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 beside me on 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 name flashed across the screen. He was calling me.

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

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

voice softer

to say to you,"

hear me out," he pleaded. "I need

about me, only to treat

know it," he said, frustration creeping into his voice. "Just, let's

block him out of my life completely. But another part of me needed

morning's events pressing down on me. My phone buzzed

11:30- you

tree house. Our old

back a

Me: FINE

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

chewed on a piece of pizza and swallowed hard. "Yeah. I applied to a few places

offers, and so did Luke," he beamed,

stopped listening, my mother tapping away on her tablet. "Hun," she said, pulling my dad's attention. "We need to change. the flight

be true. I dropped

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

tears streaming down my face. The hurt and anger bubbled up, and I buried my face in my pillow, sobbing quietly. My

III

CHATTER #1

again, and I glared at

see

to get up and face him. I glanced at the clock. 21:00. I had time to pull

I looked at my reflection, seeing the sadness and hurt in my eyes. As good

they were... whatever they were. Maybe Sam, but I just remembered that