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.

his voice softer than I expected, filled with

anything to say to

out," he pleaded.

what?" I spat back. "How you pretended to care about me,

what happened, and you know it," he said, frustration creeping into his voice. "Just, let's talk

another part of me needed to hear what he had to say to

my bed, feeling the weight of the morning's events pressing down on me.

11:30- you

tree

a reluctant

Me: FINE

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.

swallowed hard. "Yeah. I applied to a few

Josh jumped in. "I got a few offers, and so did Luke," he beamed, and my dad immediately

pulling my dad's attention. "We need to change. the flight to next week. The

be true. I dropped my pizza and

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 hug me and tell me it wasn't my

and threw myself onto my bed, tears streaming down my face. The hurt and anger

III

CHATTER #1

again, and I glared at

I'll see you

go, but something inside me pushed me to get up and face him.

my face. I looked at my reflection, seeing the sadness and hurt in

couldn't risk her saying anything to Josh now that they were... whatever they were. Maybe Sam, but