" button. But something inside me-maybe curiosity, maybe the need for closure-madeswipe to answer.

"What do you want, Luke?" I snapped, not bothering to hide my anger.

"Jessica, we need to talk. Please he said, his voice softer than I expected, filled with desperation and regret.

"I don't have anything to say to you," I retorted, my voice shaking.

"Just hearout," he pleaded. "I need to explain." "Explain what?" I spat back. "How you pretended to care about me, only to treatlike snaive little girl?" "That's not what happened, and you know it," he said, frustration creeping into his voice. "Just, let's talk face-to- face." Luke pleaded.

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. Part ofwanted to hang up, to block him out of my life completely. But another part ofneeded to hear what he had to say to understand why he had hurt me. "Fine," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

I lay back on my bed, feeling the weight of the morning's events pressing down on me. My phone buzzed again, and I glared at the screen.

Luke: 11:30- you know where.

I knew exactly where. The tree house. Our old fort. I groaned, typing back a reluctant reply.

Me: FINE Dinner was pizza, and we sat around the table like a normal family who did this all the time. But the truth was far from it. My parents were rarely home, and Josh and I had learned to take care of ourselves. "So, Jess. How's senior year? Do you know what you want to do next year?" my dad asked, breaking the silence.

I chewed on a piece of pizza and swallowed hard. "Yeah. I applied to a few places on the East Coast," I said softly. Luckily, Josh jumped in. "I got a few offers, and so did Luke," he beamed, and my dad immediately derailed our conversation, diving into football talk.

I stopped listening, my mother tapping away on her tablet. "Hun," she said, pulling my dad's attention. "We need to change. the flight to next week. The meeting got moved up." My heart sank. I knew it was too good to be true. I dropped my pizza and pushed my chair back, the whole table looking at me.

"I knew it was too good to be true. Why even bother coming back at all," I mumbled, storming off to my room. I knew it was childish, but I needed my parents. I needed my mother. I needed to tell her what happened with Bryan, to have her hugand tellit wasn't my fault.

I slammed the door behindand threw myself onto my bed, tears streaming down my face. The hurt and anger bubbled up, and I buried my face in my pillow, sobbing quietly. My phone ||| CHATTER #1 buzzed again, and I glared at the screen through blurry eyes.

Luke: I'll see you soon.

I sighed, wiping away my tears. I didn't want to go, but something insidepushedto get up and face him. I glanced at the clock. 21:00. I had tto pull myself together.

Taking a deep breath, I stood up and went to the bathroom, splashing cold water on my face. I looked at my reflection, seeing the sadness and hurt in my eyes. As good as it's going to get.

I contemplated calling Laura, but I couldn't risk her saying anything to Josh now that they were... whatever they were. Maybe Sam, but I just remembered that she had a date tonight.

I grabbed a jacket and slipped on my shoes, sneaking out into the cool night air. Everyone was asleep The walk to the tree house was short but wa's felt like an eternity. Memories of our childhood flooded my mind, making each step heavier than the last. When I reached the tree house, I saw Luke sitting on the platform's edge. He looked up as I approached, his expression a mix of relief and regret.

"Hey," he said softly.

I stared at him, "I don't think it's safe up there." I said, and Luke. chuckled; the sound

warmeda little. "Promise passed at safety inspection." He teased, and I groaned, climbing up the dedgym stairs. This place was at the back of E our yards, bordering on the nature reserve. It felt miles away from town even though it wasn't. I shrieked when a cobweb clung 15201 CHAPTER 41 1288 Vouchers almost lost my balance, but Luke grabbed my hand, pullingback.

"Real Tomb Raider, aren't you," Luke teased, and I glared at him.

I sat down next to him, keeping a safe distance between ys. "Goan," I said, crossing my arms and looking En away. CANTER 42 CHAPTER 42